Kanak Jha for third time, Adriana Diaz completes double
(by Ian Marshall, Editor, ITTF)

Winner of the Women’s Singles title last September in the northern Colombian city of Cartagena de Indias at the 2017 Pan American Championships; on Sunday 15th July, Puerto Rico’s Adriana Diaz completed the double in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

She won the Girls’ Singles title at the 2018 Pan American Junior Championships and thus prevented a United States clean sweep; soon after, Kanak Jha claimed the Boys’ Singles crown and in so doing secured the title for a third consecutive year.

However, Adriana Diaz came perilously close to defeat; she prevented the United States gaining a full house of titles by the very narrowest of margins.

The no.2 seed, at the final hurdle she faced Amy Wang of the United States, the top seed; a seventh game was needed to determine the outcome. Amy Wang made the better start in the decider, she led 4-1, then 8-4 and 9-6; Adriana Diaz levelled at 9-all but lost the next point. She saved the match point before eventually clinching victory on her second match point (9-11, 11-8, 11-9, 10-12, 11-5, 7-11, 13-11).

“I stayed focused on the game. I always stayed positive, although I still do not believe it. It’s been a great tournament, very strong. Now I’m going to the Central American Games. ” Adriana Diaz

Success and success for the second time, also to some extent, the victory laid to rest the gremlins of one year ago. In the inaugural tournament in 2016 in Burnaby, Canada, Adriana Diaz had emerged victorious; last year in Buenos Aires she experienced a nightmare. In the final she led 10-4 in the seventh game against Brazil’s Bruna Takahashi, only to lose the next eight points and have to settle for runners up spot.

In Santo Domingo, it was the bronze medal for Bruna Takahashi as it was for Crystal Wang, also from the United States; at the semi-final stage Bruna Takahashi, the no.3 seed, was beaten by Amy Wang (11-9, 5-11, 11-9, 6-11, 11-2, 5-11, 11-6); Crystal Wang, the no.14 seed, experience defeat at the hands of Adriana Diaz (11-4, 8-11, 11-7, 11-3, 11-9).

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