Marino Falls in Pan American Games Semifinals

After a strong showing in her run at the 2023 Pan American Games, Rebecca Marino’s bid for the gold medal has come to end.

The Canadian came up just short in the semifinals, dropping the match to Argentinian Lourdes Carle in straight sets 6-1, 6-4.

Though Carle was in the driver’s seat for almost the entire match, Marino put up a valiant effort in an attempt to equalize the match in the second set.

Carle’s service games defined the match as she scored points on 68 per cent of his first serve attempts. This was especially exemplified in the first set where she converted 11 of her 13 serves into points. Though she was less dominant in her serves in the second set, Marino struggled to capitalize on her inconsistency and score break points.

In total, Marino only converted one break point in five attempts.

Marino’s serve, on the other hand, wasn’t as strong as it was in her quarter-finals match against Yuliana Lizarazo. She scored points on 56 per cent of her first serves, but she was outclassed by her opponent.

The first set ended in a brisk 30 minutes as Marino struggled to find her footing. Carle’s ability to break Marino’s serve set the tone for the set as Marino could only muster a single game win in that time.

Marino bounced back in a longer second set that lasted just under an hour, but she couldn’t put together a win to push it to a third set.

She was stronger in both her first and second serves in the second set but could not take advantage of Carle’s dip in efficiency. Carle saw a plunge in her points scored off first serves, falling to 61 per cent, but it was just enough to maintain her lead over Marino.

Despite the loss, Marino showed heart and unwavering effort in the second to show she was still competitive.

Her time in the 2023 Pan American games isn’t quite over, however. Tomorrow, she’ll play against Argentinian Julia Riera in the bronze medal match at 9:00 a.m.

Written By

Louis Pavlakos