Just 1 more point! - Day 3 of the 2019 Pan American Games

What’s one point in the big scheme of things? Not much really, but under international racquetball rules a single point can be the difference between winning and losing, but there were even greater ramifications for single points in Men’s Singles Sunday at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru. In Pool A, José Ugalde of Ecuador defeated Bolivian Conrrado Moscoso, 12-15, 15-12, 11-10. A single point victory, which meant there was a three way tie in that group as both Ugalde and Moscoso were 1-1 along with Costa Rican Andres Acuña. Moreover, each match went tie-breaker, so points would have to determine the standings, which is important, because only the top two players advance to the medal round out of each group.

Moscoso scored 72 points, but gave up 71, so he’s +1. Ugalde was 68 and 68 (0), and Acuña was 64 and 65 (-1), so Ugalde and Moscoso will move on to the medal round, and Acuña will go to a consolation round. A single point between a medal possibility and no medal possibility. Moreover, this was Group A, so the winner will be the #1 seed for the medal round, and Ugalde was a point away from claiming that spot, which will instead go to Moscoso.

There were no other tie-breakers in Men’s or Women’s Singles on the final day of group stage matches in Lima.

Moscoso got a measure of revenge over Ugalde in doubles, as he and Roland Keller (Bolivia) beat Ugalde and Fernando Rios (Ecuador), 15-1, 15-1. It was an unsurprising day of Men’s Doubles, but worth noting that the Canada’s win over Argentina (Coby Iwaasa & Samuel Murray v. Fernando Kurzbard & Shai Manzuri) by a score line of 15-0, 15-0 reflects that Argentina’s Shai Manzuri suffered an eye injury earlier in the day. We believe he tried to play, as there is a match time down (only 2 min per game), but likely decided he wasn’t up to it.

Two tie-breakers in Women’s Doubles with both winning teams dropping the first game of their respective matches, but coming back to win in three. Guatemala’s Gabriela Martinez and Maria Rodriguez defeated Canadians Frédérique Lambert and Jennifer Saunders, 10-15, 15-7, 11-4, and Bolivians Angelica Barrios and Jenny Daza beat the Dominican Republic’s Merynanyelly Delgado and Alejandra Jiménez, 13-15, 15-10, 11-2.

The medal round begins Monday with the finals on Wednesday morning. Then on Wednesday afternoon a team competition will begin with each country fielding two singles players and a doubles team in a best of three matches against each other. The finals of the team competition will be Saturday.

2019 Pan American Games, Lima, Peru

Group Stage Matches - Day 3 - Sunday

Men’s Singles

Pool A

José UGALDE (Ecuador) d. Conrrado MOSCOSO (Bolivia), 12-15, 15-12, 11-10
Andres ACUÑA (Costa Rica) - BYE

Pool B

Alvaro BELTRAN (Mexico) d. Felipe CAMACHO (Costa Rica), 15-12, 15-9
Fernando RÍOS (Ecuador) - BYE

Pool C

Carlos KELLER (Bolivia) d. Juan SALVATIERRA (Guatemala), 15-1, 15-2
Mario MERCADO (Colombia) - BYE

Pool D

Rodrigo MONTOYA (Mexico) d. Maykel MOYET (Cuba), 15-10, 15-6
Ramón DE LEÓN (Dominican Republic) d. Erik MENDOZA (Peru), 15-2, 15-0

Pool E

Jake BREDENBECK (USA) d. Edwin GALICIA (Guatemala), 15-12, 15-5
Sebastian FRANCO (Colombia) d. Jonathan LUQUE (Peru), 15-1, 15-3

Pool F

Samuel MURRAY (Canada) d. Enier CHACÓN (Cuba), 15-1, 15-1
Luis PÉREZ (Dominican Republic) d. Fernando KURZBARD (Argentina), 15-10, 15-3

Pool G

Coby IWAASA (Canada) d. Francisco TRONCOSO (Chile), 15-4, 15-1
Charles PRATT (USA) d. Shai MANZURI (Argentina), forfeit

Women’s Singles

Pool A

Maria José VARGAS (Argentina) d. Alejandra JIMÉNEZ (Dominican Republic), 15-0, 15-1
Gabriela MARTINEZ (Guatemala) - BYE

Pool B

Paola LONGORIA (Mexico) d. Maria RODRIGUEZ (Guatemala), 15-2, 15-6
Merynanyelly DELGADO (Dominican Republic) - BYE

Pool C

Natalia MENDEZ (Argentina) d. Lilian ZEA (Venezuela), 15-1, 15-2
Adriana RIVEROS (Colombia) - BYE

Pool D

Montserrat MEJIA (Mexico) d. Frédérique LAMBERT (Canada), 15-10, 15-5
Rhonda RAJSICH (USA) - BYE

Pool E

Valeria CENTELLAS (Bolivia) d. María Regla VIERA (Cuba), 15-2, 15-0
Cristina AMAYA (Colombia) d. Josefa PARADA (Chile), 15-1, 15-0

Pool F

Maria Paz MUÑOZ (Ecuador) d. Jennifer SAUNDERS (Canada), 15-7, 15-4
Kelani LAWRENCE (USA) d. Maricruz ORTIZ (Costa Rica), 15-13, 15-3

Pool G

Angelica BARRIOS (Bolivia) d. Loraine FELIPE (Cuba), 15-6, 15-8
Carla MUÑOZ (Chile) d. Maria José MUÑOZ (Ecuador), 15-2, 15-3

Men’s Doubles

Pool A

Roland KELLER & Conrrado MOSCOSO (Bolivia) d. Fernando RÍOS & José UGALDE (Ecuador), 15-1, 15-1
Sebastian FRANCO & Mario MERCADO (Colombia) d. Jonathan LUQUE & Sebastian MENDIGURI (Peru), 15-2, 15-1

Pool B

Rocky CARSON & Charles PRATT (USA) d. Edwin GALICIA & Juan SALVATIERRA (Guatemala), 15-6, 15-11
Coby IWAASA & Samuel MURRAY (Canada) d. Fernando KURZBARD & Shai MANZURI (Argentina), 15-0, 15-0

Pool C

Javier MAR & Rodrigo MONTOYA (Mexico) d. Enier CHACÓN & Maykel MOYET (Cuba), 15-7, 15-6
Andres ACUÑA & Felipe CAMACHO (Costa Rica) d. Ramón DE LEÓN & Luis PEREZ (Dominican Republic), 15-10, 15-12

Women’s Doubles

Pool A

Paola LONGORIA & Samantha SALAS (Mexico) d. Kelani LAWRENCE & Rhonda RAJSICH (USA), 15-5, 15-9
Maria José MUÑOZ & Maria Paz MUÑOZ (Ecuador) - BYE

Pool B

Natalia MENDEZ & Maria José VARGAS (Argentina) d. Carla MUÑOZ & Josefa PARADA (Chile), 15-3, 15-3
Cristina AMAYA & Adriana RIVEROS (Colombia) d. Loraine FELIPE & María Regla VIERA (Cuba), 15-6, 15-5

Pool C

Gabriela MARTINEZ & Maria RODRIGUEZ (Guatemala) d. Frédérique LAMBERT & Jennifer SAUNDERS (Canada), 10-15, 15-7, 11-4
Angelica BARRIOS & Jenny DAZA (Bolivia) d. Merynanyelly DELGADO & Alejandra JIMÉNEZ (Dominican Republic), 13-15, 15-10, 11-2

Follow the bouncing ball….