USA’s Annie Xu/Kerry Xu consolidated their status as frontrunners in the Race to Paris after making the women’s doubles final of the XXVII YONEX Pan Am Individual Championships 2024.
With close challengers Catherine Choi/Josephine Wu falling in the other semifinal to Francesca Corbett/Allison Lee, the Xu twins will hold their spot as the top pair from Pan Am when the qualification period ends.
Annie Xu & Kerry Xu
There was a double blow for Josephine Wu, who was also in the running for a mixed doubles spot at the Olympics with Ty Alexander Lindeman. The Canadians were beaten earlier in the day by USA’s Presley Smith/Allison Lee, 21-11 21-16, which enabled another USA pair, Vinson Chiu/Jennie Gai, to overhaul the difference in ranking points and climb ahead as Pan Am’s top mixed doubles pair in the Race to Paris.
Both Presley Smith and Allison Lee earned a shot at a double title, with Smith making the men’s doubles final with Chen Zhi Yi and Corbett/Lee facing off against the Xu sisters in the title round.
Uriel Francisco Canjura
There was a third blow for Canada, with top seed Brian Yang upset 21-16 21-15 by El Salvador’s Uriel Francisco Canjura Artiga for the first time in six encounters. Artigal will become the first Pan Am champion from his country if he beats three-time former champion Kevin Cordon.
There were no surprises in women’s singles, with top seed Beiwen Zhang and second seed Michelle Li taking their spots in the final.
→Results (Semifinals)
→Order of Play (Finals)
BWF Newsletter
