Gopaul, Wilson, Edwards-Taylor and Fraser chase National Championships gold

Malik Gopaul and Aaron Wilson are among the leading contenders for the National Senior Table Tennis Championship men’s singles title, left open by 2025 winner Yuvraaj Dookram.

Gopaul, an ARK Crusaders player, will take the top seed after defeating Dookram in the round of 16 at the 2026 Classified Championships in February. Dookram has not appeared on the local circuit since that loss. Curtis Humphreys of WASA is seeded second, followed by Renegades player Andrew Edwards and Wilson of Carenage Blasters.

Josiah Joseph also enters the race after beating Gopaul in the Under-19 final at last month’s National Youth Championships. Joseph’s PowerGen clubmate Anson Lowkie will draw attention after upsetting Wilson in last Saturday’s Siparia Open Division One final.

Men’s singles round-robin play begins at 9:30 a.m. Saturday at the National Racquet Centre in Tacarigua. The women’s singles event follows at the same venue on Sunday morning. Defending champion Imani Edwards-Taylor is the top seed, with Queen’s Park teammate Jordan Thong second. Tunapuna Hindu School veteran Linda Partap-Boodhan and ARK Crusaders player Chloe Fraser are seeded third and fourth.

Fraser won the women’s title in 2023 at 14 and defended it in 2024. She missed last year’s tournament because of commitments at her training base in France, allowing Edwards-Taylor to claim her first National Senior Championship women’s singles title. Both will return to Tacarigua seeking another gold.