Latin American Championships: Brazilians Fail in Bid to Retain Titles
March 8, 2010

Yadira Silva the 2010 Latin American Women's Singles champion Photo By: Fernando Aguilar

Courtesy of ITTF Cancun, March 7, 2010 - Brazil’s Cazuo MATSUMOTO and Ligia SILVA both failed in the bid to retain their respective Men’s and Women’s Singles titles at the Latin American Championships on the Mexican city of Cancun on Saturday March 6, 2010. The winners one year earlier when the annual event was held in San Salvador, the principal city in the small Central American country of El Salvador, Cazuo MATSUMOTO was beaten at the final hurdle by top seed, Argentina’s LIU Song, while the host nation’s Yadira SILVA upset the seeding to beat Ligia SILVA, seeded no.1 at the final hurdle.

The winners one year earlier when the annual event was held in San Salvador, the principal city in the small Central American country of El Salvador, Cazuo MATSUMOTO was beaten at the final hurdle by top seed, Argentina’s LIU Song, while the host nation’s Yadira SILVA upset the seeding to beat Ligia SILVA, seeded no.1 at the final hurdle.

It was the fourth time that 37 year old LIU Song had won the title; while for 28 year old Yadira SILVA, it was her first appearance in a Latin American Women’s Singles final.

The defeat suffered by Cazuo MATSUMOTO prevented the 24 year old Brazilian completing a clean sweep of titles.

Earlier in the proceedings he had joined forces with Hugo HOYAMA and Gustavo TSUBOI to win the Men’s Team event, while partnering HOYAMA to success in the Men’s Doubles competition and Ligia SILVA to gold in the Mixed Doubles.

Success for Ligia SILVA in the Mixed Doubles and also in the Women’s Team event where she joined forces with Karin SAKO and Jessica YAMADA to secure gold.

Titles for Argentina, Brazil and the hosts Mexico and there was also top prizes for Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador.

Venezuela’s Ruaidda EZZEDDINE and Faboila RAMOS won the Women’s Doubles crown while Ecuador’s Alberto MINO retained his Under 21 Men’s Singles title and Colombia’s Paul MEDINA won the counterpart female crown.

Men’s Singles Final
LIU Song (ARG) bt Cazuo MATSUMOTO (BRA) 11-5, 11-5, 15-13, 11-6

Women’s Singles Final
Yadira SILVA (MEX) bt Ligia SILVA (BRA) 9-11, 11-9, 11-5, 10-12, 16-14,
11-8

Men’s Doubles Final
Hugo HOYAMA/Cazuo MATSUMOTO (BRA) bt Guillermo MUÑOZ/Jude OKOH (MEX) 11-9, 11-6, 11-9

Women’s Doubles Final
Ruiadda EZZEDDINE/Fabiola RAMOS (VEN) bt Berta RODRIGUEZ/Maria Paulina VEGA (CHI) 11-6, 11-8, 11-8

Mixed Doubles Final
Cazuo MATSUMOTO/Ligia SILVA (BRA) bt Jude OKOH/Yadira SILVA (MEX) 11-9, 11-6, 12-10

Under 21 Men’s Singles Final
Alberto MIÑO (ECU) bt Juan VILA (DOM) 11-8, 11-2, 6-11, 11-9

Under 21 Women’s Singles Final
Paula MEDINA (COL) bt Ruaidda EZZEDDINE (BRA) 11-8, 8-11, 11-6, 11-7