June 26, 2008
Colombia Junior Open: Halcyon Days for Paraguay
 Marcelo Aguirre winner of the Boys' Singles Title Photo By: Leon Pupy |
Courtesy of ITTF At the final hurdle Marcelo Aguirre overcame the host nation's Juan Restrepo while Sandy Gavilan defeated her companion and doubles partner Lucero Ovelar. |
Sandy Gavilan succeeded 7-11, 11-3, 13-11, 11-5, 11-8 while Marcelo Aguirre won 11-9, 4-11, 14-12, 13-11, 10-12, 6-11, 11-7.
Heart Failure
Success for Marcelo Aguirre but he gave his supporters heart failure in the final.
He is a player of incredible talent who, in the final was both hot and cold, if that is possible in the humidity of Cartagena.
Seventh Game
On occasions he was irrepressible, at other times in dreamland.
In the final, he trailed 4-7 in the seventh game; it seemed that the honest endeavor of Juan Restrepo would win. The Paraguayan called "Time Out", returned and promptly played error free to win the next seven points and the title.
That's Marcelo Aguirre!
Surprise
Success for Paraguay and it was Lucero Ovelar who caused the biggest surprise in the latter stages of the tournament by ousting top seed Paula Avalos of Chile in surely the closest contest of the whole tournament.
In a duel where match points were saved and surrendered, Lucero Ovelar won 11-6, 7-11, 7-11, 11-2, 4-11, 15-13, 17-15!
Similar
Similarly, in the counterpart semi-final an enthralling duel had been witnessed with Sandy Gavilan succeeding in a contest that went the full seven games distance.
She recovered from a three games to nil deficit to beat the host nation's Luisa Zuluaga 5-11, 3-11, 9-11, 11-8, 11-3, 11-7, 11-6.
Seven Games
A close call for the eventual silver medalist at the semi-final stage of the Girls' Singles event and it was the same at the penultimate stage for Juan Restrepo in the male competition.
He beat Chile's Felipe Olivares 11-8, 13-11, 9-11, 5-11, 5-11, 11-7, 12-10; however, for Marcelo Aguirre life had been more comfortable.
In the semi-finals he accounted for El Salvador's Josue Donado 11-7, 11-9, 11-9, 5-11, 11-8.
Boys' Doubles
Meanwhile, in the Junior Boys' Doubles event it was success for the un-seeded pairing of Chile's Marcelo Fernandez and Brazil's Adilson Toledo; at the final hurdle they beat the number three seeds, the compatriots of Marcelo Fernandez, Matias Contreras and Felipe Oivares, in three straight games.
They succeeded 11-9, 11-8, 11-3.
Agony
It was for Marcelo Fernandez surely more than consolation for the agony he had suffered in the Boys' Singles event.
In the group stage he had been beaten by both Brazil's Danilo Toma and Argentina's Javier Cillis. He had failed to qualify for the main draw and in the passage behind the playing area he has sat a forlorn figure. Head in his hands, disconsolate, not wanting to talk to anybody; three days later, life took a turn for the better.
Such is sport.
Victory for Chile
A fifty per cent success for Chile in the final of the Junior Boys' Doubles competition but in the counterpart female event it was one hundred per cent success.
Top seeds, Paula Avalos and Blanca Duran justified their top billing to clinch gold beating the un-seeded Colombians in a gripping five games final.
The Chileans won 11-5, 10-12, 7-11, 11-8, 11-7.
| Download the latest Flash Player to view content. |