Bolivia reaches the podium at the Paraguay Junior Open

Bolivia is celebrating a strong performance at the Paraguay Junior Open, a tournament part of the Cosat Tour (U16 and U14) and ITF World Tennis Tour Juniors (U18). The Bolivian delegation has already secured one title and one runner-up finish in doubles, with another potential title on the horizon in singles.

Santiago Gómez and Omar Vargas, ranked fourth seeds, clinched the U18 doubles championship. They navigated through several tough matches, defeating pairs from Argentina and Brazil before overcoming the Brazilian duo Fernando Giacomelli and Vitor Longo in a close final, winning 7-5, 3-6, 10-6.

In the U14 doubles category, Paulina Del Solar, paired with Brazil's Nicole Martins, reached the final as top seeds but ultimately finished as runners-up. They lost a hard-fought match to the second-seeded Brazilian pair, Maria Dias and Ana Viscardi, with a score of 2-6, 6-2, 10-6.

Bolivia has a significant opportunity to add another crown to its tally with Rafael Benítez's advancement to the U16 singles final. Benítez has shown impressive form throughout the tournament, winning four consecutive matches, including a decisive victory over fellow Bolivian Alejandro Gómez in the semifinals. He is set to compete for the title against Argentina's Facundo Oddone on Saturday.