Piyadasa, Aspathi, and Naresh Lead U.S. to Gold in Paraguay

The U.S. earned gold in both the women’s team and men’s singles table tennis events at the ASU 2025 Junior Pan American Games in Asunción, Paraguay.

Tashiya Piyadasa and Satya Aspathi delivered the women’s team title for the U.S., defeating Brazil’s Karina Senaga and Beatriz Mendonca 3-1 in the final.

The Americans relied on strong singles play to secure the victory. Aspathi opened the final with a 3-2 win over Senaga (9-11, 11-6, 2-11, 17-15, 11-7), showing resilience as she fought back from behind.

Piyadasa then clinched the gold for the U.S., taking match two against Mendonca 3-2 before sealing the title in match four with a 3-1 win (11-7, 11-6, 7-11, 11-3).

“It’s a dream come true. We’ve worked very hard to get here, and to be able to take home the gold medal for our country is incredible,” Piyadasa told Panam Sports after the match.

The two U.S. Girls Junior National Team members were crowned 2025 women’s team champions, closing out table tennis competition at ASU 2025 on a high note.

Earlier in the week, Nandan Naresh captured gold in men’s singles, defeating Brazil’s Leonardo Iizuka 4-2 in the best-of-seven final (11-7, 8-11, 7-11, 12-10, 11-8, 11-9).

The match added another chapter to the growing rivalry between Naresh and Iizuka, who have exchanged victories across Pan America over the past five years. Just hours before their singles showdown, the two had squared off in the men’s doubles final, where Naresh and Victor Xie finished with silver against Iizuka and Felipe Doti.

The singles final showcased two of the region’s premier junior players at their technical best. Iizuka led 2-1 and looked poised for the top of the podium, but Naresh steadied his game, gradually taking control of the rallies.

Though Iizuka was persistent, even holding leads in games five and six, Naresh’s composure proved decisive. He closed out three straight games to seal the match and the gold for the USA.