05/28/2011        2011 ITTF-Latin American Championships

Chile’s 27 year old Paulina Vega caused the major upset in the quarter-finals of the Women’s Singles event at the ITTF-Latin American Championships in Guadalajara on Saturday 28th May 2011 and in so doing ended the hopes of the host nation.

Seeded no.10, in four straight games she beat Yadira Silva, the no.3 seed and reigning Latin American Women’s Singles champion, to book her place in the semi-finals.
Playing a most assured fashion, well balanced throughout the duel, Paulina Vega won 12-10, 11-4, 11-7, 11-7.

Honours Even
“I’ve played Yadira twice before, won one and lost one”, explained Paulina Vega. “Today my forehand topspin was working well; that’s the major reason why I was able to win.”

Certainly the forehand topspin was the master stroke but Paulina Vega kept the unforced errors to a minimum and maintained the pressure on her adversary.

Service Variation
“It was important that I varied my services”, continued Paulina Vega. “Also, it was vital that I returned service well and controlled her first attack.”

The left handed Paulina Vega from Santiago grew in confidence following the close first game but even before that game she had a few degrees of self-belief.

An Air of Confidence
“I wasn’t nervous before the match”, smiled Paulina Vega. “I’ve not lost a singles match yet; I won all my matches in the team event.”

Former Champion Falls
Success for Chile but there was defeat.

Berta Rodriguez, who won the Latin American Women’s Singles title in both 2001 and 2002, was beaten by Brazil’s Ligia Silva, the no.2 seed, in a five games duel; the Brazilian won 11-3, 9-11, 11-9, 11-7, 11-6.

Brave Effort
Victory for Brazil in the quarter-finals of the Women’s Singles event but there was a reverse; however, it was a reverse with honour and dignity.

Jessica Yamada extended top seeded Wu Xue from the Dominican Republic to six games, a feat rarely achieved against a player who has never lost a singles match against a fellow Latin American.

It was a brave performance with Wu Xue eventually winning 7-11, 11-4, 11-8, 11-6, 9-11, 11-3.

Semi-Finals
At the semi-final stage Wu Xue plays Paulina Vega, whilst Ligia Silva confronts Colombia’s Paula Medina.

In the quarter-finals, Paula Medina, seeded no.4, overcame Venezuela´s Fabiola Ramos, seeded no.5, in five games.

Paula Medina won 11-3, 11-8, 11-4, 10-12, 11-8.