Monteal's Frederique Lambert won the 2011 girls' under-18 junior world racquetball championships after beating Bolivian Maria Jose Vargas 4-15, 15-7, 11-4, in the final Saturday.
Lambert said she was "really nervous" to start the final, because earlier in the week Vargas beat the Canadian in the preliminary stage of the tournament.
"My confidence wasn't good," said Lambert, so when she got off to a bad start Lambert just "wanted to get game one over with."
Between games, Lambert was able to go outside and collect herself. "I thought it's now or never," said Lambert, as it's her last year of junior eligibility, and "don't give up."
The difference was immediately evident in game two, as Lambert got off to a good start and made shots that she'd missed in game one.
"I stopped drive serving, because it wasn't working," Lambert said. Instead she used lob serves to slow down the pace of the rallies and give herself a chance to get into position to win the point.
Lambert said Vargas is "a young, fast player," which meant the drive serve was playing to Vargas' strength.
Lambert is the third Canadian to win the girls' U18 title and first since 1998, when Vancouver's Lisa Kerr won it for a second consecutive year. Christie Huczek (nee Van Hees) won it in 1995.
It's Lambert's second junior worlds title. She won the girls' U14 in 2007.
In other categories, Canadians are coming home from Santo Domingo with medals in seven events, fourth place finishes in the boys and girls team competitions, as well as having a player selected for a sportsmanship award.
Saskatoon's Daniel Drury and Michelle Morissette from Baie Comeau, Que., are coming home with silver in Girls U14 doubles after losing the final to Mexico's Monserrat Perez and Diana Aguilar 15-4, 15-4.
Canada took bronze in five divisions: Lambert and Valerie Fallu of Brossard, Que., in girls' U18 doubles, Morissette in girls' U14 singles, Kurtis Cullen of Brandon, Man., and Samuel Murray from Baie Comeau in boys' U18 doubles, and Coby Iwaasa of Lethbridge, Alta., in boys' U14 singles and boys' U14 doubles with Toronto's Matthew Swaine.
The IRF also gave out two sportsmanship awards - one for a boy and one for a girl - as voted on by the coaches of the 17 countries competing. Iwaasa was the winner of the boys sportsmanship award, and Bolivia's Natalia Mendez received the girls award.