Mexico will have a chance to sweep the gold medals in singles racquetball on Wednesday at the 2018 Central American & Caribbean Games in Barranquilla, Colombia. Mexico won gold in both Men’s and Women’s Singles four years ago, and also won silver in each division, but they won’t do that this year in either division.
In Women’s Singles, Paola Longoria of Mexico will have a chance to defend her gold medals, as she defeated Merynanyelly Delgado of the Dominican Republic, 15-0,15-4, in the semi-finals Tuesday. But Longoria’s team-mate Alexandra Herrera lost in the other semi-final to Gabriela Martinez of Guatemala, 15-20-15, 11-7. Thus, Longoria and Martinez will play for gold for a 2nd time at an international event. They met in the final of the 2016 International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Championships, which were also in Colombia - in Cali.
On the men’s side, Daniel De La Rosa of Mexico will have a chance to go one better than he did four years ago, when he was a silver medalist at the 2014 Central American & Caribbean Games. Then he lost the final to team-mate Alvaro Beltran. But a win on Tuesday in the semi-finals over Andés Acuña of Costa Rica, 15-7, 15-7, puts De La Rosa back in the final.
He’ll face Mario Mercado of Colombia in the final, as Mercado defeated Luis Pérez of the Dominican Republic, 15-5, 13-15, 11-4, in the other semi-final. They were tied at 4-4 in the breaker, when Mercado went on a seven point streak that Pérez had no answer for.
Mexico will also have a chance to sweep gold in doubles. Indeed, Mexican teams have won all the gold medals in Men’s and Women’s Doubles at the Central American and Caribbean Games going back to the introduction of racquetball in 1990.
This year De La Rosa and Alvaro Beltran will represent Mexico in the Men’s Doubles final after they defeated the Dominican Republic’s Ramón De León and Luis Pérez, 15-9, 15-11. They will play 2nd seeds Andrés Acuña and Felipe Camacho of Costa Rica, who beat Colombians Mercado and Set Cubillos, 15-4, 15-3, in the other semi-final.
Mexicans Paola Longoria and Samantha Salas will have a chance to defend the gold medals they won four years ago at the 2014 Central American and Caribbean Games in Veracruz, Mexico, and they beat Maricruz Ortiz and Melania Sauma of Costa Rica, 15-3, 15-2. In the final, Longoria and Salas will take on 2nd seeds Gabriela Martinez and Maria Renee Rodriguez of Guatemala, who needed three games to defeat Cristina Amaya and Adriana Riveros of Colombia, 15-12, 12-15, 11-4.
All the gold medal finals are on Wednesday, and the team event will begin Thursday with the team event finals on Saturday.
2018 Central American & Caribbean Games - July 20-29
Barranquilla, Colombia
Men’s Singles - Semi-finals - Tuesday
4) Mario Mercado (Colombia) d. 8) Luis Pérez (Dominican Republic), 15-5, 13-15, 11-4
3) Daniel De La Rosa (Mexico) d. 2) Andrés Acuña (Costa Rica), 15-7, 15-7
Men’s Singles - Final - Wednesday
3) Daniel De La Rosa (Mexico) v. 4) Mario Mercado (Colombia)
Women’s Singles - Semi-finals - Tuesday
1) Paola Longoria (Mexico) d. 12) Merynanyelly Delgado (Dominican Republic), 15-0, 15-4
2) Gabriela Martinez (Guatemala) d. 3) Alexandra Herrera (Mexico), 15-2, 0-15, 11-7
Women’s Singles - Final - Wednesday
1) Paola Longoria (Mexico) v. 2) Gabriela Martinez (Guatemala)
Men’s Doubles - Semi-finals - Tuesday
1) Alvaro Beltran & Daniel De La Rosa (Mexico) d. 5) Ramón De León & Luis Pérez (Dominican Republic), 15-9, 15-11
2) Andrés Acuña & Felipe Camacho (Costa Rica) d. 3) Set Cubillos & Mario Mercado (Colombia), 15-4, 15-3
Men’s Doubles - Final - Wednesday
1) Alvaro Beltran & Daniel De La Rosa (Mexico) v. 2) Andrés Acuña & Felipe Camacho (Costa Rica)
Women’s Doubles - Semi-finals - Tuesday
1) Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas (Mexico) d. 4) Maricruz Ortiz & Melania Sauma (Costa Rica), 15-3, 15-2
2) Gabriela Martinez & Maria Renee Rodriguez (Guatemala) d. 3) Cristina Amaya & Adriana Riveros (Colombia), 15-12, 12-15, 11-4
Women’s Doubles - Final - Wednesday
1) Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas (Mexico) v. 2) Gabriela Martinez & Maria Renee Rodriguez (Guatemala)
Follow the bouncing ball….
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