Havana, March 6 (RHC) – Three Cubans advanced to the semifinals of the individual category of the Havana 2026 International Junior Badminton Tournament, which is taking place in the Ciudad Deportiva Coliseum.
Iker Herrera, a member of the senior national team, secured his spot in Saturday’s matches by defeating his compatriot Oscar Montano 21-10 and 21-6.
Carlos Vega was the other local player to advance, overcoming Colombian Sebastián Zapata after a decisive comeback in a hard-fought match that went to three sets (19-21, 21-14, 21-17).
The other two players who advanced are Bulgarian Teodor Mitev and Colombian Jerónimo Giraldo, after defeating, respectively, the hosts Roberto Pérez in identical scores of 21-5 and Carlos Álvarez by 21-11 and 21-8.
Herrera will face Giraldo tomorrow, and Vega will play Mitev in the penultimate match, scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m.
Cuban María Carla Torres reached the women’s singles semifinals by defeating her teammate Marian Carballo 21-16, 21-9. She will face Paraguayan Paula Rodas, who defeated local player Santa Boche 21-10, 18-1.
In the other semifinal, Colombian Juliana Castaño will face Paraguayan Sofia Rodas, who defeated the home team’s junior players Leonor Alvisa (21-15, 24-22) and Yusleidis Álvarez (21-6, 21-3), respectively.
The mixed doubles matches will feature Giraldo-Juliana Castaño (Colombia) and Edgar Medina-Marian Carballo (Cuba), as well as the home team of Anthony Rodríguez-Natalia de Arredondo and Iker Herrera-Thalia Roque, all of whom defeated Cuban pairs.
In men’s doubles, both matches will be between Cuban players, while in women’s doubles, one semifinal will be between Cuban players and the other between Paraguay and Cuba.
This Havana International 2026 will award points for the junior world ranking, which ultimately determines qualification for the world championship in that category.
