Latina Paraguay Open RD1: Palacios Carries Home Hopes On Debut

Lujan Palacios will carry home hopes into the second round of the Paraguay Open, after causing an upset in her debut match on the PSA Tour.

The Paraguay Open features a women’s draw this week, seven days on from hosting the men’s event last week. This Challenger 5 level competition is also the last event on this year’s Latina Tour de las Americas.

The Paraguayan, one of just two in the field on home soil this week, took on Scotland’s Carys Jones in the opening round of the competition. The Scot was part of the 9/16 seeding group, while Palacios was featuring on the PSA Tour for the very first time.

Buoyed by the home crowd, she took the opening game 11-6. Both the second and third games went to tie-breaks, and the Paraguayan would end up on the right side of them both. She won the second 12-10, before taking the third game 14-12, to secure a straight games victory and to move through to the second round.

She is joined in the last 16 by three other South Americans. Argentina’s Plat Etchechoury defeated compatriot Candela Bernard to advance, while the Colombian duo of Lucia Bautista and Maria Tovar are both through. Bautista has reached both finals on the Latina Tour de las Americas so far this season, and will be aiming for a third successive final this week.

Elsewhere on the opening day in Asuncion, Mexico’s Sarahi Lopez knocked out the other Paraguayan in the draw, Fiorella Gatti, winning in straight games. Ukraine’s Nadiia Usenko joins compatriot Anastasiia Kostiukova in the second round, while Egypt’s Nour Wageeh is also through.

The second round of the Latina Tour de las Americas – Paraguay Open will take place on Wednesday, May 24 in Asuncion. You can keep up to date with daily updates from the tournament on the PSA Challenger Tour’s Twitter and Facebook. Live scores are available on the PSA World Tour website here.

First Round Results: Latina Tour de las Americas – Paraguay Open
Pilar Etchechoury (ARG) bt Candela Bernard (ARG) 3-0: 11-3, 11-7, 11-6 (21m)
Lucia Bautista (COL) bt Luiza Carbonieri (BRA) 3-0: 11-2, 11-8, 11-2 (18m)
Lujan Palacios (PAR) bt Carys Jones (SCO) 3-0: 11-6, 12-10, 14-12 (27m)
Maria Tovar (COL) bt Anita Pinto (CHI) 3-0: 11-8, 11-3, 11-3 (29m)
Nadiia Usenko (UKR) bt Paula Rivero (ARG) 3-0: 11-6, 11-5, 11-2 (18m)
Sarahi Lopez (MEX) bt Fiorella Gatti (PAR) 3-0: 11-7, 11-1, 11-7 (23m)
Nour Wageeh (EGY) bt Andrea Fuertes (BOL) 3-0: 11-5, 11-5, 11-2 (15m)

Second Round Draw: To Be Played Wednesday, May 24
[1] Tessa ter Sluis (NED) v Pilar Etchechoury (ARG)
Lucia Bautista (COL) v [7] Ingy Hammouda (EGY)
[5] Erisa Sano Herring (JPN) v Mary Mijas (GUA)
Lujan Palacios (PAR) v [4] Sohaila Ismail (EGY)
[3] Anastasiia Kostiukova (UKR) v Maria Tovar (COL)
Nadiia Usenko (UKR) v [8] Ellie Jones (SCO)
[6] Sanne Veldkamp (NED) v Sarahi Lopez (MEX)
Nour Wageeh (EGY) v [2] Laura Tovar (COL)