2014 PASO Sports Festival - Singles 16s & Quarterfinals

The Men's and Women's Singles semi-finals are almost opposite in their compositions at the Pan American Sport Organization (PASO) Sports Festival in Guadalajara, Mexico, as there are two Mexico-USA match ups on the men's side and four different countries represented on the women's side, with no Americans in the final four.

We expected Mexicans Alvaro Beltran and Daniel De La Rosa to reach the semis on the men's side. Beltran needed a tie-breaker to defeat Ecuador veteran Fernando Rios in the quarterfinals, and De La Rosa had a close quarterfinal match against Bolivian Carlos Keller, winning 15-13, 15-12.

American Jake Bredenbeck reaching the semis in his first Team USA appearance isn't a big surprise, but he's done it in impressive fashion, as he hasn't lost a game so far, and beat Colombian veteran Alejandro Herrera, 15-0, 15-7, in the quarterfinals.

David Horn - the other American man - faced match point against Coby Iwaasa of Canada, but managed to pull out the match in a tie-breaker, 8-15, 15-14, 11-6.

Thus, it'll be Beltran versus Bredenbeck in one semi and De La Rosa versus Horn in the other.

On the women's side there were two 11-10 tie-breakers Wednesday, and in both the lower seeded player won. In the quarterfinals, Veronica Sotomayor of Ecuador up the 2nd seed American Rhonda Rajsich, 10-15, 15-8, 11-10 to reach the semi-finals, where she will play Canada's Frédérique Lambert.

Lambert had the other 11-10 win, but it came in the Round of 16 against Bolivian Jenny Daza, who won the first game of the match before Lambert came back to win the tie-breaker, taking the match 7-15, 15-6, 11-10. In the quarterfinals, Lambert defeated Lucia Gonzalez of Mexico, 15-11, 15-10.

In the quarterfinals on the top side of the draw, #1 seed Sofia Rascon of Mexico defeated Cristina Amaya of Colombia, 15-10, 15-11, and in a battle of Marias, María José Vargas of Argentina beat Maria Paz Muñoz of Ecuador, 15-6, 15-11.

2014 PASO Sports Festival
Guadalajara, Mexico

Women's Singles - Round of 16

Sofia Rascon (Mexico) d. Ana Gabriela Martinez (Guatemala), 15-9, 15-12
Cristina Amaya (Colombia) d. Melania Sauma (Costa Rica), 15-9, 15-5

Maria Paz Muñoz (Ecuador) d. Christine Richardson (Canada), 15-3, 15-2
María José Vargas (Argentina) d. Carla Muñoz (Chile), 15-5, 15-6

Lucia Gonzalez (Mexico) d. Da'monique Davis (USA), 15-4, 15-12
Frédérique Lambert (Canada) d. Jenny Daza (Bolivia), 7-15, 15-6, 11-10

Veronica Sotomayor (Ecuador) d. Sofia Soley (Costa Rica), 15-2, 15-4
Rhonda Rajsich (USA) d. Maria Renee Rodriguez (Guatemala), 15-3, 15-5

Women's Singles - Quarterfinals

Sofia Rascon (Mexico) d. Cristina Amaya (Colombia), 15-10, 15-11
María José Vargas (Argentina) d. Maria Paz Muñoz (Ecuador), 15-6, 15-11

Frédérique Lambert (Canada) d. Lucia Gonzalez (Mexico), 15-11, 15-10
Veronica Sotomayor (Ecuador) d. Rhonda Rajsich (USA), 10-15, 15-8, 11-10

Women's Singles - Semi-finals

Sofia Rascon (Mexico) v. María José Vargas (Argentina)
Veronica Sotomayor (Ecuador) v. Frédérique Lambert (Canada)

Men's Singles - Round of 16

Alvaro Beltran (Mexico) d. Fernando Kurzbard (Argentina), 15-9, 15-12
Fernando Rios (Ecuador) d. Conrado Moscoso (Bolivia), 15-8, 8-15, 11-6

Jake Bredenbeck (USA) d. Felipe Camacho (Costa Rica), 15-11, 15-6
Alejandro Herrera (Colombia) d. Sebastian Franco (Colombia), 10-15, 15-9, 11-5

Daniel De La Rosa (Mexico) d. Luis Perez (Dominican Rep.), 15-9, 15-7
Carlos Keller (Bolivia) d. Jose Daniel Ugalde (Ecuador), 15-9, 15-5

David Horn (USA) d. Andres Acuña (Costa Rica), 15-1, 15-12
Coby Iwaasa (Canada) d. Samuel Murray (Canada), 15-9, 10-15, 11-3

Men's Singles - Quarterfinals

Alvaro Beltran (Mexico) d. Fernando Rios (Ecuador), 13-15, 15-12, 11-0
Jake Bredenbeck (USA) d. Alejandro Herrera (Colombia), 15-0, 15-7

Daniel De La Rosa (Mexico) d. Carlos Keller (Bolivia), 15-12, 15-13
David Horn (USA) d. Coby Iwaasa (Canada), 8-15, 15-14, 11-6

Men's Singles - Semi-finals

Alvaro Beltran (Mexico) v. Jake Bredenbeck (USA)
Daniel De La Rosa (Mexico) v. David Horn (USA)

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