Lots of action on Friday at World Junior Championships - Boy's Divisions

Four of six semi-finals in boy's singles at the 26th International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Junior Racquetball Championships in Cali, Colombia needed tie-breakers to determine the winners, but none of the doubles semi-finals required three games.

It's an all Bolivian final in U18, as Mario Mercado defeated Canadian Coby Iwaasa, 15-8, 14-15, 11-4, and last year's champion Conrado Moscoso beat Andres Acuña of Costa Rica, 5-15, 15-4, 11-3. So again Moscoso faces elimination by going one game down to Acuña, but finds a way to come back and play another day.

Iwaasa almost carried the day against Mercado. After losing the first game, the Canadian was down 12-2 in game two, but found a serve that Mercado didn't like - a lob z to the right side, Mercado's forehand - and that got him game two.

Mercado failed to convert a few match points, and with the momentum on the Canadian's side, it didn't seem like the breaker would be his. However, he started well, going up 4-1, and then extending that to 9-3, as Mercado went on to win 11-4.

In Boy's U16, it will be Cristhian versus Cristian in the final, where Cristhian Mina of Bolivia will play Cristian Longoria of Mexico. In the semis, Mina defeated Christian Chavez of Ecuador, 15-8, 15-5, and Longoria beat American Mauro Rojas, 15-11, 15-6.

The Boy's U14 finalists are not from Bolivia or Mexico, as American Jordan Barth plays Andres Montero of Costa Rica. Both needed tie-breakers to get to the final. Barth won his first game, lost the second and then pulled out the breaker, winning 15-8, 10-15, 11-7, against top seed Eduardo Portillo of Mexico. Montero did the opposite, as he lost the first game, then won the second and squeaked out the third, beating Mexican Mario Ruiz, 13-15, 15-9, 11-9.

Few Mexicans in the singles finals, but they could sweep the doubles titles. In U14 doubles, Mexicans Portillo and Santiago Garcia defeated Canadians Chris Culhane and Simon Comeau, 15-4, 15-7, and will play the Costa Rica team of Montero and Julian Homberger, winners over Bolivians David Coroba and Gerson Miranda, 15-7, 15-11.

Mexicans Longoria and Jordy Alonso will face Americans Barth and Justus Benson in the U16 doubles final. The Mexicans took out the Ecuador team of Chavez and Juan Cueva, 15-5, 15-3, and the Americans beat the Costa Rica team of Alexander Pirie and Jose Ubilla, 15-11, 15-5.

The U18 Boy's doubles final will also be a Mexican-American standoff, as Francisco Mar and Erik Garcia will battle Sawyer Lloyd and Adam Manilla. Mar and Garcia beat Costa Ricans Andres Aviles and Pablo Sauma, 15-8, 15-13, and Lloyd and Manilla defeated Mercado and Moscoso of Bolivia, 15-14, 15-11.

There will be live streaming of the finals on Saturday from Cali via the IRF Network beginning at 10 AM CDT.

26th IRF World Junior Racquetball Championships
Cali, Colombia

Boy's U18 Singles

Semi-finals - Friday

Mario Mercado (Bolivia) d. Coby Iwaasa (Canada), 15-8, 14-15, 11-4
Conrado Moscoso (Bolivia) d. Andres Acuña (Costa Rica), 5-15, 15-4, 11-3

Final - Saturday

Mario Mercado (Bolivia) v. Conrado Moscoso (Bolivia) - Noon

Boy's U16 Singles

Semi-finals - Friday

Cristian Longoria (Mexico) d. Mauro Rojas (USA), 15-11, 15-6
Cristhian Mina (Bolivia) d. Christian Chavez (Ecuador), 15-8, 15-5

Final - Saturday

Cristian Longoria (Mexico) v. Cristhian Mina (Bolivia) - 11 AM

Boy's U14 Singles

Semi-finals - Friday

Jordan Barth (USA) d. Eduardo Portillo (Mexico), 15-8, 10-15, 11-7
Andres Montero (Costa Rica) d. Mario Ruiz (Mexico), 13-15, 15-9, 11-9

Final - Saturday

Jordan Barth (USA) v. Andres Montero (Costa Rica) - 10 AM

Boy's U18 Doubles

Semi-finals - Friday

Erik Garcia & Francisco Mar (Mexico) d. Andres Aviles & Pablo Sauma (Costa Rica), 15-8, 15-13
Sawyer Lloyd & Adam Manilla (USA) d. Conrado Moscoso & Mario Mercado (Bolivia), 15-14, 15-11

Final - Saturday

Erik Garcia & Francisco Mar (Mexico) v. Sawyer Lloyd & Adam Manilla (USA) - 3 PM CDT

Boy's U16 Doubles

Semi-finals - Friday

Jordy Alonso & Cristian Longoria (Mexico) d. Christian Chavez & Juan Francisco Cueva (Ecuador), 15-5, 15-3
Jordan Barth & Justus Benson (USA) d. Alexander Pirie & Jose Ubilla (Costa Rica), 15-11, 15-5

Final - Saturday

Jordy Alonso & Cristian Longoria (Mexico) v. Jordan Barth & Justus Benson (USA) - 2 PM CDT

Boy's U14 Doubles

Semi-finals - Friday

Santiago Garcia & Eduardo Portillo (Mexico) d. Simon Comeau & Chris Culhane (Canada), 15-4, 15-3
Julian Homberger & Andres Montero (Costa Rica) d. David Cordoba & Gerson Miranda (Bolivia), 15-7, 15-11

Final - Saturday

Santiago Garcia & Eduardo Portillo (Mexico) v. Julian Homberger & Andres Montero (Costa Rica) - 1 PM CDT

Follow the bouncing ball....