The individual competition at the XXVII Pan American Senior Squash Championships – Asunción 2026 came to an exciting conclusion, with two of the continent’s biggest stars adding another Pan American title to their careers.
Representing the United States, Amanda Sobhy captured her third Pan American individual title, while Peru’s Diego Elías claimed his fourth, confirming their status among the most successful players in the history of the continental championship.
This year’s Pan American Championships brought together more than 140 athletes from 20 countries, making Asunción 2026 the largest and one of the most important editions in PanAm Squash history. The championship is also a key stop on the road to the Lima 2027 Pan American Games, as the continent continues its journey toward squash’s historic Olympic debut at Los Angeles 2028.
Amanda Sobhy Claims Her Third Pan American Crown
The women’s final featured an all-USA showdown between the tournament’s top two seeds: Amanda Sobhy [1] and Marina Stefanoni [2].
Sobhy entered the final after an impressive semifinal performance against Canada’s Hollie Naughton [3/4], winning in straight games 11-5, 11-2, 11-5.
Stefanoni secured her place in the gold-medal match after overcoming Colombia’s Lucía Bautista Sarmiento [5/8] in four games, 11-6, 6-11, 11-7, 11-8. Bautista had already produced one of the notable results of the tournament by defeating Canada’s Nicole Bunyan earlier in the competition.
In the final, Sobhy took control against her compatriot. Stefanoni responded by taking the second game, but the No.1 seed regained momentum to complete a 3-1 victory: 11-7, 1-11, 11-5, 11-9.
The victory gave Amanda Sobhy her third Pan American individual championship and another gold medal for Team USA.
Women’s Individual podium:
🥇 Amanda Sobhy 🇺🇸
🥈 Marina Stefanoni 🇺🇸
🥉 Hollie Naughton 🇨🇦
🥉 Lucía Bautista Sarmiento 🇨🇴
Diego Elías Makes It Four
The men’s competition concluded with another highly anticipated matchup as the top two seeds met for the Pan American title: Diego Elías [1] of Peru and Leonel Cárdenas [2] of Mexico.
Elías reached the final with a commanding straight-games victory over Colombia’s Miguel Ángel Rodríguez [3/4], winning 11-3, 11-3, 11-4.
On the other side of the draw, Cárdenas defeated Declan James [3/4] of Jamaica in straight games, 11-8, 11-4, 11-3, to earn another opportunity to compete for continental gold.
Cárdenas made a strong start to the final and captured the opening game 11-9. Elías, however, responded immediately.
The Peruvian won the next two games 11-8, 11-8 before producing a dominant fourth game, 11-1, to complete the 3-1 victory.
With the result, Diego Elías became Pan American individual champion for the fourth time, adding another major continental achievement to his career.
Men’s Individual podium:
🥇 Diego Elías 🇵🇪
🥈 Leonel Cárdenas 🇲🇽
🥉 Miguel Ángel Rodríguez 🇨🇴
🥉 Declan James 🇯🇲
Asunción 2026 Continues
The individual champions have been crowned, but the action in Paraguay continues with the doubles and team competitions.
Asunción 2026 represents much more than another continental championship. With a record 20 participating nations, the tournament brings together the depth and diversity of squash across the Americas at an important moment for the sport.
The championship also plays a significant role in qualification toward Lima 2027, with 11 team places available in addition to host nation Peru’s automatic qualification.
The road through Asunción continues.