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….

Team competiton begins at 2019 Pan American Games

The racquetball team competition began Wednesday at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru. All teams are involved, and the format has teams competing head to head in a best of three matches format: two singles matches and a doubles match. But the order of the matches changes from round to round. The Round of 16 has the #1 players playing singles first, then a doubles match, and if necessary, the #2 players face off to determine which country advances to the quarterfinals on Thursday.

In the Women’s Team event, Ecuador defeated Chile, 2-0, with Maria Paz Muñoz defeating Carla Muñoz, 15-8, 6-15, 11-5, and then Paz Muñoz and younger sister Maria José Muñoz beating Muñoz and Josefa Parada, 15-9, 15-12. Ecuador will play Mexico in the quarterfinals.

Similarly, Bolivia beat Cuba in two straight matches. Valeria Centellas defeated María Regla Viera, 15-7, 15-5, and then Angelica Barrios and Jenny Daza beat Loraine Felipe and Viera, 15-2, 15-8. Bolivia will play Guatemala in the quarters.

But one women’s tie did require three matches with Canada winning the two singles matches against the Dominican Republic, but losing the doubles match to advance, 2-1. Frédérique Lambert needed a tie-breaker against Merynanyelly Delgado to win the first match for Canada, 15-7, 8-15, 11-9. But then Delgado and Alejandra Jiménez beat Lambert and Jennifer Saunders, 15-12, 15-7. In the tie-breaking match, Saunders defeated Jiménez, 15-4, 15-5, so that Canada advances to the quarterfinals, when they will play Argentina.

In the Men’s Team event, two of the four match ups were settled in two matches, while the other two - between Ecuador and Cuba, and between Guatemala and Dominican Republic - needed a third match tie-breaker.

Colombia defeated the host country Peru in two straight matches. Sebastian Franco beat Jonathan Luque, 15-1, 15-3, and then he and Mario Mercado defeated Luque and Erik Mendoza, 15-2, 15-2. Also, Costa Rica beat Argentina, 2-0, with Andres Acuña a straight game winner over Shai Manzuri, 15-8, 15-2, and Acuña and Felipe Camacho defeating Fernando Kurzbard and Manzuri, 15-10, 15-13.

Eucador’s José Ugalde won the tie-breaking singles matches in two straight games over Enier Chacón of Cuba, 15-9, 15-6. Cuban Maykel Moyet won the first singles match versus Fernando Rios, 15-9, 15-11, but Rios and Ugalde won the doubles match against Chacón and Moyet, 15-12, 15-7, to level the score.

Finally, Guatemala defeated the Dominican Republic, 2-1, which must be considered a bit of an upset, as the two Dominican players were in the medal round, while neither Guatemalan player was. However, Guatemalan Edwin Galicia narrowly pulled out a tie-breaker in the final singles matches against Dominican Ramón De León, 15-7, 2-15, 11-9, after he and Juan Salvatierra won the doubles match against De León and Luis Pérez, 15-7, 8-15, 11-2. Pérez won the first singles match against Salvatierra, 15-4, 15-9.

The medal round continues Thursday, and the finals of the team competition will be 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 - Round of 16

ECUADOR d. CUBA - 2-1

Maykel MOYET (Cuba) d. Fernando RÍOS (Ecuador), 15-9, 15-11
Fernando RÍOS & José UGALDE (Ecuador) d. Enier CHACÓN & Maykel MOYET (Cuba), 15-12, 15-7
José UGALDE (Ecuador) d. Enier CHACÓN (Cuba), 15-9, 15-6

COLOMBIA d. PERU - 2-0

Sebastian FRANCO (Colombia) d. Jonathan LUQUE (Peru), 15-1, 15-3
Sebastian FRANCO & Mario MERCADO (Colombia) d. Jonathan LUQUE & Erik MENDOZA (Peru), 15-2, 15-2
Mario MERCADO (Colombia) v. Erik MENDOZA (Peru) - not played

COSTA RICA d. ARGENTINA - 2-0

Andres ACUÑA (Costa Rica) d. Shai MANZURI (Argentina), 15-8, 15-2
Andres ACUÑA & Felipe CAMACHO (Costa Rica) d. Fernando KURZBARD & Shai MANZURI (Argentina), 15-10, 15-13
Felipe CAMACHO (Costa Rica) v. Fernando KURZBARD - not played

GUATEMALA d. DOMINICAN REPUBLIC - 2-1

Luis PÉREZ (Dominican Republic) d. Juan SALVATIERRA (Guatemala), 15-4, 15-9
Edwin GALICIA & Juan SALVATIERRA (Guatemala) d. Ramón DE LEÓN & Luis PÉREZ (Dominican Republic), 15-7, 8-15, 11-2
Edwin GALICIA (Guatemala) d. Ramón DE LEÓN (Dominican Republic), 15-7, 2-15, 11-9

Men’s Teams - Quarterfinals

MEXICO v. ECUADOR
CANADA v. COLOMBIA

USA v. COSTA RICA
BOLIVIA v. GUATEMALA

Women’s Teams - Round of 16

ECUADOR d. CHILE - 2-0

Maria Paz MUÑOZ (Ecuador) d. Carla MUÑOZ (Chile), 15-8, 6-15, 11-5
Maria José MUÑOZ & Maria Paz MUÑOZ (Ecuador) d. Carla MUÑOZ & Josefa PARADA (Chile), 15-9, 15-12

BOLIVIA d. CUBA - 2-0

Valeria CENTELLAS (Bolivia) d. María Regla VIERA (Cuba), 15-7, 15-5
Angelica BARRIOS & Jenny DAZA (Bolivia) d. Loraine FELIPE & María Regla VIERA (Cuba), 15-2, 15-8

CANADA d. DOMINICAN REPUBLIC - 2-1

Frédérique LAMBERT (Canada) d. Merynanyelly DELGADO (Dominican Republic), 15-7, 8-15, 11-9
Merynanyelly DELGADO & Alejandra JIMÉNEZ (Dominican Republic) d. Frédérique LAMBERT & Jennifer SAUNDERS (Canada), 15-12, 15-7
Jennifer SAUNDERS (Canada) d. Alejandra JIMÉNEZ (Dominican Republic), 15-4, 15-5

Women’s Teams - Quarterfinals

MEXICO v. ECUADOR
USA v. COLOMBIA

GUATEMALA v. BOLIVIA
ARGENTINA v. CANADA

Follow the bouncing ball….

Mexico sweeps gold at 2019 Pan American Games

Mexico has swept gold in the racquetball competitions at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, winning both Men’s and Women’s Singles and both Men’s and Women’s Doubles. Paola Longoria and Rodrigo Montoya are doubles gold medalists, winning both singles and doubles. In the Women’s Singles final, Longoria defeated Maria José Vargas of Argentina, 15-7, 15-9, while Montoya beat team-mate Alvaro Beltran in the Men’s Singles final, 9-15, 15-6, 11-0. Montoya's win makes him the 3rd men's player to be both Pan Am Games gold medalist while also being International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Champion in Men's Singles after the USA's Jack Huczek and Rocky Carson.

In the doubles finals, Longoria and Samantha Salas needed a tie-breaker to defeat Guatemalans Gabriela Martinez and Maria Rodriguez, 15-5, 11-15, 11-5, to win a 3rd consecutive Pan Am Games gold medal in Women’s Doubles. Their three gold medals is the most for a Women's Doubles team at the Pan Am Games, breaking a tie they had with Joy Mackenzie and Jackie Paraiso of the USA. Montoya teamed up with Javier Mar to defeat Bolivians Roland Keller and Conrrado Moscoso, 15-10, 15-1, in the Men’s Doubles final. Keller and Moscoso were also silver medalists in Men’s Doubles four years ago in Toronto.

The 2019 Pan Am Games racquetball competition continues Wednesday afternoon, when the team competition begins with each country fielding two singles players and a doubles team in a best of three matches against each other. The finals of the team competition will be Saturday.

2019 Pan American Games - Lima, Peru

MEDAL ROUNDS

Men’s Singles - Final

3) Rodrigo MONTOYA (Mexico) d. 1) Alvaro BELTRAN (Mexico), 9-15, 15-6, 11-0

Women’s Singles - Final

2) Paola LONGORIA (Mexico) d. 1) Maria José VARGAS (Argentina), 15-7, 15-9

Men’s Doubles - Final

4) Javier MAR & Rodrigo MONTOYA (Mexico) d. 2) Roland KELLER & Conrrado MOSCOSO (Bolivia), 15-10, 15-1

Women’s Doubles - Final

1) Paola LONGORIA & Samantha SALAS (Mexico) d. 3) Gabriela MARTINEZ & Maria RODRIGUEZ (Guatemala), 15-5, 11-15, 11-5

Follow the bouncing ball….

Doubles semi-finals at 2019 Pan American Games

Mexicans Paola Longoria and Samantha Salas will have a chance to win a 3rd consecutive Pan American Games gold medal in Women’s Doubles Wednesday at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, as they defeated the USA team of Kelani Lawrence and Rhonda Rajasich, 15-6, 15-1, in the semi-finals on Tuesday. Their opponents will be the young Guatemalan team of Gabriela Martinez and Maria Rodriguez, who were upset winners over 2nd seeds Natalia Mendez and Maria José Vargas of Argentina in a tie-breaker, 15-9, 10-15, 11-1.

Mexico could sweep doubles gold in Lima, as their men’s team of Javier Mar and Rodrigo Montoya reached the men’s final by also defeating the USA team. However, they needed to come back from a game down to defeat Rocky Carson and Charles Pratt, 11-15, 15-9, 11-8.

Mexico’s opponents will be Bolivians Roland Keller and Conrrado Moscoso, who will be playing for Pan Am Games gold for a second consecutive time. They reached the final four years ago in Toronto, where they lost to the USA’s Jansen Allen and Jose Rojas. In their semi-final match, Bolivia - like Mexico - came back from a game down to defeat 3rd seeds Andres Acuña and Felipe Camacho of Costa Rica, 13-15, 15-12, 11-7.

The doubles finals are scheduled for Wednesday at 12:30 - women’s - and 1:30 - men’s. Then on Wednesday afternoon a team competition will begin with each country fielding two singles players and a doubles team in a best of three matches against each other. The finals of the team competition will be Saturday.

2019 Pan American Games - Lima, Peru

MEDAL ROUNDS

Men’s Doubles - Quarterfinals

1) Rocky CARSON & Charles PRATT (USA) d. 8) Sebastian FRANCO & Mario MERCADO (Colombia), 5-15, 15-7, 11-7
4) Javier MAR & Rodrigo MONTOYA (Mexico) d. 5) Coby IWAASA & Samuel MURRAY (Canada), 15-5, 15-6

3) Andres ACUÑA & Felipe CAMACHO (Costa Rica) d. 11) Edwin GALICIA & Juan SALVATIERRA (Guatemala), 15-8, 15-5
2) Roland KELLER & Conrrado MOSCOSO (Bolivia) d. 10) Enier CHACÓN & Maykel MOYET (Cuba), 15-3, 15-7

Men’s Doubles - Semi-finals

4) Javier MAR & Rodrigo MONTOYA (Mexico) d. 1) Rocky CARSON & Charles PRATT (USA), 11-15, 15-9, 11-8
2) Roland KELLER & Conrrado MOSCOSO (Bolivia) d. 3) Andres ACUÑA & Felipe CAMACHO (Costa Rica), 13-15, 15-12, 11-7

Men’s Doubles - Final

2) Roland KELLER & Conrrado MOSCOSO (Bolivia) v. 4) Javier MAR & Rodrigo MONTOYA (Mexico)

Women’s Doubles - Quarterfinals

1) Paola LONGORIA & Samantha SALAS (Mexico) d. 9) Merynanyelly DELGADO & Alejandra JIMÉNEZ (Dominican Republic), 15-2, 15-0
5) Kelani LAWRENCE & Rhonda RAJSICH (USA) d. 4) Angelica BARRIOS & Jenny DAZA (Bolivia), 15-9, 15-4

3) Gabriela MARTINEZ & Maria RODRIGUEZ (Guatemala) d. 6) Cristina AMAYA & Adriana RIVEROS (Colombia), 15-12, 11-15, 11-8
2) Natalia MENDEZ & Maria José VARGAS (Argentina) d. 10) Frédérique LAMBERT & Jennifer SAUNDERS (Canada), 15-9, 15-9

Women’s Doubles - Semi-finals

1) Paola LONGORIA & Samantha SALAS (Mexico) d. 5) Kelani LAWRENCE & Rhonda RAJSICH (USA), 15-6, 15-1
3) Gabriela MARTINEZ & Maria RODRIGUEZ (Guatemala) d. 2) Natalia MENDEZ & Maria José VARGAS (Argentina), 15-9, 10-15, 11-1

Women’s Doubles - Final

1) Paola LONGORIA & Samantha SALAS (Mexico) v. 3) Gabriela MARTINEZ & Maria RODRIGUEZ (Guatemala)

Follow the bouncing ball….

2019 Pan American Games Semi-finals

Paola Longoria of Mexico and Maria José Vargas of Argentina will face off in finalis of Women’s Singles at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, in what will be a repeat of the 2015 final in Toronto, where Longoria defeated Vargas to win her 2nd gold medal in Women’s Singles at the Pan Am Games.

In the semi-finals, Vargas - the #1 seed - beat surprise semi-finalist Adriana Riveros of Colombia, the 12th seed, 15-8, 15-9. After being close early in game one, and tied at 4-4, Vargas took a lead at 8-5, and maintained that to win the first game, 15-8. In game two, they were again close early and into the mid-game, when Riveros actually led 9-8. However, Vargas got the serve back and scored six unanswered points to win game two, 15-9, and take the match in two straight games.

The first game between Longoria, the 2nd seed, and 3rd seed Natalia Mendez of Argentina was similar to the first game of the other semi-final, as they were tied at 3-3, and then Longoria took a lead at 7-5 and maintained that to win 15-10. Longoria then jumped out to a big lead in game two at 9-1. Mendez didn’t quit, but Longoria extended her lead to 13-3. But Mendez fought off four match points, as she cue the lead to four points at 14-10. However, the fifth time was the charm for Longoria, as she won the match on her fifth match point, 15-10.

Thus, Riveros and Mendez will go home with bronze medals, which are their first Pan Am Games medals. In fact, Riveros’s medal is the first for a Colombian in Women’s Singles at the Pan Am Games. Mendez is the 2nd Argentine woman to earn a medal at the Pan Am Games after Vargas’s silver from four years ago.

In Men’s Singles, 3rd seed Rodrigo Montoya of Mexico upset 2nd seed Conrrado Moscoso of Bolivia, 15-14, 15-10, to advance to the final. Although Moscoso had small leads in both games, Montoya led for most of the match. He was up 14-7 in game one, only to see Moscoso come all the way back to tie it 14-14. However, Moscoso couldn’t get that last point to steal the game, and Montoya didn’t allow him a second chance, winning game one 15-14.

In game two, they were close early, but then Montoya took a 10-6 lead. Moscoso tied it 10-10, but he would get no more points, as Montoya closed out the game 15-10, and match in two games. Montoya is trying to be the 3rd man to be both International Racquetball Federation World Champion (IRF) and Pan Am Games Gold Medalist in Men’s Singles after the USA’s Jack Huczek (at the 2003 Pan Am Games) and Rocky Carson (2011 & 2015).

Montoya will play his Mexican team-mate Alvaro Beltran, who was the top seed, in the final, as Beltran defeated 4th seed Mario Mercado of Colombia, 15-7, 15-5. The scores weren’t close, but the match took over an hour to play, suggesting it was hotly contested. In fact, Mercado fought off three game points in the first game before Beltran ended it. But Mercado got himself in a hole right off the bat in both games, going down 8-1 in game one and 7-1 in game two. That large a deficit is difficult to make up.

Beltran will be play his 2nd consecutive Pan Am Games Men’s Singles final. He lost to Rocky Carson (USA) four years ago in Toronto. Beltran’s team-mate Montoya has reached the final for the first time. With two Mexicans in the final, it will be the first Men’s Singles final with team-mates playing off in 20 years. In 1999, the USA’s Adam Karp beat his team-mate Michael Bronfeld in Winnipeg.

The finals will be Wednesday morning from 10 AM CDT. On Wednesday afternoon a team competition will begin with each country fielding two singles players and a doubles team in a best of three matches against each other. The finals of the team competition will be Saturday.

2019 Pan American Games - Lima, Peru

MEDAL ROUNDS

Men’s Singles - Semi-finals

1) Alvaro BELTRAN (Mexico) d. 4) Mario MERCADO (Colombia), 15-7, 15-5
3) Rodrigo MONTOYA (Mexico) d. 2) Conrrado MOSCOSO (Bolivia), 15-14, 15-10

Men’s Singles - Final

1) Alvaro BELTRAN (Mexico) v. 3) Rodrigo MONTOYA (Mexico)

Women’s Singles - Semi-finals

1) Maria José VARGAS (Argentina) d. 12) Adriana RIVEROS (Colombia), 15-8, 15-9
2) Paola LONGORIA (Mexico) d. 3) Natalia MENDEZ (Argentina), 15-10, 15-10

Women’s Singles - Final

1) Maria José VARGAS (Argentina) v. 2) Paola LONGORIA (Mexico)

Follow the bouncing ball….

Medal rounds begin at 2019 Pan American Games

Adriana Riveros of Colombia is the surprise semi-finalist in Women’s Singles at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, as the 12th seed defeated two higher seeds to reach the semis, and guarantee herself a medal. In the Round of 16, Riveros defeated the 5th seed Bolivian Valeria Centellas, 6-15, 15-11, 11-8, and then in the quarterfinals, she beat the 4th seed USA veteran Rhonda Rajasich, 15-10, 15-10. Riveros will play either Maria José Vargas of Argentina who defeated Kelani Lawrence of the USA, 15-9, 15-13.

Vargas and Lawrence were level at 9-9 in game one, but Vargas scored six straight points to close it out. Nonetheless, Lawrence started strong in game two going out to a 9-0 lead. However, Vargas scored 11 straight points to lead 11-9. But Lawrence tied it again at 11-11. They were back and forth from there on, tying at 12-12 and 13-13. But again it was Vargas who was able to get the last points and close out the game, 15-13, and win the match in two straight games.

On the other side of the Women’s Singles draw, Argentina’s Natalia Mendez reached the semis with two tie-breaker victories. In the Round of 16, she defeated Guatemala’s Gabriela Martinez, who is the current International Racquetball Federation (IRF) Women’s Singles World Champion, 15-10, 12-15, 11-6. Then in the quarters, Mendez beat Ecuador’s Maria Paz Muñoz, 15-5, 10-15, 11-7. In that breaker, Mendez went out to a 4-1 lead. Muñoz got within one point at 4-3, but Mendez then ran five straight points to lead 9-4. Muñoz did get cut into that lead, making it 9-7, but Mendez then closed it out, 11-7.

In the semis, Mendez will play 2nd seed - and two time defending Pan Am Games gold medalist - Paola Longoria of Mexico, who beat Bolivian Angelica Barrios, 15-6, 15-4.

In Men’s Singles, the top four seeds are through to the semi-finals. Top seed Alvaro Beltran of Mexico narrowly defeated Canadian Coby Iwaasa, 15-14, 15-13, in the quarterfinals, and he’ll play Colombia’s Mario Mercado, who needed three games to defeat Jake Bredenbeck of the USA, 15-8, 8-15, 11-8. They were tied at 6-6 in the breaker, when Mercado ran four points to get to match point at 10-6. Bredenbeck denied Mercado’s first match point, but he couldn’t prevent the second, as Mercado won the breaker, 11-8.

On the other side of the draw, Bolivian Conrrado Moscoso - the 2nd seed - beat Charles Pratt of the USA, 15-7, 15-7, and 3rd seed Rodrigo Montoya defeated Samuel Murray of Canada, 15-7, 15-10.

Unimaginable

With today’s quarterfinal results there will be no USA or Canadian players on the podium in either Men's or Women's Singles at this year's Pan Am Games. That would have been unimaginable a decade ago. It’s more evidence that the centre of power in racquetball has shifted south.

Doubles

A couple of upsets in Men’s Doubles Monday. Guatemalans Edwin Galicia and Juan Salvatierra , the 11th seeds, defeated Ecuador’s Fernando Rios and José Ugalde, the 6th seeds, 15-10, 15-10. Guatemala will play 3rd seeds Andres Acuña and Felipe Camacho of Costa Rica in the quarterfinals Tuesday.

Also, 10th seeds Enier Chacón and Maykel Moyet of Cuba needed three games to defeat the 7th seeded veteran team of Fernando Kurzbard and Shai Manzuri of Argentina, 15-10, 11-15, 11-4, so they will play 2nd seeds Roland Keller and Conrrado Moscoso of Bolivia.

In Women’s Doubles, the 10th seeded Canadian team of Frédérique Lambert and Jennifer Saunders upset the 7th seeds Maria José Muñoz and Maria Paz Muñoz of Ecuador), 15-9, 9-15, 11-5. Also, the Dominican Republic’s Merynanyelly Delgado and Alejandra Jiménez, the 9th seeds, beat the 8th seeds Carla Muñoz and Josefa Parada of Chile in two straight games, 15-13, 15-10. In the quarterfinals, Canada will play 2nd seeds Argentina - Maria José Vargas and Natalia Mendez - and the Dominican Republic will play the top seeded Mexico team - Paola Longoria and Samantha Salas.

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

2019 Pan American Games - Lima, Peru

MEDAL ROUNDS

Men’s Singles - Round of 16

1) Alvaro BELTRAN (Mexico) - BYE
8) Coby IWAASA (Canada) d. 9) Sebastian FRANCO (Colombia), 9-15, 15-13, 11-0

5) Jake BREDENBECK (USA) d. 12) Ramón DE LEÓN (Dominican Republic), 15-3, 15-9
4) Mario MERCADO (Colombia) d. 13) Felipe CAMACHO (Costa Rica), 15-3, 15-4

3) Rodrigo MONTOYA (Mexico) d. 14) José UGALDE (Ecuador), 15-0, 15-5
6) Samuel MURRAY (Canada) d. 11) Carlos KELLER (Bolivia), 13-15, 15-14, 11-3

7) Charles PRATT (USA) d. 10) Luis PÉREZ (Dominican Republic), 13-15, 15-10, 11-5
2) Conrrado MOSCOSO (Bolivia) - BYE

Men’s Singles - Quarterfinals

1) Alvaro BELTRAN (Mexico) d. 8) Coby IWAASA (Canada), 15-14, 15-13
4) Mario MERCADO (Colombia) d. 5) Jake BREDENBECK (USA), 15-8, 8-15, 11-8

3) Rodrigo MONTOYA (Mexico) d. 6) Samuel MURRAY (Canada), 15-7, 15-10
2) Conrrado MOSCOSO (Bolivia) d. 7) Charles PRATT (USA), 15-7, 15-7

Men’s Singles - Semi-finals

1) Alvaro BELTRAN (Mexico) v. 4) Mario MERCADO (Colombia)
2) Conrrado MOSCOSO (Bolivia) v. 3) Rodrigo MONTOYA (Mexico)

Women’s Singles - Round of 16

1) Maria José VARGAS (Argentina) - BYE
9) Kelani LAWRENCE (USA) d. 8) Carla MUÑOZ (Chile), 15-10, 11-15, 11-7

12) Adriana RIVEROS (Colombia) d. 5) Valeria CENTELLAS (Bolivia), 6-15, 15-11, 11-8
4) Rhonda RAJSICH (USA) d. 13) Merynanyelly DELGADO (Dominican Republic), 15-8, 15-14

3) Natalia MENDEZ (Argentina) d. 14) Gabriela MARTINEZ (Guatemala), 15-10, 12-15, 11-6
6) Maria Paz MUÑOZ (Ecuador) d. 11) Montserrat MEJIA (Mexico), 15-14, 7-15, 11-5

7) Angelica BARRIOS (Bolivia) d. 10) Cristina AMAYA (Colombia), 15-11, 12-15, 11-10
2) Paola LONGORIA (Mexico) - BYE

Women’s Singles - Quarterfinals

1) Maria José VARGAS (Argentina) d. 9) Kelani LAWRENCE (USA), 15-9, 15-13
12) Adriana RIVEROS (Colombia) d. 4) Rhonda RAJSICH (USA), 15-10, 15-10

3) Natalia MENDEZ (Argentina) d. 6) Maria Paz MUÑOZ (Ecuador), 15-5, 10-15, 11-7
2) Paola LONGORIA (Mexico) d. 7) Angelica BARRIOS (Bolivia), 15-6, 15-4

Women’s Singles - Semi-finals

1) Maria José VARGAS (Argentina) v. 12) Adriana RIVEROS (Colombia)
2) Paola LONGORIA (Mexico) v. 3) Natalia MENDEZ (Argentina)

Men’s Doubles - Round of 16

1) Rocky CARSON & Charles PRATT (USA) - BYE
8) Sebastian FRANCO & Mario MERCADO (Colombia) d. 9) Ramón DE LEÓN & Luis PEREZ (Dominican Republic), 15-8, 15-14

5) Coby IWAASA & Samuel MURRAY (Canada) d. 12) Jonathan LUQUE & Sebastian MENDIGURI (Peru), 15-2, 15-3
4) Javier MAR & Rodrigo MONTOYA (Mexico) - BYE

3) Andres ACUÑA & Felipe CAMACHO (Costa Rica) - BYE
11) Edwin GALICIA & Juan SALVATIERRA (Guatemala) d. 6) Fernando RÍOS & José UGALDE (Ecuador), 15-10, 15-10

10) Enier CHACÓN & Maykel MOYET (Cuba) d. 7) Fernando KURZBARD & Shai MANZURI (Argentina), 15-10, 11-15, 11-4
2) Roland KELLER & Conrrado MOSCOSO (Bolivia) - BYE

Men’s Doubles - Quarterfinals

1) Rocky CARSON & Charles PRATT (USA) v. 8) Sebastian FRANCO & Mario MERCADO (Colombia)
4) Javier MAR & Rodrigo MONTOYA (Mexico) v. 5) Coby IWAASA & Samuel MURRAY (Canada)

3) Andres ACUÑA & Felipe CAMACHO (Costa Rica) v. 11) Edwin GALICIA & Juan SALVATIERRA (Guatemala)
2) Roland KELLER & Conrrado MOSCOSO (Bolivia) v. 10) Enier CHACÓN & Maykel MOYET (Cuba)

Women’s Doubles - Round of 16

1) Paola LONGORIA & Samantha SALAS (Mexico) - BYE
9) Merynanyelly DELGADO & Alejandra JIMÉNEZ (Dominican Republic) d. 8) Carla MUÑOZ & Josefa PARADA (Chile), 15-13, 15-10

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

3) Gabriela MARTINEZ & Maria RODRIGUEZ (Guatemala) - BYE
6) Cristina AMAYA & Adriana RIVEROS (Colombia) d. 11) Loraine FELIPE & María Regla VIERA (Cuba), 15-6, 15-4

10) Frédérique LAMBERT & Jennifer SAUNDERS (Canada) d. 7) Maria José MUÑOZ & Maria Paz MUÑOZ (Ecuador), 15-9, 9-15, 11-5
2) Natalia MENDEZ & Maria José VARGAS (Argentina) - BYE

Women’s Doubles - Quarterfinals

1) Paola LONGORIA & Samantha SALAS (Mexico) v. 9) Merynanyelly DELGADO & Alejandra JIMÉNEZ (Dominican Republic)
4) Angelica BARRIOS & Jenny DAZA (Bolivia) v. 5) Kelani LAWRENCE & Rhonda RAJSICH (USA)

3) Gabriela MARTINEZ & Maria RODRIGUEZ (Guatemala) v. 6) Cristina AMAYA & Adriana RIVEROS (Colombia)
2) Natalia MENDEZ & Maria José VARGAS (Argentina) v. 10) Frédérique LAMBERT & Jennifer SAUNDERS (Canada)

Follow the bouncing ball….

Medal round draws for 2019 Pan American Games

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

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

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

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

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

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

2019 Pan American Games - Lima, Peru

MEDAL ROUNDS

Men’s Singles - Round of 16

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

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

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

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

Women’s Singles - Round of 16

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

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

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

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

Men’s Doubles - Round of 16

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

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

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

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

Women’s Doubles - Round of 16

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

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

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

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

Follow the bouncing ball….

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2019 Pan American Games, Lima, Peru

Group Stage Matches - Day 3 - Sunday

Men’s Singles

Pool A

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

Pool B

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

Pool C

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

Pool D

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

Pool E

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

Pool F

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

Pool G

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

Women’s Singles

Pool A

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

Pool B

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

Pool C

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

Pool D

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

Pool E

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

Pool F

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

Pool G

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

Men’s Doubles

Pool A

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

Pool B

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

Pool C

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

Women’s Doubles

Pool A

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

Pool B

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

Pool C

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

Follow the bouncing ball….

11-10 breakers on Day 2 at the 2019 Pan American Games

Day 2 of racquetball at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru brought the first two 11-10 tie-breakers. In Men’s Doubles, the Dominican Republic’s Ramón De León and Luis Perez came within a point of knocking off Mexicans Javier Mar and Rodrigo Montoya, as they won game one and were up 10-8 in the tie-breaker. But the Mexicans fought off four matches points to pull out the win, 8-15, 15-10, 11-10.

De León was also involved in the other 11-10 match, as he held off Cuban Maykel Moyet, 15-10, 8-15, 11-10. The result puts both players at 1-1 after two days of group stage play, but De León has the advantage with the win, as he’ll play Erik Mendoza of Peru on Sunday, while Moyet faces Mexican Rodrigo Montoya. On Saturday, Montoya beat Mendoza, 15-1, 15-0.

There were three other tie-breakers in Men’s Singles on Saturday. Costa Rica won two matches over Ecuadro, as Andres Acuña came back to defeat José Ugalde, 5-15, 15-9, 11-6, and Felipe Camacho beat Fernando Rios, 15-9, 11-15, 11-7. Also, Canadian Coby Iwaasa outlasted veteran Argentina player Shai Manzuri, 15-14, 10-15, 11-2.

There was only one tie-breaker in Women’s Singles Saturday. Merynanyelly Delgado of the Dominican Republic came back from a game down to defeat Maria Rodriguez of Guatemala, 6-15, 15-8, 11-5. However, Maria Paz Muñoz of Ecuador and Maricruz Ortiz of Costa Rica were about a close as possible over two games, as Muñoz won 15-13, 15-14.

The Dominican Republic’s Delgado also won a tie-breaker in Women’s Doubles, as she and Alejandra Jiménez came back to defeat Canadians Frédérique Lambert and Jennifer Saunders, 6-15, 15-12, 11-4. The Dominican Republic will play Bolivia Sunday, and Bolivians Angelica Barrios and Jenny Daza lost Saturday in a tie-breaker to Guatemalans Gabriela Martinez and Maria Rodriguez, 15-6, 3-15, 11-8.

Along with the Mexico-Dominican match there were couple other tie-breakers in Men’s Doubles. The USA’s Rocky Carson and Charles Pratt needed three games to defeat the veteran Argentina team of Fernando Kurzbard and Shai Manzuri, 15-11, 8-15, 11-4. Also, Canadians Coby Iwaasa and Samuel Murray went three games to beat Edwin Galicia and Juan Salavtierra of Guatemala, 15-10, 9-15, 11-0.

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

2019 Pan American Games, Lima, Peru

Group Stage Matches - Day 2

Men’s Singles

Pool A

Andres ACUÑA (Costa Rica) d. José UGALDE (Ecuador), 5-15, 15-9, 11-6
Conrrado MOSCOSO (Bolivia) - BYE

Pool B

Felipe CAMACHO (Costa Rica) d. Fernando RÍOS (Ecuador), 15-9, 11-15, 11-7
Alvaro BELTRAN (Mexico) - BYE

Pool C

Mario MERCADO (Colombia) d. Juan SALVATIERRA (Guatemala), 15-6, 15-7
Carlos KELLER (Bolivia) - BYE

Pool D

Rodrigo MONTOYA (Mexico) d. Erik MENDOZA (Peru), 15-1, 15-0
Ramón DE LEÓN (Dominican Republic) d. Maykel MOYET (Cuba), 15-10, 8-15, 11-10

Pool E

Jake BREDENBECK (USA) d. Jonathan LUQUE (Peru), 15-6, 15-1
Sebastian FRANCO (Colombia) d. Edwin GALICIA (Guatemala), 15-5, 15-11

Pool F

Samuel MURRAY (Canada) d. Fernando KURZBARD (Argentina), 15-7, 15-10
Luis PÉREZ (Dominican Republic) d. Enier CHACÓN (Cuba), 15-6, 15-5

Pool G

Coby IWAASA (Canada) d. Shai MANZURI (Argentina), 15-14, 10-15, 11-2
Charles PRATT (USA) d. Francisco TRONCOSO (Chile), 15-7, 15-2

Women’s Singles

Pool A

Gabriela MARTINEZ (Guatemala) d. Alejandra JIMÉNEZ (Dominican Republic), 15-3, 15-9
Maria José VARGAS (Argentina) - BYE

Pool B

Merynanyelly DELGADO (Dominican Republic) d. Maria RODRIGUEZ (Guatemala), 6-15, 15-8, 11-5
Paola LONGORIA (Mexico) - BYE

Pool C

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

Pool D

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

Pool E

Valeria CENTELLAS (Bolivia) d. Josefa PARADA (Chile), 15-1, 15-6
Cristina AMAYA (Colombia) d. María Regla VIERA (Cuba), 15-2, 15-9

Pool F

Maria Paz MUÑOZ (Ecuador) d. Maricruz ORTIZ (Costa Rica), 15-13, 15-14
Kelani LAWRENCE (USA) d. Jennifer SAUNDERS (Canada), 15-7, 15-5

Pool G

Angelica BARRIOS (Bolivia) d. Carla MUÑOZ (Chile), 15-10, 15-9
Maria José MUÑOZ (Ecuador) d. Loraine FELIPE (Cuba), 15-2, 15-4

Men’s Doubles

Pool A

Fernando RÍOS & José UGALDE (Ecuador) d. Sebastian FRANCO & Mario MERCADO (Colombia), 15-10, 15-9
Roland KELLER & Conrrado MOSCOSO (Bolivia) d. Jonathan LUQUE & Sebastian MENDIGURI (Peru), 15-0, 15-0

Pool B

Rocky CARSON & Charles PRATT (USA) d. Fernando KURZBARD & Shai MANZURI (Argentina), 15-11, 8-15, 11-4
Coby IWAASA & Samuel MURRAY (Canada) d. Edwin GALICIA & Juan SALVATIERRA (Guatemala), 15-10, 9-15, 11-0

Pool C

Javier MAR & Rodrigo MONTOYA (Mexico) d. Ramón DE LEÓN & Luis PEREZ (Dominican Republic), 8-15, 15-10, 11-10
Andres ACUÑA & Felipe CAMACHO (Costa Rica) d. Enier CHACÓN & Maykel MOYET (Cuba), 15-3, 15-1

Women’s Doubles

Pool A

Kelani LAWRENCE & Rhonda RAJSICH (USA) d. Maria José MUÑOZ & Maria Paz MUÑOZ (Ecuador), 15-10, 15-1
Paola LONGORIA & Samantha SALAS (Mexico) - BYE

Pool B

Natalia MENDEZ & Maria José VARGAS (Argentina) d. Loraine FELIPE & María Regla VIERA (Cuba), 15-2, 15-5
Cristina AMAYA & Adriana RIVEROS (Colombia) d. Carla MUÑOZ & Josefa PARADA (Chile), 15-5, 15-9

Pool C

Gabriela MARTINEZ & Maria RODRIGUEZ (Guatemala) d. Angelica BARRIOS & Jenny DAZA (Bolivia), 15-6, 3-15, 11-8
Merynanyelly DELGADO & Alejandra JIMÉNEZ (Dominican Republic) d. Frédérique LAMBERT & Jennifer SAUNDERS (Canada), 6-15, 15-12, 11-4

Follow the bouncing ball….

Play begins at 2019 Pan American Games

The racquetball competition began Friday at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, and right off the hop there are interesting results. As with other international racquetball events, the Pan Am Games has a group stage of matches that will seed players for the medal (or elimination) round. The group stage lasts three days, so the medal round will begin on Monday.

In Men’s Singles, Colombia’s Mario Mercado knocked off current Pan American Champion Carlos Keller of Bolivia, 15-14, 15-11, which should give Mercado the inside track to claim the 3rd seed in the medal round. Keller defeated the USA’s Charles Pratt to win Men’s Singles at the 2019 Pan Am Championships earlier this year, but Pratt also lost on Friday, as Canadian Coby Iwaasa defeated him in three games, 14-15, 15-11, 11-9.

In other matches, Samuel Murray - Iwaasa’s team-mate - also needed three games to win Friday, as he went the distance with Luis Pérez of the Dominican Republic, 15-13, 13-15, 11-0. Also, Conrrado Moscoso - Bolivia’s other player - needed a tie-breaker to fend off Andres Acuña of Costa Rica, 15-12, 9-15, 11-6. Finally, in a battle of two solid International Racquetball Tour (IRT) players, the USA’s Jake Bredenbeck beat Colombia’s Sebastian Franco, 15-10, 15-9.

In Women’s Singles, you could hardly get a closer match than the one played by Bolivian Valeria Centallas and Colombian Cristina Amaya, as they went three games with Cenellas narrowly coming out on top, 14-15, 15-14, 11-9. In another match that went breaker, Maria José Vargas of Argentina defeated Gabriela Martinez of Guatemala, 15-4, 12-15, 11-9.

Two somewhat surprising results were USA veteran Rhonda Rajsich beating young Mexican Montserrat Mejia, 15-4, 15-7, and Maria Paz Muñoz of Ecuador defeated Kelani Lawrence of the USA, 15-5, 15-6. Those results surprise us not by who won, but by the margin of victory, which was surprisingly decisive.

In Men’s Doubles there were two matches that went breaker on Friday. The USA’s Rocky Carson and Charles Pratt fended off Canadians Coby Iwaasa and Samuel Murray, 15-12, 10-15, 11-9. The Canadians led 9-7 in the breaker, but the USA got the serve back and won four straight points to win the match. Also, Dominicans Ramón De León and Luis Perez needed three games to defeat Cubans Enier Chacón and Maykel Moyet, 15-7, 4-15, 11-4.

Cuba and Canada were also involved in tie-breakers in Women’s Doubles. Cubans Loraine Felipe and María Regla Viera defeated Carla Muñoz and Josefa Parada of Chile, 6-15, 15-13, 11-9, while Bolivians Angelica Barrios and Jenny Daza beat Canadians Frédérique Lambert and Jennifer Saunders, 15-13, 10-15, 11-6.

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

2019 Pan American Games, Lima, Peru

Group Stage Matches - Day 1

Men’s Singles

Pool A

Conrrado MOSCOSO (Bolivia) d. Andres ACUÑA (Costa Rica), 15-12, 9-15, 11-6
José UGALDE (Ecuador) - BYE

Pool B

Alvaro BELTRAN (Mexico) d. Fernando RÍOS (Ecuador), 15-12, 15-2
Felipe CAMACHO (Costa Rica) - BYE

Pool C

Mario MERCADO (Colombia) d. Carlos KELLER (Bolivia), 15-14, 15-11
Juan SALVATIERRA (Guatemala) - BYE

Pool D

Rodrigo MONTOYA (Mexico) d. Ramón DE LEÓN (Dominican Republic), 15-0, 15-7
Maykel MOYET (Cuba) d. Erik MENDOZA (Peru), 15-3, 15-2

Pool E

Jake BREDENBECK (USA) d. Sebastian FRANCO (Colombia), 15-10, 15-9
Edwin GALICIA (Guatemala) d. Jonathan LUQUE (Peru), 15-3, 15-6

Pool F

Samuel MURRAY (Canada) d. Luis PÉREZ (Dominican Republic), 15-13, 13-15, 11-0
Enier CHACÓN (Cuba) d. Fernando KURZBARD (Argentina), 15-12, 15-12

Pool G

Shai MANZURI (Argentina) d. Francisco TRONCOSO (Chile), 15-4, 15-10
Coby IWAASA (Canada) d. Charles PRATT (USA), 14-15, 15-11, 11-9

Women’s Singles

Pool A

Maria José VARGAS (Argentina) d. Gabriela MARTINEZ (Guatemala), 15-4, 12-15, 11-9
Alejandra JIMÉNEZ (Dominican Republic) - BYE

Pool B

Paola LONGORIA (Mexico) d. Merynanyelly DELGADO (Dominican Republic), 15-3, 15-2
Maria RODRIGUEZ (Guatemala) - BYE

Pool C

Natalia MENDEZ (Argentina) d. Adriana RIVEROS (Colombia), 15-10, 15-13
Lilian ZEA (Venezuela) - BYE

Pool D

Rhonda RAJSICH (USA) d. Montserrat MEJIA (Mexico), 15-4, 15-7
Frédérique LAMBERT (Canada) - BYE

Pool E

María Regla VIERA (Cuba) d. Josefa PARADA (Chile), 15-1, 15-4
Valeria CENTELLAS (Bolivia) d. Cristina AMAYA (Colombia), 14-15, 15-14, 11-9

Pool F

Maria Paz MUÑOZ (Ecuador) d. Kelani LAWRENCE (USA), 15-5, 15-6
Maricruz ORTIZ (Costa Rica) d. Jennifer SAUNDERS (Canada), 15-8, 14-15, 11-8

Pool G

Angelica BARRIOS (Bolivia) d. Maria José MUÑOZ (Ecuador), 15-3, 15-5
Carla MUÑOZ (Chile) d. Loraine FELIPE (Cuba), 15-12, 15-2

Men’s Doubles

Pool A

Fernando RÍOS & José UGALDE (Ecuador) d. Jonathan LUQUE & Sebastian MENDIGURI (Peru), 15-2, 15-1
Roland KELLER & Conrrado MOSCOSO (Bolivia) d. Sebastian FRANCO & Mario MERCADO (Colombia), 15-7, 15-4

Pool B

Rocky CARSON & Charles PRATT (USA) d. Coby IWAASA & Samuel MURRAY (Canada), 15-12, 10-15, 11-9
Fernando KURZBARD & Shai MANZURI (Argentina) d. Edwin GALICIA & Juan SALVATIERRA (Guatemala), 15-9, 15-10

Pool C

Javier MAR & Rodrigo MONTOYA (Mexico) d. Andres ACUÑA & Felipe CAMACHO (Costa Rica), 15-2, 15-0
Ramón DE LEÓN & Luis PEREZ (Dominican Republic) d. Enier CHACÓN & Maykel MOYET (Cuba), 15-7, 4-15, 11-4

Women’s Doubles

Pool A

Paola LONGORIA & Samantha SALAS (Mexico) d. d. Maria José MUÑOZ & Maria Paz MUÑOZ (Ecuador), 15-4, 15-3
Kelani LAWRENCE & Rhonda RAJSICH (USA) - BYE

Pool B

Natalia MENDEZ & Maria José VARGAS (Argentina) d. Cristina AMAYA & Adriana RIVEROS (Colombia), 15-11, 15-6
Loraine FELIPE & María Regla VIERA (Cuba) d. Carla MUÑOZ & Josefa PARADA (Chile), 6-15, 15-13, 11-9

Pool C

Angelica BARRIOS & Jenny DAZA (Bolivia) d. Frédérique LAMBERT & Jennifer SAUNDERS (Canada), 15-13, 10-15, 11-6
Gabriela MARTINEZ & Maria RODRIGUEZ (Guatemala) d. Merynanyelly DELGADO & Alejandra JIMÉNEZ (Dominican Republic), 15-1, 15-8

Follow the bouncing ball….

2019 Pan Am Games Qualification

The 2019 Pan American Championships finished late last month in Barranquilla, Colombia, and it was the qualifying event for the 2019 Pan American Games that will take place in Lima, Peru this summer. The results from Barranquilla were used to determine how many players each country can send to Lima.

The qualification results have now been posted on the IRF Website. Most countries have qualified to send two players to Lima, so those two will need to play both singles and doubles. But there are a few exceptions.

Peru, as the host country, qualified to have three men in the Pan Am Games, as they had three men competing in Barranquilla. Mexico and the USA can also send three men to Lima, and Bolivia can send four, as they won gold in both Men’s Singles and Men’s Doubles in Barranquilla.

On the women’s side, Mexico can send four women to Lima, as they won both Women’s Singles and Women’s Doubles at the Pan American Championships. Argentina, Bolivia and Colombia can send three women. Note: the qualification slots are not tied to specific players, so the players who will be in Lima need not be those who were in Barranquilla.

Team results

Only one country at the Pan American Championships was in the top three in both the Men’s and Women’s competitions: Mexico, who won the Women’s event and tied for 2nd in the Men’s event. (note: winning here is simply the combined number of points from a country’s players’ performances in singles and doubles). Bolivia topped the Men’s event with the USA tied for 2nd with Mexico. Argentina was 2nd in the Women’s event with Colombia 3rd.

There were two multiple medalists in Barranquilla. Mexican Paola Longoria won gold in both Women’s Singles and Women’s Doubles, while Costa Rican Andres Acuña was a bronze medalist in both Men’s Singles and Men’s Doubles.

If you want to watch some of the matches that happened in Barranquilla, check out the IRF Facebook page. Often the IRF will put the videos up on their IRF YouTube channel, but that doesn’t seem to have been done as yet.

Number of players qualified for 2019 Pan American Games, Lima, Peru

Men

Peru - 3
Bolivia - 4
Mexico - 3
USA - 3
Canada - 2
Costa Rica - 2
Colombia - 2
Ecuador - 2
Dominican Republic - 2
Cuba - 2
Guatemala - 2
Argentina - 2
Chile - 1

Women

Mexico - 4
Argentina - 3
Bolivia - 3
Colombia - 3
Ecuador - 2
USA - 2
Canada - 2
Dominican Republic - 2
Cuba - 2
Guatemala - 2
Chile - 2
Venezuela - 2
Costa Rica - 1

XXXII Pan American Racquetball Championships
Barranquilla, Colombia - April 12-20, 2019

Team results

Men’s Team

1) Bolivia - 432
2) Mexico - 272
2) USA - 272
4) Costa Rica - 226
5) Canada - 208
6) Ecuador - 120
7) Dominican Republic - 118
8) Colombia - 110
9) Guatemala - 100
10) Cuba - 90
11) Argentina - 84
12) Chile - 56
13) Venezuela - 48
14) Peru - 40
14) Honduras - 40

Women’s Team

1) Mexico - 432
2) Argentina - 272
3) Colombia - 224
4) Bolivia - 212
5) Ecuador - 180
6) USA - 140
7) Canada - 116
8) Dominican Republic - 110
9) Cuba - 100
10) Guatemala - 90
11) Chile - 82
11) Venezuela - 82
13) Costa Rica - 18

Combined Team

1) Mexico - 704
2) Bolivia - 644
3) USA - 412
4) Argentina - 356
5) Colombia - 334
6) Canada - 324
7) Ecuador - 300
8) Costa Rica - 244
9) Dominican Republic - 228
10) Guatemala - 190
10) Cuba - 190
12) Chile - 138
13) Venezuela - 130
14) Peru - 40
14) Honduras - 40

Individual Results Summary

Women's Singles

GOLD - Paola Longoria (Mexico)
SILVER - María José Vargas (Argentina)
BRONZE - Maria Paz Muñoz (Ecuador) and Natalia Mendez (Argentina)

Men's Singles

GOLD - Carlos Keller (Bolivia)
SILVER - Charles Pratt (USA)
BRONZE - Alvaro Beltran (Mexico) and Andres Acuña (Costa Rica)

Women's Doubles

GOLD - Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas (Mexico)
SILVER - Valeria Centellas & Yazmine Sabja (Bolivia)
BRONZE - Cristina Amaya & Adriana Riveros (Colombia) and Danielle Drury & Jennifer Saunders (Canada)

Men's Doubles

GOLD - Roland Keller & Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia)
SILVER - Coby Iwaasa & Samuel Murray (Canada)
BRONZE - Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya (Mexico) and Andres Acuña & Felipe Camacho (Costa Rica)

Follow the bouncing ball….

2015 Pan American Games & 2019

The 2015 Pan American Games racquetball competition will begin Sunday in Toronto, and already there is good news, as the International Racquetball Federation (IRF) announced that racquetball will be in the 2019 Pan Am Games in Lima, Peru.

Racquetball was introduced to the Pan Am Games in 1995 in Argentina. It’s been in each Pan Am Games since, except 2007 in Rio de Janeiro. Brazil. It’s great news that racquetball will be in again in 2019.

No live streaming

We’ve seen some people asking about live streaming of matches from Toronto. Understand that like the Olympics, the Pan American Games is is a major sporting event, and as such, broadcasters have paid big money for the rights to broadcast the games. Thus, they have control over live media coverage of the event.

The CBC (www.cbc.ca) has live streamed some of the events over the web, and they have had some events on television, although few have been live, which has gotten them plenty of criticism. Thus, it’s unclear whether there will be any live racquetball coverage in Toronto. Perhaps there will be via a Spanish language channel.

If we find out anything, we will be sure to let you know.

The Racquetball Blog staff will be on site in Toronto, so please follow our coverage here, and on Twitter: @racquetballblog. We’re looking forward to it, and hope you are too.

Follow the bouncing ball….