This week in Cuenca, Ecuador, the top juniors in the western hemisphere sharpened their blades for the 2021 ITTF Pan American Under 11 and Under 13 Championships. One nation, given little credence by the tournament seeding committee, persistently pummeled pessimistic performance prognostications. Team USA fielded two teams in the Under 13 Girls Team event. Mandy Yu (pictured) and Aria Shi joined forces as the United States B team. Seeded dead last at 17th, they exceeded all expectations to reach the final. There, whom should they meet but their compatriots on the A team of Yishiuan Lin and Amber Liu, seeded third. The A team took the title, 3-0. The Under 13 Boys Team final also featured a US team in the form of Mu Du and Stanley Hsu, seeded 17th out of 19. There, they faced the top-seeded Puerto Rican team of Steven Joel Moreno Rivera and Enrique Yezue Rios Torres. In a thrilling contest, Puerto Rico held on to win, 3-2. Team USA had already secured gold in the Under 11 Girls Team event in the semifinals. With two teams in the event, the A team of Geetha Krishna and Tashiya Piyadasa overcame the B team of Tiyana Piyadasa and Abigail Yu, 3-1. Remarkably, the two teams were seeded 14th and 15th, respectively, out of 15 teams. Team USA also put up a valiant showing in the Under 11 Boys Team final, where Maxim Mouchinski and Brian Wu, seeded dead last at #17, took on #1 Colombia. Punching way above his weight, Mouchinski notched a win over Juan Pineros, but it was to be the only point for Team USA. With two wins in singles and one in doubles, Emanuel Otalvaro was the clear MVP for Colombia. Despite consistently low seedings, Team USA managed to pick up half of the gold medals on offer in the team events, and, strangely enough, all of the silvers. With singles events commencing Thursday, the Stars and Stripes will no longer be flying under the radar. So much for the element of surprise.

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