Draws for The World Games 2022

The draws for The World Games 2022 in Birmingham, Alabama are out, and we have them for you below. Half of each field will play on Sunday and half on Monday, which is different from what is stated on The World Games website. Also, there is one change in the men’s draw from what we anticipated, as Lee Connell of Canada has replaced Conrrado Moscoso of Bolivia.

Connell is seeded 13th will play the USA’s Jake Bredenbeck - the 4th seed - in what could be one of the more interesting matches in the Round of 16 on men’s side with the winner to face the winner of Mexican Andree Parrilla and the Dominican Republic’s Ramon De Leon in the quarterfinals on Tuesday.

Two other interesting matches in the 16s should be Rodrigo Montoya of Mexico against Argentina’s Diego Garcia with the winner likely facing top seed and current International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Champion Alejandro Landa of the USA in the quarters, and Juan Jose Salvatierra of Guatemala taking on veteran Felipe Camacho of Costa Rica with the winner likely playing 2nd seed Andres Acuña of Costa Rica in the quarterfinals.

On the women’s side, two time defending World Games gold medalist Paola Longoria of Mexico will be the player to beat. She’ll play Japan’s Ayako Hanashi in the Round of 16 with the winner facing the winner of 8th seed Maria Renee Rodriguez of Guatemala and 9th seed Carla Muñoz of Chile, which should be one of the better matches in the 16s.

Mexican Samantha Salas versus Colombia Cristina Amaya should also be a good match between two veteran players. Amaya was the silver medalist at World Games 9 years ago in her hometown of Cali, Colombia, where she lost to Longoria in the final. The Salas-Amaya winner will play the winner of 2nd seed Kelani Lawrence (USA) and 15th seed Majella Havertz (Ireland) in the quarters.

It’s always a bit unfortunate when players from the same country have to face off prior to the final, and there are two such matches in the Round of 16. On the women’s side, Bolivians Angelica Barrios - the current Pan American Champion - will play Micela Meneses - the current IRF World Junior U18 Champion. On the men’s side, Ecuador’s Jose Daniel Ugalde plays team-mate Juan Francisco Cueva in the 16s.

2022 World Games - Birmingham, Alabama

Men’s Singles - Round of 16 - Sunday & Monday July 10 & 11

1) Alejandro Landa (USA) v. 16) Eoin Tynan (Ireland) - Sunday 6 PM
8) Rodrigo Montoya (Mexico) v. 9) Diego Garcia (Argentina) - Sunday 5 PM

5) Andree Parrilla (Mexico) v. 12) Ramon De Leon (Dominican Republic) - Sunday 9 AM
4) Jake Bredenbeck (USA) v. 13) Lee Connell (Canada) - Sunday 10 AM

3) Mario Mercado (Colombia) v. 14) Ken Cottrell (Ireland) - Monday 4 PM
6) Jose Daniel Ugalde (Ecuador) v. 11) Juan Francisco Cueva (Ecuador) - Monday 3 PM

7) Juan Jose Salvatierra (Guatemala) v. 10) Felipe Camacho (Costa Rica) - Monday Noon
2) Andres Acuña (Costa Rica) v. 15) Lee Gunhee (South Korea) - Monday 11 AM

Women’s Singles - Round of 16 - Sunday & Monday July 10 & 11

1. Paola Longoria (Mexico) v. 16) Ayako Hanashi (Japan) - Sunday 11 AM
8) Maria Renee Rodriguez (Guatemala) v. 9) Carla Muñoz (Chile) - Sunday Noon

5. Angelica Barrios (Bolivia) v. 12. Micaela Meneses (Bolivia) - Sunday 4 PM
4) Natalia Mendez (Argentina) v. 13) Sumin Lee (South Korea) - Sunday 3 PM

3) Rhonda Rajsich (USA) v. 14) Aisling Hickey (Ireland) - Monday 6 PM
6) Gabriela Martinez (Guatemala) v. 11) Michèle Morissette (Canada) - Monday 5 PM

7. Samantha Salas (Mexico) v. 10. Cristina Amaya (Colombia) - Monday 10 AM
2. Kelani Lawrence (USA) v. 15) Majella Haverty (Ireland) - Monday 9 AM

 Follow the bouncing ball….