04 Dec 2017

First place in the group at the end of the initial stage of play on Saturday 2nd December in the Men’s Team events in Class 6-7 and Class 9-10 was the outcome for the leading outfits at the 2017 American Para Championships in San José, Costa Rica with Brazil and Chile very much to the fore.

Brazil’s Paulo Salmin and Gustavo Laskosky, the top seeds, duly finished in first place in their group in Class 6-7 as did the Chilean outfit comprising Cristian Dettoni, Matias Pino Lorca and Ignacio Torres, the second seeds. Likewise in Class 9-10, also from Brazil, Claudio Massad, Diego Moreira and Lucas Dos Santos topped their group, a position similarly achieved by the Chile’s Alvaro Guttierz, Manuel Echaveguren and Gustavo Castro, the second seeds.

by Ian Marshall, ITTF Publications Editor

In a not too dissimilar manner, in Women’s Team Class 1-5, it was a successful day for the top seeds; at the close of play on the penultimate day of action the Mexican trio of Edith Sigala, Martha Verdin and Alma Padilla remained the one unbeaten outfit in the group organised event.

However in the remaining Men’s Team categories there were surprises.

In Class 3 the top seeded Argentine trio of Gabriel Copola, Fernando Eberhardt and Guillermo Bustamente completed their initial phase fixtures in top spot in their group but Brazil’s Iranildo Espindola, Guilherme Marcio da Costa and Lacordaire Viana de Menezes, the second seeds experienced a two-one defeat at the hands of Chile’s Luis Bustamente and Alfonso Diaz. They duly remained unbeaten. Both teams have one more match to play in the group phase.

Somewhat similarly in Class 4-5 Argentina’s top seeded trio of Mauro Dpergola, Daniel Rodriguez and Elias Romero finished in first place in their group but the second seeded Brazilian combination of Alexandre Maciera, Aloisio Lima and Conrado Contessi had to settle for second position. They suffered a two-nil defeat at the hands of Chile’s Cristian Gonzalez and Maximiliano Rodriguez who duly remained unbeaten to finish in first place.

Problems for the second seeds, in Class 8 it was problems for the top seeds and for the second seeds.

The Canadian outfit formed by Ian Kent, Masoud Mojtahed and Curtis Caron experienced a two-one defeat at the hands of Argentina’s Alejandro Perez, Aleksy Kaniuka and Pablo Kroztch. They remained unbeaten to reserve top spot. The Canadians finished in runners up spot.

However, for the second seeded Chilean outfit formed by Osvaldo Torres, Jaime Jara and Ruperto Morales it was a day to forget; fourth place in the group was their lot. Top spot was secured by Ecuador’s Paul Polo and David Vasquez with the Colombian trio of Ciro Triana, Diego Henao and Jesus Garcia in second spot.

Play in San José concludes on Sunday 3rd December.

 São Paulo – ITTF/PTT Level One Course
Photos: Carlos Borbon

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