60th Independence Badminton: Top seeds dominate and rising stars shine

The 60th Independence Anniversary Badminton Tournament delivered a sensational evening of high-octane action on Friday across seven tightly contested categories, ranging from energetic Under-23 singles to senior men’s, women’s, and mixed doubles events.

In the Men’s Singles round of 16, top seed Akili Haynes advanced via a walkover against Avinash Odit; however, second seed Tyrese Jeffrey faced a much sterner test on court, digging deep to overcome a resilient Jonathan Mangra in straight sets, 21-19, 21-18.

The joint third and fourth seeds also showcased their title credentials, with Frank Waddell fending off Grandison Robinson 21-12, 22-20 , and Nkosi Beaton cruising past Chike Nurse with a comfortable 21-8, 21-12 victory.

The most dramatic clash of the men’s singles session came down to a three-set thriller between Nikolas Pollard and Gabriel Felix.

After dropping the opening game 19-21, Pollard rallied spectacularly to claim the next two sets 21-18, 21-12, securing his place in the quarter-finals.

Meanwhile, Jaurel Hendricks bested Ronit Gulchand, Chioke Nurse defeated Mikkel Wong, and Sheraz Nabbie delivered the most lopsided win of the round by dismantling Halen Jiang 21-2, 21-5.

The momentum carried directly into the Men’s Doubles, where top-seeded pair Nkosi Beaton and Daniel Tan advanced without hitting a shuttlecock after a walkover from Halen Jiang and Nathan Mohanlall.

Second seeds Akili Haynes and Tyrese Jeffrey were made to work for their progression, ultimately outlasting Jaurel Hendricks and Jonathan Mangra 21-11, 22-20.

The pairings of Chike Nurse and Chioke Nurse, Percival Chester and Ronit Gulchand and Sheraz Nabbie and Frank Waddell all recorded comfortable straight-sets victories. Haymant Ramdhani and Jason Stephney alongside Troxley Cutting and Grandison Robinson also booked their spots in the next round with identical 21-11, 21-11 scorelines.

In contrast, Mohamed Farouk and Haresh Persaud had to fight tooth and nail, coming from a game down to defeat Miguelanjel Jose Vasquez Silva and Hasani Robinson 14-21, 21-17, 21-15.

In the standard Women’s Singles quarter-finals, top seed Mishka Beharry put on a masterclass to dispatch Menikshi Jaikissoon 21-16, 21-9.

Second seed Ashley Khalil mirrored that authority with a 21-13, 21-15 win over Leshaunte Berkley.

Asiyah Eastman booked her semi-final spot by comfortably defeating Dana Persaud 21-10, 21-8, while Alimah Eastman progressed via a walkover against Macayle Greene.

The future of Guyanese badminton was also on full display during the Under-23 divisions. In the U23 Men’s Singles, top seed Frank Waddell continued his busy, successful night by beating Chike Nurse 21-9, 21-11, while second seed Christopher Jordan blew past Joel Rambiriche, dropping just thirteen points in a 21-9, 21-4 demolition.

Caleb Tan provided the upset of the round by knocking out joint third and fourth seed Nikolas Pollard in straight games. The match of the segment, however, belonged to U23 seed Yonneil Benjamin, who survived an agonisingly close second-set tiebreak to defeat Gabriel Felix 21-11, 21-23, 21-17.

The Under-23 Women’s Singles drew the evening to a close with dominant displays. Prodigy Mishka Beharry look unfazed by pulling double duty, defeating Leshaunte Berkley 21-14, 21-13. Second seed Alimah Eastman was equally impressive in her 21-7, 21-11 triumph over Cathalina Wong.

They will be joined in the semi-finals by Menikshi Jaikissoon, who allowed Lucy Leo only eight points across two sets , and Anya Manickchand, who sealed her qualification with a 21-8, 21-17 win over Anika De Freitas.