XIII South American Games, Day1: Argentina and Chile show their strength. Group stage concludes today

SANTA FE – Argentina made a strong start to the first day of the group stage at the XIII South American Games 2026, currently taking place in the city of Santa Fe. In the men’s competition, home pair Contreras/Piotto won their first two matches of the tournament against Oropeza/Torrelio (Bolivia) and Ceballos Dorazi/Monges Leon (Peru). The two Argentinians conceded just three games to their opponents across the two matches. The dominance of the ‘Seleccion Albiceleste’ on Day 1 was also confirmed in the women’s competition: Argentina’s Milena Vilchez/Mosca defeated Belassi/David De Lima Gonzalez (Uruguay) and Alvarez/Holguin Reyes (Ecuador), winning both matches 2-0. The group stage will conclude today, 23 September, with only the top two pairs from each group progressing to the knockout stage.

 

MEN’S Alongside Argentina, another nation recorded two wins in Group A. The Chilean pair Salinas Ordenes/Negrete Oliva defeated Oropeza/Torrelio (Bolivia) and Ceballos Dorazi/Monges Leon (Peru). Like Argentina, Chile won both matches on Day 1 without dropping a set. In Group B, Paraguay, represented by Abud/Dehnike, moved to the top of the group with wins over Uruguay’s Artia Malugani/Ensslin Alves and Armijos/Montoya Pinchao (Ecuador). In their first match against Uruguay, Abud/Dehnike produced a strong response after losing the opening set. In the other two matches in the group, Uruguay defeated Venezuela, who then responded by defeating Ecuador.

 

WOMEN’S In Group B, Argentina’s pair moved to the top of the standings with two wins on the opening day. Behind them, with one victory each, are Uruguay’s Belassi/David De Lima Gonzalez and Ecuador’s Alvarez/Holguin Reyes, both of whom defeated Salsamendi Guggiari/Olga Bareiro (Paraguay). In Group A, Chile’s Arancibia/Ahumada Carrasco recorded two wins against Cogorno/Hernandez (Venezuela) and Miro Quesada/Torres Draxl (Peru). Both of these nations then defeated the Bolivian pair Meneses Cuellar Doria Medina Aviles.

 

DAY2 SCHEDULE Wednesday 23 September will be the final and decisive day of the group stage. Only the top two pairs from each group will progress to the knockout stage. In both the men’s and women’s competitions, the winners of Group A will face the runners-up from Group B, and vice versa. The men’s Argentina-Chile clash will be one of the key matches on Day 2, with first place at stake. Play will begin at 10am local time. The matches will be available to watch on the Odesur YouTube channel.