Brazil captured both the Men’s and Women’s Doubles titles at the
Latin American Championships in San Salvador on Monday 23rd March 2009
with experience a key factor in the successes.
Certainly that
was the situation in the Men’s Doubles final, where Hugo Hoyama and
Cazuo Matsumoto defeated surprise finalists, Ecuador’s Alberto Miño and
Dino Suarez.
Both are in their first year out of the junior ranks.
Meanwhile, in the Women’s Doubles final the experience of Mariany
Nonaka and Ligia Silva told; at the final hurdle they overcame
compatriots Carina Murashige and Jessica Yamada, like the Ecuadorians,
players who are finding their feet in the senior international arena.
Tested
Victory
for Hoyama and Matsumoto but they were tested; they experienced few
problems en route to the semi-finals but at that stage they had to draw
deep into their reserves of know-how to secure victory.
They were extended the full five games distance by Argentina’s Rodrigo Gilabert and Diego Temperley.
Revelation
However, the revelation in the Men’s Doubles event was the performance of Alberto Miño and Dino Suarez.
Guided
Gustavo Ulloa, Ecuador’s head coach, the two young men from Guayaquil
displayed a splendid attitude, their second round win over second seeds
Argentina’s Gaston Alto and Pablo Tabachnik being of particular note.
Both
Alberto Miño and Dino Suarez performed well in the team event, they are
young players and they have set an example; give youth a chance and
they may well surprise you. In San Salvador Alberto Miño and Dino
Suarez did just that.
Familiar Names
Alas,
many of the names on duty are of players who have been there for years,
no doubt they have earned their place but I see too many young
absentees; some players who have benefited from the ITTF Global Junior
Programme are not present.
Surely it is time for a re-think of selection policies in some Latin American countries?
Similar Vein
In
similar vein to Alberto Miño and Dino Suarez, the fact that young
players were seen in the Women’s Doubles final is a great boost for
table tennis in Brazil; certainly pairing the more experienced Carina
Murashige with the teenager Jessica Yamada was a shrewd move by the
Brazilian coaches.
They rewarded the faith displayed; in the
semi-finals, they ousted the no.2 seeds, the much more experienced
Chileans, Berta Rodriguez and Paulina Vega.
Threatened
At
the end of the day, compatriots Ligia Silva and Mariany Nonaka proved
that degree too consistent but the duel went the full distance and it
was the only occasion that the champions elect were seriously
threatened.
Furthermore, the pair they beat in the semi-finals
had the element of youth; they overcame Colombia’s Paula Medina and
Aura Ocampo at the penultimate stage.
Source: www.ittf.com
