August 6, 2010
Favorites Progress in Boys’ Team Event but Top Seeded Girls Hit Trouble
 Analdy Lopez who partnered Mabelyn Enriquez to gold in the Junior Girls' Team event Photo By: Fernando Aguilar |
Courtesy of ITTF Meanwhile, in the Junior Girls’ Team competition it was success for Guatemala `A’ in the guise of Mabelyn Enriquez and Analdy Lopez. |
The duo of Jorge Navarro and Samuel Novota duly confirmed their top seeded position beating the El Salvador `B’ Team of Erick Aviles and Julio Calderon in the semi-finals, before recording a final victory over the partnership of Allan Gutierrez and Gabriel Orellana.
Semi-Final Sadness for El Salvador
It was a case of semi-final sadness for El Salvador; the partnership of Juan Henriquez and Luis Mejia experienced a penultimate round reverse against Allan Gutierrez and Gabriel Orellana.
Junior Girls’ Team Competition
Meanwhile in the Junior Girls’ Team competition, Guatemala `A’ represented by Mabelyn Enriquez and Analdy Lopez overcame the partnership of Ecuador’s Tania Almendariz and Guatemala’s Mechael Norale in the semi-finals before ousting compatriots Eva Godoy and Hellen Salazar of Guatemala `B’ in the final.
In the corresponding semi-final, Eva Godoy and Hellen Salazar had beaten compatriots Andrea Montufar and Madelyn Salazar of Guatemala D.
Relieved Competition Manager
At the end of the day for Ramon Ortega Montes, the ITTF Competition Manager on duty it was a case of all’s well that ends well; to date he has survived a breakdown in communication with the internet deciding not to co-operate and a power cut.
The lights went out in Guatemala!
Continents Combine
However, one very pleasant touch; at the Hong Kong Junior Open which is taking place at the same time it was good to see three players from three continents forming a team in the guise of Egypt’s Dina Meshref, Brazil’s Caroline Kumahara and Thailand’s Suthasini Sawettabut.
Well, it has not quite happened in Guatemala but Slovakia’s Barbora Balazova would seem to have made friends with Ecuador’s Tania Almendariz; the Slovakian has asked the young lady from Guayaquil to partner her in the Junior Girls’ Team and Junior Girls’ Doubles events in El Salvador next week.
Feeling Honored
I suspect Tania Almendariz, who like Barbora Balazova, has a chance of qualifying for the ITTF Junior Circuit Finals in Hyderabad, feels somewhat honored at the prospect of partnering Europe’s third ranked junior girl!
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