Team USA earned seven medals at the 2023 Pan American Junior Championships–including junior women’s team and individual gold–August 13-19 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The Pan American Junior Championship brought together top juniors from eleven different nations in North, Central, and South America competing across individual, team and doubles events.
Team USA reached the podium in all seven events, and topped the podium twice with a successful defense of the junior women’s team gold medal and Samantha Jaffe making a gold medal run as a 5/8 individual seed.
The U.S. junior women’s team pulled off a perfect title defense with out dropping a match. The top-seeded U.S. defeated Peru in the quarterfinals, Canada in the semifinals to set up a final against two seeds Ecuador. The U.S. then topped Ecuador in the final courtesy of wins from Jaffe, Dixon Hill and Maeve Baker.
The junior women’s individual draw featured two all-American clashes. First, 5/8 seed Ashna Tumuluri overcame two seed Maeve Baker in a narrow five-game quarterfinal, earning Tumuluri a bronze medal. Jaffe then ended Tumuluri’s run in a three-game semifinal. Jaffe captured the gold in three games against Guatemala’s 9/16 seed Tabita Gaitan.
In the junior men’s individual draw, both Alexander Dartnell and Alexander Arader fulfilled their 5/8 seedings by reaching the quarterfinals. Dartnell went one step further upsetting Colombia’s four seed 13-11 in the fifth to reach the semifinals and earn a bronze medal.
Tumuluri would claim another bronze medal in the doubles competition alongside Dixon Hill. Tumuluri & Hill defeated Argentina’s team to reach the semifinals where they lost a close semifinal against Guatemala.
Alexander Dartnell & Hao Cui fulfilled their two seeding by reaching the junior men’s doubles final. Dartnell & Cui defeated Argentina and Ecuador on their way to the final, and lost a close final against top-seeded Colombia in three games.
The U.S. and Colombia would face off again in the ensuing junior men’s team final. The U.S. entered the draw seeded second and defeated Barbados and 3/4 seeds Argentina to reach the final. Top-seeded Colombia pulled off a perfect gold medal run without dropping a match, and defeating Team USA 3-0 in the final.
In the Mixed doubles draw, Baker & Isaac Mitchell earned bronze medals, defeating Peru to reach the semifinals before falling short against Argentina.
All eight Americans return home having contributed to Team USA’s medal haul. The U.S. Junior Women’s Team included Samantha Jaffe, Maeve Baker, Dixon Hill and Ashna Tumuluri. The U.S. Junior Men’s Team included Alexander Dartnell, Alexander Arader, Hao Cui and Isaac Mitchell. U.S. National Team Coaches Alicia Rodriguez and Chris Longman led the Team USA delegation.
2023 marked the seventh year Team USA has competed in the Pan American Junior Championships.