by Ian Marshall, ITTF Publications Editor

Kenny Jiang finished in first place in his group ahead of Chile’s Jeremias Paredes and Paraguay’s Friedrich Beyer; whilst in a similar manner Sweden’s Marcos Eriksson and Tobias Sandoval, like Friedrich Beyer from Paraguay, finished next in line to Terence Yeung.

Success against South American opposition for Kenny Jiang; it was the same for Macarena Montecino and Valentina Rios, for the latter success against an increasingly familiar foe.

Macarena Montecino secured top spot with Argentina’s Divina Ding and Paraguay’s Ahinoa Machuca in second and third places respectively; whilst Valentina Rios achieved the same feat at the expense of Brazil’s Giulia Takahashi and the host country’s Rebeca Cuenca.

It was in the space of eight days, no less than the fifth time that Valentina Rios and Giulia Takahashi had met; on each occasion the verdict resulting in success for the Chilean.

On Saturday 18th March, at the immediately preceding 2017 South American Junior and Cadet Championships, they met in the first stage of the Cadet Girls’ Team competition; before four days later confronting each other in the quarter-final round of the Cadet Girls’ Singles event.

Meanwhile, at the 2017 Paraguay Junior and Cadet Open, in the Cadet Girls’ Team competition, on Thursday 23rd March, they faced each other in the initial phase, prior to once again being rivals, one day ago, in the final.

Success in the Cadet Girls’ Team event for Valentina Rios and Macarena Montecino, followed by first place in the group in the Cadet Girls’ Singles competition; it was somewhat similar for Canada’s Isabelle Xiong.

Winner of the Junior Girls’ Team title in partnership with Brazil’s Livia Lima; she finished in first place in her Cadet Girls’ Team group ahead of Argentina’s Isabella Fragapane and Paraguay’s Elena Bassedu.

Play in both the Cadet Boys’ Singles and Cadet Girls’ Singles events conclude on Sunday 26th March.