Edghill battles through two seven-game thrillers to reach quarterfinals in Riyadh

Olympian Chelsea Edghill has produced a pair of fiercely determined performances to secure a spot in the Women’s Singles quarterfinals at the sixth Islamic Solidarity Sports Association (ISSA) Games in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The Olympian showcased incredible composure, winning back-to-back matches that went the full seven-game distance, positioning herself for a historic run at a medal for Guyana.

Edghill first navigated a monumental challenge in the Round of 32, defeating Nazim Aisthan Rafa of the Maldives in a tight contest.

After trading blows, Edghill clinched the victory 4–3 with a scoreline that highlighted the narrow margins of the contest: (13–11, 6–11, 6–11, 11–3, 10–12, 11–9, 11–9).

Showing no signs of fatigue, she immediately faced Judith Parvin Nangozi, a World Championships qualifier from Uganda, in the Round of 16.

Once again, Edghill demonstrated her capacity to handle pressure, edging the Ugandan in another seven-game epic to book her place in the top eight.

Edghill now moves on to face a significant challenge on Wednesday when she meets Sibel Altinkaya of Turkey, the World No. 81, with a semi-final berth—and a guaranteed medal contention—on the line.

While Edghill advanced, the rest of the Guyanese singles contingent exited the competition after strong showings:

Shemar Britton, the National Men’s Champion, received a bye into the Round of 32 but ultimately lost out to Saudi Arabia’s Ali Al-Khadrawi.

Elishaba Johnson earned an impressive 4–0 victory in the Round of 64 over El Hacen Ahmed Salem (Mauritania) before being halted by Iran’s Seyedamirhossein Hodaei.

Turkey’s Ece Harac defeated emerging talent Jasmine Billingy in the Women’s Round of 16.

Guyana remains active in the team doubles events, where Edghill and Britton will pair up for the Mixed Doubles, and the Women’s Doubles team faces a challenging encounter against the No. 1 seeds, Iran.