2024 ITTF Pan American Championships (October 13-20 in El Salvador)​

ITTF Tournament Links: https://www.ittf.com/tournament/2996/2024 ITTF Pan American Championships/

Live scoring: https://results.ittf.com/ittf-web-results/html/TTE2996/results.html#/live

It's $15 to watch the matches on Paddeo Live (available through ITTF Americas app).

R16 Doubles matches have started and Kanak Jha plays (MS R32) in a couple hours along with many others!

Wed, Oct 16 - Update

Men's Singles: Kanak Jha def. Ramon Vila (4-0) and Rogelio Castro (4-3, great match)... now faces Hugo Calderano in the Quarterfinals. Brazil has a male player in each MS QF match (Calderano, Teodoro, Ishiy, and Iizuka). Edward Ly defeated Jishan Liang (4-0), Horacio Cifuentes def. NIcolas Burgos (4-3, epic). Francisco Sanchi of Argentina rounds out the MS QF after defeating Gustavo Gomez (4-2).

Women's Singles: Today's QF matchups are Adriana Diaz vs Laura Watanabe, Jessica Reyes Lai vs Giulia Takahashi, Amy Wang vs Paulina Vega, and Bruna Takahashi vs Zhiying Zeng.

Men's Doubles: SF - Argentina vs Brazil and Cuba vs Canada

Women's Doubles: SF - Cuba vs Chile and Brazil vs Mexico

Mixed Doubles: Finals: In their first official mixed doubles debut tournament, Hugo Calderano and Bruna Takahashi will play for the win against another pair from Brazil, Guilherme Teodoro and Giulia Takahashi.

A lot of great matches expected today and tomorrow... then the teams tournament starts up on Friday, Oct 18.

Men’s Singles - Quarterfinal Results

Horacio Cifuentes (ARG) completed a remarkable comeback against Guilherme Teodoro (BRA), from down 1-3 in games to win 4-3 in the decider. Horacio increased the aggression midway through but the games still went down to the wire. The sharp reflexes and astonishing athleticism of Cifuentes were on full display in this thrilling match.

Rising star Edward Ly (CAN) had an intense battle with Vitor Ishiy (BRA). Ly was up 3-2 in games and 5-1 in points, but Ishiy managed to go on a tear to win G6 and brought this match to the 7th. Vitor locked in to start the decider, up 5-2 at the side change. Ishiy finished it 11-3 to clearly take the 7th game and match.

Kanak Jha (USA) won a close G1 and then Hugo Calderano (BRA) came back strong to clearly take the 2nd. In G3, Calderano went out to a ripping start but Kanak brought it back close to even, 5-7 at the second towel break. Hugo Calderano efficiently won the game and went up 2-1. Kanak started strong in G4 and then had to call a TO to stop Calderano's momentum as his lead was disappearing, up 9-8. HC ended up taking the game to go up 3-1. Another strong effort from Kanak in G5 but HC takes the game 11-9 to close it out. A dominant performance from Hugo overall, who looks to be on his way to the expected outcome in this championship.

A clear game 1 win for Leandro Iizuka (BRA) but Francisco Sanchi (ARG) fought back to tie it up 1-1. G3 saw scores of 5-5, 9-9, and deuce… it was a truly back and forth affair but Iizuka managed to take G3. There was a slight momentum shift back into Iizuka’s favor that carried through G4, leaving Iizuka up 3-1. A fast start to G5 for Iizuka but Sanchi clamped down and battled back to make it 6-6. Iizuka closed the match out emphatically, winning 11-8 in G5 and 4-1.


Women’s Singles - Quarterfinal Results

An easy 4-0 win for Adriana Diaz (PUR) vs Laura Watanabe (BRA).

Giulia Takahashi (BRA) went up 3-1 after dropping the first set to Jessica Reyes Lai (USA). Reyes Lai took the 5th game but ultimately, G. Takahashi won 4-2.

A fast start for Amy Wang (USA) going up against Paulina Vega (CHI), but things tightened up at the end of G1 to go into deuce. Amy’s trademark transitions and smooth sequences quickly closed it out 12-10. Vega stormed out in G2 up 7-3, 9-4, meeting late resistance from Wang to narrow the gap to 10-7 and forcing a TO from Vega. Vega won G2 to even things up at one game a piece. Amy answered back big time 11-2 in G3, hitting her stride to go up 2-1. More of the same in the next game, winning 11-3 to take G4. In G5, Vega quickly surpasses her total amount of points scored in the two previous games, going up 6-2. Amy chased Vega down throughout the game, tying it up at 8-8 and continued her run of points to get a game and match point, winning G5 11-8 and 4-1.

The crafty double-inverted chopper Zhiying Zeng (CHI) went up 4-1 to start G1, but Bruna Takahashi (BRA) quickly evened it up before rocketing ahead. No real resistance or surprises here going up 1-0 in games. A 6-0 start to G2 for Takahashi. An incredible rally put Zhiying on the board but the Takahashi tornado tore through the defensive chops of Tanya Zeng. Somehow the point at 10-1 turns into an exhibition with Tanya taking it as a result of a wonderful save. 11-2 for BT in G2 for an even more dominant showing. Zhiying Zeng matches have a tendency to take awhile, but not this one. Bruna takes G3 11-1, despite some excellent exchanges and changes of pace from the defender. Takahashi wins 11-5 in G4 and 4-0.


Men's & Women's Singles Semi-final Matchups

The Men’s Singles semi-final matches are Hugo Calderano vs Horacio Cifuentes and Leonardo Iizuka vs Vitor Ishiy.

The Women’s Singles semi-final matches are Adriana Diaz vs Giulia Takahashi and Amy Wang vs Bruna Takahashi.


A Pan American Clásico in the making... Who will bring their A-game?

Men's Doubles Semi-finals - Argentina vs Brazil and Cuba vs Canada

Horacio Cifuentes and Santiago Lorenzo (ARG) vs Guilherme Teodoro and Vitor Ishiy (BRA): A clean start for Argentina, winning two fairly straightforward games to go up 2-0. Brazil ran away with G3 starting out 7-1 and finishing 11-5. 2-1 Argentina. Highly-disputed G4 at 6-6 but the Argentinean pair managed to put the brakes on the surging Brazilians to go up 10-6. A service error from Ishiy leads Argentina to an 11-6 G4 win and 3-1.

Andy Pereira and Jorge Campos (CUB) vs Edward Ly and Simeon Martin (CAN): A brilliant game 1 by Canada’s Edward Ly and Simeon Martin got them up 10-4 but Cuba’s Andy Pereira and Jorge Campos fought back to 10-8. An exciting back and forth rally goes Canada’s way and they win G1 11-8. After Canada amassed a 4-1 lead in G2, Cuba called a timeout. A couple miraculous rallies later and some good teamwork allow Cuba to tie things up at 5-5. 6-6 at the 2nd towel break in G2. 8-8. 9-9. 10-10… Canada strikes first to go up 1 but then Campos of Cuba responds immediately with a ripping backhand. 11-11. There is a pause in the action for a bit (certainly longer than a minute, possibly something on Cuba’s side?). They resume and Cuba wins the game 13-11 to make things even at 1-1. Despite Canada only scoring 1 more point overall, it feels like they’ve been in control throughout the games so far. 3-3 at 1st towel break in G3. Cuba’s duo is leveraging their experience, variation, and resourcefulness to take control now. Cuba goes up 9-5 and wins G3 11-6 to go up 2-1. Canada is in a tough spot going up against the reigning Pan Am Games Gold Medalist Men’s pairing from Cuba. Canada calls a timeout trailing 0-3 in G4. Things do not change and now 8-4 at second towel break.Expert plays from the Cuban pair take them to win G4 11-6 and 3-1.


Women's Doubles Semi-finals - Cuba vs Chile and Brazil vs Mexico

Daniela Fonseca Carrazana and Estela Crespo (CUB) vs Paulina Vega and Daniela Ortega (CHI): Easy 2-0 start for Chile. Experienced left-hander Paulina Vega with technically sound teammate Daniela Ortega. Fonseca and Crespo fought back to lead 8-6 and 9-7 in G3. Tied up at 9-9, 11-9 Cuba in G3, 2-1 Chile. Dominant start to G4 for Chile up 5-0. After getting to 10-4 and losing a few game points, Chile called a TO at 10-6, wins 11-7 and 3-1.

Giulia Takahashi and Laura Watanabe (BRA) vs. Clio Barcenas and Arantxa Cossio Aceves (MEX): Close start 6-6 to 11-6 Brazil. 6-6 in G2. MEX up 9-7 after a service point and third-ball winner. Wins G2 11-7, closed it out exquisitely. Match all tied up at 1-1. Brazil up 5-3 in G3, now with a couple of kill shots to go up 7-3. The aggressive and punchy style of this pair from Brazil are proving hard to deal with. 8-4. Keeping up the pressure for the remainder of the game, Brazil takes G3 11-5 thanks to a thunderous forehand finish from Giulia Takahashi. 2-1 Brazil. 3-3 fiery start to G4. Epic flat counter-smash exchange. Brazil goes up 6-3 and forces Mexico to use their timeout. 9-3 at 2nd towel break G4. Brazil wins 11-4 and 3-1.


Women’s Doubles Finals: Giulia Takahashi and Laura Watanabe (BRA) vs Paulina Vega and Daniela Ortega (CHI) - Thursday, October 17th, 6:00 PM ET

Men’s Doubles Finals: Horacio Cifuentes and Santiago Lorenzo (ARG) vs Andy Pereira and Jorge Campos (CUB) - Thursday, October 17th, 6:35 PM ET


Mixed Doubles Finals: Hugo Calderano and Bruna Takahashi vs Guilherme Teodoro and Giulia Takahashi

Only minutes after the last women's doubles match, Ironman plays in the background while Giulia (who just finished playing) and Guilherme warm up ahead of their match. The lights flicker. Electronic Dance Music ensues. 20 minutes until the inevitable showdown with their fellow compatriots, the preeminent Pan-American mixed doubles pairing, Hugo Calderano and Bruna Takahashi. Who, after a small warmup period, made quick work of Jishan Liang and Amy Wang. The sky is the limit for this pair.

HCBT out to a cracking start 5-0. 7-3. Some big Calderano backhands going in, and a couple missing as well. 10-3 after a couple gigantic forehand counters from Calderano. This is an athletic affair. Teodoro with some big shots of his own to bring it to 10-5. Incredible back and forth counter smash rally to end it 11-5. Hugo and Bruna go up 1-0.

Strong start to G2 for Teodoro and Giulia, up 4-2 at first towel break. They are standing toe to toe and trading with their high-octane opponents. Up 7-3 now. Some great rallies and exchanges. Crafty play from Calderano to bring the lead down to 7-5 at 2nd towel break. 8-6. Creeping forward. 9-7. A few misses from Bruna after Giulia’s punches give them a game point and win G2 11-7. All tied up at 1-1.

Giulia’s rhythm-breaking style and punchy attacks combine well with Teodoro’s aggressive spin and counters on both sides. They force the opponents to deal with different pace, spin, and placement while complementing each other well with solid distance management and movement. Hugo and Bruna go up 6-4 in G3 with solid offensive spin-based play. Hugo’s backhand is in play again but Giulia with an excellent double bounce serve to bring it to 5-7 at 2nd towel break. 7-7 after Hugo’s serves are neutralized. Cracks showing in the wonder pair’s armor with an errant smack from Calderano. Giulia and Teodoro are buckling down and go up 9-7. Bruna serves but Hugo misses the third ball backhand over the table long. 10-7… 10-8 at the 3rd towel break after a backhand punch from Giulia goes into the net. Giulia has two serves. 10-9. One serve… Hugo gets his flick in but Teodoro is their to counter strong and they win G4 11-9. GTGT up 2-1.

Half-long deadball serve from Giulia to Bruna gets a long return to go up 1-0 but the next rally goes the other way, 1-1 in G4. A blistering forehand counter right off the bounce from Hugo followed by a heavy push hit into the net by Bruna. 2-2. The ping pong power couple get up 4-2 at the first towel break and continued bringing the heat, leading 6-2. GTGT clawing their way back into this. 6-4 with Bruna to serve. 7-5 at the second towel break. They are starting to overpower the B-Team, up 9-5. 11-5 in G4 after HCBT impose their will. 2-2 going to the decider. Momentum clearly in favor of Hugo and Bruna but the scrappy underdogs have proven to be up for the challenge so far.

Giulia with a strong serve return to start G5 but answered back quickly by Hugo. A missed backhand flick from Hugo and missed chop block from Guilherme have it tied up 2-2. A pair of strong plays, it’s 3 a piece at the first towel break. 5-3 GTGT at the side change. 6-4. 7-4, timeout called by Hugo and Bruna as the match starts to slip away from them. Big forehand attack from Bruna after the TO to bring it to 7-5. Guilherme and Giulia keep the pressure on, 8-5. Hugo and Bruna manage to withstand it, 8-6. Two points in a row, one service miss from Bruna and another awesome rally finish from Giulia to go up 10-6. 11-6 in G5 and a 3-2 victory for Giulia and Guilherme in a major upset vs the highly-regarded pairing of Hugo Calderano and Bruna Takahashi. Unbelievable outcome and truly impressive performance from Giulia Takahashi and Guilherme Teodoro. Wow!

Women's Semifinals start at 12 PM ET on Oct 17th with Amy Wang vs Bruna Takahashi and Adriana Diaz vs. Giulia Takahashi (1:40 PM). The Women's finals will be at 7:30 PM ET.

Men's semifinals are Leonardo Iizuka vs Vitor Ishiy (12:50 PM ET) and Hugo Calderano vs Horacio Cifuentes (2:30 PM). The Men's finals will be at 8:30 PM ET.

The action is heating up at the 2024 Pan American Championships in San Salvador, El Salvador!

Women's Semi-final #1 - Amy Wang (USA) vs Bruna Takahashi (BRA)

Amy out to a hot start in G1, up 5-1. Neither player has really looked 100% themselves so far in this tournament, but Bruna has seemed to struggle to find her groove in particular. 9-5, Amy is up with two serves. Strong rally but Amy finishes it, 10-5. Bruna saves a game point in a fast-paced Amy Wang-style rally, 10-6. 11-7 G1 win for Amy after a couple nice exchanges. 1-0 Wang.

I certainly expect G2 to continue where G1 left off with quick back and forth attacks from both players. Amy using her speed and Bruna tapping into her power.

G2 starts with 2 fast points for Amy Wang, smooth counter forehand. Bruna gets a point off her first serve but a netball return makes it 3-1 for Amy. 3-2 after a nice forehand block from Bruna against the Amy Wang parallel backhand open. 2-4 at the first towel break. Driving forehand from Bruna and Wang’s block goes into the net but a clean inside out backhand from Wang gets it to 5-3, followed with a serve point, 6-3. Bruna with a cracking backhand counter down the line to thwart Amy’s offense. 7-5 Amy at the second towel break. Momentum stalled for Wang a bit, and now an outright service error. Missed forehand attack from Amy ties it up at 7-7. Bruna returns the gift with a service miss on her first, but follows up immediately with a strong forehand attack from the baseline. 8-8. Spinny open from Wang is blocked back and the smash goes long, 8-9. At the third towel break, it's 9-9 here in G2 after a killer Wang forehand. Bruna to serve… Strong backhand attacks redirected by Wang to the wide forehand, 9-10. Another service point for Bruna, 10-10. Amy sets up and sends the battering ram forehand to go up 11-10. A nice spinny third ball forehand over the table from Bruna ties it back up as the block drifts wide. Amy continues to pressure with her forehand flat third-ball kills. Bruna returns the favor with a spinny forehand from below the table that causes a failed smash attempt. Wang switches to an off-pace spinny ball that catches Bruna’s block off guard as she was a step back. Amy follows up with another backhand to the wide forehand of Bruna that goes into the net. Amy wins G2 14-12 and seems to have a solid footing in this match in the face of Bruna’s spin and aggression. 2-0 Wang.

G3, Amy with the first point but Bruna gets a strong open in to tie it up at 1-1. A missed backhand flick by Bruna puts Amy up 2-1. Bruna’s spinny forehand open into Wang’s forehand is reliably scoring points. Stream error at 2-2. Overall the Paddeo Live coverage has been consistent and easy to use. We resume without missing a point. However, Bruna misses her backhand opening attack and it’s 2-3. 4-2 for Wang at the first towel break after her slower forehand open gets blocked into the net. 5-5 now after some points for Bruna. She’s down 5-7 at the second towel break in G3. Bruna is stringing together her attack sequences with greater success now. She has Amy on the defensive. 7-7 now but the audio seems to be delayed a few seconds on the stream after the issue. 8-8, this is a closely-contested game. Amy going into lockdown rally mode and outlasting Bruna to go up 10-8. No towel break for Amy and she closes G3 quickly 11-8 and is now up 3-0.

Bruna fighting to go up 2-1 in G4 but Amy is doing what Amy does and ties it up 2-2. It is going to be tremendously difficult to turn this match around for Bruna. Stream cuts out at 2-2. Not sure what the score is and sound is out, but Bruna is hitting some strong counters while Amy continues to pour it on. Amy is too quick with the redirections from the middle with her backhand, sending Bruna scrambling out to the wide forehand once again. A service error from Bruna and now Amy is up 5-3. 5-5 after solid receives from Bruna. Reliable backhand open on return for Amy sees the block go into the net. Amy is so good at varying the pace and spin, making it difficult to consistently respond to her attacks. 6-6 at 2nd towel break G4. Bruna with a tricky sidespin flick from near the baseline and goes up 8-6. She continues serving her forehand pendulum serve but now a little longer and to Amy’s middle, forcing a predictable backhand exchange. 10-6 for Bruna and she closes it out quickly with an 11-6 win in G4. 3-1 Amy Wang.

Bruna starts G5 with the same plan, spinny forehand open and then attack the block or counter strongly. Quick 2-0 for Bruna. Amy’s shovel serve gets sent into the bottom of the net and then a nice middling return that lets her start her offense. 2-2. Bruna continuing to target Amy’s elbow and varying the spin of her swiping pendulum serve to additional success. A strong backhand open and direction change puts Bruna up 4-2. She neutralizes Amy’s serve but can’t win the rally, 4-3. A blistering forehand counter ends the rally with authority and Bruna goes up 5-3 and has her serves. Net-ball sitter but her backhand goes long, 5-4. Changes the pendulum to short forehand and out rallies Wang, 6-4. Another sidespin flick but it flies too high and Amy kills it. 5-6. Strong spin from Bruna on the backhand side sends Amy’s block long. Bruna looks focused and Amy is slightly discouraged after the recent exchanges. 7-5 at the second towel break. Wow, a world-class backhand exchange goes on and Bruna holds tight to win it. 8-5. 9-5 Bruna after her second serve is returned high and long. Amy’s third ball forehand open from below the table goes into the net. Bruna closes G5 out 11-5! 3-2 Amy.

An epic comeback in the making? Or a flame that Wang will quickly extinguish?

The Brazilian coach, Jorge Franck, appears passionate in between games as he coaches Bruna. Bruna wins the first point of G6 in quick fashion but Amy answers with a serve that is returned right into the net. Amy sets up and executes her fading backhand open from her forehand side to Bruna’s wide forehand, being sent back into the net once again. 3-1 and Wang seems to have found her fire in between games. 4-1 Amy and Bruna is forced to use her timeout here in G6 with her tournament hopes on the line. This is a make or break moment for Bruna Takahashi. Amy with some astonishing blocks but Bruna doesn’t relent. She’s down 2-4 at the first towel break here in G6. Her serves have been effective… short serve clips the net and barely goes over, tensions are high. Thunderous forehand down the line ricochets off Wang’s paddle. Amy answers with a strong first serve to Bruna’s middle and aces her. But Bruna continues to fight and has her serves down 4-6. Bruna with a great net save on the forehand side with a shortened loop and narrows the deficit to 1. A net and edge ball! Double Happiness as Bruna ties it up 6-6 at the second towel break. Amy’s fast serve to the backhand kicks like a mule and flies into the abyss. 7-6 Amy. We’ve got a firefight on our hands here in El Salvador. 7-7 but Amy pulls out the trusty inside-out backhand to Bruna’s forehand that is printing points. Bruna serves and Amy moves over for the flick but it jumps, 8-8. Another fast flat serve to Bruna’s backhand and Amy is up 1. Now a fast one to the backhand middle of Bruna and Amy has her first match point up 10-8 at the third towel break. Bruna gets her attack in to Amy’s wide forehand to bring it to 10-9. Timeout for Amy as her Coach, Jun Gao, gives her specific advice and direction to close this match out. Bruna looks nervous and Amy has her trademark relaxed aura to her. Amy puts together two nice backhands to neutralize Takahashi’s serve but loses the rally. Deuce! 10-10. Amy serves long to the backhand middle but Bruna gets it back and wins the rally, 11-10 as Bruna serves here in G6. Wow! Amy’s forehand attack goes into the net and Bruna wins 12-10!

3-3… We are going to the seventh-game decider here, folks!

The table has been set for an almost unthinkable comeback from Bruna Takahashi. However, Amy Wang is a cool customer who closes things out when called upon. This is a semifinal battle for the ages.

G7, Bruna with the first serves. Heavy side underspin to the short forehand of Amy and it goes into the net. 1-0 Bruna. She does it this time with sidespin but Amy sends it back and then finishes the 4th ball. 1-1. Bruna gets her super spinny forehand in to the middle and Amy's block shoots long, 1-2. Now 3-1 Bruna and she is fired up. The audio on the stream is out but she is clearly celebrating these strong shots. 4-1 after a fanning backhand fade block to cover her middle. Bruna is up 5-1 at the first towel break and side change here in game 7. This is crazy!

Amy serves to the middle and gets her setup ball to attack and converts it. 2-5. A near-miss let and Amy reloads. Bruna somehow manages to cover both sides and return Amy’s attacks putting her up 6-2. Amy with an excellent inside-out forehand return of the half-long pendulum to her middle, but her next push return goes long. Amy trails 3-7 but has her serves. Classic forehand open to backhand smooth-counter gets Amy a point. 4-7. Bruna relentlessly targeting Amy’s middle in these exchanges which is causing Amy to freeze up. 8-4 Bruna at the second towel break. Amy uses that inside-out backhand open from the forehand baseline to get another point off exploiting Bruna’s wide forehand. Bruna continues the onslaught with her forehand open and backhand finish. Similar tactics from both ladies and Bruna is executing it to perfection. 5-9 and Amy gets a point off her serve being sent into the net. 6-9. Bruna with a brilliant short return and Wang’s backhand attack clips the net. 10-6 Bruna with a chance to seal the deal… Half-long pendulum into Amy’s middle doesn’t carry any underspin and is looped way long. Bruna just won 11-6 in G7 and 4-3.

What an amazing comeback from Bruna. She jumpstarts her Pan American Championship with this performance, making her way into the finals where she will face either fellow Pan American juggernaut Adriana Diaz of Puerto Rico, or her younger sister Giulia Takahashi.

The women’s finals take place tonight at 7:30 PM ET.

Men's Semi-finals #1 Leonardo Iizuka (BRA) vs Vitor Ishiy (BRA):

G1 is smooth sailing for Ishiy against his teammate. Ishiy fought valiantly against Edward Ly of Canada in the quarterfinals to set up this all-Brazilian Men’s semifinal. 1-0 Ishiy.

G2: Ishiy continues, getting off to a hot start but Iizuka battles back to tie things up at 4-4. Iizuka is pumped up on this run and takes the lead, getting ahead and then increasing his lead to 6-4. Ishiy answers back with a strong counter and a tricky serve, 6-6 at the second towel break. As quickly as the points were coming for Iizuka, now they are going Ishiy’s way as he goes back into the lead. 7-7 now as Iizuka forces Ishiy to retreat from the table under fire from his attacks. Vitor is seasoned and secure, goes up 9-7. Iizuka shows off his firepower once again but Vitor makes sure to get one point on return to set up a game point at 10-8 with his serves. It only takes him one and he wins G2 11-8. 2-0 Ishiy.

G3: Iizuka starts by moving Ishiy around and forcing a couple errors. 2-0. He gets up 3-0 and sends a lightning-fast serve but Ishiy picks up on it and its now 3-1. Ishiy is able to place the ball in rallies to the wide backhand, punishing Iizuka for trying to step around early. 2-3. Iizuka struggles to out rally Ishiy and it’s tied 3-3 at first towel break. Ishiy blocks and controls, forcing extra shots from Iizuka challenging his ability to maintain form. 4-4 though so it’s anyone’s game. Iizuka is setting up for the big forehand away from the table but struggling to bring it down in a meaningful way to threaten Ishiy’s defense. 4-6 Iizuka trails now. 5-6 after the left-hander sends a heavy topspin forehand open to Ishiy’s wide forehand. 6-6 at the towel break. Ishiy forces the flick error with his short serve to Iizuka’s middle. He is so solid in the rallies, Ishiy up 8-6. Iizuka with a bazooka of a forehand counter as he steps around. Unreal power and Ishiy acknowledges the shot with his facial expression. Iizuka overcooks the next one though and whiffs the forehand. 9-7 Ishiy with the serves. Excellent rally with Iizuka’s chop blocks and variation eventually forcing Ishiy into the net. 9-8 Ishiy. Iizuka sets up for the big forehand counter again but sends it long, he trails 8-10 now. Iizuka with a quick pendulum serve and third ball forehand fade kill. 9-10. Ishiy’s touch play shines again as he neutralizes the serve and third ball, then finishes it himself with an inside-out forehand from way wide on the backhand side. 3-0 Ishiy.

G4: Service error to start the game for Iizuka then a third ball attack clips the net. Iizuka shows signs of frustration and uses his timeout down 0-2 here in the fourth game. As sometimes happens when teammates face each other, there is a clear pecking order on display in this match. Another remarkable comeback seems particularly improbable as Vitor Ishiy has not shown any real weaknesses in this matchup. Iizuka comes out guns blazing after the timeout with some serious forehands but Ishiy weathers the storm and sends back an unreturnable shot of his own. 0-4 now for Iizuka as he lets out a yell. Two strong attacks from Iizuka and its now 4-2 Ishiy at the first towel break in G4. Ishiy targets the wide backhand of Iizuka over and over in the rally, eventually getting the error and point. 5-2. Quick serve to Iizuka’s middle and now Ishiy is up 6-2. Iizuka is fighting his heart out and playing his game, but his attacks are not as effective as they need to be to turn this around. 7-3 as Ishiy serves but Iizuka maneuvers to get both points. Iizuka trails 5-7 now. You can see he is trying to mix it up and find a solution but Ishiy is unfazed. 9-5 Ishiy now as he sticks to his blueprint. Iizuka wins with a strong forehand and narrows the lead to 3 but Ishiy’s is simply too much in the backhand to backhand rallies and gets his first match point at 10-6. Iizuka serves and his third ball goes long. The disappointment is shown through his body language. Ishiy wins a clear G4 11-6 and a smooth 4-0.

In the finals, Vitor Ishiy will either face his teammate and world superstar Hugo Calderano or the ever-electric Horacio Cifuentes of Argentina. The Men’s finals are at 8:30 PM ET.

Women's Semifinal #2 - Adriana Diaz (PUR) vs. Giulia Takahashi (BRA)

G1: This is going to be an uphill battle for Giulia to say the least. Adriana starts out with a 2-0 lead. Giulia down 1-3 as she gets her serves back. Can she make this anything other than a 4-0 walk in the park for Adriana? Giulia’s backhand punch style is effective against many opponents but she is going up against the definitive queen of the backhand punch. Not to mention everything else that Diaz brings to the table. Brazil may have a stranglehold on these Pan Am championships but on the women’s side, Adriana Diaz is always the one you have to beat. Diaz leads 7-3 after many points without a significant exchange. Takahashi manages to punch her way around to get to 4-8 at the second towel break. She follows this up with a topspin serve that jumps off Adriana’s racket. Giulia is continuing these sequences, punching parallel to the wide forehand and then diagonal to Diaz’s extreme backhand. Giulia has shown an ever-improved forehand attack in this tournament but Adriana is adept at completely shutting her opponents down. Serving at 7-10, Giulia sets up a third ball punch that flies through the defense of Diaz. 10-8 with two serves for Diaz. She only needs one, tricks Giulia to pop it up long. Diaz wins 11-8 and goes up 1-0.

Diaz and her father reconvene in between games in a fairly jovial manner while still getting down to business on what needs to happen to keep the momentum in this match.

G2: Diaz has the serves to start and while Giulia manages a good return, the follow-up backhand of Diaz is too much twice in a row. 2-0 Diaz. Giulia first testing the backhand exchanges and losing but sees she has slightly more success with the change to Adriana’s wide forehand. Takahashi trails 1-5 at the first towel break in G2. A strong early forehand third ball to the wide diagonal gets her a point. 2-5. Wow! Giulia sticks with the backhand serve to get into the exchange and manages a few rapid direction changes but Diaz holds up and finishes the point herself. Diaz leads 6-2 and is running away with it. An edge ball third ball from Diaz to add insult to injury. The downside of Giulia’s punchy style is decreased consistency under pressure and variation, which is quite evident here. 9-3 as Diaz serves after the second towel break. Diaz is all over the place, lobbing and fishing, but an errant backhand counter goes long and Giulia gets the point. 9-4. A failed pushing exchange for Diaz brings the lead down to 4. Giulia serves at 5-9, looking to force the quick backhand to forehand transition for Diaz but it’s not having much effect. Diaz goes up 10-6. Giulia increases the range and speed of these backhand direction changes and wins the point, keeping Diaz out of reach of the ball. 10-7. Diaz forces the semi-high ball for the third ball attack but Giulia returns it and Diaz can’t follow up. 8-10 as Giulia serves in G2. An edge ball on the extreme direction change and Giulia brings it to within 1. 9-10. Sets up for the backhand serve. Adriana knows it’s coming to the backhand side and steps around but her forehand attack goes long. Diaz really went for it but the risk didn’t pay off. 10-10 and Diaz has the serves. Giulia withstands the pressure and takes the rally. 11-10. Will she change it up or stick with her same serve? No change, push rally, and she puts it into the net. Giulia tightened up a bit there in the tense moment. 11-11. Truly unreal rally with Diaz eventually finishing it with a leaping backhand to the open table. 11-12 as Giulia serves and executes the direction change backhand to perfection. Adriana is left lunging and the ball flies up. Towel break at another deuce, 12-12 here in G2. Adriana catches Giulia moving the wrong way with a punch of her own. Then she follows it up with a strong forward attacking forehand open and seals G2 13-11 and goes up 2-0.

G3: Diaz with the first point but Giulia sticks to her gameplay. 1-1. Diaz punches back with a vengeance. Giulia with a forehand kill of her own. 2-2. While competitive, the match has that feeling that Diaz will break away at any moment. It simply asks too much of Giulia to maintain the level needed to threaten Adriana. Adriana now serving to wide backhand and punching down line as a primary tactic and scoring points. Giulia and Coach Jorge Franck are forced to call timeout down 2-5 in G3. Sometimes a closely-contested late-game battle like G2 drains the weaker player mentally, starting their inevitable decline. Giulia gets the first point after the timeout with a strong play, now trails 3-5. 7-3 for Diaz now. 8-3. When it rains it pours. Giulia serves at 3-9, without much wait. 3-10 after a blast of a backhand from Diaz. Tomahawk side-under serve is returned short and Takahashi opens into the net. 11-3 for Diaz and 3-0.

On the scale of comeback possibilities, this one rates so low as to almost not exist…

G4: Diaz with the serves and she sets to prove this correct, but loses the first point. On the second attempt she gets her open in but Giulia is ready to pounce and counters it. 2-0 with the serves for Giulia, she gets her backhand open in and takes the point. 3-0 with a newfound sense of urgency. She goes for the big forehand kill but misses and Diaz serves at 1-3. Heavy hook serve to Giulia’s forehand gets sent into the net. Next point a few placement changes and ball flies wide. 3-3 at the first towel break in G4. Giulia sticks with her backhand serve and gets a fast point off a fast serve. Follows this up with her other reliable tactic of punching out to the wide forehand and Adriana can’t grab the ball. 3-5 as Diaz serves. Giulia out rallies Diaz and forces the backhand error, 3-6. 7-3 now after some great over the table play from Giulia. Diaz gets a point back. 7-4. Big forehand open from Diaz but Giulia sends it right back into her backhand. 4-8 at the second towel break as Diaz serves. Giulia senses the fast serve and returns it with interest, 4-9. 9-5 now as Giulia threatens to win her first game of the match. Pushing battle but Giulia gets her open in and wins the rally. 10-5. Big forehand parallel kill from the wide forehand for Giulia and she wins G4 11-5. 3-1 for Diaz.

G5: So Game 4 was totally expected… no momentum shift to see here… Giulia serves first and sticks to her guns. Backhand serve to backhand, push heavy to middle or open, then win the rally with a direction change to wide forehand. It works and Giulia goes up 2-0. Diaz tempts Takahashi with a half-long serve and the return sails long. Next up, a Diaz backhand open into Takahashi’s forehand, quick counter and Giulia goes up 3-1. It still feels like a struggle for her to reliably win points, punching into the net quite often. 3-3 at the first towel break in G5. Diaz attacks with her own backhand punch, this one to the wide diagonal. 4-4. Diaz is getting the wide punch back now by spinning up a little more and Giulia is missing the follow-up redirect with regularity. Now Diaz punishes the direction change and serves up 6-4. Is this the beginning of the end? Not yet, Diaz backhand flies high and it’s 6-5. A snappy backhand return from Giulia on the forehand side evens it up at 6-6. They are playing a lockdown game right now and the tension is clearly being felt by Takahashi more than Diaz. Diaz plays patiently but authoritatively to go up 8-6. Another attack from Adriana. 9-6. A long dead serve to the middle is sent into the net. Giulia serves down 6-10 in G5, but puts together a nice attacking sequence to stay alive. 7-10. Diaz in full control here and closes G5 11-7 and wins 4-1.

The Women’s finals will be Bruna Takahashi (BRA) vs Adriana Diaz (PUR) tonight at 7:30 PM ET.

Men's Singles Semi-final #2 - Hugo Calderano (BRA) vs Horacio Cifuentes (ARG)

G1: The match starts how everyone expects… with Cifuentes winning the first two points. Hugo gets on the offensive and momentum swings the other way. Dos, iguales. 2-2. Similar to Giulia Takahashi vs Adriana Diaz, Horacio Cifuentes has a monumental task in front of him. Hugo Calderano is more than an overwhelming favorite in this Pan American Championship, he is nearly a complete lock to win. Cifuentes, despite knowing all this, goes up 5-3 to start in G1. Hugo says, not so fast, and evens it up at 5-5 with a laser-like forehand from out wide to even wider. Horacio tries a spinny forehand open to Hugo’s middle and quickly finds it protected by Hugo’s high-powered forehand. The next point Hugo cranks up the offensiveness to 11 with a wrapping forehand kill over the table. 7-5 at the second towel break. 5-9 as Cifuentes serves to try and save himself. 6-9. Nice. 10-6 now after a classic Calderano forehand flick. He sets up and hits another but Cifuentes is ready and returns it, causing Hugo to miss the redirect. Nearly a bottle challenge serve and a backhand rip to take the game 11-7. 1-0 Calderano.

First shirt change for Calderano. Can Cifuentes make him work hard enough to require a second?

G2: Possibly, Hugo starts out 2-0 but Horacio is fighting hard. 2-2. Hugo is often lauded for his athleticism and I believe Horacio deserves to be mentioned as well. This allows these two players to make incredible shots due to their heightened senses and catlike reflexes. They cover their middle by contorting like Fan Zhendong and manage to reach balls that many would simply watch as they drift past. Cifuentes goes up 5-2 in G2. He withstands a barrage of backhands from Calderano but the forehand finish into empty space wins Calderano the point. 5-3 as Horacio serves. Hugo sniffs out the half-long serve and annihilates it. 5-4. And does it again. 5-5. Cifuentes counters a few Calderano forehands that would have been the end for most, but it’s still not enough. Hugo takes the point and forces Cifuentes to call a timeout now trailing 5-6.

Gaston Alto is in Cifuentes’ corner for support and technical direction. It’s worth noting that the team from Argentina is as passionate as any I’ve ever seen. There’s no doubt they will fight until the very end.

Calderano serves after the TO, up 6-5. 7-5 now at the towel break. Horacio flicks to Hugo’s backhand but Hugo steps around and crushes it with his forehand. Textbook. Now Hugo is lobbing but it's Cifuentes with a masterful double-bounce drop shot. 7-6. 7-7. All tied up. Hugo's heavy backspin serve is sent into the bottom of the net. 8-7. 9-7. 9-8. Horacio is not giving this game up easy. Hugo misses the flick over the table long, great short touch game from Horacio there. 9-9 now, Hugo has the serves. 10-9, applying pressure immediately with third ball. A good open from Hugo but Horacio keeps it in play and forces Hugo back from the table, finishing the point with an early timing smash that gave Hugo nothing to work with. 10-10. Cifuentes with a short serve and attempted short touch that pops up and shoots long. Hugo serving with the advantage at 11-10. He gets his open in and continues the forehand pressure right at Horacio’s middle forehand. Calderano wins 12-10 in G2 and is up 2-0.

Is there anybody in the Americas that can challenge Hugo Calderano in his current form? He was the clear favorite before but now he’s in his prime at the top of the international scene.

G3: Calderano up 2-0 and now he’s free styling. Chop blocks and drop shots, wins off a net ball that double bounces. Cifuentes is feeling the pressure and I’m not sure there’s anything for him to do about it. Hugo is in go-mode and pouring it on. 4-0. 5-0. We may be looking at the most one-sided game yet. 6-1 and Cifuentes gets on the board. 7-1, it’s looking dire out here for HC from ARG. 8-1. 8-2. 8-3. Hugo misses a forehand kill. 8-4 at the second towel break as Hugo looks to put this game in the past, but Horacio seems to have a fire lit inside him. Incredible rally as Horacio smashes, drop shots, and smashes again to close the gap to 3. 8-5 as Hugo serves and misses the backhand rip third ball. Now the lead is cut to 8-6 and Hugo calls a timeout.

2nd shirt change for Hugo. Horacio is making him sweat. Tiempo.

Backhand flick from forehand side for Hugo to win the first point after the timeout. 6-9. He sends Horacio out wide to his forehand again. 10-6 for Hugo as he leads in G3. Half-long serve right at the edge forcing the error and he wins G3 11-6 to go up 3-0.

G4: Cifuentes comes out the gate with a fast, flat serve to calderano’s middle and gets the point. Now he gets Hugo to send a short touch long. 0-2 as Hugo serves his first in G4. A crazy smashing rally from Horacio with mixed timing and he finishes it off with a leaping fake-smash drop shot over the table that Hugo can’t return. Nearly jumped out of the arena. 4-0 for Cifuentes. He’s got the fighting spirit. Hugo says, “don’t give me there”, as he kills a half-long serve with his cobra-like forehand. Calderano eating away at the lead like a bowl of acai. However, Horacio himself says not so fast and maintains the lead at 5-3. Hugo cooks a forehand and its 5-4. Outright service error from Horacio and its 5-5.

The end is near. Kicker serve, flies back high. 6-5. High-toss gets the opportunity but the windmill forehand whiffs. 6-6 at the second towel break. A quick touch backhand push and punch combo to wide diagonal gets a point for Horacio. 7-6. He tempts Hugo into a half-long forehand attack that goes long. 8-6 for Horacio. Hugo returns the favor as Horacio hesitates and over lifts the half-long serve. Like clockwork, a heavy backspin serve goes right into the net. 8-8 at the tail end of this possibly deciding game. Cifuentes gets a big forehand in over the table and sends it parallel to Hugo’s backhand, which he misses as he falls back. 9-8. Hugo picks up a ball right near the edge and Horacio counters into the net. 9-9. Iguales. Similar situation as previous games. Hugo has his serves at 9-9. Sets up a forehand third ball and has to follow it up with one more but gets it done. 10-9 Hugo with a game and match point. High-toss into the sky, two backhand rips and a forehand finish to finalize the G4 win 11-9 and 4-0.

Hugo Calderano is going to face Vitor Ishiy in the Men's finals!


Remaining match schedule for the day - Thursday, October 17th

Women’s Doubles Finals - 6:00 PM ET
Giulia Takahashi and Laura Watanabe (BRA) vs Paulina Vega and Daniela Ortega (CHI)

Men’s Doubles Finals - 6:35 PM ET
Horacio Cifuentes and Santiago Lorenzo (ARG) vs Andy Pereira and Jorge Campos (CUB)

Women’s Singles Finals - 7:30 PM ET
Bruna Takahashi (BRA) vs Adriana Diaz (PUR)

Men's Singles Finals - 8:30 PM ET
Hugo Calderano (BRA) vs Vitor Ishiy (BRA)

Women’s Doubles Finals - Giulia Takahashi and Laura Watanabe (BRA) vs Paulina Vega and Daniela Ortega (CHI)

G1: The match gets off to a quick 4-4 start as I scramble to turn it on. I believe the experience of Paulina Vega gives Chile the upper hand in this encounter, regardless of each player’s individual level. Not to mention, Chile has the advantage of a lefty-righty doubles pairing. Daniela Ortega has proven to be a solid partner with all the shots and power needed, but these two Brazilian players move around like they are shot out of a cannon. On top of that, Giulia Takahashi and Laura Watanabe attack the ball with such pace and early-timing that they present an interesting problem for anyone unlucky enough to face them. A lucky net ball return for Vega against a Watanabe serve. 9-8. 9-9 at the third towel break. Vega’s serve gets them a point. 10-9. Giulia’s return neutralizes Ortega’s follow-up and Vega misses the next push. 10-10. The Brazilians capitalize on a net ball of their own and finish a big rally in style. 10-11 as Ortega serves for Chile. Missed return brings it to 11-11. Entering into a short touch pushing rally, the Brazilian team finds their opening and takes the point. Vega serves with her team down 1 at 11-12. Giulia with a quick flick over the baseline to win G1 13-11. Takahashi and Watanabe lead 1-0.

G2: The young duo from Brazil seem set on imposing their aggressive game here in G2. Serve and attack, it’s going well. 1-3 as Ortega serves. 2-3. 3-3 after Ortega sends a big forehand from mid-distance. Chile is on a complete roll here. 4-4. 4-5 now on Vega’s second serve. Watanabe with a short return that sends Ortega reaching and off-balance. 6-4 as Watanabe and Takahashi return with their all out assault. 7-4. Watanabe punch clips the net. 5-7 as Ortega serves after the second towel break. Fast-paced rally and the spin shots of Ortega and Vega bring the point home for them. A short and heavy underpin serve from Ortega gets pushed into the net. 7-7. Momentum clearly in Chile’s favor towards the business end of G2. They withstand the attacks from Giulia and Laura to go up 9-7 with their serves. Watanabe rips the first Vega serve right back at her. 9-8. Now she pushes the next one right at Ortega and it lands right on the edge. 9-9 now with Giulia serving. As clean and consistent as the Chilean pair’s shots are, the forceful nature of the returns from the Brazilian players steals their hopes of winning the rallies. 11-9 win for Brazil and they lead 2-0.

Paulina Vega and Daniela Ortega have to problem solve here. How can they maintain the advantage in the rallies when faced with the punchy pressure game of Giulia Takahashi and Laura Watanabe? Expect an early timeout if the game starts to get away from them.

G3: Wow, the serve and third ball setups appear unstoppable from Takahashi and Watanabe. They follow up the opens with fast finishes. 0-2 as Vega serves in G3. Brutal blocks and kill shots from Brazil. Unbelievable. Chile calls a timeout down 0-3. Time is running out.

4-0 now after the timeout. Chile is overwhelmed but Vega answers with a big backhand. 4-1. A touch rally leads Giulia to open into the net. 2-4 at the towel break with Ortega to serve. A tight side underpin serve gets a short return and a rally ensues but Vega is a step too far back and her forehand counter goes into the net. 2-5. Vega follows up with a deep push wide to Watanabe’s backhand and gets the point back. 5-3 and Watanabe to serve. A couple rhythm-breaking blocks from Brazil force the rally error from Chile. 6-3. Chile has the serves but its now 3-7. A smile on the face of Giulia as she prepares to return the serve. 3-8. Next one goes into the net. 8-4 Brazil leading at the second towel break in G3. These two match up perfectly and are wreaking havoc on the Chileans. 9-4. 10-4. You can sense the pair from Chile is deflated but they keep playing the points. 10-6 as Watanabe serves. Brazil holds up in the rally and Vega’s shot goes long. 11-6 in G3.

Giulia Takahashi and Laura Watanabe of Brazil get a 3-0 win and the gold medal!

Men’s Doubles Finals - Horacio Cifuentes and Santiago Lorenzo (ARG) vs Andy Pereira and Jorge Campos (CUB)

G1: A 2-0 start for Argentina. They come out screaming, literally and figuratively. For my money, you can’t really find a more energetic duo than Horacio Cifuentes and Lorenzo Santiago from Argentina. However, on the other side of the table, you have the reigning 2023 Pan Am Games Men’s Doubles Gold Medalists in Andy Pereira and Jorge Campos of Cuba. These two are doubles masters and incredibly crafty. They got out to a slow start vs Canada in the semifinals but eventually closed it out in dominant fashion. It is the athleticism and rally firepower of Argentina vs the teamwork and trickiness of Cuba. Argentina goes up 7-3 in G1. This is going to be hard work for the Cuban team. 8-3. Cifuentes and Santiago are both hitting their strides as their table tennis careers progress. Santiago qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics and Cifuentes secured a bronze medal in the singles event here in El Salvador. It’s 3-9 as Cuba serves after the second towel break. 4-9. 9-5 now as Cifuentes serves to Pereira. 9-6. A little tension in the air. A tight serve from Horacio bounces twice as Andy misses the flick. Now he serves to Lorenzo. Cuba wins that one to make it 7-10. A controlled return from Santiago forces a short touch error from Campos. 11-7 G1 win for Argentina who go up 1-0.

G2: Argentina serves first in G2 and goes down 0-1. The second serve is so low that Pereira can’t pick it up over the table. 1-1. A bouncy serve from Andy gets a rally started and Santiago finishes it with a punishing backhand punch down the line. 1-2. Horacio misses a backhand rip on the next one though. 2-2. Oh my, Cuba counters beautifully in a big rally to go up by a point. They have me rethinking things… but Pereira misses the next one and it’s tied at 3-3 first towel break. An empty half-long ball gets sent long. 3-4. Heavy serve goes into the net. 4-4. Late Game 2 is where Cuba managed to turn it around against Canada in the semifinal. Let’s see what they can do here. 5-5. Trading back and forth like heavyweight boxers. Argentina separates themselves by two at the second towel break. Cifuentes to serve at 7-5. Cuba looks a little shook. Campos with a sharp chop on the short serve and the ball soars. 8-5. This time Campos opts to flick and he gets the point. 6-8 as Jorge serves to Santiago. A safe short return away from Pereira forces another push and Horacio jumps on it with a parallel backhand winner. 6-9. Horacio swings and misses with a big forehand counter. 9-7. The shotmaking of Cifuentes and Lorenzo is something to behold. 10-7. 11-7 G2 and Argentina goes up 2-0.

Argentina hits the ball so hard and with varying degrees of pace and spin. It is incredibly difficult to block or counter their shots with any type of success. They fought the Brazilian pair of Ishiy and Teodoro in the semis and came away with a 3-1 victory. Brazil managed to take game 3 in that encounter. Can Cuba do the same here? They need to do something.

G3: 1-1 to start out. Argentina is serving short and then attacking the returns over the table with their backhands. 2-1 They overdo the forehand and it’s 2-2. Ball flies off Santiago’s racket in a rally. 3-2 Cuba. Now a popup that gets obliterated by Horacio. 3-3 at the first towel break here in game 3. Great flick from Campos but Argentina was ready to finish the rally. 4-3. A blistering forehand counter from Cifuentes puts them up. 5-3. Oof, a netball after a push and the point goes in Argentina’s favor. 6-3 and a timeout is called by Cuba.

They are hanging on by a thread.

An empty serve from Campos creates a high-ball return and Pereira clears it out. One point for Cuba. Now another high-powered exchange and Cuba takes it. Two points after the timeout. 6-5 Argentina. Campos with a crazy forehand counter from the backhand corner out to the wide wide wide forehand. 6-6 at the second towel break. Three straight points after the timeout for Cuba. Make that four! A serve from Pereira gets a return error. Argentina calls a timeout immediately after and trails 6-7.

Gaston Alto makes another appearance as he tries to guide his countrymen to victory. Cuba looks composed and calculated as they look to continue this run of points.

7-6 as Andy Pereira serves to Santiago Lorenzo. Campos tries the wide forehand again but Argentina saw it coming. 7-7. Santiago serves and they get themselves in the familiar position of landing a crushing forehand finish. 8-7. A hook serve looks to have been handled but Horacio was already there waiting to counter the return. 7-9 as Campos serves here in G3 with Argentina leading 2-0. The return goes into the net. 8-9. The next one is spun up a little high but Pereira can’t capitalize. 10-8 Argentina as they take their time during the third towel break of G3.

Can they finish it here?

One strong forehand from Lorenzo, but it comes back, and Horacio misses his. 10-9… if at first you don’t succeed… big forehand open from Lorenzo, returned, Horacio follows up with a big counter and the ball can’t be contained. Argentina wins G3 11-9 and 3-0!

Horacio Cifuentes and Santiago Lorenzo of Argentina win the Men’s Doubles Finals!

Women's Finals - Bruna Takahashi (BRA) vs. Adriana Diaz (PUR)

Now we have a commentary team in the booth. The two Pan American powerhouses warm up during their allotted two minutes. However, we know they are very familiar with each other due to many past encounters. Adriana carries the winning record between the two by a sizable but not outlandish margin. Diaz is certainly the one to beat here as the reigning Pan American Games Champion.

G1: Strong start for Diaz. Minimal resistance outside of an exciting rally before the first towel break. “Bonito punto” (beautiful point) says the commentary team and I agree. 5-1 for Diaz as she barrels her way through this first game. 2-6 as Bruna gets ready with her serves. Bruna sets up her opening perfectly, Adriana handles it, the rally takes some twists and turns but Bruna takes it. 3-6. Missed forehand counter from Bruna. 7-3 for Diaz now. There is a sound in the distance that startles both players and prompts a pause to look around. Good return from Bruna. 7-4. Both players air out their rackets. Another strong return from Bruna keeps Adriana from attacking and lets her get a strong forehand in of her own. 5-7. Big forehand from Adriana clips the net and she gets the point. 5-8. This time Bruna successfully counters Adriana’s forehand open and now only trails by two. Adriana serves at 8-6 and Bruna pivots for a spectacular forehand kill down the line to the open space. Nobody home. Now Adriana gets her forehand open in to Bruna’s backhand middle and the block flies high. 7-9 as Bruna serves. Thirdball punch into the net. 7-10. Another distraction in the distance, perhaps the crowd this time. Strong forehand flick kill from Bruna. 10-8 as Diaz serves after the third towel break of G1. Things are tightening up but if Adriana closes it out here, she can feel comfortable never having been in serious jeopardy of losing the first set. A big exchange but Diaz takes G1 11-8 and goes up 1-0.

Bruna’s younger sister Giulia was rather easily beaten in the semifinals by Adriana 4-1. The higher-ranked and higher-powered older sister Bruna is not at such a disadvantage, but she will need to raise her level here to take even one game off Adriana in her current form.

G2: 1-1 to start. Bruna is determined to stay aggressive. Bruna continues with the tactics she displayed against Amy Wang to serve long to the backhand and middle, as well as to then relentlessly attack the middle of her opponent. Adriana trails 2-3. Bruna gets a strong open in but misses the follow-up attack vs the low and off-speed block. Bruna tries a hook serve to the forehand now at 3-3. 3-4. Bruna once again sets up a powerful opening attack but its returned even faster this time and she can’t follow up. Now a failed return for Bruna and Diaz is up 6-3. A comfortable margin. Now Adriana gets to work with a forehand open and the no-look smack down the line from the backhand corner. 3-7 as Bruna serves. Adriana chops down on the short underspin serve, Bruna lifts the ball but its weak, short and high, Diaz kills it instantly. 8-4 for Diaz after the second towel break. No real pressure as of now. Diaz changes down the line but Bruna is ready and hits her forehand. An alarm clock can be heard in the background of the audio somewhere. Bruna forced on the back foot. 5-9 and she misses a parallel backhand open rip. 5-10. Diaz is on fire! Bruna opens her backhand to the backhand corner of Diaz who steps around and kills it inside out. G2 is over in a flash 11-5. Diaz leads 2-0.

This is looking like an easy win for Diaz here. She has displayed a superior level internationally, with key victories against the best players the sport has to offer. Bruna’s improvements have been noticeable but more measured.

G3: Bruna starts out how she typically does, a backhand open and continues the pressure. 1-0. Now a strong forehand over the table. 2-0. It’s one thing to get off to a hot start, and another to carry this momentum throughout an entire game. Bruna hits a fast backhand but Diaz sends it right back. A block and direction change from Diaz brings it to 2-2. 3-3. Diaz encountering resistance but smashing right through it. 4-3. Service point. Bruna gets a chance to respond at 3-5. Ripping backhand third ball from Bruna. 4-5. Bruna with a quick touch to steal time from Adriana then a sequence of attacks to get the point and even things up in G3. 5-5. Adriana is creating easy opportunities with her serves with sufficient frequency to create a gap of a few points per game. Bruna trails 5-7 at the second towel break. Driving forehand attack over the table gets blocked into the net. 6-7. Technical difficulties. Takahashi trails 8-9. Can’t see the action currently. Tied up at 9-9. Can someone please fix the stream?!?!?!? 10-9 Adriana. 10-10. I imagine this is very exciting! I think they are resetting the stream but the action continues on. Bruna up 11-10 and she takes G3 12-10!

2-1 Adriana.

And we’re back, in between games 3 and 4. Adriana Diaz leads 2-1. The stream is struggling to keep up with what I imagine is intense demand from all across the Americas. Everyone is gathered around their screens, anxiously watching the women’s singles final match.

G4: 1-0 Diaz. Dumped return into the net. 2-0 Diaz. Backhand open into the net. 0-3. Successful backhand attacks. 1-3. A couple unsuccessful attacks for Bruna. 5-1 for Diaz at the first towel break here in G4. High-toss goes high and the fast forehand flick goes long. 1-6. Was G3 an anomaly? Bruna is battling it out to prove it wasn’t but Adriana is everywhere all at once. 7-1. 8-1 after a service point. Cruising. 9-1. Bruna almost misses a serve but it's a let. Adriana loops the next one for a winner. 1-10. Fading flick to save face. 10-2 at the second towel break. Utter domination in this fourth game. Bruna seems to have resigned this one and is ready for the fifth set. G4 is an 11-2 win for Diaz who now leads 3-1.

Adriana Diaz has a pow-wow with her coach and father, Bladimir Diaz. She seems to be on her way to an almost certain victory here in this Pan American Championship final.

G5: The first point continues where they left off. Incredible exchange of shots with Adriana getting one more shot back that eventually gets her the point. Bruna answers with 2 points of her own. 1-2 as Diaz serves for a second time here in G5. Return flies long. 2-2. The rallies are getting a little longer, the shot placement a little more varied. 2-4 as Diaz serves. Bruna is stepping it up so far in this set. 2-5. She fought back from 0-3 vs Amy Wang in the semifinal. The confidence and belief is there. 5-3 now and Bruna pours it on. 6-3. 7-3. When Bruna steps up the aggression and enters this high gear she becomes a completely different player. Diaz with a punishing pivot forehand third ball kill. 4-7. Bruna tries one of her own and clips the net. 7-5 after the second towel break in G5. A bouncy short serve gets Bruna into the rally and you can see she is adding more body rotation into each shot. The power level has increased. Adriana blocks her around. 6-8 and has the serves but misses her signature backhand punch! 6-9. This game is going in Bruna’s favor. Not so fast though, Adriana with a flying forehand fade flick to Bruna’s wide backhand. 9-7 as Bruna gets her forehand open in but Adriana is ready to counter it strong with a forehand of her own. Timeout for Bruna Takahashi leading 9-8. The commentator says “no hay mañana” for Bruna, meaning there is no tomorrow. It is now or never and she has to take this game to send this to a sixth set.

Tiempo (Time)

Tiempo (Time)

Both players take their time returning to the table.

Bruna serving, up 9-8. A floaty swiping pendulum gets returned with spin and she sends her third ball backhand way high. 9-9 and Diaz has her serves. Bruna’s short touch keeps Adriana from attacking and then gets her spinny forehand in to take the point. 9-10. A heavy half-long underpin serve is looped right into the net by Bruna. 10-10. Diez iguales. Bruna gets that one… 10-11 as Diaz serves… Kicker can’t be returned! 11-11. High-toss from Bruna gets a high return but she doesn’t feel comfortable attacking and pushes it, ceding the initiative and losing the point. Game and match point for Adriana at 12-11. Bruna steps around and loops the serve with her forehand to get the point. 12-12. Incredible. Bruna was forced to push the third ball but stays in the point and takes it later in the rally. 12-13 as Diaz serves. Bruna dumps it into the net… 13 points a piece. This is TENSE. They’ve locked horns many times. Bruna gets a spinny third ball forehand on the table and Diaz tries to counter but sends it long due to the heavy spin. Bruna neutralizes Adriana’s short serve and attacks! Bruna takes G5 15-13. This isn’t over!

Adriana Diaz leads 3-2 over Bruna Takahashi.

The DJ plays an Eye of the Tiger - Electronic remix. The atmosphere is certainly electric. The players are locked in.

G6: Brilliant backhand punch setup for Adriana but she misses it! 0-1. 1-1. Wet ball mark on Bruna’s racket after her return of the second serve. Bruna points it out and brief discussion ensues. Bruna seems to think it affected her play and Adriana is indifferent. Play continues at 1-1. Bruna’s backhand third ball goes into the net. 1-2. A swiping serve almost misses but its a let. 1-2. An open from Bruna, a powerful counter from Adriana, and a split-second smash back from Bruna. 2-2! Back and forth rally but Adriana holds on. 3-2. They are duking it out! Huge counter-rally goes way of Bruna. 3-3. Strong serve from Bruna gets sent right into the net. 4-3. Now she gets her big backhand open in and leads by two. At 3-5, Diaz with a huge third ball forehand over the table to bring it within 1. 4-5. Now a tricky serve but Bruna spins it heavy and the ball launches off the block. 6-4 Takahashi. She survives the first two punches from Adriana but succumbs to the third. 6-5. Big counter attempt from Adriana vs the forehand open but she overdoes it and misses. 5-7 after the second towel break. Bruna’s punch goes long. 6-7. Adriana demonstrates what a punch is supposed to look like and it’s 7-7. A spinny serve to Adriana’s middle but Diaz loops it aggressively and Bruna can’t handle it. 7-8. Adriana is up to the challenge but Bruna fires back with her own aggression. 8-8. This is crazy. Too close to call. Great receive from Bruna with a forehand over the table to Adriana’s wide backhand. 8-9. Adriana sneaks a parallel punch through Bruna’s forehand defense. 9-9. Adriana is so good in these close moments but Bruna has been fighting better and better in recent times. Bruna gets a point on her first serve and third ball. 10-9. It was close to a let but not repeated. Now two lets. Whew. Half-long serve drifts long, Diaz loops it with heavy spin, it clips the top of the net, and Bruna is unable to block it back. 10-10. Anybody’s game. Bruna misses the return and is facing another matchpoint down. 10-11. Bruna serves, they rally, Adriana holds her own and finishes it with a thundering backhand punch! Diaz wins G6 12-10 and 4-2.

Adriana Diaz wins the Women’s Singles Finals!

Men's Finals - Hugo Calderano (BRA) vs. Vitor Ishiy (BRA)

This outcome of this all-Brazilian affair may be a formality but even those are fun when Hugo Calderano is involved.

G1: 2-2 to start in this Men’s final. These Brazilian National teammates have played and practiced together for many hours. They know each other as well as any. Hugo is way up in the world ranks. Umpire calls a service warning for Ishiy and Hugo tells him, “don’t worry, we’re OK” (Paraphrased). 4-2 Calderano. Big backhand punch from Ishiy down the middle to claw a point back. Leaping backhand flick by Hugo, spinning backhand block from Ishiy, these two are playing loose. Big rallies but Hugo is getting the best of them. 7-3 for Hugo. The vibe is relaxed. Ishiy flicks and pivots, Hugo blocks it down the line to no man’s land. 4-8 at the second towel break. Tremendous rallies to be fair. You can sense the familiarity these two players have with each other and how it shapes their exchanges. 9-5 Hugo after a trademark backhand and pivot. Follows it up with another big forehand. 10-5. This title is his for the taking. A sharp and fast push from Vitor Ishiy is somehow met with an astonishing forehand loop-kill on the diagonal. 11-5 Hugo and 1-0.

Let’s sit back and enjoy the match…

G2: 2-2. 4-2 as Ishiy places some nice attacks and makes Calderano move. 4-4. Hugo doing Hugo things. Vitor has certainly not accepted defeat here. 5-5. Hugo is playing like someone who is under no threat from his opponent but he’s trailing by 2 in G2. A standard backhand open, and another followed by some cracking topspin counters, now he’s back to even. 7-7. Maybe he has reason to be calm after all as he now leads by 2. His forehand sends Ishiy flying back and he’s now up 9-7. A phone rings loudly and is promptly answered in the background. Ishiy however fails to find an answer for Hugo’s aggression. 10-7. 11-7. Hugo wins G2 and leads 2-0.

[Eye of the Tiger - Electronic Remix intensifies]

G3: 2-2. Hugo putting on a bit of a show here. 3-3. Hugo has one last task on his checklist and he looks to be on his way to marking it as complete. Momentary lapses of focus from the phenom. 5-5. Ishiy determined to prove today is not just another day. 6-6. Too much firepower. 8-6 Hugo. Vitor plays the part of a volunteer firefighter. 8-7. Again, this time with a chop block added in. 8-8. Hugo stays one step ahead. One of the points of the match and tournament, but Vitor misses the final kill shot vs a sitter. Wonderful point though. Hugo up 10-8 at the third towel break of G3. Backhand open, business as usual. Hugo wins G3 11-8 and leads 3-0.

G4: Strategic edge ball to start G4 for Vitor. A strong block on the next point gets destroyed by Mr. Calderano’s forehand. 1-1. A pair of lets. Ishiy trying to pressure but can’t keep it up. Nice forehand flick though and he ties it up. 2-2… for the fourth straight game in a row. Calderano gets two points out ahead now though. Will this be quick and painless or excruciating and drawn out? 3-3. 4-4. With rallies like these, it’s more entertaining than excruciating. 5-5. They crawl towards the finish line. 6-6.

Towel break.

Trading big shots and style points. 7-7. 8-7 Ishiy. Undoubtedly the rally of the tournament! Nothing even comes close if you ask me. Absolutely unreal backhand punch finish by Hugo after a long chain of topspin counters. 8-8. Timeout called by Vitor Ishiy. Everyone needs to regroup after that point.

Hugo has his serves. High toss into the rafters, penetrating third ball gets blocked back even higher. 9-9 as Ishiy throws water on the flames.

Towel break.

Hugo on the receive. Within shouting distance of the Pan American championship. 9-10. And now, 9-11. Hugo wins G4 11-9 and 4-0.

Hugo Calderano wins the Men’s Singles Finals at the 2024 Pan American Championships in San Salvador, El Salvador.

Thanks for tuning into this coverage. The teams competition starts tomorrow, Friday October 18th. These Pan American events always deliver amazing action and fiery battles.