The International Racquetball Federation's 19th Racquetball World Championships are being held in San José, Costa Rica from August 10-18. This is the first time Worlds have been Costa Rica, and the first time a Central American country has hosted the event.
Bolivians Valeria Centellas and Yasmine Sabja won the Women’s Doubles World Championship for the first time in their careers, and their win was the first for South American women at Worlds. They defeated the Mexican team of Alexandra Herrera and Monsserrat Mejia in the final in three games, including fighting off a match point in game two, winning 8-15, 15-14, 11-2. Centellas and Sabja beat the Guatemala team of Maria Rene Rodriguez and Gabriela Martinez in the semi-finals by injury default, as Martinez hurt her left arm in the second game, and while they finished that game, they couldn't complete the match.[1] Herrera and Mejia defeated Colombians Cristina Amaya and Adriana Riveros in the other semi.
The 2018 World Championships was a two-stage competition. There was an initial group stage played as a round robin with the results used to seed teams for the medal round.
Group stage[2]
Pool A
| Players |
Pld |
W |
L |
GF |
GA |
PF |
PA |
Points |
|---|
 Alexandra Herrera & Monsserrat Mejia |
2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 66 | 28 | 4 |
 Maria Jose Vargas & Natalia Mendez |
2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 51 | 52 | 3 |
 Alejandra Jiménez & Merynanyelly Delgado |
2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 23 | 60 | 2 |
|
Pool B
| Players |
Pld |
W |
L |
GF |
GA |
PF |
PA |
Points |
|---|
 Sheryl Lotts & Rhonda Rajsich |
2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 64 | 39 | 4 |
 Jin Young Seok & Mi Ok An |
2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 55 | 55 | 3 |
 Maiko Sato & Naomi Wakimoto |
2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 35 | 60 | 2 |
Pool C
| Players |
Pld |
W |
L |
GF |
GA |
PF |
PA |
Points |
|---|
 Maria Rene Rodriguez & Gabriela Martinez |
2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 60 | 29 | 4 |
 Maria Paz Muñoz & Veronica Sotomayor |
2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 48 | 40 | 3 |
 Carla Muñoz & Josefa Parada |
2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 21 | 60 | 2 |
Medal round[3]
| Round of 16
| | | Quarter finals
| | | Semi finals
| | | Finals
| |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | |
| 1
| Alexandra Herrera & Monsserrat Mejia
|
| |
|
|
| BYE
|
| |
| | 1
| Mexico
| 15, 15
| |
|
|
| | 8
| Ecuador
| 12, 10
| |
| 9
|  Frédérique Lambert & Jen Saunders
| 15, 9, 4
| |
| |
| 8
| Maria Paz Muñoz & Veronica Sotomayor
| 5, 15, 11
| |
| | 1
| Mexico
| 15, 15
| |
|
|
| | 4
|  Colombia
| 8, 4
| |
| 5
| Jin Seok & Mi Ok An
| 15, 15
| | |
| |
| 12
| Merynanyelly Delgado & Alejandra Jimenez
| 14, 11
| |
| | 5
| South Korea
| 10, 9
| |
|
|
| | 4
| Colombia
| 15, 15
| |
| 13
|  Majella Haverty & Katie Kenny
| 1, 6
| |
| |
| 4
| Cristina Amaya & Adriana Riveros
| 15, 15
| |
| | 1
| Mexico
| 15, 14, 2
| |
|
|
| | 7
|  Bolivia
| 8, 15, 11
| |
| 3
| Maria Rene Rodriguez & Gabriela Martinez
|
| | | |
| |
|
| BYE
|
| |
| | 3
| Guatemala
| 15, 15
| |
|
|
| | 6
| Argentina
| 2, 8
| |
| 11
| Maiko Sato & Naomi Wakimoto
| 6, 6
| |
| |
| 6
| Natalia Mendez & Maria Jose Vargas
| 15, 15
| |
| | 3
| Guatemala
| 15, 7, 4, injury forfeit
| |
|
|
| | 7
| Bolivia
| 10, 15, 6
| |
| 7
| Valeria Centellas & Yasmine Sabja
| 15, 15
| | |
| |
| 10
| Carla Muñoz & Josefa Parada
| 8, 6
| |
| | 7
| Bolivia
| 15, 15
| |
|
|
| | 2
| United States
| 12, 10
| |
|
| BYE
|
| |
| |
| 2
| Sheryl Lotts & Rhonda Rajsich
|
| |
|
|
| Winners |
| Valeria Centellas & Yasmine Sabja |
