IRF - 25th World Junior Championships - All #1 Girl's seeds advance

Some of the top seeds in the Girl's World Cup divisions lost on Thursday at the 25th International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Junior Racquetball Championships in Sucre, Bolivia, including the second seed in Girl's U14, where American Erika Manilla was beaten by her team-mate Jordan Cooperrider, 15-12, 15-9.

Cooperrider will play Mexican Erin Rivera, who beat her team-mate Monserrat Meija, 15-4, 15-12, in the quarters. Top seed Ana Gabriela Martinez of Guatemala and 4th seed Wanda Carvajal of Bolivia will square off in the other semi.

There were three tie-breakers in the Girl's U18 quarter finals, and two of them ended 11-10. Top seed Masiel Rivera of Bolivia was down 10-7 in the tie-breaker against 9th seed Maria Renee Rodriguez of Guatemala, but managed to come back and win it, 11-15, 15-10, 11-10.

Rivera's opponent in the semis will be 5th seed Lucia Gonzalez of Mexico who defeated team-mate and 4th seed Alexandra Herrera, 13-15, 15-9, 11-4.

On the bottom half of the Girl's U18 draw, Costa Rican Melania Sauma beat 3rd seed Paola Cossio of Bolivia, 15-4, 6-15, 11-10, which puts her up against 2nd seed Mariana Tobon of Venezuela in the semis, as Tobon beat fellow Venezuelan Paola Guerra, 15-4, 15-6.

The top four seeds advanced from the Girl's U16 quarter finals, and all did so in two straight games setting up two Bolivia-Mexico showdowns in the semi-finals. Top seed Natalia Mendez of Bolivia beat 9th seed Andrea Martinez of Guatemala, 15-0, 15-5, and 4th seed Luisa Santillan Lahud of Mexico defeated 5th Maria Cespedes from the Dominican Rep., 15-0, 15-9.

Second seed Diana Aguilar of Mexico beat 10th seed Melania Sauma of Costa Rica, 15-5, 15-6, and will face 3rd seed Hawira Rojas of Bolivia in the semis after Rojas defeated 6th seed Danielle Drury of Canada, 15-4, 15-9.

The girl's semi-finals are on Friday and finals on Saturday.

There is some live streaming of matches from Sucre via the IRF website.

25th IRF World Junior Racquetball Championships
Sucre, Bolivia

Girl's U18 (with seedings)

Quarter finals

1. Masiel Rivera (Bolivia) d. 9. Maria Renee Rodriguez (Guatemala), 11-15, 15-10, 11-10
5. Lucia Gonzalez (Mexico) d. 4. Alexandra Herrera (Mexico), 13-15, 15-9, 11-4

6. Melania Sauma (Costa Rica) d. 3. Paola Cossio (Bolivia), 15-4, 6-15, 11-10
2. Mariana Tobon (Venezuela) d. 7. Paola Guerra (Venezuela), 15-4, 15-6

Semi-finals

1. Masiel Rivera (Bolivia) v. 5. Lucia Gonzalez (Mexico)
2. Mariana Tobon (Venezuela) v. 3. Paola Cossio (Bolivia)

Girl's U16

Quarter finals

1. Natalia Mendez (Bolivia) d. 9. Andrea Martinez (Guatemala), 15-0, 15-5
4. Luisa Santillan Lahud (Mexico) d. 5. Maria Cespedes (Dominican Rep.), 15-0, 15-9

3. Hawira Rojas (Bolivia) d. 6. Danielle Drury (Canada), 15-4, 15-9
2. Diana Aguilar (Mexico) d. 10. Melania Sauma (Costa Rica), 15-5, 15-6

Semi-finals

1. Natalia Mendez (Bolivia) v. 4. Luisa Santillan Lahud (Mexico)
2. Diana Aguilar (Mexico) v. 3. Hawira Rojas (Bolivia)

Girl's U14 Singles

Quarter finals

1. Ana Gabriela Martinez (Guatemala) d. 8. Alexis Iwaasa (Canada), 15-11, 15-2
4. Wanda Carvajal (Bolivia) d. 5. Micaela Molina (Bolivia), 15-9, 15-12

3. Erin Rivera (Mexico) d. 6. Monserrat Meija (Mexico), 15-4, 15-12
7. Jordan Cooperrider (USA) d. 2. Erika Manilla (USA), 15-12, 15-9

Semi-finals

1. Ana Gabriela Martinez (Guatemala) v. 4. Wanda Carvajal (Bolivia)
3. Erin Rivera (Mexico) v. 7. Jordan Cooperrider (USA)

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