1:41 am
16 Oct 2024

Mexico Excels At Pan Am Juniors In Paraguay

4 Jul 2017

Mexico claimed the lion's share of the gold medals in the 2017 Pan American Junior Squash Championships - in all cases winning against expectations at Club Internacional de Tenis in the Paraguay capital Asuncion.

Second-seeded Mexicans Leonel Cardenas and Dina Anguiano Gomez brushed aside all opposition in the men's and women's individual U19 championships, respectively: 17-year-old Cardenas overcoming Colombian Matias Knudsen 11-6, 9-11, 11-2, 11-8 in the men's final, whilst in the other final Gomez recovered from a game down to upset US favourite Sumrin Mudgil 9-11, 11-7, 11-8, 11-5.

Gomez, aged just 15, was again in winning form against her 18-year-old US rival in the Women's Team Championship final - leading Mexico to a 2/1 victory over top seeds USA.

Mexico also outplayed the top seeds in the Men's Team Championship final - upsetting Colombia 2/1 to claim the fourth gold in the week.

However, there was double success for Colombia in the Doubles championships - Colombian pair Matias Knudsen & Ronald Palomino claiming gold in the Men's event and compatriots Sophia Giraldo & Maria Tovar Perez prevailing in the Women's event.

Ecuador bagged the Mixed Doubles gold medal when Maria Paula Moya & David Costales upset top-seeded Mexican duo Miriam Alejandra Ortiz Rubio & Carlos Alejandro Ayala Jauregui in the final.

After the region's major annual junior event drew to a close with the Team championship finals, Paraguayan Tournament Director Esteban Casarino said: "They were probably one of the best finals to date for the Panam Juniors - all three matches of both finals were the perfect end to a great week.

"The weather was great, the atmosphere among players was fantastic, brutal fights but fair all the time, the squash community in Asuncion is very, very, thankful!"

Men's U19 quarter-finals:
[5/8] Matias Knudsen (COL) bt Carlos Alejandro Ayala Jauregui (MEX) 11-3, 11-7, 11-9
[3/4] Alejandro Enriquez (GUA) bt [5/8] Inaki de Larrauri (COL) 9-11, 11-3, 11-5, 11-8
[3/4] Ronald Palomino (COL) bt [5/8] Matias Lacroix Nova (CHI) 11-4, 11-8, 11-8
[2] Leonel Cardenas (MEX) bt [5/8] Juan Barreyro (ARG) 11-5, 13-11, 8-11, 11-7
Semi-finals:
[5/8] Matias Knudsen (COL) bt [3/4] Alejandro Enriquez (GUA) 11-6, 11-6, 11-8
[2] Leonel Cardenas (MEX) bt [3/4] Ronald Palomino (COL) 11-9, 6-11, 6-11, 11-3, 11-7
Final:
[2] Leonel Cardenas (MEX) bt [5/8] Matias Knudsen (COL) 11-6, 9-11, 11-2, 11-8

Women's U19 quarter-finals:
[1] Sumrin Mudgil (USA) bt [5/8] Sophia Giraldo (COL) 11-7, 11-3, 11-1
[5/8] Riya Mital (USA) bt [9/16] Maria Paula Moya (ECU) 11-8, 11-7, 14-12
[3/4] Maria Tovar Perez (COL) bt [9/16] Emily Rose (USA) 11-13, 11-4, 11-8, 11-6
[2] Dina Anguiano Gomez (MEX) bt [5/8] Jane Pincus (USA) 11-5, 11-3, 11-4
Semi-finals:
[1] Sumrin Mudgil (USA) bt [5/8] Riya Mital (USA) 11-8, 12-10, 13-15, 13-11
[2] Dina Anguiano Gomez (MEX) bt [3/4] Maria Tovar Perez (COL) 11-3, 11-4, 11-7
Final:
[2] Dina Anguiano Gomez (MEX) bt [1] Sumrin Mudgil (USA) 9-11, 11-7, 11-8, 11-5

Men's U19 Doubles Final:
[2] Matias Knudsen & Ronald Palomino (COL) bt [1] Leonel Cardenas & Jorge Gomez (MEX)
10-11, 11-1, 11-4

Women's U19 Doubles Final:
[3/4] Sophia Giraldo & Maria Tovar Perez (COL) bt [1] Dina Anguiano Gomez & Fabiola Cabello Gomez (MEX)
11-10, 7-11, 11-10

Mixed U19 Doubles Final:
[3/4] Maria Paula Moya & David Costales (ECU) bt [1] Miriam Alejandra Ortiz Rubio & Carlos Alejandro Ayala Jauregui (MEX)
11-9, 10-11, 11-10

Men's Team Championship Final:
[2] MEXICO bt [1] COLOMBIA 2/1
Leonel Cardenas lost to Ronald Palomino 8-11, 11-9, 9-11, 7-11
Carlos Alejandro Ayala Jauregui bt Inaki de Larrauri 8-11, 11-9, 8-11, 11-9, 11-8
Jorge Gomez bt Matias Knudsen 11-9, 12-10, 10-12, 9-11, 14-12

Women's Team Championship Final:
[2] MEXICO bt [1] USA 2/1
Dina Anguiano Gomez bt Sumrin Mudgil 11-9, 7-11, 11-7, 11-8
Miriam Alejandra Ortiz Rubio lost to Jane Pincus 9-11, 9-11, 3-11
Fabiola Cabello Gomez bt Riya Mital 12-10, 11-9, 8-11, 4-11, 11-8