Pan American Championships - Elimination round begins

Elimination round play began in singles on Wednesday at the Pan American Championships in Cali, Colombia, and there was one significant upset. The doubles competitions will resume on Thursday.

Men's Divisions

Fernando Rios, who was part of the Ecuador team that beat the Mexicans in doubles on Monday, was again the source of the main upset in men's play, as he beat Mexican Polo Gutierrez, 15-11, 15-4, in the Round of 16.

Rios will now play Felipe Mercado of Bolivia in the quarter finals.

The other results were as expected, so the other quarter final matches will be Alvaro Beltran (Mexico) versus Juan Herrera (Colombia), and two USA-Canada battles as Andy Hawthorne (USA) takes on Vince Gagnon (Canada) and Chris Crowther (USA) faces Kris Odegard (Canada).

Women's Divisions

The anticipated Round of 16 match between Mexican Paola Longoria and American Rhonda Rajsich was scheduled, as Rajsich won her Round of 32 match against Carla Munoz of Chile, 15-11, 15-4. However, Longoria won by injury default. No word on what injury Rajsich suffered.

Next up for Longoria is Claudine Garcia of the Dominican Republic, who defeated Anita Maldonado (Puerto Rico), 15-13, 15-9.

The closest match in the Round of 16 was between two junior players, as Canadian Frédérique T. Lambert defeated Maria Paz Munoz of Ecuador, 15-11, 5-15, 11-9. It was a measure of revenge for Lambert, who had lost to Munoz at last year's World Junior Championships in the Girls 16 and under division.

Lambert will now play Mexican Samantha Salas Solis in the quarter finals.

The other quarter final match-ups are Cheryl Gudinas Holmes (USA) versus Canadian Jennifer Saunders, and an all Bolivian match between Jenny Daza Navia and Carola Loma.

A final word on the Cuban players: in women's play, Marialis Alvarez Rodriguez defeated Marie Gomar (Guatemala), but then lost to Daza Navia, while Disney Linares Barrera lost to Paz Munoz. Both Cuban men lost their Round of 32 matches, but in tie-breakers. Maykel Moyet Suarez lost to Jose Daniel Alvarez of Ecuador, 10-15, 15-8, 11-10, and Noslen Jimenez Garcia lost to Ivan Villegas of Costa Rica, 15-12, 12-15, 11-8.

Pan American Championships
Women's Quarter finals

Paola Longoria (Mexico) v. Claudine Garcia (Dominican Republic)
Jennifer Saunders (Canada) v. Cheryl Gudinas Holmes (USA)

Samanthan Salas Solis (Mexico) v. Frédérique T. Lambert (Canada)
Carola Loma (Bolivia) v. Jenny Daza Navia (Bolivia)

Men's Quarter finals

Alvaro Beltran (Mexico) v. Juan Herrera (Colombia)
Andy Hawthorne (USA) v. Vince Gagnon (Canada)

Fernando Rios (Ecuador) v. Felipe Mercado (Bolivia)
Chris Crowther (USA) v. Kris Odegard (Canada)

Follow the bouncing ball....