Saturday, Oct 21st.- Men's badminton played its round of 32 at the Centro de Entrenamiento Olímpico, where Brazil successfully advanced both of its representatives to the next stage of the competition at the Pan American Games Santiago 2023.

Ygor Coelho de Oliveira, the current Pan American champion, defeated Chile's Fernando Sanhueza, while Jonathan Santos de Souza did the same against the local player Ignacio Medel.

After his loss, Chile's Medel stated, "The match was good. I ended up feeling a bit unsatisfied. I lost to the 59th-ranked player in the world, and we've had little competition this year. Now I must give it all in doubles and mixed doubles. This match helped me get rid of the nerves."

In another part of the bracket, the current bronze medalist from the competition, Guatemalan representative and Independent Athlete Team member Kevin Cordón, defeated the American Justin Ma.

Another favorite in the competition, Canadian Brian Yang, who won the silver medal at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, will face Suriname's Soren Opti in the round of sixteen, as Opti eliminated Jamaica's Bradley Evans.

It's important to note that badminton at Santiago 2023 contributes to the qualification for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, so the winners will take a significant step toward the Olympic event.

Written by Patricio Echagüe; translated by Vicente Valdivia / Photosport
Foto: Javier Vergara / Santiago 2023 villa Photosport