2015 Pan American Championships - Day 1 Results

Plenty of drama Saturday in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, as the XXVIII Pan American Racquetball Championships began. The tournament format is three days of preliminary group play followed by an elimination round, but unlike past years the first day matches pitted the top seeds of each group against each other, so there were several matches that were close and several that went tie-breaker.

There were two dramatic comebacks in doubles. In Women's Doubles, Bolivians Carola Loma and Adriana Riveros lost the first game to Chileans Angela Grisar and Carla Muñoz, but forced a tie-breaker. Yet in the breaker is was Chile up 8-0 only to have Bolivia score eleven unanswered points to win the game and match, 8-15, 15-11, 11-8.

In Men's Doubles, Felipe Camacho and Teobaldo Fumero of Costa Rica won the first game against Americans Anthony Herrera and David Horn, 15-8, but then got down 13-1 in game two, but got some momentum going, as they fought back to 15-8. However, the Americans took the early lead in the breaker at 6-0, and looked like they would cruise home. However, the Costa Ricans came back and won it, 11-8.

In what would have been a big upset, Luis Perez of the Dominican Republic went tie-breaker with Daniel De La Rosa of Mexico, but lost 3-15, 15-8, 11-1.

Two comebacks that fell short both involved Canadians. In Men's Singles Samuel Murray dropped game one to Sebastian Franco of Colombia, but then forced a tie-breaker. Murray was up 10-8 in the breaker, when Franco successfully dove for a shot but cut one of his fingers in the process requiring him to take injury time to stop the bleeding and wrap his finger. He came back and won the next two points to win the game 11-10 and match, 15-12, 9-15, 11-10.

In Men's Doubles, Canada and Mexico faced off. Javier Moreno and Alvaro Beltran were up in game one, but Vincent Gagnon and Mike Green came back, and thought they had tied the score when the referee called a skip on Beltran's return of serve at 12-13.

Beltran believed he should have got a hinder, or even an avoidable, as he thought Green's position in front of him hampered his shot. The referee didn't agree with Beltran, and at that point, Mexico asked to have line judges brought in.

After the line judges were installed, the score was still 12-13, when it should have been 13-13, as the referee had called a skip on Beltran's return of serve at 12-13. In the ensuing argument about that, Green was assessed a technical - the second of the game, as Moreno had received one earlier for arguing another call - making the score 11 serve 13.

Canada tied the game at 13-13, although the two points they scored going from 11 to 13 would have won it, if they had been at 13-13 when the line judges were installed. But Mexico prevailed winning game one, 15-13.

In game two, Canada took a big lead with some great shots and gets by Gagnon. Canada went up 10-0, as they served everything to the left-handed Moreno, who had some trouble returning serve perhaps in part because the court they were had a left side glass wall, which was the side that Moreno was returning serve on. Canada won game two, 15-6, to force a tie-breaker.

In the breaker, Canada led for most of the game with leads of 3-0, 5-4, and 9-6. Mexico only led at 5-4, and then most crucially at 10-9 and 11-9, as they won it with their first match point opportunity, when Moreno hit a forehand reverse pinch to the front right corner.

Group play continues Sunday and Monday with Tuesday as an off day and then the elimination round will begin Wednesday in Santo Domingo.

There will be live streaming of some matches Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Look for the link on the International Racquetball Federation (IRF) website.

XXVIII Pan American Racquetball Championships
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic - March 28-April 4, 2015

Women's Singles

Group A

Paola Longoria (Mexico) d. Carla Muñoz (Chile), 15-6, 15-7
Maria Cespedes (Dominican Rep.) - BYE

Group B

Rhonda Rajsich (USA) d. Cecilia Cerquetti (Argentina), 15-9, 15-5
Ana Gabriela Martinez (Guatemala) - BYE

Group C

Samantha Salas (Mexico) d. Angela Grisar (Chile), 15-5, 15-5
Merynanyelly Delgado Araujo (Dominican Rep.) - BYE

Group D

María José Vargas (Argentina) d. Da'monique Davis (USA), 15-6, 15-8
Maria Renee Rodriguez (Guatemala) d. Paula Padilla (Honduras), 15-11, 15-3

Group E

Maria Paz Muñoz (Ecuador) d. Jennifer Saunders (Canada), 15-12, 15-12
Mariana Tobon (Venezuela) d. Frances Vasquez (Puerto Rico), 15-2, 15-0

Group F

Adriana Riveros (Bolivia) d. Carolina Gomez (Colombia), 15-5, 15-11
Melania Sauma (Costa Rica) d. Pamela Sierra (Honduras), 15-3, 15-14

Group G

Veronica Sotomayor (Ecuador) d. Michèle Morissette (Canada), 15-5, 15-3
Mariana Paredes (Venezuela) d. Adriana Ramierez (Puerto Rico), 15-2, 15-3

Group H

Carola Loma (Bolivia) d. Cristina Amaya (Colombia), 15-14, 15-13
Maria Regia Viera Gonzales (Cuba) d. Naomi Sasso (Costa Rica), 14-15, 15-7, 11-1

Men's Singles

Group A

Alvaro Beltran (Mexico) d. Ramon De Leon (Dominican Rep.), 15-10, 15-12
Fernando Kurzbard (Argentina) - BYE

Group B

Andres Ramirez (Colombia) d. Pedro Castro (Canada), 15-9, 14-15, 11-2
Cesar Castillo (Venezuela) - BYE

Group C

Daniel De La Rosa (Mexico) d. Luis Perez (Dominican Rep.), 3-15, 15-8, 11-1
Pablo Kurzbard (Argentina) - BYE

Group D

Sebastian Franco (Colombia) d. Samuel Murray (Canada), 15-12, 9-15, 11-10
Noslen Jimenez (Cuba) d. Alejandro Santos (Venezuela), 15-5, 15-2

Group E

Jake Bredenbeck (USA) d. Andres Acuña (Costa Rica), 15-13, 15-9
Jayson Jordan (Puerto Rico) d. Rodrigo Salgado (Chile), 15-10, 15-11

Group F

Conrado Moscoso (Bolivia) d. Jose Daniel Ugalde (Ecuador), 9-15, 15-11, 11-6
Edwin Galicia (Guatemala) d. Selvin Cruz (Honduras), 15-7, 15-10

Group G

Jose Diaz (USA) d. Felipe Camacho (Costa Rica), 15-11, 15-13
Francisco Troncoso (Chile) d. Jared Torres (Puerto Rico), 15-0, 15-0, NS

Group H

Carlos Keller (Bolivia) d. Fernando Rios (Ecuador), 15-5, 15-7
Christian Wer (Guatemala) d. Carlos Medrano (Honduras), 15-9, 15-5

Women's Doubles

Group A

Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas (Mexico) d. Maria Cespedes & Merynanyelly Delgado Araujo (Dominican Rep.), 15-4, 15-4
Maria Jose Vargas & Véronique Guillemette (Argentina) - BYE

Group B

Carola Loma & Adriana Riveros (Bolivia) d. Angela Grisar & Carla Muñoz (Chile), 8-15, 15-11, 11-8
Mariana Tobon & Mariana Paredes (Venezula) - BYE

Group C

Rhonda Rajsich & Sheryl Lotts (USA) d. Veronica Sotomayor & Maria Paz Muñoz (Ecuador), 7-15, 15-11, 11-0
Melania Sauma Masis & Sofia Soley (Costa Rica) d. Paula Padilla & Lissel Padilla (Honduras), 15-7, 15-9

Group D

Cristina Amaya & Carolina Gomez (Colombia) d. Christine Richardson & Jennifer Saunders (Canada), 12-15, 15-8, 11-5
Maria Renee Rodriguez & Ana Gabriela Martinez (Guatemala) d. Adriana Ramirez & Fraces Vasquez (Puerto Rico), 15-1, 15-4

Men's Doubles

Group A

Alvaro Beltran & Javier Moreno (Mexico) d. Vincent Gagnon & Mike Green (Canada), 15-13, 6-15, 11-9
Edwin Galicia & Christian Wer (Guatemala) - BYE

Group B

Kadim Carrasco & Roland Keller (Bolivia) d. Cesar Castro & Jorge Hirsekorn (Venezuela), 15-10, 15-13
Luis Perez & Ramon De Leon (Dominican Rep.) - BYE

Group C

Felipe Camacho & Teobaldo Fumero (Costa Rica) d. Anthony Herrera & David Horn (USA), 8-15, 15-8, 11-8
Francisco Troncoso & Santiago Canedo (Chile) d. Selvin Cruz & Raul Banegas (Honduras), 15-7, 9-15, 11-6

Group D

Sebastian Franco & Juan Carlos Torres (Colombia) d. Daniel Maggi & Shai Manzuri (Argentina), 15-13, 15-4
Fernando Rios & Jose Daniel Alvarez (Ecuador) d. Jayson Jordan & Antonio Delgado (Puerto Rico), 15-6, 15-1

Follow the bouncing ball....