Canadians Advance at Pan Am Championships

WINNIPEG (April 12, 2022) – Pool play at the Pan Am Championships has come to a close for Team Canada with strong results in men’s and mixed doubles and men’s singles. The tournament is taking place in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia from April 9 to 16, 2022.

Samuel Murray of Baie-Comeau and Coby Iwaasa of Lethbridge have advanced to the medal round seeded fourth after going undefeated in pool play. The team only lost one game in the first three days of competition when their opponents from Chile squeaked out a win by one point.

Iwaasa is also playing Mixed Doubles with Juliette Parent of Saint-Jacques. The team had solid results in pool play, winning two of three matches. They showed their resilience, with all three matches going to five games.  Iwaasa and Parent go into the medal round seeded third.

Murray won two of this three singles matches in pool play. His first two matches were won easily, but he faced a tough opponent in a loss to Elias Nieto of Mexico. Murray goes into the medal round in seventh place.

Cassie Prentice of Macrorie and partner Alexis Iwaasa of Edmonton have also advanced to the medal round in women’s doubles where they are seeded seventh. Prentice is also seeded fifth in the Girl’s 21 & U singles medal round.

Changes to the competition format for the Pan Am Championships mean that only the top two players from each pool advance to the medal round. Trevor Webb of Cambridge, Michèle Morissette of Baie-Comeau and Juliette Parent of Saint-Jacques will play singles in the consolation round.

The Team Event, which is making a return to international competition, begins on April 14. Teams from each national will face off in a series of singles and doubles matches.

Click here for complete results.

Click here for athlete biographies for Team Canada.

Team Canada Pool Play Results from April 9 to 11, 2022

Women’s Open Singles

  • Gabriela Martinez (GUA) defeated Michèle Morissette (CAN), 15-8, 15-10, 11-15, 15-8;
  • Rhonda Rajsich (USA) defeated Morissette (CAN), 11-15, 11-15, 15-11, 15-10, 11-7;
  • Maricruz Ortiz (CRC) defeated Morissette (CAN), 15-9, 15-14, 15-13;
  • Angela Ortega (MEX) defeated Juliette Parent (CAN), 15-10, 14-15, 15-13, 10-15, 11-8;
  • Kelani Lawrence (USA) defeated Parent (CAN), 15-10, 15-1, 15-3;
  • Carla Muñoz (CHI) defeated Parent (CAN), 15-6, 15-9, 15-7.

Men’s Open Singles

  • Samuel Murray (CAN) defeated Set Cubillos (COL), 15-9, 15-12, 15-11;
  • Murray (CAN) defeated Diego Gatica (CHI), 15-6, 15-7, 15-7;
  • Elias Nieto (MEX) defeated Murray (CAN), 15-13, 15-3, 3-15, 15-7;
  • Mario Mercado (COL) defeated Trevor Webb (CAN), 15-5, 15-7, 15-11;
  • Diego Garcia (ARG) defeated Webb (CAN), 15-5, 15-11, 15-4;
  • Rodrigo Montoya (MEX) defeated Webb (CAN), 15-7, 15-10, 15-0.

Women’s Open Doubles

  • Micaela Meneses / Yazmine Sabja (BOL) defeated Alexis Iwaasa / Cassie Prentice (CAN), 15-10, 15-1, 15-7;
  • Alejandra Herrera / Samantha Salas (MEX) defeated Iwaasa / Prentice (CAN), 15-5, 15-10, 15-9;
  • Erika Manilla / Rhonda Rajsich (USA) defeated Iwaasa / Prentice (CAN), 15-9, 15-3, 15-13.

Men’s Open Doubles

  • Coby Iwaasa / Samuel Murray (CAN) defeated Rafael Gatica / Rodrigo Salgado Jr. (CHI), 15-14, 15-8, 14-15, 15-5;
  • Iwaasa / Murray (CAN) defeated Geovani Mendoza / Juan Salvatierra (Guatemala), 15-12, 15-8, 15-13;
  • Iwaasa / Murray (CAN) defeated Juan Francisco Cueva / Jose Daniel Ugalde (ECU), 15-9, 15-12, 15-7.

Mixed Open Doubles

  • Coby Iwaasa / Juliette Parent (CAN) defeated Felipe Camacho / Maricruz Ortiz (CRC), 14-16, 6-15, 15-13, 15-12, 11-9;
  • Rodrigo Salgado Jr. / Carla Muñoz (CHI) defeated Iwaasa / Juliette Parent (CAN), 15-7, 8-15, 9-15, 15-14, 11-7;
  • Iwaasa / Parent (CAN) defeated Cristina Amaya / Mario Mercado (COL), 13-15, 11-15, 15-11, 15-12, 11-8.

Girl’s 21 & U Singles

  • Cassie Prentice (CAN) defeated Jazmin Elizabeth Aguilar Salvatierra (GUA), 12-15, 15-7, 9-15, 15-11, 11-9;
  • Maria Gutierrez (MEX) defeated Prentice (CAN), 15-7, 13-15, 15-5, 15-7.