Medal summary for 2023 Pan American Games

The racquetball competition of the 2023 Pan American Games concluded two weeks ago in Santiago, Chile, so it’s way past time for us to summarize what all happened in Chile. Four nations took home gold medals, which was twice as many as in the last games. The addition of Mixed Doubles meant there was one more racquetball event than at any other games, so there were more medals to win. Nonetheless, the overall results show how competitive racquetball has become. It’s a long way from the 1990s Pan American Games, when the USA swept gold and Canada took most of the silver.

Bolivia won two gold medals in Santiago, which was one better than they did four years ago in Lima, Peru, where they won gold in the Men’s Team event. They successfully defended that medal, and added another when Conrrado Moscoso defeated his team-mate Carlos Keller in the Men’s Singles final.

Bolivia got three other medals: Keller got silver in Men’s Singles, Moscoso and Angelica Barrios got bronze in Mixed Doubles and Barrios also got bronze in Women’s Doubles. Those five medals were all the medals that Team Bolivia, as a whole, took home from Santiago.

Mexico topped the medal table for the fourth consecutive games, getting three gold, one silver and five bronze medals. Also for the fourth consecutive games, Paola Longoria won gold in Women’s Singles defeating her team-mate, and perhaps heir apparent, Montserrat Mejia. Longoria, 34, was quoted as saying she was uncertain whether she would play in another Pan Am Games, but her record at the games has been impeccable.

Mexicans Javier Mar and Rodrigo Montoya successfully defended their Men’s Doubles gold medal from four years ago, beating Canadians Coby Iwaasa and Samuel Murray in the final. That was Canada’s first Pan Am Games final since 2003, when Mike Green was in the Men’s Singles final.

Mexico’s third gold medal was in the Women’s Team event, which they have won each time since team events were re-introduced at Pan Am Games in 2011. The final against Argentina came down to the third match, which was doubles with Alexandra Herrera and Mejia defeating Natalia Mendez and Maria Jose Vargas.

Vargas looked distraught on the podium during the Women’s Team event medal ceremony. However, it was her 4th medal from the games - two silver and two bronze, which were more than anyone else earned. But none of them were gold.

At international events, when closely matched players or doubles teams play each other in the individual events and then again in the team event often the matches will be split. Mendez and Vargas beat Herrera and Mejia in the Women’s Doubles semi-final, but lost in the re-match in the team event. Similarly, Mexicans Mar and Montoya beat Canadians Iwaasa and Murray in the Men’s Doubles final, but in the Men’s Team event semi-finals, the Canadians won.

Finally, the first Pan American Games Mixed Doubles gold medal went to American siblings Adam Manilla and Erika Manilla, but it wasn’t the first time siblings had won gold at the Pan Ams. American twin sisters Joy MacKenzie and Jackie Paraiso won Women’s Doubles gold twice: in 1995, the first time racquetball was in the games, and again in 1999.

Matches on replay

You can watch some of the finals from Santiago via the Pan Am Sports Channel. The production was very good, although the commentary not always so good. Still it’s worth watching.

The 2027 Pan American Games will be Barranquilla, Colombia. Barranquilla was the site of the 2019 Pan American Championships, so there are racquetball courts there. Thus, we are hopeful that racquetball will once again be included in the Pan American Games.

2023 Pan American Games - Medal Summary
Santiago, Chile

Country - Gold - Silver - Bronze - Total

1. Mexico - 3 - 1 - 5 = 9
2. Bolivia - 2 - 1 - 2 = 5
3. Independent Athletes - 1 - 0 - 2 = 3
3. USA - 1 - 0 - 2 = 3
5. Argentina - 0 - 3 - 1 = 3
6. Canada - 0 - 2 - 0 = 2
7. Costa Rica - 0 - 0 - 2 = 2

Men’s Singles

GOLD - Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia)
SILVER - Carlos Keller (Bolivia)
BRONZE - Eduardo Portillo (Mexico), Rodrigo Montoya (Mexico)

Women’s Singles

GOLD - Paola Longoria (Mexico)
SILVER - Montserrat Mejia (Mexico)
BRONZE - Maricruz Ortiz (Costa Rica), Maria José Vargas (Argentina)

Men’s Doubles

GOLD - Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya (Mexico)
SILVER - Coby Iwaasa & Samuel Murray (Canada)
BRONZE - Andrés Acuña & Gabriel Garcia (Costa Rica), Edwin Galicia & Juan Salvatierra (EAI)

Women’s Doubles

GOLD - Gabriela Martinez & Maria Renee Rodriguez (EAI)

SILVER - Natalia Mendez & Maria José Vargas (Argentina)
BRONZE - Angelica Barrios & Jenny Daza (Bolivia), Alexandra Herrera & Montserrat Mejia (Mexico)

Mixed Doubles

GOLD - Adam Manilla & Erica Manilla (USA)
SILVER - Diego Garcia & Maria José Vargas (Argentina)
BRONZE - Paola Longoria & Eduardo Portillo (Mexico), Angelica Barrios & Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia)

Men’s Team

GOLD - Bolivia - Carlos Keller, Conrrado Moscoso, Kadim Carrasco
SILVER - Canada - Coby Iwaasa, Samuel Murray
BRONZE - Mexico - Javier Mar, Rodrigo Montoya, Edurardo Portillo
BRONZE - USA - Daniel De La Rosa, Alejandro Landa, Adam Manilla

Women’s Team

GOLD - Mexico - Montserrat Mejia, Paola Longoria, Alexandra Herrera
SILVER - Argentina - Maria José Vargas, Natalia Mendez
BRONZE - USA - Michelle Key, Erika Manilla
BRONZE - Independent Athletes - Gabriela Martinez, Maria Renee Rodriguez

Follow the bouncing ball....

Two successful team title defences at the 2023 Pan American Games

It was a day of successful defences Thursday at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, as the men’s and women’s team winners from four years ago in Lima, Peru, won gold again in Santiago. Bolivia won the Men’s Team title in two straight matches over Canada, and Mexico won the Women’s Team title over Argentina, although they needed three matches to do it. That was Mexico’s fourth straight Women’s Team title, and Argentina was runner up to them for a second consecutive time.

In the first match of the men’s final, Bolivian Carlos Keller and Canadian Coby Iwaasa went toe to toe over five games with Keller coming back from 2-1 down to eke out the victory by the smallest of margins: 7-11, 11-5, 7-11, 11-7, 13-11. Keller switched to lob serving to the left side - Iwaasa’s backhand - in game four, which changed the tempo of the match and helped him win that game.

In the breaker, Iwassa had the early lead at 5-2, but Keller tied it at 5-5. They were back and forth from there, tied at 6-6 and 7-7. Then Keller went ahead, and although Iwaasa tied it again at 10-10, fighting off match point at 10-9 and 11-10, he never got a chance to serve for match himself. Keller ended the match on the third time of asking with a backhand winner.

Conrrado Moscoso and Samuel Murray squared off in the second match of the final, and Moscoso carried most of the play, winning 11-5, 11-9, 11-2. Murray didn’t have his A game, which was partly due to Moscoso, but the Bolivian wasn’t really pressured by the Canadian.

The exception was late in game two, when Murray fought off three games points to go from 10-6 down to 10-9, with that last point coming from a Moscoso skipped shot. It seemed like Murray might pull out that game, but on the next rally the referee called an avoidable hinder against him, as Moscoso was trying to get position for a shot in centre court. Murray appealed the call, which seemed like a harsh but not wrong situation, and after reviewing the video of the play, the referee maintained his original call, which ended game two in Moscoso’s favour.

Game three wasn’t close. Moscoso got the first two points of the game. Murray tied it at 2-2, and then Moscoso scored nine unanswered points to end the game and win gold for Bolivia.

Despite the loss, Iwaasa and Murray earn a second Pan Am Games silver medal (their first was in Men's Doubles on Tuesday), which gives them more silver medals than any other Canadian male racquetball player. They are the first silver medals in the men's team event since 1995, and the first silver in any event since 2003, when Mike Green got silver in Men’s Singles.

Women’s Final

There’s a bit of a “what might have been?” question about the 3rd match of the women’s final. But first, Argentina’s Maria José Vargas came out strong in the opening match of the final ousting Mexican Montserrat Mejia in three straight games, 11-5, 11-9, 11-9. Vargas looked great in the match, clearly up for it, and had lots of energy. Mejia didn’t have as much energy as she usually does, but Vargas’s play likely had something to do with that.

Mexican Paola Longoria then evened the final by beating Natalia Mendez, 11-6, 11-7, 11-9, in the second match of the final. Mendez was ahead briefly in the middle of game two, and they were close throughout game three, but it always seemed like Longoria was going to win.

Her win forced a deciding third match, which was doubles: Mendez and Vargas versus Mejia and Alexandra Herrera. As in her singles match, Vargas looked up for it. She and Mendez stormed out to a 8-2 lead in game one.

But the Mexicans got some points, and then some more points, and fought off four games points to go from 10-6 down to tied at 10-10 following a Mejia forehand reverse pinch winner. Argentina had called their timeout just before that, but didn’t win ensuing rally.

Mexico pushed on to win 14-12 with their last four points coming from skipped shots by Argentina. It was a shocking comeback, as Mexico really had no business even being close in the game let alone winning it.

That turnaround seemed to take the air out of Argentina’s sails, and put it in Mexico’s, as Mexico took a 6-0 lead in game two. To their credit Argentina did get back to within one point at 7-6, but after Mexico took a timeout, they came back to win game two 11-7.

The teams were close early in game three, and tied at 4-4. Mexico took the lead at 8-4, which put the writing on the wall. They finished the saga by taking the game 11-5, the match in the three straight games, the final two matches to one, and with it the Women’s Team gold medal.

Yet one has to wonder what would have happened if Argentina had won that first game? That might have led to a different outcome.

Vargas was clearly upset about the actual outcome. When they came out for the medal ceremony, she had her hands in her pockets, had obviously been crying and looked like she would rather be anywhere else but on that podium. The contrast between that and the happy, energetic person who played the first game of the final could not be more stark.

Many racquetball players felt the thrill of victory during the 2023 Pan American Games, but some felt the agony of defeat.

2023 Pan American Games - Santiago, Chile

Men’s Team - Final - Thursday

2) Bolivia d. 4) Canada, 2-0

Carlos Keller d. Coby Iwaasa, 7-11, 11-5, 7-11, 11-7, 13-11
Conrrado Moscoso d. Samuel Murray, 11-5, 11-9, 11-2

Women’s Team - Final - Thursday

1) Mexico d. 2) Argentina, 2-1

Maria José Vargas d. Montserrat Mejia, 11-7, 11-9, 11-9
Paola Longoria d. Natalia Mendez, 11-6, 11-7, 11-9
Alexandra Herrera & Montserrat Mejia d. Natalia Mendez & Maria José Vargas, 14-12, 11-7, 11-5

Follow the bouncing ball....

Three teams from Lima are in the Team Finals again at 2023 Pan American Games

The Women’s Team final at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile will be a re-match of the final from four years ago, as Mexico will face off with Argentina again. Mexico won in Lima in 2019, but Argentina will look to change that on Thursday.

Both Mexico and Argentina reached the final by winning their respective semi-finals in two straight matches. Mexican Montserrat Mejia beat American Michelle Key, 11-9, 11-8, 11-4, in the first match, and then teamed up with Alexandra Herrera to defeat Key and Erika Manilla in doubles, 5-11, 11-8, 11-8, 11-8.

Argentina’s Maria José Vargas beat Independent Athletes Maria Renee Rodriguez, 11-9, 11-7, 11-6. Then Vargas and Natalia Mendez defeated Rodriguez and Gabriela Martinez, 11-9, 11-9, 11-8, in what was a re-match of yesterday’s Women’s Doubles gold medal match that Rodriguez and Martinez won.

Bolivia is the current Pan Am Games Men’s Team champion, and they will have a chance to defend that title, as they defeated the USA in the semi-finals, but they needed three matches to get that chance.

Bolivian Carlos Keller beat American Adam Manilla in the first match of their semi 11-8, 11-9, 11-6, but the USA’s Daniel De La Rosa and Alejandro Landa evened the match by winning doubles in a tie-breaker against Kadim Carrasco and Conrrado Moscoso, 11-5, 10-12, 12-10, 11-13, 11-4. The deciding match also went to a tie-breaker with Moscoso defeating De La Rosa, 11-5, 11-8, 9-11, 8-11, 11-6.

After winning two Pan Am Games Men’s Team titles, Mexico will not be in the final for a second games running, as Canada defeated Mexico in the semi-finals, 2 matches to 1. Mexican Eduardo Portillo defeated Canadian Coby Iwaasa, 11-8, 16-14, 11-8, in the first match, but Iwaasa and Samuel Murray evened the semi by beating Javier Mar and Rodrigo Montoya, 11-6, 11-7, 11-4. In the deciding match, Murray got the win over Montoya, 12-10, 11-9, 6-11, 11-9, to put Canada in a Pan Am Games Men’s Team final for the first time since 1995, the first year racquetball was in the Pan Am Games.

The team competition finals will have the #1 singles players playing first, #2 singles players second, and then the doubles team, if necessary.

2023 Pan American Games - Santiago, Chile
Note: all times are Chilean time, which is one hour earlier than Eastern time in North America.

Men’s Team - Semi-finals - Wednesday

4) Canada d. 1) Mexico, 2-1
2) Bolivia d. 3) USA, 2-1

Men’s Team - Final - Thursday

2) Bolivia v. 4) Canada

Carlos Keller v. Coby Iwaasa - 11:45 AM
Samuel Murray v. Conrrado Moscoso - 1:15 PM
Kadim Carrasco & Conrrado Moscoso v. Coby Iwaasa & Samuel Murray - 2:45 PM, if necessary

Women’s Team - Semi-finals - Wednesday

1) Mexico d. 5) USA, 2-0
2) Argentina d. 3) Independent Athletes, 2-0

Women’s Team - Final - Thursday

1) Mexico v. 2) Argentina

Montserrat Mejia v. Maria José Vargas - 11 AM
Paola Longoria v. Natalia Mendez - 12:30 PM
Alexandra Herrera & Montserrat Mejia - 2 PM, if necessary

Follow the bouncing ball....

Team competition quarterfinals at the 2023 Pan American Games

There was one surprise in the Women’s Team quarterfinals Wednesday at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, as the USA defeated Bolivia in two straight matches. The surprise came in Michelle Key (USA) knocking off Bolivia’s Angélica Barrios, 11-5, 4-11, 4-11, 11-9, 11-6, in the first game of their quarterfinal. Barrios is a top 10 player on the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT), while Key is generally seen a doubles specialist, so it was surprising for her to beat Barrios.

American Erika Manilla completed the win by defeating Bolivian Yazmine Sabja, 11-7, 11-4, 11-3.

The USA will play Mexico in the semi-finals later on Wednesday, as Mexico defeated Canada in two straight matches. Canadian Frédérique Lambert almost forced a third match with Mexico, as she pushed Paola Longoria to a fifth game in their singles match. But in the end Longoria - who won gold in Women’s Singles yesterday - prevailed 7-11, 11-7, 11-4, 10-12, 11-3.

On the other side of the women’s draw, Argentina beat the Dominican Republic in two straight matches. Maria José Vargas defeated Maria Cespedes, 11-8, 11-3, 11-4, and Natalia Mendez beat Merynanyelly Delgado, 11-0, 11-9, 11-3.

In the only women’s match to go to a deciding third match, the Independent Athletes defeated Costa Rica 2-1. Costa Rica won the first singles match, as Maricruz Ortiz defeated Maria Renee Rodriguez, 12-10, 11-7, 11-8, but Gabriela Martinez won the second singles match against Jimena Gomez, 11-2, 11-1, 11-2. Thus, they played doubles to decide who would advance to the semi-finals, and Martinez and Rodriguez beat Gomez and Ortiz, 11-6, 11-7, 11-5.

All four of the Men’s Team quarterfinals were over in two straight matches. Mexican Eduardo Portillo beat Juan José Salvatierra (Independent Athletes), 11-5, 11-6, 11-9, and his team-mate Rodrigo Montoya defeated Edwin Galicia, 11-5, 11-8, 11-8.

Mexico will play Canada in the semi-finals, as Canada defeated Costa Rica in the quarters. Coby Iwaasa came back from 2-1 down against Andrés Acuña, who had beaten him in the Men’s Singles draw, to win in five games, 8-11, 11-7, 11-13, 11-9, 11-6. Samuel Murray closed out the quarter by beating Gabriel Garcia, 11-6, 11-2, 9-11, 11-5.

On the other side of the draw, Bolivia beat Argentina two straight. Bolivian Carlos Keller defeated Argentine Fernando Kurzbard, 11-8, 9-11, 11-5, 11-7, and then Conrrado Mosoco beat Diego Garcia, 11-7, 11-7, 11-8.

Bolivia will play the USA in the semi-finals. In the quarters, American Adam Manilla defeated Ecuadoran José Daniel Ugalde, 11-6, 11-4, 4-11, 11-4, and Daniel De La Rosa beat Juan Francisco Cueva, 12-10, 11-8, 11-6.

The semi-finals of the team competition will have the #2 singles players playing first, and then the doubles team, and then the #1 singles players, if necessary.

2023 Pan American Games - Santiago, Chile
Note: all times are Chilean time, which is one hour earlier than Eastern time in North America.

Men’s Team - Quarterfinals - Wednesday

1) Mexico d. 8) Independent Athletes, 2-0
4) Canada d. 5) Costa Rica, 2-0

3) USA v. 6) Ecuador, 2-0
2) Bolivia d. 7) Argentina, 2-0

Men’s Team - Semi-finals - Wednesday

1) Mexico v. 4) Canada - 4 PM
2) Bolivia v. 3) USA - 4 PM

Women’s Team - Quarterfinals - Wednesday

1) Mexico d. 9) Canada, 2-0
5) USA d. 4) Bolivia, 2-0

3) Independent Athletes d. 6) Costa Rica, 2-1
2) Argentina d. 10) Dominican Republic, 2-0

Women’s Team - Semi-finals - Wednesday

1) Mexico v. 5) USA - 4 PM
2) Argentina v. 3) Independent Athletes - 4 PM

Follow the bouncing ball....

Team competitions begin at 2023 Pan American Games

The men’s and women’s team competitions began Tuesday afternoon at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, but only a few matches were played, as most of the countries had byes in the first round of play. The team competitions are country versus country with a best of three matches format: two singles and one doubles. The order of the matches varies across rounds of play. On Tuesday, it was doubles first, then the #1 singles players and, if necessary, the #2 singles players. In Wednesdays quarterfinals, it will be the #2 singles match, followed by the #1 singles match and then - if necessary - the doubles match.

There were three matches in the Women’s Team event. Costa Rica defeated Cuba in two straight matches, and will play the Independent Athletes in Wednesday's quarterfinals. The other two matches both required all three matches to determine the winner. Canada came out on top of Chile, 2-1, and in a bit of a surprise, the Dominican Republic ousted Ecuador, 2-1.

The Dominicans won the doubles match, 11-6, 9-11, 12-10, 11-9. Then Veronica Sotomayor beat Maria Cespedes, 11-3, 11-3, 11-4, in the first singles match, but in the deciding singles match Merynanyelly Delgado defeated Maria José Muñoz, 11-8, 10-12, 11-4, 11-4.

The win puts the Dominicans into Wednesday’s quarterfinals, when they’ll play Argentina. In the other quarters, Canada will play the top seeded Mexican team, Costa Rica faces the Independent Athletes, and Bolivia and the USA will face off.

In the two Men’s Team battles on Tuesday, the Independent Athletes beat Cuba in two straight matches, and Argentina defeated Chile, 2-1. Argentina came back from two games down in the doubles match to win, 8-11, 7-11, 11-8, 11-9, 11-3. Then Jaime Mansilla defeated Fernando Kurzbard, 7-11, 11-6, 11-8, 11-5, so it fell to Diego Garcia and Rafael Galicia to settle it with Garcia prevailing in three straight games, 11-2, 11-4, 11-2.

The Men’s Team quarterfinals will be Mexico versus Independent Athletes with the winner facing the winner of Canada and Costa Rica. On the other half of the draw, Bolivia plays Argentina and the USA is up against Ecuador.

We expect there will be some more streaming on the Pan American Sports channel, but it might not happen until the finals on Thursday. We’ll let you know if we find out otherwise.

2023 Pan American Games - Santiago, Chile
Note: all times are Chilean time, which is one hour earlier than Eastern time in North America.

Men’s Team - Round of 16 - Tuesday

1) Mexico - BYE
8) Independent Athletes d. 9) Cuba, 2-0

5) Costa Rica - BYE
4) Canada - BYE

3) USA - BYE
6) Ecuador - BYE

7) Argentina d. 10) Chile, 2-1
2) Bolivia - BYE

Men’s Team - Quarterfinals - Wednesday

1) Mexico v. 8) Independent Athletes - 10 AM
4) Canada v. 5) Costa Rica - 10 AM

3) USA v. 6) Ecuador - 10 AM
2) Bolivia v. 7) Argentina - 10 AM

Women’s Team - Round of 16 - Tuesday

1) Mexico - BYE
9) Canada d. 8) Chile, 2-1

5) USA - BYE
4) Bolivia - BYE

3) Independent Athletes - BYE
6) Costa Rica d. 11) Cuba, 2-0

10) Dominican Republic d. 7) Ecuador, 2-1
2) Argentina - BYE

Women’s Team - Quarterfinals - Wednesday

1) Mexico v. 9) Canada - 10:45 AM
4) Bolivia v. 5) USA - 10:45 AM

3) Independent Athletes v. 6) Costa Rica - 10:45 AM
2) Argentina v. 10) Dominican Republic - 10:45 AM

Follow the bouncing ball....

Gold medals spread around at 2023 Pan American Games

Four different countries won gold in racquetball Tuesday at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile. In singles, Bolivian Conrrado Moscoso defeated his team-mate Carlos Keller, 11-2, 13-11, 14-12, to win Men’s Singles, and Mexican Paola Longoria beat team-mate Montserrat Mejia, 11-9, 11-8, 11-3, to win Women’s Singles for the 4th consecutive Pan American Games. Moscoso is the first Bolivian to win gold in an individual event at a Pan Am Games.

The doubles gold medals went to Mexico, Independent Athletes (i.e., Guatemala) and the USA.

Gabriela Martinez and Maria Renee Rodriguez - playing under the Independent Athletes banner rather than their native Guatemala because of issues between the International Olympic Committee and the Guatemala Olympic Committee - were Women’s Doubles silver medalists in 2019, but this year they went one better, as they defeated Argentina’s Natalia Mendez and Maria José Vargas, 11-2, 8-11, 14-12, 11-6, to win gold.

It’s the first gold medal for Martinez and Rodriguez, who have been a doubles partnership for about a decade. In Tuesday’s final, Rodriguez was the player of the match, as she was very good, and hit the match winning shot: a forehand pinch to the front left corner.

In Men’s Doubles, Mexicans Javier Mar and Rodrigo Montoya successfully defended the gold medal they won four years ago in Lima, as they came back from a game down to defeat Canadians Coby Iwaasa and Samuel Murray, 6-11, 11-7, 12-10, 12-10.

It was a match that could have gone either way, but the Mexicans made just a few more winners. Mar’s excellent re-killing skill was on display, as he made winners out of several balls that looked like they were going to be Canada winners before Mar hit them back better.

Finally, the first ever Mixed Doubles Pan Am Games gold medal was won by the USA’s Adam Manilla and Erica Manilla, as the siblings went through the Argentina team of Diego Garcia and Maria José Vargas like a buzzsaw, beating them in three straight games, 11-4, 11-4, 11-6.

Vargas did not have her best performances in either the Women’s Doubles or Mixed Doubles final. She played in three events in Santiago - the two doubles as well as singles, and medalled in all of them: bronze in singles to go with silver in the doubles events.

Three medals is great, yet you’d like to think that she could have won one of the finals today. But it’s a lot of racquetball over four days, and while she seems fit, it was maybe just a bit too much for Vargas to be her best on Tuesday.

The doubles finals were streamed on the Pan American Sports channel, and we believe they will be achieved on that site, so if you missed them, we encourage to go back and watch them. There were some great rallies in all three doubles finals.

2023 Pan American Games - Santiago, Chile

Men’s Singles - Final - Tuesday

1) Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia) d. 2) Carlos Keller (Bolivia), 11-2, 13-11, 14-12

Women’s Singles - Final - Tuesday

3) Paola Longoria (Mexico) d. 4) Montserrat Mejia (Mexico), 11-9, 11-8, 11-3

Men’s Doubles - Final - Tuesday

1) Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya (Mexico) d. 6) Coby Iwaasa & Samuel Murray (Canada), 6-11, 11-7, 12-10, 12-10

Women’s Doubles - Final - Tuesday

2) Gabriela Martinez & Maria Renee Rodriguez (EAI) d. 4) Natalia Mendez & Maria José Vargas (Argentina), 11-2, 8-11, 14-12, 11-6

Mixed Doubles - Final - Tuesday

3) Adam Manilla & Erica Manilla (USA) d. 4) Diego Garcia & Maria José Vargas (Argentina), 11-4, 11-4, 11-6

Follow the bouncing ball....

Team-mates in finals & surprises at 2023 Pan American Games

For the first time since 1995, the men’s and women’s singles finals at the Pan American Games will both be between team-mates. The 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile will see two Bolivians in the men’s final, and two Mexicans in the women’s final.

The men’s semi-finals were two Bolivia-Mexico battles. Top seed Conrrado Moscoso of Bolivia beat 4th seed Eduardo Portillo of Mexico, 11-3, 14-12, 12-10, in one semi, while his team-mate 2nd seed Carlos Keller came back from 2-1 down against 3rd seed Rodrigo Montoya of Mexico to win in five games, 6-11, 11-6, 11-13, 11-9, 11-8.

On the women’s side, 4th seed Montserrat Mejia of Mexico beat surprise semi-finalist Maricruz Ortiz of Costa Rica, 11-4, 11-7, 11-4, in one semi. The other was a re-match of the last two Pan Am Games finals with the same outcome, as Mexican Paola Longoria defeated Argentina’s Maria José Vargas, 11-7, 11-8, 6-11, 11-7, which gives Longoria a chance to win a 4th straight gold medal in Women’s Singles at a Pan American Games.

They played both the quarterfinals and semi-finals Monday, and there were some notable matches in the quarters. None more so that Ortiz’s win over Argentina’s Natalia Mendez, which was a five game affair with the 9th seed knocking off the #1 seed, 8-11, 11-9, 15-13, 10-12, 12-10.

Also of note, Vargas defeated Gabriela Martinez (Independent/Guatemala) in three close games, 13-11, 13-11, 12-10. Notable, because Martinez had game points in both game one and two, but she couldn’t close either of them out.

On the men’s side there were two tie-breakers in the quarters with one being about as close as possible, as Portillo eked by Daniel De La Rosa (USA), 10-12, 13-11, 12-10, 9-11, 14-12. Portillo’s team-mate also won in five games, but strangely none of the games were that close, as Montoya beat the USA’s Adam Manilla, 4-11, 11-2, 4-11, 11-5, 11-4.

Doubles

Big surprise in Women’s Doubles, as Mexico loses in the semi-finals, so misses out on a chance for gold for the first time since 1999. Mexico had won gold at the last four Pan American Games starting in 2003. It looked like they would be in another final, as Alexandra Herrera and Montserrat Mejia were up 2-1 on Argentina’s Natalia Mendez and Maria José Vargas 2-1, but the Argentines came back to win the fourth and fifth game and oust Mexico, winning 5-11, 13-11, 3-11, 11-7, 11-7.

Argentina will play Gabriela Martinez and Maria Renee Rodriguez (EAI), who reached the Women’s Doubles final for a second straight Pan American Games by defeating Bolivians Angelica Barrios and Jenny Daza, 11-13, 11-9, 12-10, 12-10. There was a long delay near the end of game three, as the building with the racquetball courts apparently lost power for a time (approximately 30 min?).

Bolivia led 10-7 at that point, but Martinez and Rodriguez came back to win game three with five straight points, 12-10. They then took a big lead in game four at 10-5 only to see Bolivia come back and tie it at 10-10. It looked like a fifth game might be needed until Martinez and Rodriguez won the next two points to close out the match in four games.

There was one tie-breaker in Men’s Doubles, as Canadians Coby Iwaasa and Samuel Murray needed five games to defeat Edwin Galicia and Juan Salvatierra (EAI), 11-9, 8-11, 11-7, 8-11, 11-7. They’ll be the first Canadians to play for Pan Am Games gold since 1999 when they take on Mexicans Javier Mar and Rodrigo Montoya Tuesday. Mar and Montoya are the defending Pan Am Games gold medalists in Men’s Doubles, and they reached the final by beating Costa Ricans Andrés Acuña and Gabriel Garcia in three straight games, 11-4, 11-7, 11-4.

Both Mixed Doubles semi-finals went to five games with both top seeds losing. The 4th seeded Argentina team of Diego Garcia and Maria José Vargas came back from a game down and then 9-4 down in the 5th game to beat current Pan American Champions Angelica Barrios and Conrrado Moscoso of Bolivia, 9-11, 11–8, 11-8, 10-12, 11-9. They’ll play the USA sibling team of Adam Manilla and Erica Manilla who ousted 2nd seeds Longoria and Portillo of Mexico, 11-9, 13-11, 6-11, 8-11, 11-7.

2023 Pan American Games - Santiago, Chile
Note: all times are Chilean time, which is one hour earlier than Eastern time in North America.

Men’s Singles - Quarterfinals - Monday

1) Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia) d. 9) Andrés Acuña (Costa Rica), 11-1, 11-6, 15-13
4) Eduardo Portillo (Mexico) d. 5) Daniel De La Rosa (USA), 10-12, 13-11, 12-10, 9-11, 14-12

3) Rodrigo Montoya (Mexico) d. 6) Adam Manilla (USA), 4-11, 11-2, 4-11, 11-5, 11-4
2) Carlos Keller (Bolivia) d. 7) Samuel Murray (Canada), 11-9, 11-13, 14-12, 11-6

Men’s Singles - Semi-finals - Monday

1) Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia) d. 4) Eduardo Portillo (Mexico), 11-3, 14-12, 12-10
2) Carlos Keller (Bolivia) d. 3) Rodrigo Montoya (Mexico), 6-11, 11-6, 11-13, 11-9, 11-8

Men’s Singles - Final - Tuesday

1) Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia) v. 2) Carlos Keller (Bolivia) - 11 AM

Women’s Singles - Quarterfinals - Monday

9) Maricruz Ortiz (Costa Rica) d. 1) Natalia Mendez (Argentina), 8-11, 11-9, 15-13, 10-12, 12-10
4) Montserrat Mejia (Mexico) d. 5) Angelica Barrios (Bolivia), 11-8, 8-11, 11-2, 13-11

3) Paola Longoria (Mexico) d. 11) Erika Manilla (USA), 11-3, 11-5, 11-9
2) Maria José Vargas (Argentina) d. 7) Gabriela Martinez (EAI), 13-11, 13-11, 12-10

Women’s Singles - Semi-finals - Monday

4) Montserrat Mejia (Mexico) d. 9) Maricruz Ortiz (Costa Rica), 11-4, 11-7, 11-4
3) Paola Longoria (Mexico) v. 2) Maria José Vargas (Argentina), 11-7, 11-8, 6-11, 11-7

Women’s Singles - Final - Tuesday

3) Paola Longoria (Mexico) v. 4) Montserrat Mejia (Mexico) - 10 AM

Men’s Doubles - Semi-finals - Monday

1) Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya (Mexico) d. 4) Andrés Acuña & Gabriel Garcia (Costa Rica), 11-4, 11-7, 11-4
6) Coby Iwaasa & Samuel Murray (Canada) d. 7) Edwin Galicia & Juan Salvatierra (EAI), 11-9, 8-11, 11-7, 8-11, 11-7

Men’s Doubles - Final - Tuesday

1) Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya (Mexico) v. 6) Coby Iwaasa & Samuel Murray (Canada) - 2 PM

Women’s Doubles - Semi-finals - Monday

4) Natalia Mendez & Maria José Vargas (Argentina) d. 1) Alexandra Herrera & Montserrat Mejia (Mexico), 5-11, 13-11, 3-11, 11-7, 11-7
2) Gabriela Martinez & Maria Renee Rodriguez (EAI) d. 3) Angelica Barrios & Jenny Daza (Bolivia), 11-13, 11-9, 12-10, 12-10

Women’s Doubles - Final - Tuesday

2) Gabriela Martinez & Maria Renee Rodriguez (EAI) v. 4) Natalia Mendez & Maria José Vargas (Argentina) - 1 PM

Mixed Doubles - Semi-finals - Monday

4) Diego Garcia & Maria José Vargas (Argentina) d. 1) Angelica Barrios & Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia), 9-11, 11–8, 11-8, 10-12, 11-9
3) Adam Manilla & Erica Manilla (USA) d. 2) Paola Longoria & Eduardo Portillo (Mexico), 11-9, 13-11, 6-11, 8-11, 11-7

Mixed Doubles - Final - Tuesday

3) Adam Manilla & Erica Manilla (USA) v. 4) Diego Garcia & Maria José Vargas (Argentina) - 3 PM

Follow the bouncing ball....

Upsets in Men's Doubles at 2023 Pan American Games

The singles Round of 16 at the The 2023 Pan American Games Sunday in Santiago, Chile didn’t produce any real surprises, although there were several close matches. Both top seeds in Men’s Singles won in straight games. Top seed Conrrado Moscoso of Bolivia beat 17th seed Maikel Moyet of Cuba, 11-4, 11-0, 11-6, and his team-mate 2nd seed Carlos Keller defeated 15th seed Edwin Galicia (Independent), 11-9, 11-5, 11-8.

Two Men’s Singles matches went five games, and you couldn’t get closer than the match between Mexican Eduardo Portillo and Ecuadoran Jose Daniel Ugalde, as each of their five games was decided by two points with Portillo squeaking out the win, 12-10, 10-12, 14-12, 9-11, 11-9. In the other breaker, American lefty Adam Manilla defeated Argentina’s Diego Garcia, 11-6, 4-11, 11-6, 5-11, 11-8.

In Women’s Singles, both top seeds needed more than three games to win their matches in the 16s, and 2nd seed Maria José Vargas of Argentina had to come back from two games to one down to see off 15th seed Carla Muñoz of Chile, 9-11, 11-9, 8-11, 11-7, 11-3, as the Chilean was undoubtedly looking to medal on home soil.

Vargas’s team-mate and women’s top seed Natalia Mendez needed four games to defeat 17th Frédérique Lambert of Canada, 11-9, 11-7, 8-11, 11-7.

The longest game of the competition was played by Maricruz Ortiz of Costa Rica and Maria Renee Rodriguez (Independent), as the third game of their match was 19-17 to Ortiz, who also won the first two games, so got the win over Rodriguez. Ortiz, the 9th seed, will play Mendez in the quarterfinals on Monday.

Also of note, Mexican Paola Longoria, who is trying to win a 4th straight Pan Am Games gold medal in singles, won her first match of the games by defeating the Dominican Republic’s Merynanyelly Delgado, 11-2, 11-4, 12-10. Next up for Longoria will be the USA’s Erika Manilla, who beat Bolivian Yasmine Sabja, 8-11, 11-9, 11-4, 11-6.

Doubles

Although there were no real surprises in singles, there were surprises in Men’s Doubles. The biggest was 7th seeds Edwin Galicia and Juan Salvatierra (Independent Athletes; but Guatemalan born) knocking off the 2nd seeds Kadim Carrasco and Conrrado Moscoso of Bolivia, 12-10, 11-8, 6-11, 11-5.

That win puts Galicia and Salvatierra on the podium, as they are now in the semi-finals, where they will play Canadians Coby Iwaasa and Samuel Murray, who came back from 0-2 down against the USA team of Daniel De La Rosa and Alejando Landa to win 4-11, 8-11, 11-8, 11-8, 11-4. That was also an upset win, as Canada was seeded 6th and the USA 3rd.

The other half of the men’s draw went to form, as top seeds and defending Pan Am Games gold medalists Javier Mar and Rodrigo Montoya of Mexico beat 8th seeds Diego Garcia and Fernando Kurzbard of Argentina, 11-5, 11-1, 12-10, and the 4th seeds Andrés Acuña and Gabriel Garcia from Costa Rica defeated 5th seeds Juan Francisco Cueva and Jose Daniel Ugalde from Ecuador, 11-9, 11-6, 13-11.

Thus, the Men’s Doubles semi-finals will be Mexico versus Costa Rica and Canada versus Independent (Guatemala).

The top four seeds all won their matches in the Women’s Doubles quarterfinals. Mexicans Alexandra Herrera and Montserrat Mejia - the top seeds - beat the 8th seeded Canadian team of Michèle Morissette and Frédérique Lambert, 11-3, 11-7, 11-7. Mexico will play 4th seeds Argentina in the semi-finals, as Natalia Mendez and Maria José Vargas came back from a game down to defeat 5th seeds Michelle Key and Erika Manilla of the USA, 10-12, 11-9, 11-5, 12-10. Argentina led in game one of that match, 10-6, but let it slip away. They turned the tables on the USA in game two, as they came back from a 9-7 deficit to win 11-9.

On the other side of the draw, 2nd seeds Gabriela Martinez and Maria Renee Rodriguez (Independent) beat the 7th seeded Chilean team of Paula Mansilla and Carla Muñoz, 11-6, 11-5, 11-8. Martinez and Rodriguez will play Bolivians Angelica Barrios and Jenny Daza, who were pushed to five games by Ecuador’s Maria José Muñoz and Veronica Sotomayor, 12-10, 6-11, 11-5, 8-11, 11-7.

In the Mixed Doubles quarterfinals, the top seeds also won. First seeds Angelica Barrios and Conrrado Moscoso of Bolivia defeated Canadians Frédérique Lambert and Samuel Murray, 11-5, 11-9, 8-11, 11-4. They will play Argentina in the semi-finals, as Diego Garcia and Maria José Vargas beat Veronica Sotomayor and Jose Daniel Ugalde of Ecuador, 11-4, 11-8, 11-6.

Second seeds Paola Longoria and Eduardo Portillo of Mexico defeated Chileans Jaime Mansilla and Carla Muñoz, 12-10, 11-8, 11-4, and they’ll play American sibling team of Adam Manilla and Erica Manilla, who held on to defeat Edwin Galicia and Gabriela Martinez (Independent), 11-9, 11-13, 11-6, 8-11, 11-9. The USA was down 8-3 in game five, but found a way to come back and win it.

2023 Pan American Games - Santiago, Chile

Men’s Singles - Round of 16 - Sunday

1) Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia) d. 17) Maikel Moyet (Cuba), 11-4, 11-0, 11-6
9) Andrés Acuña (Costa Rica) d. 8) Coby Iwaasa (Canada), 11-9, 11-7, 11-6

5) Daniel De La Rosa (USA) d. 12) Fernando Kurzbard (Argentina), 11-1, 11-2, 11-5
4) Eduardo Portillo (Mexico) d. 13) Jose Daniel Ugalde (Ecuador), 12-10, 10-12, 14-12, 9-11, 11-9

3) Rodrigo Montoya (Mexico) d. 14) Juan Francisco Cueva (Ecuador), 11-9, 4-11, 11-5, 11-4
6) Adam Manilla (USA) d. 11) Diego Garcia (Argentina), 11-6, 4-11, 11-6, 5-11, 11-8

7) Samuel Murray (Canada) d. 10) Gabriel Garcia (Costa Rica), 11-8, 11-6, 12-10
2) Carlos Keller (Bolivia) d. 15) Edwin Galicia (EAI), 11-9, 11-5, 11-8

Men’s Singles - Quarterfinals - Monday

1) Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia) v. 9) Andrés Acuña (Costa Rica) - 10 AM
4) Eduardo Portillo (Mexico) v. 5) Daniel De La Rosa (USA) - 10 AM

3) Rodrigo Montoya (Mexico) 6) Adam Manilla (USA) - 10 AM
2) Carlos Keller (Bolivia) v. 7) Samuel Murray (Canada) - 10 AM

Women’s Singles - Round of 16 - Sunday

1) Natalia Mendez (Argentina) d. 17) Frédérique Lambert (Canada), 11-9, 11-7, 8-11, 11-7
9) Maricruz Ortiz (Costa Rica) d. 8) Maria Renee Rodriguez (EAI), 11-7, 11-9, 19-17

5) Angelica Barrios (Bolivia) d. 12) Michelle Key (USA), 11-7, 11-3, 11-6
4) Montserrat Mejia (Mexico) d. 13) Veronica Sotomayor (Ecuador), 11-7, 8-11, 12-10, 11-6

3) Paola Longoria (Mexico) v. 19) Merynanyelly Delgado (Dominican Republic), 11-2, 11-4, 12-10
11) Erika Manilla (USA) d. 6) Yasmine Sabja (Bolivia), 8-11, 11-9, 11-4, 11-6

7) Gabriela Martinez (EAI) d. 10) Jimena Gomez (Costa Rica), 11-5, 11-2, 11-4
2) Maria José Vargas (Argentina) d. 15) Carla Muñoz (Chile), 9-11, 11-9, 8-11, 11-7, 11-3

Women’s Singles - Quarterfinals - Monday

1) Natalia Mendez (Argentina) v. 9) Maricruz Ortiz (Costa Rica) - 10:45 AM
4) Montserrat Mejia (Mexico) v. 5) Angelica Barrios (Bolivia) - 10:45 AM

3) Paola Longoria (Mexico) v. 11) Erika Manilla (USA) - 10:45 AM
2) Maria José Vargas (Argentina) v. 7) Gabriela Martinez (EAI) - 10:45 AM

Men’s Doubles - Quarterfinals - Sunday

1) Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya (Mexico) d. 8) Diego Garcia & Fernando Kurzbard (Argentina), 11-5, 11-1, 12-10
4) Andrés Acuña & Gabriel Garcia (Costa Rica) d. 5) Juan Francisco Cueva & Jose Daniel Ugalde (Ecuador), 11-9, 11-6, 13-11

6) Coby Iwaasa & Samuel Murray (Canada) d. 3) Daniel De La Rosa & Alejando Landa (USA), 4-11, 8-11, 11-8, 11-8, 11-4
7) Edwin Galicia & Juan Salvatierra (EAI) d. 2) Kadim Carrasco & Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia), 12-10, 11-8, 6-11, 11-5

Men’s Doubles - Semi-finals - Monday

1) Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya (Mexico) v. 4) Andrés Acuña & Gabriel Garcia (Costa Rica) - 3 PM
6) Coby Iwaasa & Samuel Murray (Canada) v. 7) Edwin Galicia & Juan Salvatierra (EAI) - 3 PM

Women’s Doubles - Quarterfinals - Sunday

1) Alexandra Herrera & Montserrat Mejia (Mexico) d. 8) Michèle Morissette & Frédérique Lambert (Canada), 11-3, 11-7, 11-7
4) Natalia Mendez & Maria José Vargas (Argentina) d. 5) Michelle Key & Erika Manilla (USA), 10-12, 11-9, 11-5, 12-10

3) Angelica Barrios & Jenny Daza (Bolivia) d. 6) Maria José Muñoz & Veronica Sotomayor (Ecuador), 12-10, 6-11, 11-5, 8-11, 11-7
2) Gabriela Martinez & Maria Renee Rodriguez (EAI) d. 7) Paula Mansilla & Carla Muñoz (Chile), 11-6, 11-5, 11-8

Women’s Doubles - Semi-finals - Monday

1) Alexandra Herrera & Montserrat Mejia (Mexico) v. 4) Natalia Mendez & Maria José Vargas (Argentina) - 4 PM
2) Gabriela Martinez & Maria Renee Rodriguez (EAI) v. 3) Angelica Barrios & Jenny Daza (Bolivia) - 4 PM

Mixed Doubles - Quarterfinals - Sunday

1) Angelica Barrios & Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia) v. 8) Frédérique Lambert & Samuel Murray (Canada), 11-5, 11-9, 8-11, 11-4
4) Diego Garcia & Maria José Vargas (Argentina) d. 5) Veronica Sotomayor & Jose Daniel Ugalde (Ecuador), 11-4, 11-8, 11-6

3) Adam Manilla & Erica Manilla (USA) d. 6) Edwin Galicia & Gabriela Martinez (EAI), 11-9, 11-13, 11-6, 8-11, 11-9
2) Paola Longoria & Eduardo Portillo (Mexico) v. 7) Jaime Mansilla & Carla Muñoz (Chile), 12-10, 11-8, 11-4

Mixed Doubles - Semi-finals - Monday

1) Angelica Barrios & Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia) v. 4) Diego Garcia & Maria José Vargas (Argentina) - 5 PM
2) Paola Longoria & Eduardo Portillo (Mexico) v. 3) Adam Manilla & Erica Manilla (USA) - 5 PM

Follow the bouncing ball....

Day 1 results at 2023 Pan American Games

The 2023 Pan American Games racquetball competition began Saturday in Santiago, Chile, and there were no big upsets. However, both 16/17 matches in Men’s and Women’s Singles were won by the 17th seeds. In Men’s Singles, 17th seed Maikel Moyet of Cuba came back from a game down to defeat 16th seed Juan Salvatierra (Independent Athletes; i.e., Guatemala), 4-11, 15-13, 11-9, 11-5. Then in Women’s Singles, Canadian Frédérique Lambert, the 17th seed, beat Chilean and 16th seed Paula Mansilla, 11-3, 11-2, 11-6.

On Sunday, Moyet will play top seed and current Pan American Champion Conrrado Moscoso of Bolivia in the Round of 16, while Lambert will go against top seed Natalia Mendez of Argentina.

The only other upset on Saturday was by the Dominican Republic’s Merynanyelly Delgado, who as the 19th seed upset 14th seed Maria José Muñoz of Ecuador, 11-6, 8-11, 11-6, 1-11, 11-7. Delagdo will face 3rd seed - and three time defending Pan Am Games gold medalist - Paola Longoria of Mexico in the 16s Sunday.

Pan Am Games Streaming

We understand that the Panam Sports Channel will be carrying racquetball from October 24 on. Maybe they will have some before that. Check out the IRF Facebook page for updates.

Also, if you are in Canada, you may be able to see some of the action through the CBC Gem app (available where you get your apps), or possibly CBCSports.ca or the CBC Sport app. Coverage will be dependent on what they can access from the host broadcasters, and will be more likely if Canadians are still alive in the draws.

2023 Pan American Games - Santiago, Chile

Men’s Singles - Round of 32 - Saturday

1) Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia) - BYE
17) Maikel Moyet (Cuba) d. 16) Juan Salvatierra (EAI), 4-11, 15-13, 11-9, 11-5

9) Andrés Acuña (Costa Rica) - BYE
8) Coby Iwaasa (Canada) - BYE

5) Daniel De La Rosa (USA) - BYE
12) Fernando Kurzbard (Argentina) - BYE

13) Jose Daniel Ugalde (Ecuador) d. 20) Rafael Gatica (Chile), 11-9, 12-10, 12-10
4) Eduardo Portillo (Mexico) - BYE

3) Rodrigo Montoya (Mexico) - BYE
14) Juan Francisco Cueva (Ecuador) d. 19) Jaime Mansilla (Chile), 11-8, 11-8, 11-6

11) Diego Garcia (Argentina) - BYE
6) Adam Manilla (USA) - BYE

7) Samuel Murray (Canada) - BYE
10) Gabriel Garcia (Costa Rica) - BYE

15) Edwin Galicia (EAI) d. 18) Yandy Espinosa (Cuba), 11-4, 11-3, 11-6
2) Carlos Keller (Bolivia) - BYE

Men’s Singles - Round of 16 - Sunday

1) Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia) v. 17) Maikel Moyet (Cuba) - 11:30 AM
8) Coby Iwaasa (Canada) v. 9) Andrés Acuña (Costa Rica) - 11:30 AM

5) Daniel De La Rosa (USA) v. 12) Fernando Kurzbard (Argentina) - 11:30 AM
4) Eduardo Portillo (Mexico) v. 13) Jose Daniel Ugalde (Ecuador) - 11:30 AM

3) Rodrigo Montoya (Mexico) v. 14) Juan Francisco Cueva (Ecuador) - 12:15 PM
6) Adam Manilla (USA) v. 11) Diego Garcia (Argentina) - 12:15 PM

7) Samuel Murray (Canada) v. 10) Gabriel Garcia (Costa Rica) - 12:15 PM
2) Carlos Keller (Bolivia) v. 15) Edwin Galicia (EAI) - 12:15 PM

Women’s Singles - Round of 32 - Saturday

1) Natalia Mendez (Argentina) - BYE
17) Frédérique Lambert (Canada) d. 16) Paula Mansilla (Chile), 11-3, 11-2, 11-6

9) Maricruz Ortiz (Costa Rica) - BYE
8) Maria Renee Rodriguez (EAI) - BYE

5) Angelica Barrios (Bolivia) - BYE
12) Michelle Key (USA) d. 21) Samira Ferrer Marcilli (Cuba), 11-7, 11-3, 11-0

13) Veronica Sotomayor (Ecuador) d. 20) Maria Cespedes (Dominican Republic), 11-6, 11-4, 11-1
4) Montserrat Mejia (Mexico) - BYE

3) Paola Longoria (Mexico) - BYE
19) Merynanyelly Delgado (Dominican Republic) d. 14) Maria José Muñoz (Ecuador), 11-6, 8-11, 11-6, 1-11, 11-7

11) Erika Manilla (USA) d. 22) Kylie Larduet (Cuba), 11-3, 11-3, 11-3
6) Yasmine Sabja (Bolivia) - BYE

7) Gabriela Martinez (EAI) - BYE
10) Jimena Gomez (Costa Rica) - BYE

15) Carla Muñoz (Chile) d. 18) Michèle Morissette (Canada), 11-4, 12-10, 11-7
2) Maria José Vargas (Argentina) - BYE

Women’s Singles - Round of 16 - Sunday

1) Natalia Mendez (Argentina) v. 17) Frédérique Lambert (Canada) - 10 AM
8) Maria Renee Rodriguez (EAI) v. 9) Maricruz Ortiz (Costa Rica) - 10 AM

5) Angelica Barrios (Bolivia) v. 12) Michelle Key (USA) - 10 AM
4) Montserrat Mejia (Mexico) v. 13) Veronica Sotomayor (Ecuador) - 10 AM

3) Paola Longoria (Mexico) v. 19) Merynanyelly Delgado (Dominican Republic) - 10:45 AM
6) Yasmine Sabja (Bolivia) v. 11) Erika Manilla (USA) - 10:45 AM

7) Gabriela Martinez (EAI) v. 10) Jimena Gomez (Costa Rica) - 10:45 AM
2) Maria José Vargas (Argentina) v. 15) Carla Muñoz (Chile) - 10:45 PM

Men’s Doubles - Round of 16 - Saturday

1) Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya (Mexico) - BYE
8) Diego Garcia & Fernando Kurzbard (Argentina) d. 9) Yandy Espinosa & Maikel Moyet (Cuba), 11-6, 11-4, 11-8

5) Juan Francisco Cueva & Jose Daniel Ugalde (Ecuador) - BYE
4) Andrés Acuña & Gabriel Garcia (Costa Rica) - BYE

3) Daniel De La Rosa & Alejando Landa (USA) - BYE
6) Coby Iwaasa & Samuel Murray (Canada) - BYE

7) Edwin Galicia & Juan Salvatierra (EAI) d. 10) Rafael Gatica & Rodrigo Salgado Jr. (Chile), 11-9, 6-11, 11-6, 11-8
2) Kadim Carrasco & Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia) - BYE

Men’s Doubles - Quarterfinals - Sunday

1) Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya (Mexico) v. 8) Diego Garcia & Fernando Kurzbard (Argentina) - 4 PM
4) Andrés Acuña & Gabriel Garcia (Costa Rica) v. 5) Juan Francisco Cueva & Jose Daniel Ugalde (Ecuador) - 4 PM

3) Daniel De La Rosa & Alejando Landa (USA) v. 6) Coby Iwaasa & Samuel Murray (Canada) - 4 PM
2) Kadim Carrasco & Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia) v. 7) Edwin Galicia & Juan Salvatierra (EAI) - 4 PM

Women’s Doubles - Round of 16 - Saturday

1) Alexandra Herrera & Montserrat Mejia (Mexico) - BYE
8) Michèle Morissette & Frédérique Lambert (Canada) d. 9) Jimena Gomez & Maricruz Ortiz (Costa Rica), 11-8, 11-7, 11-7, 11-5

5) Michelle Key & Erika Manilla (USA) - BYE
4) Natalia Mendez & Maria José Vargas (Argentina) - BYE

3) Angelica Barrios & Jenny Daza (Bolivia) - BYE
6) Maria José Muñoz & Veronica Sotomayor (Ecuador) d. 11) Maria Céspedes & Merynanyelly Delgado (Cuba), 11-9, 11-3, 11-8

7) Paula Mansilla & Carla Muñoz (Chile) d. 10) Samira Ferrer Marcilli & Kylie Larduet (Cuba), 11-2, 11-2, 11-8
2) Gabriela Martinez & Maria Renee Rodriguez (EAI) - BYE

Women’s Doubles - Quarterfinals - Sunday

1) Alexandra Herrera & Montserrat Mejia (Mexico) v. 8) Michèle Morissette & Frédérique Lambert (Canada) - 3 PM
4) Natalia Mendez & Maria José Vargas (Argentina) v. 5) Michelle Key & Erika Manilla (USA) - 3 PM

3) Angelica Barrios & Jenny Daza (Bolivia) v. 6) Maria José Muñoz & Veronica Sotomayor (Ecuador) - 3 PM
2) Gabriela Martinez & Maria Renee Rodriguez (EAI) v. 7) Paula Mansilla & Carla Muñoz (Chile) - 3 PM

Mixed Doubles - Round of 16 - Saturday

1) Angelica Barrios & Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia) - BYE
8) Frédérique Lambert & Samuel Murray (Canada) d. 9) Maricruz Ortiz & Andrés Acuña (Costa Rica), 11-7, 2-11, 12-10, 11-5

5) Veronica Sotomayor & Jose Daniel Ugalde (Ecuador) - BYE
4) Diego Garcia & Maria José Vargas (Argentina) - BYE

3) Adam Manilla & Erica Manilla (USA) - BYE
6) Edwin Galicia & Gabriela Martinez - BYE (EAI)

7) Jaime Mansilla & Carla Muñoz (Chile) d. 10) Samira Ferrer Marcilli & Maikel Moyet (Cuba), 9-11, 11-6, 11-9, 11-6
2) Paola Longoria & Eduardo Portillo (Mexico) - BYE

Mixed Doubles - Quarterfinals - Sunday

1) Angelica Barrios & Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia) v. 8) Frédérique Lambert & Samuel Murray (Canada) - 5 PM
4) Diego Garcia & Maria José Vargas (Argentina) v. 5) Veronica Sotomayor & Jose Daniel Ugalde (Ecuador) - 5 PM

3) Adam Manilla & Erica Manilla (USA) v. 6) Edwin Galicia & Gabriela Martinez (EAI) - 5 PM
2) Paola Longoria & Eduardo Portillo (Mexico) v. 7) Jaime Mansilla & Carla Muñoz (Chile) - 5 PM

Follow the bouncing ball....

Racquetball draws for 2023 Pan American Games

The draws for the racquetball competition of the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile have been released, and we have them for you below. Due to the Pan Am Games time restriction, there will not be a group stage of matches. Thus, it’s win or go home right from the start.

Competition starts on Saturday, but there are only a few matches in singles, and two or three in the doubles divisions, as most players have byes to the second round.

Some might wonder why Argentina is the top seed in Women’s Singles, rather than Mexico, which is the top seed in both Women’s Doubles and Men’s Doubles; Bolivia is the top seed in Men’s Singles and Mixed Doubles. Seeding is determined by recent results, and in this case, likely by recent results in Pan American Championships. Maria José Vargas was the runner up in both the 2022 and 2023 Pan American Championships, which were won by Bolivian Angelica Barrios and Mexican Montserrat Mejia, respectively. But neither of Bolivia nor Mexico got on the podium in the years they didn’t win, so on balance, Argentina had the better result. Thus, they are the top seeds in Santiago.

Difficulty ahead

This just in: it’s going to be difficult to medal in Santiago. For example, on the top of the Men’s Singles draw the quarterfinalists will likely be Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia), #1 seed, #4 seed Eduardo Portillo (Mexico), #5 Daniel De La Rosa (USA), and then either Costa Rican Andrés Acuña or Canadian Coby Iwaasa. Oof dah.

So, you might think “I’d rather be on the bottom of the draw,” which seems sensible, until you see that those quarters will likely be 2nd seed Carlos Keller (Bolivia), 3rd seed Rodrigo Montoya (Mexico), 7th seed Samuel Murray, and then either 6th seed Adam Manilla (USA) or 11th seed Diego Garcia (Argentina). Oh la la.

On paper, the top half of the Women’s Singles draw looks easier than the bottom half, as Montserrat Mejia (Mexico) is clearly the best player on the top with potential challenges from Angelica Barrios (Bolivia) and Natalia Mendez (Argentina), as well as Frédérique Lambert (Canada) and Veronica Sotomayor. The bottom, however, has Vargas, Paola Longoria (Mexico), Gabriela Martinez (EAI), Erika Manilla (USA) as well as Carla Muñoz (Chile).

Doubles will also be tough. The middle seedings of Men’s Doubles with Ecuador’s Juan Francisco Cueva and Jose Daniel Ugalde against Costa Rica’s Andrés Acuña and Gabriel Garcia and the USA’s Daniel De La Rosa and Alejando Landa versus Canadians Coby Iwaasa and Samuel Murray should be especially competitive.

Pan Am Games Streaming

We understand that the Panam Sports Channel will be carrying racquetball from October 24 on. Maybe they will have some before that. Check out the IRF Facebook page for updates.

Also, if you are in Canada, you may be able to see some of the action through the CBC Gem app (available where you get your apps), or possibly CBCSports.ca or the CBC Sport app. Coverage will be dependent on what they can access from the host broadcasters, and will be more likely if Canadians are still alive in the draws.

Here are the draws for the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile.

2023 Pan American Games - Santiago, Chile

Men’s Singles - Saturday

1) Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia) - BYE
16) Juan Salvatierra (EAI) v. 17) Maikel Moyet (Cuba) - 10 AM

9) Andrés Acuña (Costa Rica) - BYE
8) Coby Iwaasa (Canada) - BYE

5) Daniel De La Rosa (USA) - BYE
12) Fernando Kurzbard (Argentina) - BYE

13) Jose Daniel Ugalde (Ecuador) v. 20) Rafael Gatica (Chile) - 10:45 AM
4) Eduardo Portillo (Mexico) - BYE

3) Rodrigo Montoya (Mexico) - BYE
14) Juan Francisco Cueva (Ecuador) v. 19) Jaime Mansilla (Chile) - 10 AM

11) Diego Garcia (Argentina) - BYE
6) Adam Manilla (USA) - BYE

7) Samuel Murray (Canada) - BYE
10) Gabriel Garcia (Costa Rica) - BYE

15) Edwin Galicia (EAI) v. 18) Yandy Espinosa (Cuba) - 10:45 AM
2) Carlos Keller (Bolivia) - BYE

Women’s Singles - Saturday

1) Natalia Mendez (Argentina) - BYE

16) Paula Mansilla (Chile) v. 17) Frédérique Lambert (Canada) - 11:30 AM

9) Maricruz Ortiz (Costa Rica) - BYE
8) Maria Renee Rodriguez (EAI) - BYE

5) Angelica Barrios (Bolivia) - BYE
12) Michelle Key (USA) v. 21) Samira Ferrer Marcilli (Cuba) - 12:15 PM

13) Veronica Sotomayor (Ecuador) v. 20) Maria Cespedes (Dominican Republic) - 12:15 PM
4) Montserrat Mejia (Mexico) - BYE

3) Paola Longoria (Mexico) - BYE
14) Maria José Muñoz (Ecuador) v. 19) Merynanyelly Delgado (Dominican Republic) - 11:30 AM

11) Erika Manilla (USA) v. 22) Kylie Larduet (Cuba) - 11:30 AM
6) Yasmine Sabja (Bolivia) - BYE

7) Gabriela Martinez (EAI) - BYE
10) Jimena Gomez (Costa Rica) - BYE

15) Carla Muñoz (Chile) v. 18) Michèle Morissette (Canada) - 12:15 PM
2) Maria José Vargas (Argentina) - BYE

Men’s Doubles - Saturday

1) Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya (Mexico) - BYE
8) Diego Garcia & Fernando Kurzbard (Argentina) v. 9) Yandy Espinosa & Maikel Moyet (Cuba) - 3 PM

5) Juan Francisco Cueva & Jose Daniel Ugalde (Ecuador) - BYE
4) Andrés Acuña & Gabriel Garcia (Costa Rica) - BYE

3) Daniel De La Rosa & Alejando Landa (USA) - BYE
6) Coby Iwaasa & Samuel Murray (Canada) - BYE

7) Edwin Galicia & Juan Salvatierra (EAI) v. 10) Rafael Gatica & Rodrigo Salgado Jr. - 3 PM
2) Kadim Carrasco & Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia) - BYE

Women’s Doubles - Saturday

1) Alexandra Herrera & Montserrat Mejia (Mexico) - BYE
8) Michèle Morissette & Frédérique Lambert (Canada) v. 9) Jimena Gomez & Maricruz Ortiz (Costa Rica) - 4 PM

5) Michelle Key & Erika Manilla (USA) - BYE
4) Natalia Mendez & Maria José Vargas (Argentina) - BYE

3) Angelica Barrios & Jenny Daza (Bolivia) - BYE
6) Maria José Muñoz & Veronica Sotomayor (Ecuador) v. 11) Maria Céspedes & Merynanyelly Delgado (Cuba) - 4 PM

7) Paula Mansilla & Carla Muñoz (Chile) v. 10) Samira Ferrer Marcilli & Kylie Larduet (Cuba) - 4 PM
2) Gabriela Martinez & Maria Renee Rodriguez (EAI) - BYE

Mixed Doubles - Saturday

1) Angelica Barrios & Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia) - BYE
8) Frédérique Lambert & Samuel Murray (Canada) v. 9) Maricruz Ortiz & Andrés Acuña (Costa Rica) - 5 PM

5) Veronica Sotomayor & Jose Daniel Ugalde (Ecuador) - BYE
4) Diego Garcia & Maria José Vargas (Argentina) - BYE

3) Adam Manilla & Erica Manilla (USA) - BYE
6) Edwin Galicia & Gabriela Martinez - BYE (EAI)

7) Jaime Mansilla & Carla Muñoz (Chile) v. 10) Samira Ferrer Marcilli & Maikel Moyet (Cuba) - 5 PM
2) Paola Longoria & Eduardo Portillo (Mexico) - BYE

Follow the bouncing ball....

2023 Pan American Games - Preview

Next Friday, the 2023 Pan American Games opening ceremonies will happen in Santiago, Chile, and the following day the racquetball competition will begin. Eleven countries will be competing in Chile across three divisions: singles, doubles and mixed doubles. This will be the first year with Mixed Doubles on the program.

Three countries will send the maximum of six athletes (three men & three women) to Chile: Bolivia and Mexico, based on results from the 2023 Pan American Championships, and Chile, as the host country. In addition, the USA qualified three men and Argentina three women from the results of the Pan Am Championships.

The other countries qualifying two men were Argentina, Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador and Guatemala. The other countries competing in the women’s divisions will be Canada, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, and the USA.

The competition will begin with group play with the results being used to seed players for a medal round. Players are put in groups such that if players from the same country win all their games in their respective group, they won’t play on the same side of the draw, which means they wouldn’t play each other until the final.

However a preliminary round loss could mean players from the same country end up on the same side of the draw. That may result in team-mates playing before the final, and worst case, before the semi-finals, so only one of them has a chance at the podium.

Who won last time

Four years ago in Lima, Peru, Mexicans won five of the six events - men’s and women’s singles, doubles and team events - with Bolivia preventing the sweep by taking the Men’s Team event. Paola Longoria of Mexico won three gold medals: Women’s Singles, Doubles (with Samantha Salas) and the Team event (with Salas & Montserrat Mejia). Her team-mate Rodrigo Montoya won two gold medals: Men’s Singles and Doubles with Javier Mar. Brothers Carlos and Roland Keller and Conrrado Moscoso were the Bolivians who won Men’s Team gold.

Who’ll be there this time

Mexico and Bolivia are the current racquetball powerhouses. Mexico will be represented by Longoria, who will try to add to her total of nine (9!) Pan Am Games gold medals. Joining her will be Mejia - the current #1 player on the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour and Alexandra Herrera (#5 on the LPRT). On the men’s side, it’ll be defending singles and doubles Montoya with his doubles partner from four years ago, Javier Mar, and Eduardo Portillo (#5 on the International Racquetball Tour [IRT]).

Bolivia will be led by Conrrado Moscoso (IRT #3), who will have Carlos Keller and Kadim Carrasco with him in Santiago. On the women’s side, Angelica Barrios - 8th the LPRT and 2022 Pan American Champion - will lead the way with former International Racquetball Federation Women’s Doubles World Champion Yazmine Sabja, and veteran Jenny Daza. Four years ago, Bolivians won 5 medals in Lima, and 4 of those were won in racquetball.

The USA will be represented by five athletes in Santiago with Daniel De La Rosa representing the USA for the first time. He’ll play Men’s Singles and Men’s Doubles with Alejandro Landa. Adam Manilla is the second Men’s Singles player and he’ll also play Mixed Doubles with his sister Erika Manilla. Erika will be playing all three events: Women’s Singles and Doubles, as well as mixed. Michelle Key is the other women’s player.

Pablo Fajre will be the USA’s Head Coach with Jennifer Meyer as Assistant Coach, and Rodger Fleming as the team’s Athletic Trainer. Fajre is a long time racquetball person, but this is his first time coaching Team USA, so it’s a curious choice for coach. Similarly, Meyer has been a long time coach with the USA Junior Team, so knows the Manillas and Key from that, but we believe this is her first time coaching with the senior team.

Argentina’s women’s team will be Maria Jose Vargas - current LPRT #4 - and Natalia Mendez (LPRT #10) and their men’s team will be Diego Garcia and Fernando Kurzbard.

Team Canada will be led by Samuel Murray with Coby Iwaasa as the second men’s player, and then Frédérique Lambert and Michèle Morissette as the women’s players. Michel Gagnon will be there to coach the team with therapist Amy Barrette and Jen Saunders as the support staff.

Carla Muñoz, who was a bronze medalist in Women's Doubles at the 2011 Pan Am Games, will head up the host nation of Chile with Paula Mansilla as the second women’s player. The Chilean men will be Rafael Gatica, Jaime Mansilla and Rodrigo Salgado.

Andrés Acuña will lead the Costa Rican team, and will also be one of the flag bearers for his country at the opening ceremonies. Joining him on the courts will be Gabriel Garcia on the men’s side as well as Maricruz Ortiz and Jimena Gomez on the women’s side.

The Cuban team will be Yandy Espinosa and Maikel Moyet on the men’s side with Samira Ferrer and Kylie Larduet on the women’s side.

The Dominican Republic only qualified on the women’s side of play, so Merynanyelly Delgado and Maria Cespedes will be the only Dominicans racquetball players competing in Santiago.

A surprise in the Ecuador team, as Veronica Sotomayor will be competing. She twice been a top 10 LPRT player, but the last time was in the 2013-14 season. Sotomayor hasn’t been a regular on the LPRT or for Ecuador in recent years, but has been training with her husband Sudsy Monchik, so it will be interesting to see how she does in Santiago. Sotomayor will play with Maria Paz Muñoz. José Daniel Ugalde and Juan Francisco Cueva will be the Ecuadoran men in Chile.

The Guatemala women’s team will be Gabriela Martinez and Maria Renee Rodriguez and the men’s team will be Edwin Galicia and Juan Salvatierra. Note that the Guatemalas are not participating under their country’s flag, as their national Olympic committee is suspended by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). But they will be there to compete.

Finally, Colombia qualified to play in Santiago in the women’s competition, but our understanding is that there won’t be any Colombians in Chile, which is unfortunate.

Pan Am Games Streaming

The Pan American Games is a large event. The largest sporting event outside the Summer Olympic Games. Thus, the broadcast rights have been bought by someone, so how easy it will be to see any of the racquetball action is uncertain.

But there is the Pan Am Sports Channel, which could be carrying some of the action. We’ll try to get word on when there will be streaming from Santiago from the IRF, so check out the IRF Facebook page or on the site better known as Twitter (@IRFRacquetball on Twitter) for updates.

Notable in their absence

This will be the first Pan Am Games without Mexican Alvaro Beltran since 1995, as Beltran competed in five consecutive games from 1999 to 2019, reaching the podium in singles or doubles each time. In five Pan Am Games, he earned 7 medals in individual events - 2 silver and 1 bronze in singles & 2 gold and 2 bronze in doubles - as well as 2 gold and 1 bronze in team events for 10 medals in all. A great international career.

Similarly, American Rhonda Rajsich’s streak of three Pan Am Games is over. She earned eight medals over those games: a silver and a bronze medal in singles and a silver and two bronze medals in doubles - as well as two silver and a bronze in the team events. Another good career record.

Finally, let’s remind you what happened four years ago in Lima.

Results Summary - 2019 Pan American Games - Lima, Peru

Men’s Singles

Gold - Rodrigo MONTOYA (Mexico)
Silver - Alvaro BELTRAN (Mexico)
Bronze - Conrrado MOSCOSO (Bolivia)
Bronze - Mario MERCADO (Colombia)

Women’s Singles

Gold - Paola LONGORIA (Mexico)
Silver - Maria José VARGAS (Argentina)
Bronze - Natalia MENDEZ (Argentina)
Bronze - Adriana RIVEROS (Colombia)

Men’s Doubles

Gold - Javier MAR & Rodrigo MONTOYA (Mexico)
Silver - Roland KELLER & Conrrado MOSCOSO (Bolivia)
Bronze - Rocky CARSON & Charles PRATT (USA)
Bronze - Andres ACUÑA & Felipe CAMACHO (Costa Rica)

Women’s Doubles

Gold - Paola LONGORIA & Samantha SALAS (Mexico)
Silver - Gabriela MARTINEZ & Maria RODRIGUEZ (Guatemala)
Bronze - Kelani LAWRENCE & Rhonda RAJSICH (USA)
Bronze - Natalia MENDEZ & Maria José VARGAS (Argentina)

Men’s Teams

Gold - Bolivia - Carlos KELLER, Roland KELLER and Conrrado MOSCOSO
Silver - Colombia - Sebastian FRANCO and Mario MERCADO
Bronze - USA - Jake BREDENBECK, Rocky CARSON, and Charles PRATT
Bronze - Mexico - Alvaro BELTRAN, Javier MAR and Rodrigo MONTOYA

Women’s Teams

Gold - Mexico - Paola LONGORIA, Montserrat MEJIA and Samantha SALAS
Silver - Argentina - Maria José VARGAS and Natalia MENDEZ
Bronze - USA - Kelani LAWRENCE & Rhonda RAJSICH
Bronze - Bolivia - Angelica BARRIOS, Valeria CENTELLAS and Jenny DAZA

Medal Table

Mexico - 5 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze = 7 total
Bolivia - 1, 1, 2 = 4
Argentina - 0, 2, 2 = 4
Colombia - 0, 1, 2 = 3
Guatemala - 0, 1, 0 = 1
USA - 0, 0, 4 = 4
Costa Rica - 0, 0, 1 = 1

Follow the bouncing ball....

Countries qualifying for 2023 Pan Am Games & 2023 Central American & Caribbean Games

The International Racquetball Federation (IRF) has officially released the list of qualifying countries for the 2023 Pan American Games and 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games. These games are both quadrennial events, so they happen every four years, and are part of the Olympic cycle of events that lead up to an Olympics.

The 2023 Pan Am Games will be held in Santiago, Chile, and the 2023 Central American Games will be in San Salvador, El Salvador. Countries qualified based on their performances at the 2023 Pan American Championships in Guatemala City, Guatemala in April.

Usually, the Central American and Caribbean Games are held the year before the Pan Am Games, as the former is supposed to be a building block to the latter, which is supposed to be a building block to the Olympics, but the COVID-19 pandemic led to Panama - the original host of the 2022 Central American and Caribbean Games - pulling out of hosting. That necessitated a search for a new host, and a one year delay in the games.

San Salvador, El Salvador was chosen as the new host for the 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games, but seven sports are being played in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, due to a lack of venues in El Salvador. Racquetball - along with tae kwon do, modern pentathlon, equestrian, canoeing, shooting and field hockey - will be played in the Dominican.

The countries that qualified for the 2023 Pan American Games are:

Men’s teams - 1) Chile (as host), 2) Bolivia, 3) Mexico, 4) United States, 5) Argentina, 6) Costa Rica, 7) Canada, 8) Ecuador, 9) Guatemala, 10) Cuba

Women’s teams - 1) Chile (as host), 2) Mexico, 3) Argentina, 4) Bolivia, 5) Guatemala, 6) United States, 7) Colombia, 8) Ecuador, 9) Costa Rica, 10) Canada

The first four qualifiers can send 3 athletes, and the next four countries can send 2 athletes to Chile. So, for example, the United States can send 3 men and 2 women, while Argentina can send 3 women and 2 men.

The countries that qualified for the 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games are:

Men’s teams - 1) Dominican Republic (as host), 2) Mexico, 3) Costa Rica, 4) Guatemala, 5) Cuba, 6) Honduras, 7) Colombia, 8) Puerto Rico

Women’s teams - 1) Dominican Republic (as host), 2) Mexico, 3) Guatemala, 4) Colombia, 5) Costa Rica, 6) Cuba, 7) Honduras, 8) Puerto Rico

Countries may be able to send more athletes than under the rules for the Pan Am Games. Again, under those rules, the first four qualifiers can send 3 athletes, and the next four countries can send 2 athletes to the Dominican. So, for example, Costa Rica can send 3 men and 2 women, while Colombia can send 3 women and 2 men. But as it’s a smaller games, perhaps more athletes can be selected to go.

The 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games will be held from June 23 to July 8, with the racquetball competition taking place from June 24 to July 1 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The 2023 Pan American Games will take place October 20 to November 5 with racquetball tentatively scheduled to take place at the start of the games: October 20-26.

Below is a summary of who made the podium at the 2023 Pan American Championships to refresh your memory. Also, if you want to see any of the finals from those championships (as well as some matches from earlier in the tournament), check out the IRF YouTube channel.

XXXIV Pan American Racquetball Championships
Guatemala City, Guatemala - April 1-8, 2023

Medalist Summary

Women’s Singles

Gold - Montserrat Mejia (Mexico)
Silver - María José Vargas (Argentina)
Bronze - Natalia Mendez (Argentina) and Maricruz Ortiz (Costa Rica)

Men's Singles

Gold - Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia)
Silver - Carlos Keller (Bolivia)
Bronze - Jake Bredenbeck (USA) and Diego Garcia (Argentina)

Women's Doubles

Gold - Alexandra Herrera & Montserrat Mejia (Mexico)
Silver - Gabriela Martinez & Maria Renee Rodriguez (Guatemala)
Bronze - Valeria Centellas & Natalia Mendez (Argentina) and Angelica Barrios & Jenny Daza (Bolivia)

Men's Doubles

Gold - Rodrigo Montoya & Eduardo Portillo (Mexico)
Silver - Kadim Carrasco & Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia)
Bronze - Jake Bredenbeck & Sam Bredenbeck (USA) and Andres Acuña & Gabriel Garcia (Costa Rica)

Mixed Doubles

Gold - Angelica Barrios & Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia)
Silver - Paola Longoria & Rodrigo Montoya (Mexico)
Bronze - Sam Bredenbeck & Michelle Key (USA) and Maria Jose Vargas & Diego Garcia (Argentina)

Follow the bouncing ball….

Racquetball will be at Santiago 2023

As we come to the end of 2020, we have some good news! Santiago 2023 announced the list of sports to be played at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, and racquetball … is … IN!

We understand that a new racquetball / squash facility will be built for the games. We’re not sure if that will be a temporary (as it was in Toronto in 2015) or permanent facility (as it was in Santo Dominigo 2003).

Nevertheless, it’s great news for racquetball. The rise of racquetball in the Americas has been helped by inclusion in multi-sport games, such as the Pan Am Games, as that puts racquetball on the radar for a nation’s sport governing body. Nations want to win medals at these games, so they want to support athletes in the respective sports.

The Pan Am Games is the largest multisport event outside of the Olympics, so being a part of them is great. And it’s especially great from an athlete’s perspective, because the athletes are part of a greater team. They are not just on a national racquetball team, but on a national team with athletes from all sports. It’s a big deal.

Happily, racquetball will part of that deal, and that’s good news.

Follow the bouncing ball….

Racquetball News - Longoria part of Athlete Commission & 2021 World Games

Paola Longoria of Mexico was named to the Athlete Commission of the Pan American Games. The objective of the Athlete Commission is “To represent the voice of Pan American athletes in Panam [sic] Sports and ensure that all needs for their development are met.” For example, the Athlete Commission recently put out a statement supporting the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC’s) decision to postpone the 2020 Olympic Games.

It’s great for a racquetball athlete to be part of this commission, and Longoria is the only athlete from a Pan Am Games only sport to be part of the commission (the other members are from Olympic sports).

2021 World Games

With the change in dates for the 2020 Olympic Games from this year to 2021, we indicated that might effect the 2021 World Games in Birmingham, Alabama, where racquetball will be on the program. Today comes word confirming this, as the dates for the Olympics now conflict with the World Games dates.

The new Olympic dates are July 23 to August 8, 2021, and the World Games dates were July 15-25, 2021. Not a large overlap, but still enough for the World Games to “urgently review alternative options.” The World Games and International Olympic Committee (IOC) have been in “close contact” with the IOC pledging to help the World Games overcome the challenges created by this change in dates.

The possibilities that the World Games are considering are changing “to similar dates in 2022 or to slightly earlier dates in 2021.”

Hopefully, this can be worked out, and racquetball players can participate in a multi-sport event in the USA for the first time ever.

Follow the bouncing ball….

2019 Stories of the year

2019 was another good year for racquetball. There was a Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, perhaps the penultimate US Open in Minneapolis, as well as the usual pro tour events, Pan American Championships and World Junior Championships. All of that plays into what are The Racquetball Blog Top 10 Stories of the Year.

Top Racquetball Stories of 2019

10. Natalia Mendez. Mendez finished in the top 10 of the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) for a second time in June, and ended the year with two consecutive semi-final appearances, as well as a quarterfinals finish at the 2019 US Open. Also, Mendez was a triple medalist at the Pan Am Games: bronze in Women’s Singles and Doubles (with Maria Jose Vargas) and silver in the Women’s Team event. She has an unusual swing, but a great attitude, and at 22, Mendez’s future looks bright.

9. International Racquetball Tour. The International Racquetball Tour made changes in 2019, but they were more seamless than in previous years. John Scott, who had been a big presence on the IRT for most of the last decade, quietly left the scene. We understand that some personal issues, including his health, led to the departure, and we hope that he’s doing better. Mike Grisz came in as CEO and Board Chair helped most prominently by Dean Baer as Director of Broadcasting, who in turn is helped by Pablo Fajre. Also, Aimee Ruiz is their Social Media DIrector, which is a smart appointment. So off court, things are good, and there’s more presence on court from players south of the USA, which is where more development is going on. Those player have made the matches better, so on court things are good too, and that bodes well for the coming year and decade.

8. Rodrigo Montoya. We’re maybe underrating this, because Montoya - the current International Racquetball Federation (IRF) Men’s Singles World Champion, won both Men’s Singles and Men’s Doubles (with Javier Mar) at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru. He’s the 1st man to do that. At 23, Montoya is one of the younger Mexican players who is starting to play the IRT, where he’s currently ranked 10th. But with his international accomplishments, you can only expect his ranking to improve.

7. Alejandro Landa. Landa was our #1 story last year, and he’s continued to play well on tour and is currently ranked #2. Landa won two IRT events in 2019, which is more than anyone not named Waselenchuk. This season he’s been in three finals, winning once, and was also a semi-finalist at the US Open. Landa is now the winningest Mexican player on the IRT, as he has 4 titles, one more than Alvaro Beltran and Daniel De La Rosa. But Landa was also involved in a spot of controversy in 2019, as he was left out the Mexican Pan Am Games team that went to Lima, which did seem odd, as Landa beat Beltran in the final of the Mexican Team Selection Event in February. But Beltran went further than Landa at the Pan American Championships, and apparently that was the basis for selecting Beltran rather than Landa for Lima. Seems harsh, although both Mexican players selected to play at the Pan Am Games - Beltran and Montoya - made the Men’s Singles final, so from that perspective it worked out for Mexico.

6. Bolivia. Bolivia has been making progress on the racquetball scene for some time, and this year they earned their first gold medal at the Pan American Games, as Conrrado Moscoso and brothers Carlos Keller and Roland Keller won the Men’s Team event. Bolivia also swept men’s gold at the 2019 Pan American Championships in Barranquilla, Colombia, where Carlos Keller won Men’s Singles and Moscoso and Roland Keller won Men’s Doubles. At the 2019 International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Junior Championships in San José, Costa Rica, Bolivia took home gold in 8 of the 12 World Cup divisions (Boys and Girls U14 , U16 & U18 singles & doubles). They swept gold in all three Girls Doubles divisions and all three Boys Singles divisions. Also, Bolivia hosted a true pro Grand Slam event, with both the IRT and LPRT competing in Bolivia for the first time. Moscoso won the IRT event with a dramatic comeback to defeat Rocky Carson in the final, and Bolivia native Maria Jose Vargas won the LPRT final. It was a great year for a country that really cares about racquetball. Consider that of the 5 medals won by Bolivians at the 2019 Pan Am Games, four were won in racquetball events.

5. Montserrat Mejia. Mejia came into 2019 as the reigning two time U18 IRF World Junior Champion, and proceeded to upset Paola Longoria in the Mexican National Team Event in February, so she went to the Pan Am Championships as the #1 Mexican player, although she lost to Natalia Mendez in the quarterfinals. But she helped Mexico win gold in the Women’s Team event at the 2019 Pan Am Games. On the LPRT this season, Mejia has been a finalist once and a semi-finalist twice. Also, she and Alexandra Herrera won the US Open LPRT Doubles title, as well as the first LPRT Doubles event of the season in San Luis Potosi. She ends 2019 as the 8th ranked player, and should finish the LPRT season in the top 10 for the 1st of what we’re sure will be many times.

4. Conrado Moscoso. People paying attention to racquetball were familiar with Moscoso prior to 2019. He’d won Boys U18 at the 2013 IRF World Juniors and was a silver medalist in Men’s Singles at the 2014 IRF World Championships. But for casual fans, 2019 was the year Moscoso blew up. As mentioned above, he won Men’s Doubles (with Roland Keller) at the 2019 Pan Am Championships and gold in the Men’s Team event at the 2019 Pan Am Games. He also won an IRT event - the 1st Bolivian to do so, and just the 2nd South American. Moscoso capped the year by becoming the 1st South American to reach the 2019 US Open final, and is currently ranked 7th on the IRT.

3. Maria Jose Vargas. Vargas ends the year as the #2 player on the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT). She won her 4th and 5th career LPRT titles in 2019, including winning in her native Bolivia in April. In five events this season, Vargas has been in four finals, winning in Virginia Beach, where she defeated Paola Longoria in the final. Vargas was also a triple medalist at the Pan Am Games: silver in Women’s Singles and the Women’s Team event as well as bronze in Women’s Doubles. Vargas also got silver in Women’s Singles at the Pan Am Championships.

1 & 1. Paola Longoria & Kane Waselenchuk. We’re not going to pick between Longoria and Waselenchuk this year. Maybe Longoria should be #1, as she won 5 (!) gold medals in 2019, sweeping Women’s Singles and Doubles at both the Pan Am Games and Pan Am Championships, as well as winning the Women’s Team event at the Pan Am Games, while Waselenchuk doesn’t compete internationally. They both continued to dominate their respective pro tours, but each had a loss on tour as well, which was unusual (yes, they are so successful that it's news when they lose). Both successfully defended their US Open titles in singles, keeping long winning streaks intact (12 straight years for Waselenchuk; 9 for Longoria). Waselenchuk also won doubles at the US Open with Ben Croft. Ten years ago Longoria and Waselenchuk were the #1 players on the LPRT and IRT, respectively, and they are still on top. Will they be 10 years from now? Waselenchuk’s 38 and Longoria 30, so we doubt it, because - as the saying goes - Father Time is undefeated. However, we also wouldn’t want to bet against either of them accomplishing anything they want to in racquetball.

Honorable mentions: Jen Saunders retired as the Canadian Champion in both Women’s Singles and Women’s Doubles, and her 24 Canadian titles make her the winningest player ever. An incredible career for someone who didn’t show much promise as a junior player, but she believed in herself and worked hard to be the best player she could be. Saunders has taken a position with Racquetball Canada, so racquetball hasn’t seen the last of her. Samantha Salas won two gold medals - in Women’s Doubles (with Longoria) and the Women’s Team event - at the 2019 Pan Am Games, as well as gold in Women’s Doubles (with Longoria) at the 2019 Pan Am Championships. She’s the #3 player on the LPRT. Rocky Carson, who turned 40 last year, was the #2 IRT player at the end of the 2018-19 season and won the first event of 2019-20, as well as earning two bronze medals at the 2019 Pan Am Games, which was the 4th Pan Am Games he’d competed at, and he's reached the podium each time. Charlie Pratt was a double medalist at Pan Am Games, and also was finalist in Men’s Singles at the 2019 Pan Am Championships. Alvaro Beltran was silver medalist in Men’s Singles at the 2019 Pan Am Games and also got bronze in the Men’s Team event. He also was a bronze medalist in Men’s Singles at the 2019 Pan Am Championships and ends the year as the #5 player on the IRT. World Racquetball Tour. The WRT seems to be dead, as its creator Pablo Fajre is now working with the IRT. It was a nice series of tournaments while it lasted, but we never really thought there was room for two men’s pro tours, so it’s good that the WRT has effectively been folded into the IRT.

2019 was an action packed year for racquetball, and we expect more of the same in 2020. Internationally, the highlight will be the 2020 IRF World Championships in San Luis Potosi, Mexico. Also, 2020 will be Doug Ganim’s last US Open, so you may want to put a trip to Minneapolis on your calendar for early October, because that’s sure to be a special event.

If you enjoy The Racquetball Blog, please help spread the word through social media to all your friends, and follow us on Twitter (@racquetballblog) and on Facebook.

This is our 12th Top 10 Stories of the Year list. We reviewed the 1st ten lists last year, for those interested about what’s happened in the last decade of racquetball.

But now, on to the future!

Follow the bouncing ball….

Summary of 2019 Pan American Games

The 2019 Pan American Games ended yesterday in Lima, Peru. Thus, the next Pan Am Games quadrennial begins today with the culmination being the XIX Pan Am Games in Santiago, Chile from October 22-November 5, 2023. Let’s review what happened in Lima before we look ahead to Santiago.

Mexicans won five of the six events in Lima, sweeping the four individual events - Men’s and Women’s Singles and Doubles - and winning Women’s Team gold. They only came up short in the Men’s Team event, losing in the semi-finals. This was as impressive as it was unsurprising. Mexico has been the power to reckon with in racquetball for some time now, surpassing the USA as the #1 racquetball country.

Bolivia won gold in the Men’s Team event, which was the first gold for them at the Pan Am Games. Colombia was runner up in the Men’s Team event, capturing their first Pan Am Games silver medal. Also, Costa Rica won their first Pan Am Games medal, a bronze in Men’s Doubles, as did Guatemala: a silver in Women's Doubles. On the negative side, the USA came home from Lima without a gold medal, which was a first. Canada came home without a medal at all, another first.

Who will be in Santiago?

Lima may have been the last Pan Am Games for some players. Alvaro Beltran (Mexico) and Rocky Carson (USA) are both 40 (Beltran will be 41 in October). Rhonda Rajsich is a year older. Shai Mazuri (Argentina) and Jennifer Saunders (Canada) are also over 40. Will they be able to compete at this level in four years time?

There are also some significant players over 30: Cristina Amaya (Colombia), Felipe Camacho (Costa Rica), Fernando Kurzbard (Argentina) and Jenny Daza (Bolivia). Even Mexico’s Paola Longoria turned 30 in July, and Samantha Salas will be 33 in December.

Mexico shouldn’t worry, as there are several young Mexican players who will compete for spots on the Mexican team that will go to Santiago. Even from the team that was in Lima, Montserrat Mejia is still a teen-ager (turning 20 in December), and Javier Mar and Rodrigo Montoya - at 24 and 23, are not much older. With other countries, it’s more difficult to see who is coming up, even with the USA.

But there could be surprises. A few years ago Charles Pratt may not have been thought of as potential USA Team material, but he comes back from Lima with two bronze medals to go with the silver he earned in Men’s Singles at last year’s International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Championships. However, Pratt is also 33.

Will we see them?

While it’s great for racquetball to be included in a major multi-sport event, like the Pan American Games, it can - ironically - be the least available for racquetball fans, who have gotten spoiled from on line streaming that is done by the pro tours - both the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) and Ladies Professoinal Racquetball Tour (LPRT) - as well as at international events by the IRF.

The reason for lack of viewing at big events is clear: a major broadcaster has bought the rights for the event, so only it can show the sports. However, any broadcaster will be limited in what they can show to the public through their channel (or channels). Broadcasters are going to select sports with broader appeal, like basketball or baseball, over sports with narrower appeal, like racquetball. Thus, even though racquetball is at a big event, not much racquetball is seen by those not on site.

This must be the case with other smaller sports, so perhaps racquetball could band together with other small sports to try to address this issue with broadcasting rights holders at future events. In the past, broadcasting was expensive and difficult and only possible through televisions, but with the internet the costs and difficulty of broadcasting are way down, as computers and mobile devices are platforms for receiving broadcasts.

Small sports at multi-sport games should want to have their events seen by as many people as possible, which was difficult with old technology. But with current technology this should not be acceptable, and a solution should be found that can allow fans of small sports to see their sport showcased at major multi-sport events.

2019 Pan American Games - Lima, Peru

MEDAL SUMMARY

Men’s Singles

GOLD - Rodrigo MONTOYA (Mexico)
SILVER - Alvaro BELTRAN (Mexico)
BRONZE - Conrrado MOSCOSO (Bolivia)
BRONZE - Mario MERCADO (Colombia)

Women’s Singles

GOLD - Paola LONGORIA (Mexico)
SILVER - Maria José VARGAS (Argentina)
BRONZE - Natalia MENDEZ (Argentina)
BRONZE - Adriana RIVEROS (Colombia)

Men’s Doubles

GOLD - Javier MAR & Rodrigo MONTOYA (Mexico)
SILVER - Roland KELLER & Conrrado MOSCOSO (Bolivia)
BRONZE - Rocky CARSON & Charles PRATT (USA)
BRONZE - Andres ACUÑA & Felipe CAMACHO (Costa Rica)

Women’s Doubles

GOLD - Paola LONGORIA & Samantha SALAS (Mexico)
SILVER - Gabriela MARTINEZ & Maria RODRIGUEZ (Guatemala)
BRONZE - Kelani LAWRENCE & Rhonda RAJSICH (USA)
BRONZE - Natalia MENDEZ & Maria José VARGAS (Argentina)

Men’s Teams

GOLD - Bolivia - Carlos KELLER, Roland KELLER and Conrrado MOSCOSO
SILVER - Colombia - Sebastian FRANCO and Mario MERCADO
BRONZE - USA - Jake BREDENBECK, Rocky CARSON, and Charles PRATT
BRONZE - Mexico - Alvaro BELTRAN, Javier MAR and Rodrigo MONTOYA

Women’s Teams

GOLD - Mexico - Paola LONGORIA, Montserrat MEJIA and Samantha SALAS
SILVER - Argentina - Maria José VARGAS and Natalia MENDEZ
BRONZE - USA - Kelani LAWRENCE & Rhonda RAJSICH
BRONZE - Bolivia - Angelica BARRIOS, Valeria CENTELLAS and Jenny DAZA

Follow the bouncing ball….

Four countries advance to team finals at 2019 Pan American Games

Four teams will go for gold on Saturday in the Men’s and Women’s Team finals as the racquetball competition concludes at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru. The team event has been a Mexico-USA showdown in both Men’s and Women’s Team finals at the 2015 and 2011 Pan Am Games, but not this year. Indeed, both men’s and women’s USA teams lost in the semi-finals Friday, as did the Mexican men’s team.

However, the Mexican Women’s Team can win a 3rd consecutive gold medal, as they defeated the USA in the semi-finals in two straight matches. Paola Longoria beat Kelani Lawrence, 15-5, 15-0, and then teamed up with Samantha Salas to complete the victory with a win in doubles over Lawrence and Rhonda Rajsich, 15-5, 15-4.

Mexico will face Argentina in the final, as Argentina beat Bolivia in the other semi-final, albeit with more difficulty. Maria José Vargas won the first match over Valeria Centellas, 15-0, 15-9, and then she and Natalia Mendez held on to defeat Angelica Barrios and Jenny Daza, in a close tie-breaker, 15-10, 8-15, 11-9, which meant the last singles match between Mendez and Barrios didn’t have to be played.

Bolivia and Colombia will contest the Men’s Team final, rather than Mexico and the USA. Perhaps surprisingly, it was Colombia who were the giant killers, as they knocked off Mexico, the two time defending Men’s Team gold medalists. They did it by winning the two singles matches. First, Sebastian Franco beat veteran Alvaro Beltran, 15-14, 15-6. Mexico leveled the match by winning the doubles, when Javier Mar and Rodrigo Montoya defeated Franco and Mario Mercado, 15-14, 15-5. The deciding match was between Montoya and Mercado. Montoya won Men’s Singles in Lima earlier this week, and is the current International Racquetball Federation (IRF) Men’s Singles World Champion as well as, so you'd think advantage Mexico.

Especially advantage Mexico after Montoya won the first game, 15-12. But Mercado came back and won game two, 15-6, to force a tie-breaker. Then in the breaker Mercado went out to a big lead, 6-1 and 10-3. Montoya made it close, but couldn’t come all the way back, as Mercado won it, 11-8, and put Colombia in a Pan Am Games final for the first time.

Coming to Lima, Colombia had one Pan Am Games medal: a bronze in the Men’s Team event in 2011. Mercado was a bronze medalist in Men’s Singles earlier this week, and now he and Franco will have a chance to win gold, and regardless of Saturday’s final, they will have tripled the number of Colombian Pan Am Games medals in racquetball: from 1 to 3.

Bolivia will be Colombia’s opponent in the final. Bolivia, like Colombia, also needed three matches to advance to the final, as they outlasted the USA men’s team. Indeed, all three of the Bolivia-USA matches went breaker. Veteran Rocky Carson won the first match of the semi-final by defeating Conrrado Moscoso in three games, 15-7, 8-15, 11-6. But Moscoso and Roland Keller were able to level the match with the USA by winning the doubles match against Carson and Charles Pratt, 12-15, 15-6, 11-6.

Thus, it came down to the second singles match between Carlos Keller of Bolivia and the USA’s Jake Bredenbeck. Again a tie-breaker was required as Keller won game one, 15-11, and Bredenbeck game two, 12-15. But as is often the case after two close games, the breaker was not close, as Keller - the current Men’s Singles Pan American Champion - won it, 11-2, booking Bolivia’s place in the final.

Four years ago in Toronto, Moscoso and the Keller brothers were bronze medalists in the Men’s Team event, after losing to Mexico in the semi-finals. Saturday they’ll have a chance to win Men’s Team gold, which would be the first Pan Am Games gold medal for Bolivia in racquetball.

The finals will begin at 11 AM Saturday. Some of the matches may be live streamed via the International Racquetball Federation page on Facebook, but not for certain due to rights holders restrictions.

2019 Pan American Games - Lima, Peru

TEAM COMPETITION

Men’s Teams - Semi-finals

COLOMBIA d. MEXICO - 2-1

Sebastian FRANCO (Colombia) d. Alvaro BELTRAN (Mexico), 15-14, 15-6
Javier MAR & Rodrigo MONTOYA (Mexico) d. Sebastian FRANCO & Mario MERCADO (Colombia), 15-14, 15-5
Mario MERCADO (Colombia) d. Rodrigo MONTOYA (Mexico), 12-15, 15-6, 11-8

BOLIVIA d. USA - 2-1

Rocky CARSON (USA) d. Conrrado MOSCOSO (Bolivia), 15-7, 8-15, 11-6
Roland KELLER & Conrrado MOSCOSO (Bolivia) d. Rocky CARSON & Charles PRATT (USA), 12-15, 15-6, 11-6
Carlos KELLER (Bolivia) d. Jake BREDENBECK (USA), 15-11, 12-15, 11-2

Men’s Teams - Final

BOLIVIA v. COLOMBIA

Women’s Teams - Semi-finals

MEXICO d. USA - 2-0

Paola LONGORIA (Mexico) d. Kelani LAWRENCE (USA), 15-5, 15-0
Paola LONGORIA & Samantha SALAS (Mexico) d. Kelani LAWRENCE & Rhonda RAJSICH (USA), 15-5, 15-4
Montserrat MEJIA (Mexico) v. Rhonda RAJSICH (USA) - not played

ARGENTINA d. BOLIVIA - 2-0

Maria José VARGAS (Argentina) d. Valeria CENTELLAS (Bolivia), 15-0, 15-9
Natalia MENDEZ & Maria José VARGAS (Argentina) d. Angelica BARRIOS & Jenny DAZA (Bolivia), 15-10, 8-15, 11-9
Natalia MENDEZ (Argentina) v. Angelica BARRIOS (Bolivia) - not played

Women’s Teams - Final

MEXICO v. ARGENTINA

Follow the bouncing ball….

Quarterfinals of Team Event at 2019 Pan American Games

The quarterfinals in the team competitions at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru were all over in two straight matches, and often the matches were done in two straight games. Mexico, Bolivia and the USA are in both Men’s and Women’s Team semi-finals. Colombia is the fourth country in the Men’s Team semi-finals, while Argentina is the fourth team in the Women’s semi-final.

There were a couple of matches that went tie-breaker. In the Men’s Team battle between Colombia and Canada, their doubles match went breaker with Canada needing a win after Mario Mercado had beaten Coby Iwaasa, 15-11, 15-9, in the first match. Iwaasa and Samual Murray won the first game of the doubles match, but Mercado and Sebastian Franco came back to win the next two games, 15-12, 11-9, and take the match up in two straight matches.

In the Women’s Team event, Bolivia was up one match on Guatemala, after Angelica Barrios beat Maria Rodriguez (Guatemala), 15-9, 15-10, and their doubles match went to a tie-breaker. Barrios and Jenny Daza defeated Rodriguez and Gabriela Martinez, 11-15, 15-12, 11-10.

The team semi-finals are Friday with the finals on Saturday. Look for some of the matches to be live streamed via the International Racquetball Federation page on Facebook.

2019 Pan American Games - Lima, Peru

TEAM COMPETITION

Men’s Teams - Quarterfinals

MEXICO d. ECUADOR - 2-0

Rodrigo MONTOYA (Mexico) d. José UGALDE (Ecuador), 15-1, 15-3
Javier MAR & Rodrigo MONTOYA (Mexico) d. Fernando RÍOS & José UGALDE (Ecuador), 15-12, 15-5
Alvaro BELTRAN (Mexico) v. Fernando RÍOS (Ecuador) - not played

COLOMBIA d. CANADA - 2-0

Mario MERCADO (Colombia) d. Coby IWAASA (Canada), 15-11, 15-9
Sebastian FRANCO & Mario MERCADO (Colombia) d. Coby IWAASA & Samuel MURRAY (Canada), 12-15, 15-12, 11-9
Sebastian FRANCO (Colombia) v. Samuel MURRAY (Canada) - not played

USA d. COSTA RICA - 2-0

Jake BREDENBECK (USA) d. Felipe CAMACHO (Costa Rica), 15-5, 15-6
Rocky CARSON & Charles PRATT (USA) d. Andres ACUÑA & Felipe CAMACHO (Costa Rica), 15-14, 15-6
Rocky CARSON (USA) v. Andres ACUÑA (Costa Rica) - not played

BOLIVIA d. GUATEMALA - 2-0

Carlos KELLER (Bolivia) d. Edwin GALICIA (Guatemala), 15-4, 15-8
Roland KELLER & Conrrado MOSCOSO (Bolivia) d. Edwin GALICIA & Juan SALVATIERRA (Guatemala), 15-8, 15-6
Juan SALVATIERRA (Guatemala) - not played

Men’s Teams - Semi-finals

MEXICO v. COLOMBIA
BOLIVIA v. USA

Women’s Teams - Quarterfinals

ARGENTINA d. CANADA - 2-0

Natalia MENDEZ (Argentina) d. Jennifer SAUNDERS (Canada), 15-9, 15-5
Natalia MENDEZ & Maria José VARGAS (Argentina) d. Frédérique LAMBERT & Jennifer SAUNDERS (Canada), 15-4, 15-5
Maria José VARGAS (Argentina) v. Frédérique LAMBERT (Canada) - not played

MEXICO d. ECUADOR - 2-0

Montserrat MEJIA (Mexico) d. Maria Jose MUÑOZ (Ecuador), 15-4, 15-9
Paola LONGORIA & Samantha SALAS (Mexico) d. Maria José MUÑOZ & Maria Paz MUÑOZ (Ecuador), 15-4, 15-2
Paola LONGORIA & Samantha SALAS (Mexico) v. Maria Paz MUÑOZ (Ecuador) - not played

USA d. COLOMBIA - 2-0

Rhonda RAJSICH (USA) d. Adriana RIVEROS (Colombia), 15-3, 15-9
Kelani LAWRENCE & Rhonda RAJSICH (USA) d. Cristina AMAYA & Adriana RIVEROS (Colombia), 15-12, 15-11
Kelani LAWRENCE (USA) v. Cristina AMAYA (Colombia) - not played

BOLIVIA d. GUATEMALA - 2-0

Angelica BARRIOS (Bolivia) d. Maria RODRIGUEZ (Guatemala), 15-9, 15-10
Angelica BARRIOS & Jenny DAZA (Bolivia) d. Gabriela MARTINEZ & Maria RODRIGUEZ (Guatemala), 11-15, 15-12, 11-10
Valeria CENTELLAS (Bolivia) v. Gabriela MARTINEZ (Guatemala) - not played

Women’s Teams - Semi-finals

MEXICO v. USA
BOLIVIA v. ARGENTINA

Follow the bouncing ball….