Top Ad
I DIG Radio
www.idigradio.com
Listen live to the best music from around the world!
I DIG Style
www.idigstyle.com
Learn about the latest fashion styles and more...

Full day starts proceedings, eyes focus on Brian Afanador and Adriana Diaz

Written by 
Published in Table Tennis
Thursday, 06 February 2020 19:53

Local eyes very much focus on Brian Afanador and Adriana Diaz, both well-known sporting personalities in the Caribbean island.

Last year Brian Afanador successfully progressed through the group stage thus booking a quarter-final place where Brazil’s Hugo Calderano, the top seed and champion elect ended progress.

A meeting in the round of the last eight last year; should Brian Afanador, the no.8 seed, excel expectations and negotiate his way through the quarter of the draw in which Paraguay’s Marcelo Aguirre is the no.4 seeds, a semi-final meeting against Hugo Calderano could be an option.

Seeking a third consecutive title, colleague Gustavo Tsuboi, the no.3 seed, aims for a second. He was successful in the inaugural tournament in 2017 in San José, Costa Rica; he appears in the same quarter of the draw as Ecuador’s Alberto Miño, the no.7 seed, the same half as Kanak Jha of the United States, the runner up one year ago.

Intriguing clash

Notable names but if there is one notable opening round men’s singles contest, it is that between Argentina’s Horacio Cifuentes, the no.5 seed and Nikhil Kumar, the no.11 seed.

Last year in Guaynabo, Nikhil Kumar was a revelation; the no.15 seed, he finished in first place in his initial phase group ahead of Mexico’s Marcos Madrid, the no.5 seed and the Dominican Republic’s Emil Santos, the no.10 seed. Later in the year on the ITTF World Junior Circuit, he was a junior boys’ singles semi-finalist in Hungary, the runner up in Spain.

Equally, on his one previous Pan America Cup appearance, in 2018 in Asuncion, Horacio Cifuentes reached the quarter-finals and like Nikhil Kumar enjoyed a successful 2019. At ITTF Challenge Series tournaments, he partnered colleague Gaston Alto to men’s doubles gold in Poland, whilst in both Spain and Paraguay, securing the under 21 men’s singles title.

In Guaynabo, Horacio Cifuentes starts as favourite. On the two meetings in 2019 against Nikhil Kumar, on both occasions, the Pan America Games in Lima and the Pan American Championships in Asuncion, the Argentine prevailed. However, that could count for naught, Nikhil Kumar is a gifted young man, out for revenge and a step higher than last year.

Men’s Singles Round One – Order of Play (seeded positions in brackets)

  • 10.00 Manuel Moya v Alberto Miño
  • 11.30 Emil Santos v Marcelo Aguirre
  • 13.00 Marcos Madrid v Gaston Alto
  • 14.30 Nikhil Kumar v Horacio Cifuentes
  • 16.00 Gustavo Tsuboi v Marko Medjugorac
  • 17.30 Hector Berrios v Kanak Jha 2)
  • 19.45 Brian Afanador v Kevin Montufar
  • 21.15 Hugo Calderano v Jeremy Hazin
No strangers

Familiar foes; it is potentially the same for Adriana Diaz in the women’s event; she is drawn in the same half as Wu Yue of the United States, the no.3 seed and in the same quarter as Mexico’s Yadira Silva.

At the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games, Adriana Diaz experienced defeat at the hands of Wu Yue at the quarter-final stage of the women’s singles event but one must take into account age; at the time Adriana Diaz was only 14 years old.

Notably last year, she beat Wu Yue at the semi-final stage in Guaynabo and later in the penultimate round in the women’s singles event at the Pan American Games.

Likewise at the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games, Adriana Diaz experienced defeat at the hands of Yadira Silva in the women’s team event but on their most recent meetings, the women’s singles events at the 2017 ITTF Pan American Championships and the 2018 Central American and Caribbean Games, the Puerto Rican has prevailed.

Lower half

Adriana Diaz prominent in the top half of the draw, in the opposite half of the draw, elder sister, Melanie, is on duty; the no.6 seed, the potential quarter-final opponent being Lily Zhang of the United States, the no.2 seed. Significantly, very much a player in form; a semi-finalist at the Uncle Pop 2019 Women’s World Cup and more recently, the winner in December at the United States Open.

Women’s Singles Round One – Order of Play (seeded positions in brackets)

  • 10.45 Paulina Vega v Camila Arguelles
  • 12.15 Sophie Gauthier v Wu Yue
  • 13.45 Zhang Mo v Eva Brito
  • 15.15 Ana Codina v Bruna Takahashi
  • 16.45 Mabelyn Enriquez v Lily Zhang
  • 19.00 Adriana Diaz v Jessica Yamada
  • 20.30 Melanie Diaz v Daniela Ortega
  • 22.00 Esmerlyn Castro v Yadira Silva Mexico (8)

Memorably, Lily Zhang won in San José three years ago; two years ago, the Canada’s Zhang Mo emerged the winner. The no.3 seed, she is the same half of the draw as Lily Zhang, the same quarter as Brazil’s Bruna Takahashi, the no.5 seed.

Last year Zhang Mo and Bruna Takahashi met in the semi-final round, the verdict went in favour of the Canadian. There is a debt to settle.

The quarter-finals will be played on Saturday 8th February, the semi-finals, third place match and finals on Sunday 9th February.

Read 381 times

Soccer

Pep: Man City face '9 finals' to qualify for UCL

Pep: Man City face '9 finals' to qualify for UCL

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsWhile Pep Guardiola and Manchester City are in the unlikeliest of p...

USMNT's Haji Wright nets 1st hat trick in England

USMNT's Haji Wright nets 1st hat trick in England

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsUnited States forward Haji Wright scored his first hat trick in Eng...

Pulisic equals career-best goal tally in Milan win

Pulisic equals career-best goal tally in Milan win

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsChristian Pulisic equaled his career-best goal tally for a season w...

2026 FIFA


2028 LOS ANGELES OLYMPIC

UEFA

2024 PARIS OLYMPIC


Basketball

Nets' Thomas (hamstring) likely out for season

Nets' Thomas (hamstring) likely out for season

EmailPrintCam Thomas, the Brooklyn Nets' leading scorer, is expected to miss the rest of the season...

Bulls' Ball out again, not shut down for season

Bulls' Ball out again, not shut down for season

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsHOUSTON -- Lonzo Ball missed his seventh game with a right wrist in...

Baseball

O's Henderson aiming for Opening Day return

O's Henderson aiming for Opening Day return

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsShortstop Gunnar Henderson said he believes he can return from inju...

Marlins lose OF Sanchez (oblique) for four weeks

Marlins lose OF Sanchez (oblique) for four weeks

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsMiami Marlins outfielder Jesus Sanchez suffered a left oblique inju...

Sports Leagues

  • FIFA

    Fédération Internationale de Football Association
  • NBA

    National Basketball Association
  • ATP

    Association of Tennis Professionals
  • MLB

    Major League Baseball
  • ITTF

    International Table Tennis Federation
  • NFL

    Nactional Football Leagues
  • FISB

    Federation Internationale de Speedball

About Us

I Dig® is a leading global brand that makes it more enjoyable to surf the internet, conduct transactions and access, share, and create information.  Today I Dig® attracts millions of users every month.r

 

Phone: (800) 737. 6040
Fax: (800) 825 5558
Website: www.idig.com
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Affiliated