Medal round draws for 2019 Pan American Games

The draws are out for the medal rounds at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, and we’re a little confused. Usually, the winner of Group A from the group stage is the top seed in the medal (or elimination) round, and in Women’s Singles that seems to be the case. But not so for Men’s Singles or Men’s Doubles. Why not is unknown. Maybe there was a random selection (e.g., a coin flip) to determine which group winner would be seeded 1st versus 2nd.

Being seeded #1 versus #2 looks like a big deal in the Men’s Singles draw, as the bottom half of the draw looks more loaded than the top half. Mexican Alvaro Beltran is the top seed, although he won Group B not Group A. Only two other top 10 International Racquetball Tour (IRT) players - Colombians Sebastian Franco and Mario Mercado - are on the top side.

However, on the bottom side is current International Racquetball Federation (IRF) Men’s Singles World Champion Rodrigo Montoya of Mexico and current Pan American Champion Carlos Keller of Bolivia, as well as IRT event winner Charles Pratt of the USA and IRT top 10 player Samuel Murray of Canada. That’s what Bolivian Conrrado Moscoso, who won Group A but is the 2nd seed, has to face to get to the final.

To be clear, none of these guys is a slouch, and the USA’s Jake Bredenbeck and Canada's Coby Iwaasa are also on the top side. But still, one does seem preferable to the other.

In Women’s Singles, the big match of the Round of 16 will be Argentina’s Natalia Mendez versus Guatemala’s Gabriela Martinez. Mendez is #6 on the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT), and Martinez #11, though she didn’t play the whole LPRT season. Martinez is also the current IRF Women’s Singles World Champion.

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

MEDAL ROUNDS

Men’s Singles - Round of 16

1) Alvaro BELTRAN (Mexico) - BYE
8) Coby IWAASA (Canada) v. 9) Sebastian FRANCO (Colombia)

5) Jake BREDENBECK (USA) v. 12) Ramón DE LEÓN (Dominican Republic)
4) Mario MERCADO (Colombia) v. 13) Felipe CAMACHO (Costa Rica)

3) Rodrigo MONTOYA (Mexico) v. 14) José UGALDE (Ecuador)
6) Samuel MURRAY (Canada) v. 11) Carlos KELLER (Bolivia)

7) Charles PRATT (USA) v. 10) Luis PÉREZ (Dominican Republic)
2) Conrrado MOSCOSO (Bolivia) - BYE

Women’s Singles - Round of 16

1) Maria José VARGAS (Argentina) - BYE
8) Carla MUÑOZ (Chile) v. 9) Kelani LAWRENCE (USA)

5) Valeria CENTELLAS (Bolivia) v. 12) Adriana RIVEROS (Colombia)
4) Rhonda RAJSICH (USA) v. 13) Merynanyelly DELGADO (Dominican Republic)

3) Natalia MENDEZ (Argentina) v. 14) Gabriela MARTINEZ (Guatemala)
6) Maria Paz MUÑOZ (Ecuador) v. 11) Montserrat MEJIA (Mexico)

7) Angelica BARRIOS (Bolivia) v. 10) Cristina AMAYA (Colombia)
2) Paola LONGORIA (Mexico) - BYE

Men’s Doubles - Round of 16

1) Rocky CARSON & Charles PRATT (USA) - BYE
8) Sebastian FRANCO & Mario MERCADO (Colombia) v. 9) Ramón DE LEÓN & Luis PEREZ (Dominican Republic)

5) Coby IWAASA & Samuel MURRAY (Canada) v. 12) Jonathan LUQUE & Sebastian MENDIGURI (Peru)
4) Javier MAR & Rodrigo MONTOYA (Mexico) - BYE

3) Andres ACUÑA & Felipe CAMACHO (Costa Rica) - BYE
6) Fernando RÍOS & José UGALDE (Ecuador) v. 11) Edwin GALICIA & Juan SALVATIERRA (Guatemala)

7) Fernando KURZBARD & Shai MANZURI (Argentina) v. 10) Enier CHACÓN & Maykel MOYET (Cuba)
2) Roland KELLER & Conrrado MOSCOSO (Bolivia) - BYE

Women’s Doubles - Round of 16

1) Paola LONGORIA & Samantha SALAS (Mexico) - BYE
8) Carla MUÑOZ & Josefa PARADA (Chile) v. 9) Merynanyelly DELGADO & Alejandra JIMÉNEZ (Dominican Republic)

5) Kelani LAWRENCE & Rhonda RAJSICH (USA) - BYE
4) Angelica BARRIOS & Jenny DAZA (Bolivia) - BYE

3) Gabriela MARTINEZ & Maria RODRIGUEZ (Guatemala) - BYE
6) Cristina AMAYA & Adriana RIVEROS (Colombia) v. 11) Loraine FELIPE & María Regla VIERA (Cuba)

7) Maria José MUÑOZ & Maria Paz MUÑOZ (Ecuador) v. 10) Frédérique LAMBERT & Jennifer SAUNDERS (Canada)
2) Natalia MENDEZ & Maria José VARGAS (Argentina) - BYE

Follow the bouncing ball….