Over the last week, the Dominican Republic has gamely played host to the 2021 ITTF Pan American Youth Championships. Taking place in the capital city of Santo Domingo, the Championships have largely gone the way of Team USA. First, the youngsters from the states claimed three of the four team championships in Under 15 and Under 19 events, leaving only the Boys' Under 19 title on the table. Team USA's strength in the Under 15 events was further evidenced by titles in Girls' Singles (Sarah Jalli), Girls' Doubles (Sarah Jalli and Sally Moyland), Boys' Doubles (Nandan Naresh and Daniel Tran) and Mixed Doubles (Sally Moyland and Daniel Tran). With seven titles in the bag, Team USA was assured a majority of the 14 titles on offer when Amy Wang and Rachel Sung (pictured) reached the finals of the Under 19 Girls. Wang, world #22 among Under 19 Girls, entered the ITTF Pan American Youth Championships as the top seed in the event. The left-handed Sung (pictured), ranked #49 in the world among Under 19 Girls, was not satisfied merely to reach the final. Sung came out swinging, winning the first three games before Wang knew what hit her. Wang, to her credit, regained her composure and won the next three in dominant fashion. It appeared that the expected result would emerge as Wang led 10-8 in the deciding seventh game. Sung, however, rallied to win in overtime, 16-14. At the end of the day, it was a win either way for Team USA, who take home not only the majority of available titles but a boatload of invaluable experience for our next generation of stars.

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