29 Sep 2017

Titles one day earlier in the team events at the 2017 Latin American Under 11 and Under 13 Championships in Asuncion, Paraguay, one day later on Thursday 28th September, there was further success from those who had attracted the attention.

Gold medallists in three of the four events on offer, once again aspiring Brazilians took centre stage.

by Ian Marshall, ITTF Publications Editor

Successful together, Gustavo Gertsmann and Shim Joon were equally successful apart.

In the Under 13 Boys’ Singles event, both topped their respective groups; notably, for the host nation so did Elias Apud. At the quarter-final stage of the Under 13 Boys’ Team event, he had beaten both Brazilians.

Continued good form from the Brazilians, for Mexico’s Rogelio Castro and Leonardo Perez, the runners up the previous day, it was mixed fortunes. Rogelio Castro duly topped his group but Leonardo Perez was beaten by Puerto Rico’s Angel Naranjo (11-6, 11-3, 11-9), one of the very few players who has been able to make the journey from the island devastated by Hurricane Maria some eight days ago.

Second place behind the unbeaten Puerto Rican was the lot of Leonardo Perez and thus progress to the main draw. Players finishing in first and second positions in each group advance to the knock-out stage.

Likewise, in the Under 11 Boys’ Singles event, Leonardo IIzuka and Guilherme Marchiori secured first places; with Peru’s silver medallists of one day earlier, Julio Villar and Renzo Zeballos experiencing differing fortunes.

Renzo Zeballos topped his group but Julio Villar had to settle for runners up spot. He experienced defeat by the narrowest of margins when facing the Dominican Republic’s Rafael Cabrera (11-6, 7-11, 8-11, 13-11, 14-12). Impressively Rafael Cabrera remained unbeaten to secure first place.

Also from Brazil, for Giulia Takahashi and Beatriz Kanashiro, the Under 13 Girls’ Team champions, it was first place but in a slightly different manner. Beatrix Kanashiro finished in first position in her group in the Under 11 Girls’ Singles event; Giulia Takahashi in the Under 13 Girls’ Team competition.

Meanwhile, in the Under 11 Girls’ Team event, the one title to date to elude Brazilian hands, the gold medallists, the Ecuadorian pair comprising Angelica Arellano and José Maria Borja duly reserved first places in their Under 11 Girls’ Singles initial phase groups.

Notably, following the pattern of their male counterparts; the outfits who claimed the second steps of the podium experienced differing outcomes.

In the Under 13 Girls’ Singles event Peru’s Lucciana Cisneros duly topped her group but Alejandra Prieto was beaten by Mexico’s Arantxa Cossio (11-5, 11-13, 11-8, 11-4). Likewise in the Under 11 Girls’ Singles competition, it was first place for Guatemala’s Jenny Cux, second place for colleague Kimbely Garcia; she suffered defeat when facing Peru’s Valentina Zea (11-3, 11-5, 12-10).

Arantxa Cossio and Kimbely Garcia duly remained unbeaten to reserve first places.

Play in Asuncion concludes on Saturday 30th September.

2017 Latin American Under 13 and Under 11 Championships: Participating National Associations (Monday 25th September)

2017 Latin American Under 13 and Under 11 Championships: List of Players (Monday 25th September)

2017 Latin American Under 13 and Under 11 Championships: Seeding Under 13 Boys’ Team & Under 13 Girls’ Team (Monday 25th September)

2017 Latin American Under 13 and Under 11 Championships: Results – Under 11 Boys’ Team (Wednesday 27th September)

2017 Latin American Under 13 and Under 11 Championships: Results – Under 11 Girls’ Team (Wednesday 27th September)

2017 Latin American Under 13 and Under 11 Championships: Results – Under 13 Boys’ Team (Wednesday 27th September)

2017 Latin American Under 13 and Under 11 Championships: Results – Under 13 Girls’ Team (Wednesday 27th September)

2017 Latin American Under 13 and Under 11 Championships: Results – Under 11 Boys’ Singles – Stage One (Thursday 28th September)

2017 Latin American Under 13 and Under 11 Championships: Results – Under 11 Girls’ Singles – Stage One (Thursday 28th September)

2017 Latin American Under 13 and Under 11 Championships: Results – Under 13 Boys’ Singles – Stage One (Thursday 28th September)

2017 Latin American Under 13 and Under 11 Championships: Draw – Under 13 Boys’ Singles (Thursday 28th February)

2017 Latin American Under 13 and Under 11 Championships: Results – Under 13 Girls’ Singles – Stage One (Thursday 28th September)

2017 Latin American Under 13 and Under 11 Championships: Draw – Under 13 Girls’ Singles (Thursday 28th February)

2017 Latin American Under 13 and Under 11 Championships: Draw – Under 11 Boys’ Doubles

2017 Latin American Under 13 and Under 11 Championships: Draw – Under 11 Girls’ Doubles

2017 Latin American Under 13 and Under 11 Championships: Draw – Under 11 Mixed Doubles

2017 Latin American Under 13 and Under 11 Championships: Draw – Under 13 Boys’ Doubles

2017 Latin American Under 13 and Under 11 Championships: Draw – Under 13 Girls’ Doubles

2017 Latin American Under 13 and Under 11 Championships: Draw – Under 13 Mixed Doubles

2017 Latin American Under 11 & Under 13 Championships Brazil Ecuador