Saturday, October 28, 2023.- The first tennis player to qualify for the individual final of the Pan American Games is Argentina's María Lourdes Carlé, currently ranked 146th in the WTA, who on Saturday defeated the 166th-ranked Canadian Rebecca Marino with a score of 6-1 and 6-4.

The match took place at the Grandstand court at the Centro Deportivo de Tenis at the Estadio Nacional and lasted for an hour and 25 minutes (the first set lasted 27 minutes, and the second set lasted 58 minutes).

With this victory, the 23-year-old Argentine secured a spot for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, as tennis awards tickets to all the singles finalists, both in the female and male's categories.

On Sunday, María Lourdes Carlé will face her compatriot Julia Riera (157th) or the Brazilian Laura Pigossi (125th) in the gold medal match of Santiago 2023, as they were simultaneously competing in the other semifinal.

The Argentine is defending her country's Pan American title since her compatriot Nadia Podoroska won in Lima 2019.

Written by Anaís Farías; translated by Pía Barriga / Santiago 2023 via Photosport
Photo: Dragomir Yankovic / Santiago 2023 via Photosport