Takahashi Claims Pan Am Gold, Ly Stuns the Competition in Corpus Christi
by Joshua Dyke
Bruna Takahashi and Edward Ly secure gold in the 2024 ITTF Singles Pan Am Cup Championships in Corpus Christi, Texas.
Staying one step ahead of the rest of the Pan Am Region, Takahashi emerged as the top female competitor at the major event. Bruna Takahashi is the new women’s singles champion from the 2024 ITTF Pan Am Cup.
Takahashi claimed a well-earned game seven title match (11-5, 11-1, 9-11, 4-11, 11-7, 6-11, 11-9) over Amy Wang to cement herself as champion in Corpus Christi, Texas.
“I think this gave me more motivation to keep working hard. It gave me more mental relief because I played in many finals in the Pan American Championships and the Pan American Cups, and I lost. This time it was different, and I'm very happy about it.” Bruna Takahashi
Speaking for itself, Takahashi’s form got sharper every round on the way to the final. Her drive and passion were undeniable, even down to the last point, which dubbed her a Pan Am Cup champion.
Edward Ly nonchalantly entered the 2024 Pan American Cup as the men’s thirteenth seed, but it’s what he made of his opportunity that defined the magnificence of his championship title.
It was becoming difficult to call the Canadian an underdog going into the men’s singles final, even with a match against the men’s top seed in Burgos.
“It feels unreal. I knew coming into the match I was in pretty good shape. Burgos is a very good player. He's shown capacity in the last few months, and I knew coming to the match I had to step up my game. I didn't expect four to zero; every set was very close and could have gone either way.” Edward Ly
Ly stunned the competition one by one: down went the second seed, down went the seventh, and then the eleventh. Ultimately, Ly toppled the men’s number one seed, Nicolas Burgos, in just four games.
The singles Pan Am Cup champions, Bruna Takahashi and Edward Ly, qualify for the 2024 ITTF Singles World Cup scheduled for April 15–21, 2024, in Macao, China.