by Ian Marshall, ITTF Publications Manager
Furthermore, for the player who stands tall on the top step of the podium at the conclusion of proceedings; an improvement in performances displayed earlier this year may well be demanded.
Top seed in the Junior Girls’ Singles event is Italy’s Jamila Laurenti, she is followed by Kazakhstan’s Zauresh Akasheva, Guatemala’s Lucia Cordero and Ecuador’s Nathaly Paredes.
On her most recent international adventure, Jamila Laurenti was on duty at the Road to Buenos Aires Youth Olympic Games qualification tournament in Tunisia; in the first knock-out tournament, she was beaten by Slovakia’s Tatiana Kukulkova in the final, the following day in the second event it was a second round exit at the hands of Turkey’s Olga Yilmaz.
Somewhat similarly at the same tournament for Zauresh Akasheva it was a first day exit. She lost to Croatia’s Andrea Pavlovic, the second day it was farewell when facing Serbia’s Sabina Surjan.
Meanwhile, earlier in the year it was runners up spot for Lucia Cordero in the Junior Girls’ Singles event at the 2018 Central American and Junior Championships, she was beaten in the final by Mexico’s Clio Barcenas.
Likewise Nathaly Paredes experienced a second round Junior Girls’ Singles exit at last month’s 2018 South American Junior and Cadet Championships in Santiago; she was beaten by Brazil’s Luana Souza, the player who one round earlier had ousted Peru’s Kelly Santur, the no.7 seed in Asuncion.
Disappointment for Nathaly Paredes and Kelly Santur in Santiago, it was the same for Paraguay’s Leyla Gomez, the player on whom the eyes of the host focus in Asuncion; she was beaten the final by Brazil’s Tamyres Fukase. At the Paraguay Junior and Cadet Open, Leyla Gomez is the no.5 seed.
Also listed in the top eight names in the Junior Girls’ Singles event are Singapore’s Goi Rui Xuan and Argentina’s Camila Kaizoji. Equally, they have not experienced the best of fortunes this year, the no.6 seed in Asuncion, Goi Rui Xuan departed in round three at the Swedish Junior and Cadet Open; at the South American Junior and Cadet Championships, Camila Kaizoji did not advance beyond the group qualification phase.
A close competition surely awaits in the Junior Girls’ Singles event but it is the team events which commence the itinerary.
Zuaresh Akasheva and Goi Rui Xuan form the top seeded partnership in the Junior Girls’ Singles event, the second seeds are Lucia Cordero and Kelly Santur. Chile’s Mariam Ruiz, Natasha Ruiz and Maria Valenzuela lead the Cadet Girls’ Team list with Paraguay’s Valeria and Lourdes Villalba the next in the order of merit.
In the Cadet Girls’ Singles event Mariam Ruiz and Natasha Ruiz are the top seeds, in the Mini Cadet Girls’ Singles competition, the leading names are Argentina’s Abril Iwasa and Magdelana Villalba.
