The?penultimate?night produced the most dramatic performances in the Caribbean Alliance Insurance Senior National Badminton Championships as the favourites just kept falling.
The first victims were the No. 1 mixed seeds and last year’s losing finalists Mariama Eastmond and Dakeil Thorpe, who were defeated by Shari Watson and Andre Padmore 21-12, 25-23 in Friday’s action at the Barbados Community College.
Watson and Padmore jumped out to an early lead and pressured Eastmond, who seemed not to be able to find any rhythm. Thorpe was affected as well and the two were unable to mount a challenge in the first game.
The second game provided the level of play expected, as Eastmond finally arrived at the party.
She controlled the net more effectively with simple net shots, while Thorpe managed the back court to great effect. However, Watson and Padmore were also up to the task and Watson’s net play outmatched that of Eastmond’s as she also executed some effective drives and smashes.
In the end, Watson and Padmore held their nerve to win the match.
Their opponents in the final will be Sabrina Scott and Sabeel Foster, who defeated Amanda Haywood and Shae Martin 21-14, 21-10.
In the men’s doubles, Padmore paired with Jade Browne to set ablaze the college gym when they defeated Sabeel Foster and Cory Fanus 21-15, 21-15.
Despite pairing for the first time at Nationals, the pair moved with great synchronicity, which seemed to mesmerise Foster and Fanus who could not find any open spaces to attack their opponents.
Only defending champions Dakeil Thorpe and Bradley Pilgrim, who dismissed Andrew Clarke and Damien Howell 21-7, 21-17, now stand between Padmore and Browne and the title.
The most tension-filled encounter was the women’s singles semi-final in which Tamisha Williams upset No. 2 seed Watson 17-21, 21-12, 27-25 to gain her maiden finals’ appearance.
There were several long rallies in which the players sent each other to all areas of the court, augmented by well-timed and placed drop shots and cross-court winners.
Williams will now meet two-time defending champion Eastmond who defeated Monyata Rivera 21-10, 21-18. (PR/EZS)