Latina Paraguay Open QF: Tovar Sisters To Meet In Semi-Finals 

Maria and Laura Tovar will do battle in the semi-finals of the Paraguay Open, with compatriot Lucia Bautista knocking out the top seed.

Maria Tovar downed No.3 seed Anastasiia Kostiukova on the second day of competition in Asuncion, and came up against another Ukrainian in the last eight. She took on former top 100 ranked player Nadiia Usenko.

It was the Ukranian that took a tight opening game 11-9, but the match swung on a second game tie-break, one that Tovar was able to clinch 14-12. She then went on to secure both the third and fourth games to advance to the semi-finals.

She will now face older sister Laura, the tournament’s No.2 seed, in the semis. The Colombian got the better of Mexico’s Sarahi Lopez in straight games, with a second game tie-break being crucial to the victory. Tovar had won the opener 11-9, before then needing to go to a tie-break in the second, which she won 12-10, to keep the momentum in her favour.

Joining the siblings in the semis is a third Colombian, the in-form Lucia Bautista. She defeated top seed Tessa ter Sluis in four games to move through to the semi-finals of the Paraguay Open. The pair were level after two games, exchanging 11-9 scorelines. Bautista went on to win the third 11-9 as well, before scraping through the fourth on a tie-break to secure victory.

Bautista will now take on Egypt’s Sohaila Ismail in the semis, after the No.4 seed defeated Japan’s Erisa Sano Herring. The Japanese player, the No.5 seed for the event, fought back after going two games down to win the third 14-12, but Ismail got the job done in four to advance.

The semis of the Paraguay Open, the last event on the Latina Tour de las Americas, will take place on Friday, May 26. You can keep up to date with daily updates from the tournament on the PSA Challenger Tour’s Twitter and Facebook. 

Quarter Final Results: Latina Tour de las Americas – Paraguay Open
Lucia Bautista (COL) bt [1] Tessa ter Sluis (NED) 3-1: 11-9, 9-11, 11-9, 12-10 (44m)
[4] Sohaila Ismail (EGY) bt [5] Erisa Sano Herring (JPN) 3-1: 11-9, 11-8, 12-14, 11-6 (39m)
Maria Tovar (COL) bt Nadiia Usenko (UKR) 3-1: 9-11, 14-12, 11-8, 11-9 (45m)
[2] Laura Tovar (COL) bt Sarahi Lopez (MEX) 3-0: 11-9, 12-10, 11-7 (40m)

Semi-Final Draw: To Be Played Friday, May 26
Lucia Bautista (COL) v [4] Sohaila Ismail (EGY)
Maria Tovar (COL) v [2] Laura Tovar (COL)