Argentina, Bolivia, and the USA split the gold medals at the 2025 World Games in Chengdu, China, Sunday. Argentina was represented in all three finals, but only won one of the events, as Maria Jose Vargas ended Mexican Paola Longoria’s World Games gold medal streak in Women’s Singles, 6-11, 11-8, 12-10, 11-9. Vargas is the first woman to win gold at the World Games aside from Longoria since 1995, when American Michelle Gould won gold in The Hague.
Bolivian Conrrado Moscoso won gold in Men’s Singles, defeating Argentine Diego Garcia in a closely fought match that went the distance and then some, as Moscoso won 9-11, 11-2, 11-9, 6-11, 14-12.
Finally, Americans Jake Bredenbeck and Naomi Ros captured gold in the Mixed Doubles final, as they beat Argentinians Vargas and Garcia in three straight games, 11-7, 11-9, 11-6.
Women's Final
In the women’s final, game three was the turning point, as they’d split the first two games. After being close early in game three, Longoria took the lead, and got to game point at 10-6. Vargas got the serve back with a forehand winner, making it 10-7.
Then something curious happened. Vargas hit high lob serves to Longoria, and it made all the difference, as Vargas won five straight points beginning with that serve. Two points came as Longoria tried to return the ball early, and skipped those returns, the second of which came on game point, and made it 12-10.
Vargas continued lob serving to the right side in game four, but also hit some lobs to the left side, and it was a successful formula, as she led from 4-3 on. Longoria did get within one at 9-8 and 10-9, but never drew level.
Vargas won it, as Longoria drove to the left with the score 10-9. Vargas hit a backhand cross court that came off the right wall, and jammed Longoria, so she wasn’t able to hit a good shot, only directing it back cross court to the left. The ball came off the back wall, and Vargas hit a backhand cross court kill shot to win it. She immediately jumped for joy with the victory.
Men's Final
Garcia won the first game of the men’s final, 11-9, and Moscoso took the next two, 11-2, 11-9. Then in game four, Garcia was injured early. He tried to react to a Moscoso shot, but slipped and in doing so strained something in his upper left leg or hip hinge area. He took some injury time, and it wasn’t clear if he was going to be able to continue.
But injuries sometimes can focus a player, and so it was with Garcia, as when he got back on court, he proceeded to win 7 of the next 9 points to take game four, 11-6, and force a fifth game.
That game went the distance and then some with the players being neck and neck the whole way, as there were 10 ties in the game. Moscoso got to 10 first with a great forehand pinch shot from his knees that made it 10-8.
But Garcia fought off those two match points. He first hit a backhand down the line winner off a Moscoso drive serve to the left side. Then Moscoso skipped a backhand in the front court as Garcia had hit a forehand cross court shot. Garcia’s shot wasn’t great, and it seemed Moscoso anticipated a better shot, as it looked like he was going to dive for it, and then realized he didn’t have to, but that had put him out of position leading to the error.
Garcia got his first match point as he hit a backhand down the line, making it 11-10. His followthrough struck Moscoso in the head, and he went down holding his head. Moscoso took a few minutes off court to recover from that before play resumed.
The ensuing rally was 9 shots only the first of which was hit behind from behind the dashed line. Everything else was in the front court with the end coming from a Garcia backhand skip.
Garcia got a second match point after the next rally, as he hit a forehand pinch winner off a Moscoso drive serve to the right side. Moscoso denied Garcia again with a forehand winner.
Then Moscoso hit a lob serve to the left side that came off the left wall and then the back wall, and Garcia drove it down the left side, which seemed to be a winner, as Moscoso unsuccessfully dove in an attempt to get to the ball, ending up on the floor in the back corner. Garcia’s shot seemed to be a winner, but Moscoso appealed the shot - perhaps his countrywoman Angelica Barrios, who was sitting with Moscoso during the match, signalled to him to do so, as he didn’t make the appeal immediately after getting up at the end of the rally.
Regardless, the appeal was successful, so rather than being 13-12 with Garcia serving, it was 13-12 with Moscoso serving. He hit a half lob serve that came off the left wall, and Garcia took a backhand shot from chest high down the line. Moscoso stepped over and punched a pinch shot into the left corner for the match winner.
Moscoso has now won gold at every level of international competition he’s participated in: International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Championships and Pan American Games, as well as Pan American Championships, South American Games and Bolivarian Games. All that for someone who has yet to turn 30; he’ll do that next month.
Mixed Doubles Final
The Mixed Doubles final was a relatively straight forward win for the USA team of Bredenbeck and Ros. Each of the three games was tied at 4-4, and each time the USA never trailed after that.
In game three, a Bredenbeck ace drive serve to the left side made the score 9-6. Garcia skipped a backhand shot to make it 10-6, and then he did that again off a Bredenbeck drive serve, giving the USA the win.
Both Argentines had played long matches earlier in the day, so that was probably a factor in their performance in the doubles final. But Bredenbeck and Ros played well. Bredenbeck took more of the shots, which is common for a team of two right handed players. But he also played up in the court, cutting a lot of balls off, and putting them into the corners or driving them to one side or the other.
For her part, Ros held her own, and didn’t seem overwhelmed by the situation. She hit lob serves or half lob serves to Vargas, rather than trying to drive serve, which would put the ball where a power player like Vargas prefers to have it. It was an effective strategy.
Watch again & upcoming events
If you missed any of the action from Chengdu, and there were some great matches, check out the archived matches at The World Games Live website.
The next international event will be the XX Bolivarian Games November 22 to December 7 in Lima, Peru. The IRF World Junior Championships will be in December in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
2026 will be a busy year for racquetball, as it’s an IRF World Championships year, and also the Central American and Caribbean Games (in Santo Domingo) and the South American Games (in Santa Fe, Argentina) will both be held as they lead up to the 2027 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru. Racquetball will be in the Pan Am Games, as was recently announced.
Note the so-called “World Singles and Doubles Championships” in Colorado next month is not an international event. Its name is misleading and confusing to the general public, and anyone unfamiliar with the sport. Using that name is a disservice to racquetball.
2025 World Games - Chengdu, China - August 13-17, 2025
Men’s Singles - Final - Sunday
3) Conrrado MOSCOSO (Bolivia) d. 4) Diego GARCIA (Argentina), 9-11, 11-2, 11-9, 6-11, 14-12
Women’s Singles - Final - Sunday
3) Maria Jose VARGAS (Argentina) d. 1) Paola LONGORIA (Mexico), 6-11, 11-8, 12-10, 11-9
Mixed Doubles - Final - Sunday
1) Jake BREDENBECK & Naomi ROS (USA) d. 7) Maria Jose VARGAS & Diego GARCIA (Argentina), 11-7, 11-9, 11-6
Follow the bouncing ball…..
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