It was almost 30 degrees Celsius on November 19, and Natalia Lanucha said she felt chills in the mixed zone. With her eyes glistening, the wheelchair tennis player was commenting on the victory she had just scored in her first match of the Santiago, Chile Parapan American Games.

Lanucha, ranked 49th in the world, defeated Costa Rican Valeria Valverde 6-4, 7-5 on Sunday in the round of 16 of the women's singles tournament. It was the very first time the two players had faced each other.

"There are no words to describe how I feel! I'm so happy, I've got shivers down my spine. It was a great battle," the Quebecer interviewed by Sportcom's reporter.

While most of the spectators were fighting over the few shaded areas near the clay court, the reigning Canadian champion took a 4-0 lead in the first set. She made a few errors after that, and her opponent, ranked 58th in the world, took advantage to draw level.

The Canadian in the fluorescent cap used powerful forehands on a few occasions to regain control and win the first set 6-4.

"I was very stressed when I arrived here, but we had a few days' training and I was able to adapt to the clay. Before the match, I was stressed too, but confident. I think you could see that during the match, she shared. The pressure was great and I tried to concentrate, breathe and get back to my game."

Then the tide turned once more. Valeria Valverde had some good moments at the start of the second set and had a few chances to win. Lanucha was trailing 5-3 when she began a comeback.

The heat, the clay and the nerves of her first Grand Games: the Quebecer overcame all the challenges she faced on Sunday. In several exchanges, the precision of her strokes left Valverde no room for manoeuvre, and she didn't even attempt to reply.

The match, which lasted 1 hour and 40 minutes, ended with a double fault for the Costa Rican.

Natalia Lanucha thus continues on her way to the quarter-finals on Tuesday. If she manages to win the gold medal, she will also secure her ticket to the Paris Paralympic Games.

"It gives me a lot of confidence, I'm really happy! I was doing my best to win and I'm happy to have succeeded! ", concluded Natalia.

On Monday, Lanucha will team up with Ontario's Anne-Marie Dolinar in the doubles tournament. They will take on Americans Dana Mathewson and Maylee Phelps.

The 2023 Parapan American Games take place from November 17 to 26, 2023 in Santiago, Chile.

This is the 7th edition of the Parapan American Games, and the first time this South American country has hosted the event. Currently, 41 countries are taking part in 18 Paralympic sports disciplines.

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