Podoroska and Menezes one step closer to Tokyo

Argentina’s Nadia Podoroska and Brazil’s Joao Menezes took a step closer to competing at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Tennis Event after winning gold in singles at the Pan American Games in Lima this weekend.

Providing both players are ranked in the Top 300 on 8 June 2020 and have fulfilled the eligibility criteria, such as being in good standing with their National Association and having met the participation requirements in Fed Cup and Davis Cup, then both players will find themselves competing in Japan’s capital city next July.

Podoroska told Around the Rings: “I am so excited for Tokyo, it has been a dream of mine.”

The Pan American Games is the only regional Games that offers four Final Qualification Places to Tokyo 2020, with two places going to the runners-up in the men’s and women’s singles events.

Podoroska defeated USA’s Caroline Dolehide 26 63 76(4) in the final and in the unlikely event that the American finds herself as one of her country’s top four players in June next year she will also be competing in Tokyo. Should Dolehide be ranked outside of USA’s top four women, the place will be offered to the highest-ranked of the losing semi-finalists.

Based on today’s ranking that would mean Paraguay’s Veronica Cepede Royg could be in line to make a third Olympic appearance when Tokyo 2020 rolls around next year.

In the men’s final Menezes overcame Tomas Barrios of Chile 75 36 64, but Barrios dropped outside of the Top 300 this week. If he can get his ranking up in time for next year, the 21-year-old could be heading to Tokyo alongside fellow Olympic hopefuls from his country Cristian Garin and Nicolas Jarry.