Round of 16 results at 2019 Pan American Championships

There were two tie-breakers in the Round of 16 of Women’s Singles at the 2019 Pan American Championships in Barranquilla, Colombia, and the winners will face off in the quarterfinals. Maria Paz Muñoz of Ecuador caused the big upset by knocking off 2nd seed Cristina Amaya of Colombia, 9-15, 15-7, 11-8, ruining Amaya’s dreams of medaling on home soil. Muñoz will play the Dominican Republic’s Merynanyelly Delgado in the quarters on Thursday, as Delgado came back to beat Mariana Tobon of Venezuela, 12-15, 15-12, 11-0.

Elsewhere in women’s play, the three-peat is still a possibility for the USA’s Rhonda Rajsich who defeated 4th seed Carla Muñoz of Chile, 15-10, 15-14, on Wednesday. But the two time defending champion will face a tough test in the quarters, when Rajsich will play Argentina’s María José Vargas, who beat Maria Renee Rodriguez of Guatemala, 15-2, 15-0, in the 16s.

Also, top seed Monserrat Mejia of Mexico beat Ecuador’s Maria Jose Muñoz, 15-9, 15-4, and will also have a tough test in the quarters, when she plays Natalia Mendez of Argentina. Mendez, the 6th ranked player on the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT), defeated 8th seed Angelica Barrios of Bolivia, 15-3, 15-11, in the 16s.

Mejia’s team-mate 3rd seed Paola Longoria of Mexico will also have a challenge in the quarters, after defeating Adriana Riveros of Colombia, 15-2, 15-7, in the 16s, as she’ll play the young Bolivian Valeria Centellas, who is half of the International Racquetball Federation (IRF) Women’s Doubles World Championship team. Centellas defeated Kelani Bailey Lawrence of the USA, 15-7, 15-8, in the 16s on Wednesday.

In Men’s Singles, the top 8 seeds all made the quarterfinals, although two needed tie-breakers to get there. And as in Women’s Singles, those tie-breaker winners will playoff in the quarters. Third seed Alvaro Beltran, the veteran Mexican, came back from a game down to defeat 14th seed Mario Mercado of Colombia, 12-15, 15-8, 11-1. Beltran will face 6th seed Luis Perez of the Dominican Republic in the quarters, as Ugalde beat 11th seed Jose Daniel Ugalde of Ecuador, 15-7, 13-15, 11-1, in the 16s.

The IRF will be live streaming matches from Barranquilla, look for the action via the IRF Website or the IRF Facebook page or the IRF YouTube channel.

XXXII Pan American Racquetball Championships
Barranquilla, Colombia - April 12-20, 2019

Women's Singles - Round of 16 - Wednesday

1) Monserrat Mejia (Mexico) d. 16) Maria Jose Muñoz (Ecuador), 15-9, 15-4
24) Natalia Mendez (Argentina) d. 8) Angelica Barrios (Bolivia), 15-3, 15-11

12) María José Vargas (Argentina) d. 5) Maria Renee Rodriguez (Guatemala), 15-2, 15-0
13) Rhonda Rajsich (USA) d. 4) Carla Muñoz (Chile), 15-10, 15-14

3) Paola Longoria (Mexico) d. 14) Adriana Riveros (Colombia), 15-2, 15-7
6) Valeria Centellas (Bolivia) d. 11) Kelani Bailey Lawrence (USA), 15-7, 15-8

7) Merynanyelly Delgado (Dominican Republic) d. 10) Mariana Tobon (Venezuela), 12-15, 15-12, 11-0
15) Maria Paz Muñoz (Ecuador) d. 2) Cristina Amaya (Colombia), 9-15, 15-7, 11-8

Women's Singles - Quarterfinals - Thursday

1) Monserrat Mejia (Mexico) v. 24) Natalia Mendez (Argentina) - 10 AM
12) María José Vargas (Argentina) v. 13) Rhonda Rajsich (USA) - 10 AM

3) Paola Longoria (Mexico) v. 6) Valeria Centellas (Bolivia) - 10 AM
7) Merynanyelly Delgado (Dominican Republic) v. 15) Maria Paz Muñoz (Ecuador) - 10 AM

Men's Singles - Round of 16 - Wednesday

1) Alejandro Landa (Mexico) d. 16) Mykel Mollet (Cuba), 15-9, 15-3
8) Andres Acuña (Costa Rica) d. 9) Fernando Rios (Ecuador), 15-14, 15-2

5) Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia) d. 12) Samuel Murray (Canada), 15-6, 15-6
4) Charles Pratt (USA) d. 13) Juan Salvatierra (Guatemala), 15-3, 15-6

3) Alvaro Beltran (Mexico) d. 14) Mario Mercado (Colombia), 12-15, 15-8, 11-1
6) Luis Perez (Dominican Republic) d. 11) Jose Daniel Ugalde (Ecuador), 15-7, 13-15, 11-1

7) Carlos Keller (Bolivia) d. 10) Coby Iwaasa (Canada), 15-10, 15-9
2) David Horn (USA) d. 15) Edwin Galicia (Guatemala), 15-5, 15-7

Men's Singles - Quarterfinals - Thursday

1) Alejandro Landa (Mexico) v. 8) Andres Acuña (Costa Rica) - 9 AM
4) Charles Pratt (USA) v. 5) Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia) - 9 AM

3) Alvaro Beltran (Mexico) v. 6) Luis Perez (Dominican Republic) - 9 AM
2) David Horn (USA) v. 7) Carlos Keller (Bolivia) - 9 AM

Follow the bouncing ball….