The US National Cat Libres Padel Team brought home two third-place finishes from Paraguay, with a run of marathon matches and a team spirit that players called one of the best they have ever been part of.
Over four days of competition in Asunción, Paraguay, the US National Cat Libres Padel Team collected two bronze medals at the Pan American Open Categories 2026, with Gabo Murcia and Josh Silverstein and Barbi Delmondes and Camila Garcia Wright finishing on the podium. Two more pairs reached the quarterfinals, and three others made the round of 16.
The rest of the story was written between matches. Twenty-four amateur players, most of them meeting for the first time and many with little international experience, came together from across the country to represent the United States against some of the strongest padel nations in the Americas. Beyond the competitive battles on court, players forged lasting friendships with international rivals, shared meals, traded team jerseys, and built bonds that extended far past the matches themselves. They left, in the words of more than one player, feeling like family.
Murcia and Silverstein: Bronze after a semifinal battle with Argentina
Gabo Murcia and Josh Silverstein reached the semifinals and pushed Argentina hard before falling 7-6, 6-4 in a match that could have gone either way. A tiebreak-decided first set showed how close the Americans were to a place in the final.
The pair responded the right way. In the third-place match, they cruised past Mexico for a comfortable win and a bronze medal for the US.
Delmondes and Garcia Wright: A classic in Paraguay, then bronze
Barbi Delmondes and Camila Garcia Wright gave the US National Team its second podium of the week. Their quarterfinal against host nation Paraguay was one of the most intense matches of the entire tournament, a contest teammates singled out as a highlight of the event.
Despite going down in their semifinal, they closed out their campaign in style, winning the third-place match 6-2, 6-3 to take bronze.
Diverio and Pereyra: Quarterfinalists in sixth
Eduardo Diverio and Jorge Pereyra fought their way into the quarterfinals and finished sixth overall, one of two US men’s pairs to reach the last eight.
Ciffoni and Nelson: Six hours of padel and a quarterfinal run
No US pair logged more time on court than Alejandro Ciffoni and Seth Nelson. They secured their group with a 7-6, 6-7, 11-9 win over host nation Paraguay in a battle that lasted 2 hours and 45 minutes. They trailed 4-1 in the first set and came back, let a 5-2 lead slip in the second, then faced three match points at 6-9 in the deciding tiebreak before reeling off five straight points to win.
They cruised past Chile 7-5, 6-1 in the round of 16, then met Mexico in a quarterfinal night match the pair called the tournament’s most fun, despite a 3-6, 6-3, 2-6 defeat. Ciffoni battled through cramping and exhaustion after more than six hours of padel that day, with the full USA squad cheering from the stands and even the Chilean team joining in for the Americans. The pair finished eighth overall.
Shepard and Catter, Lonsdale and Orellana: Into the round of 16
Kyle Shepard and Enrique Catter, along with Tathiana Lonsdale and Jen Orellana, advanced out of their groups and into the round of 16, adding valuable wins and points to the US team total.
Martinez and Bocina: Round of 16 and one unforgettable night
Isabelle Martinez and Kristen Bocina came through three group-stage matches to reach the round of 16, finishing a single set short of the quarterfinals. Their highlight came against Chile in a night match that closed out the first day of the tournament. With teammates packed around the court, they delivered an efficient win in what they described as the most amazing atmosphere of the week.
A coach’s perspective
US National Team coach Fran Plaza, who led the squad alongside Jon Guerra and Celeste Paz, said the experience went far beyond the scoreboard.
Plaza narrated, “Some experiences go far beyond sports, results, and competition. And these Pan American Championships have undoubtedly been one of them. I’ve had the incredible honor of being part of this journey as a coach for the US National Team, but what I’ll truly take away from this experience can’t be measured in wins or losses. It’s about the amazing people I’ve been lucky enough to share every moment with.”
“I’m leaving with incredible teammates, positive energy, unconditional support, laughter, conversations, and memories that I’ll carry with me forever. Because at the end of the day, trophies may sit on a shelf, but the people and moments that touch your heart stay with you forever. So proud and grateful to have been part of this family.”
Building on Asunción
Two bronze medals, two quarterfinal runs, three more pairs in the round of 16, and a string of matches decided by the finest margins gave the US Cat Libres team plenty to build on. For a squad drawn from every corner of the country, most of them new to international competition, the week in Asunción was proof that American padel’s amateur depth is growing fast. As one player put it, this is only the beginning.
Event details
- Event: Pan American Open Categories 2026
- Location: Asunción, Paraguay
- Dates: October 21-24, 2026
Psycho Bunny proudly sponsored the US National Teams, which competed in their custom-designed uniforms to represent the United States on the international stage.