Paola Longoria

Paola Longoria

Personal information
Born	(1989-07-20) July 20, 1989 San Luis Potosí, Mexico
Medal record Women's Racquetball Competitor for  Mexico Pan American Games Gold 2011 Guadalajara Women's singles Gold 2011 Guadalajara Women's doubles Gold 2011 Guadalajara Women's team Central American and Caribbean Games Gold 2010 Mayagüez Women's singles Gold 2006 Cartagena Women's singles Gold 2006 Cartagena Women's team World Championships Gold 2012 Singles Gold 2012 Doubles Gold 2010 Doubles Bronze 2010 Singles Bronze 2008 Singles World Games Gold 2009 Singles Gold 2013 Singles

Paola Michelle Longoria López (born July 20, 1989) is a Mexican racquetball player. She's the current International Racquetball Federation World Champion in singles and doubles, the first player to win both. Longoria is also the #1 player on the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) tour, and was the first Mexican woman to attain the #1 ranking on doing so at the end of the 2008-09 season. She repeated the feat at the end of 2009-2010 season, and regained that status during the 2011-12 season. Longoria's style is characterized by a semi-western grip of the racquet, which is unusual for racquetball; Longoria is the only pro player using this grip style.

Professional career

Longoria has won 16 Tier 1 or Grand Slam events on the LPRT, including three US Open Racquetball Championships in 2012 and 2011 when she defeated Rhonda Rajsich in the final, and 2008^[1] when she beat Cheryl Gudinas in the final, becoming the first Mexican - woman or man - to win that event or even reach the US Open final.

Her first women's pro tournament win was the Outback Steakhouse Blast It! tournament in Fayetteville, N.C., September 13-16, 2007,^[2] when she defeated Rajsich in the final.

Longoria finished as the #1 pro player at the end of the 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2011-12 seasons.^[3]

International career

Longoria won the women's singles and doubles events at the World Championships in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. She defeated Canadian Jennifer Saunders in the singles final^[4] to become the first Mexican woman to be World Champion.

The doubles win was a repeat of the title she and Samantha Salas won in 2010. That was the first time a Mexican team had won women's doubles at Worlds. In 2012 final, they defeated the Chilean team of Angela Grisar and Carla Muñoz while in 2010, they beat the American pair of Aimee Ruiz and Jackie Paraiso in the final.

Longoria won three gold medals for Mexico at the 2011 Pan American Games in both singles and doubles as well as the team competition^[5] in what was her first Pan Am Games appearance. Samantha Salas was her doubles partner.

Longoria won the Pan American Championships in 2006, 2008, 2010 and 2012.^[6] She's also won gold at the Pan Am Championships in doubles with Salas in 2011 and 2012. Her six Pan Am Championship titles are tied for second most by a woman with American Michelle Gould and trailing American Jackie Paraiso, who's won ten.

Longoria has won two gold medals at the World Games. In 2009, she defeated American Rhonda Rajsich in the final and in 2013, beat Cristina Amaya in the final.

Also, Longoria won eight consecutive International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Junior Championships from 2001 to 2008, winning twice in each age category from 12 and under, 14 and under, 16 and under, and 18 and under.^[7]

Other honors

Longoria received the 2010 National Sports Award from the Mexican government. Mexican President Felipe Calderón presented Longoria with the award.^[8]

References

See also

• List of racquetball players
• LPRT page for Paola Longoria
• Mexican Racquetball Federation page for Paola Longoria