by Ian Marshall, ITTF Publications Editor

Stand tall, Elias Apud; is he a young man who could follow in the footsteps of Alejandro Toranzos and compete in the Youth Olympic Games or even Marcelo Aguirre and progress to the Olympic Games itself?

In the Under 13 Boys’ Singles event, he showed plenty of promise; he finished in first place in his group without ever being extended the full five games distance.

He beat Colombia’s Jose Acevedo (11-3, 11-7, 8-11, 11-6) and Peru’s Nicolas Luna (11-9, 10-12, 11-3, 11-2), before concluding his initial phase schedule with success against Ecuador’s Joseph Vasquez (14-12, 11-3, 11-5). First place in the group and a passport to the main draw was the end result.

A notable performance by a player from the home country; there was also a notable guest.

José Enrique Núñez Tamayo, the Ecuadorian Ambassador in Paraguay, had received information that his country was playing in Asuncion and that Angelica Arellano and Maria José Borja had flown the flag and won the Under 11 Girls’ Team title.

“It is very important for me to have the opportunity to share the occasion with Ecuadorians; all sport requires a lot of patience and perseverance, a lot of concentration and dedication. I am sure that in the future these young players will gain great satisfaction from playing sport and will enjoy good results.” José Enrique Núñez Tamayo

Play in the individual events continues on Saturday 20th May.

2017 South American Under 11 and Under 13 Championships: First Stage Results – Under 11 & Under 13 Boys’ Singles & Girls’ Singles

2017 South American Under 11 and Under 13 Championships: Main Draw – Under 11 Boys’ Singles & Under 11 Girls’ Singles

2017 South American Under 11 and Under 13 Championships: Draw – Under 11 & Under 13 Boys’ Doubles, Girls’ Doubles, Mixed Doubles

Photos: courtesy of Paloma Mutti