Rank
3
Country
Monterrey, Mexico
Age
36
Paola Longoria
Paola Michelle Longoria López (born 20 July 1989) is a Mexican racquetball player. She is the current Women’s World Champion in Singles and the Team event, winning both divisions at the International Racquetball Federation (IRF) 2024 World Championships in San Antonio, Texas. Longoria is the most winning player in IRF World Championship history, and she is the only woman to win both singles and doubles at Worlds. Longoria is also the #1 player on the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) tour, and was the first Mexican woman to attain the #1 pro ranking, doing so at the end of the 2008–09 season. She repeated the feat at the end of 2009–2010 season, and has been #1 for ten consecutive seasons. Longoria’s style is characterized by a semi-western grip of the racquet, which is unusual for racquetball; Longoria is the only pro player using this grip style.
In the 2024 general election she was elected to the Chamber of Deputies as a plurinominal deputy for the Citizens’ Movement (MC).[1]
Bio
Junior competitions - 2001-2008
Longoria played at the US Open Racquetball Championships for a second time in 2004, when she reached the quarterfinals before losing to then defending champion Rhonda Rajsich, 11–5, 11–8, 11–1. She got to the quarters by defeating 6th seed Adrienne Haynes, 11–7, 11–2, 11–3, in the Round of 32, and Susana Acosta, 14–12, 11–6, 4–11, 11–6, in the Round of 16,[4] and impressed Rajsich in the quarters such that she commented “Watch out for that one,” said Rajsich, adding “It’s refreshing to see someone so young play so tough.” Explaining her performance, Longoria said “I am not intimidated because I don’t think that it is impossible to win against them.”[5]
At 16, Longoria made her first appearance on the Mexico National Team when she played Women’s Singles at the 2006 Pan American Championships in Guatemala City, where she won gold, beating American Kristen Walsh Bellows in the final, 15–6, 15–6.[6] Longoria’s second appearance for Mexico was at the 2006 Central American and Caribbean Games, where she won Women’s Singles – defeating Dominican Republic’s Claudine Garcia in the final, and was also part of the Mexican team that won the Women’s Team event.[7]
After turning 17 in July 2006, Longoria played at the IRF World Championships for the first time in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, where she reached the quarterfinals and lost to Canadian Jennifer Saunders.[8] In the Women’s Team event, Mexico were bronze medalists, beating Bolivia in the quarterfinals and losing to the US in the semi-finals, so Longoria got a bronze medal from her first World Championships.[9]
She had a chance to defend her Pan American Championship in 2007 in Santiago, Chile, as she defeated Canadian Jennifer Saunders in the quarterfinals,[10] but in the semi-finals, she lost to American Rhonda Rajsich, 15–14, 15–14.[11] Thus, Longoria came away from Santiago with a bronze medal.
Longoria got to her first pro final in May 2007 at the Ektelon Pro Nationals in New Orleans, Louisiana. She was the 14th seed, but upset 3rd seed Kerri Wachtel in the Round of 16, 6th seed Kristen Walsh Bellows in the quarterfinals, 2nd seed Cheryl Gudinas in the semi-finals, before losing to top seed Rhonda Rajsich in the final.[12] That result helped her finish 12th in the season ending rankings.[4]
A few months later, in September 2007, Longoria won her first women’s pro tournament in Fayetteville, North Carolina,[13] where she defeated Kerri Wachtel in the quarterfinals, Kristen Walsh Bellows in the semi-finals, and Rhonda Rajsich in the final, 12–14, 11–8, 9–11, 11–6, 11–7.[14] Then in November 2007, Longoria matched her career best finish at the US Open Racquetball Championships in Memphis, where she reached the quarterfinals and then lost to Rajsich.[15]
Dominance begins - 2012-2017
Longoria began a period of dominance on the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour in the 2011–12 season. She did not lose an LPRT match from May 2011 to October 2014,[17] a period of three and half years. Coincidentally, the streak began after she lost in Stockton, California to Rhonda Rajsich and ended there, when Rajsich also defeated her.
She was a double gold medalist at the 2012 Pan American Racquetball Championships in Temuco, Chile, winning both Women’s Singles and Doubles. In singles, Longoria defeated Bolivian Carola Loma in the semi-finals, 15–9, 15–11, and Canadian Frédérique Lambert in the final, as Lambert had to retire due to injury in the first game.[39] In doubles, Longoria and Samantha Salas defeated Colombians Cristina Amaya and Carolina Gomez in the semis, 15–3, 15–0, and Bolivians Loma and Jenny Daza in final, 15–6, 9–15, 11–7.[40]
Longoria was a triple gold medalist at the 2012 World Championships in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, winning Women’s Singles, Doubles and the Team event. In singles, she defeated American Rhonda Rajsich in the semi-finals, 15–2, 15–12, and Canadian Jennifer Saunders in final, 15–11, 15–2,[41] and the win was the first for a Mexican in Women’s Singles at Worlds. In doubles, she and Samantha Salas successfully defended the title they first won two years before by beating Canadians Josée Grand’Maître and Frédérique Lambert in the semis, 15–13, 15–7, then Chileans Angela Grisar and Carla Muñoz in final, 15–5, 15–4.[42] In the Women’s Team event, Mexico defeated Chile, 2–0, in quarters, Canada, 2–1 in the semis, and the US, 2–0, in final.[43]
She won her third US Open title in October 2012, defeating Veronica Sotomayor in the semi-finals, 11–6, 11–4, 11–1, and Rhonda Rajsich in the final, 11–4, 11–7, 12–10.[44] That was one of Longoria’s 11 LPRT wins in the 2012–13 season putting her on top of rankings for the fourth time.[4]
She won two medals at the 2013 Pan American Championships in Cali, Colombia, winning Women’s Singles and finishing second in Women’s Doubles. In singles, Longoria beat American Sharon Jackson in the semi-finals, 15–8, 15–3, and American Rhonda Rajsich in the final, 15–5, 15–6.[45] In doubles, Longoria and Samantha Salas defeated Chileans Angela Grisar and Carla Muñoz in the semis, 15–13, 15–1, but lost to Jackson and Rajsich in the final, 15–5, 15–7.[46]
Longoria competed at the 2013 World Games in Cali, Colombia, where she won gold in Women’s Singles. She defeated American Rhonda Rajsich, 15–8, 15–14, in the semi-finals, and held off Colombian Cristina Amaya in the final, 15–10, 10–15, 11–4.[47]
She won her fourth US Open title in October 2013, defeating Samantha Salas in the semi-finals, 11–1, 11–4, 11–3, and Rhonda Rajsich in the final, 11–4, 11–1, 11–7.[48] That win was one of Longoria’s 12 LPRT wins in the 2013–14 season getting her a fifth #1 ranking at season’s end.[4]
Longoria won two gold medals at the 2014 World Championships in Burlington, Ontario, Canada, winning Women’s Singles and Doubles. In singles, she defeated Argentina’s Maria Jose Vargas in the semi-finals, 15–5, 15–9, and American Rhonda Rajsich in final, 15–6, 15–8.[49] In doubles, she and Samantha Salas won Women’s Doubles for the third consecutive time by beating Chileans Angela Grisar and Carla Muñoz in the semis, 15–1, 15–3, and then Americans Aimee Ruiz and Janel Tisinger in final, 15–4, 15–12.[50]
She won her fifth US Open title in October 2014, defeating Cristina Amaya in the semi-finals, 11–4, 11–3, 11–3, and Maria Jose Vargas in the final, 11–5, 11–3, 11–8.[51] For the first time, the US Open had an LPRT doubles division, which Longoria also won, as she and Veronica Sotomayor defeated Vargas and Rhonda Rajsich in the final, 15–7, 12–15, 11–7.[52]
But a week after winning the 2014 US Open, Longoria’s LPRT winning streak came to and end, as Rajsich defeated her in Stockton, California, 11–9, 5–11, 14–12, 5–11, 11–4.[53] She lost a second time in the 2014–15 season, when Frédérique Lambert beat her in the semi-finals of the LPRT New Jersey Open in March 2015, 11–7, 12–10, 7–11, 11–5.[54] It was Longoria’s first loss in the semi-finals of a LPRT event since September 2009.[17] Nonetheless, Longoria – with 10 tournament wins in 2014-15 – was the #1 LPRT player for a sixth time.[4]
Longoria was a double gold medalist at the 2015 Pan American Championships in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, winning both Women’s Singles and Women’s Doubles. In singles, Longoria beat Argentine Maria Jose Vargas in the semi-finals, 15–3, 15–8, and Ecuador’s Veronica Sotomayor in the final, 15–2, 15–5.[55] In doubles, Longoria and Samantha Salas defeated Colombians Cristina Amaya and Carolina Gomez in the semis, 15–6, 15–3, and Argentina’s Véronique Guillemette and Vargas in the final, 15–4, 15–13.[56]
Longoria won three gold medals for Mexico at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto, where she won all three women’s competitions: Women’s Singles, Women’s Doubles and the Women’s Team event. In the singles, she beat Gabriela Martinez of Guatemala, 15–3, 15–6, in the Round of 16, Bolivian Carola Loma, 15–1, 15–2, American Rhonda Rajsich, 15–13, 15–9, in the semi-finals and in the gold medal match, Maria Jose Vargas of Argentina, 15–12, 15–9.[57] Longoria played doubles with Samantha Salas, and they defeated Maria Paz Muñoz and Veronica Sotomayor of Ecuador in the semi-finals, 15–10, 15–12, and then Vargas and Véronique Guillemette in the final, 15–3, 15–4.[58] In the team event, Mexico defeated Ecuador in the semi-finals, 2–1, and the US in the final, 2–0.[59]
Longoria was the 2015 US Open by defeating Veronica Sotomayor in the semi-finals, 10–12, 11–7, 11–3, 11–3, and Rhonda Rajsich in the final, 11–7, 11–5, 9–11, 11–9.[60] That win was part of 4th undefeated LPRT season for Longoria and she finished the 2015–16 season at #1 for a 7th time.[4]
In 2016, Longoria won gold in both Women’s Singles and Women’s Doubles, with Samantha Salas, at the Pan American Championships in San Luis Potosi, Mexico. In singles, she defeated Jenny Daza of Bolivia in the semi-finals, 15–13, 15–5, and Canadian Frédérique Lambert in final, 15–3, 15–6.[61] In doubles, she and Salas defeated Lambert and Jennifer Saunders in semi-finals, 15–5, 15–8, and Americans Michelle Key and Kelani Bailey in final, 15–5, 15–10.[62]
Longoria won a third Women’s Singles World title at the 2016 World Championships in Cali, Colombia, where she defeated Argentina’s Maria Jose Vargas in the semi-finals, 15–5, 15–5, and Guatemalan Gabriela Martinez in final, 15–12, 15–5.[63] She and Samantha Salas were going for a fourth title in Women’s Doubles, and reached the final by defeating Bolivians Adriana Riveros and Jenny Daza in the semis, 15–5, 15–5, but were upset in the final by Americans Aimee Ruiz and Janel Tisinger, 15–11, 9–15, 11–8.[64]
In 2016, Longoria and Samantha Salas faced off in the final of the US Open with Longoria coming out on top, 11–3, 11–7, 11–3. She won the title without losing a game over five matches, and only gave up more than three points once – to Salas in game two of the final.[65] Longoria and Salas won the US Open LPRT Doubles title that year by beating Frédérique Lambert and Veronica Sotomayor in the final, 15–10, 15–0.[66] She won 10 of the 11 LPRT events in the 2016–17 season, finishing #1 for an 8th time.[4] Her loss came at the last event of the season, when Salas defeated her in Chihuahua, Mexico, 7–11, 7–11, 11–8, 11–9, 11–9.[17]
In 2017, Longoria lost to American Rhonda Rajsich in the final of the Pan American Championships in San José, Costa Rica, 7–15, 15–13, 11–9,[67] which ended a string of 10 consecutive Women’s Singles gold medals for Longoria at international events dating back to 2011, when she lost to Rajsich in the semi-finals of the Pan American Championships. However, Longoria and Samantha Salas won Women’s Doubles in San Jose, defeating Americans Sheryl Lotts and Rajsich in the semi-finals, 15–8, 15–4, and Veronica Sotomayor and Maria Paz Muñoz of Ecuador in the final, 15–12, 15–5.[68]
Longoria won her 8th US Open title in 2017, when she defeated Rhonda Rajsich in the semi-finals, 11–7, 11–5, 11–6, and Frédérique Lambert, 11–7, 11–4, 2–11, 11–3, in the final.[69] She again won LPRT Doubles at the US Open, but this time with Gabriela Martinez. They defeated Sheryl Lotts and Rajsich in the semi-finals, 15–9, 15–9, and then Cristina Amaya and Adriana Riveros, 15–5, 15–8, in the final.[70] The wins were part of another successful LPRT season for Longoria, in which she lost only once and finished #1 for a 9th time at the end of the 2017–18 season.[4] Her loss was to Samantha Salas in the final of the Battle at the Alamo in San Antonio, where Salas won 5–11, 5–11, 11–9, 11–9, 11–4.[17]