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).

Junior competitions - 2001-2008

Longoria began playing racquetball at eight years old when she was at a summer camp, and describes the experience as love at first sight and decided to devote her passion and effort to the sport. Longoria won eight consecutive International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Junior Championships from 2001 to 2008, winning twice in each age category: 12U, 14U, 16U, and 18U. Longoria also won six Girl's Doubles titles at World Juniors. She won Girls 12U doubles with Eleni Guzman in 2001, and the pair won Girls 14U doubles in 2002 and 2003, as well as Girls 16U doubles in 2005. Longoria won Girls 14U doubles with Luisa Aldrete in 2004 and she won Girls 18U doubles in 2008 with Arantza Loredo.

Beginning on the pro tour & playing for Mexico - 2004-2007

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, 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."

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. 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.

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. 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.

She had a chance to defend her Pan American Championship in 2007 in Santiago, Chile, as she defeated Canadian Jennifer Saunders in the quarterfinals, but in the semi-finals, she lost to American Rhonda Rajsich, 15–14, 15–14. 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. That result helped her finish 12th in the season ending rankings.

A few months later, in September 2007, Longoria won her first women's pro tournament in Fayetteville, North Carolina, 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. 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.

1st US Open title and becomes LPRT #1 - 2008-2011

Longoria won her 2nd Pan American Championship in 2008 in San José, Costa Rica, where she narrowly defeated Canadian Jennifer Saunders in the semi-finals, 15–6, 6–15, 11–10, and then beat Rhonda Rajsich in the final, 15–10, 15–9.

She finished the 2007-08 Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) season at #6, her first season in the top 10, as she had her first win, and was in the semi-finals twice and quarterfinals three times.

At the 2008 IRF World Championships in Kingscourt, Ireland, Longoria earned bronze medals in both Women's Singles and Women's Doubles. In singles, she defeated Canadian Josée Grand'Maître in the quarterfinals, 15–10, 15–8, and then lost to American Rhonda Rajsich, 15–10, 15–9, in the semi-finals. Longoria played doubles with Rosy Torres, and they defeated Bolivians Carola Loma and Jenny Daza in the quarters, 15–12, 15–6, then lost to Canadians Genevieve Brodeur and Véronique Guillemette in the semis, 3–15, 15–6, 11–9. In the Women's Team event, Mexico was upset by Chile, 2–1. Longoria and Torres won the first match of the quarterfinal defeating Angela Grisar and Fabiola Marquez, 15–4, 15–1. But in the singles matches, Grisar defeated Longoria, 15–12, 7–15, 11–7, and Marquez beat Susana Acosta, 15–11, 11–15, 11–4.

Longoria won her first US Open title in 2008 as the 5th seed. She defeated Kerri Wachtel in the quarterfinals, Brenda Kyzer in the semi-finals, and Cheryl Gudinas in the final, 11–8, 7–11, 11–7, 11–7. Her win was the first US Open title for a Mexican player, as well as the first time a Mexican was in the US Open final. She won three other times on tour, and finished #1 at the end of the 2008-09 LPRT season for the first time.

At the 2009 Pan American Championships in Cali, Colombia, Longoria came away with two medals: bronze in singles and silver in doubles. In Women's Singles, she lost to Cheryl Gudinas in the semi-finals, 5–15, 15–10, 11–8, and in Women's Doubles, she reached the finals with Samantha Salas by defeating Bolivians Carola Loma and Jenny Daza in the semis, 15–8, 15–12, but lost to Americans Aimee Ruiz and Jackie Paraiso, 15–6, 15–8, in final.

Longoria qualified for the 2009 World Games in Kaohsiung, Taiwan based on her performance at the 2008 World Championships. She won gold in the women's singles event. Longoria beat Canadian Josée Grand'Maître in the quarterfinals, 15–8, 15–9, American Cheryl Gudinas in the semi-finals, 15–6, 11–15, 11–7, and American Rhonda Rajsich in the final, 5–15, 15–7, 11–5. It was the first time racquetball was in the World Games since 1995.

Longoria got to her second US Open final in 2009, but she lost to Rhonda Rajsich, 1–11, 11–8, 11–3, 2–11, 11–7. That was one of only three losses for Longoria on tour in 2009–10, as she won five tournaments, and again finished #1.

She won her 3rd Pan American Championship in 2010 in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, where she defeated the Dominican Republic's Claudine Garcia in the semi-finals, 15–1, 15–8, and Canadian Jennifer Saunders in the final, 15–10, 15–11.

Longoria successfully defended her Central American and Caribbean Games title at the 2010 games in Puerto Rico, where she defeated Claudine Garcia of the Dominican Republic in the Women's Singles final, 15–2, 15–8. She also won gold in the Women's Team event.

At the 2010 Racquetball World Championships in Seoul, South Korea, Longoria earned three medals. Her best result was in Women's Doubles, which she won with Samantha Salas. They beat Canadians Brandi Jacobson Prentice and Frédérique Lambert in the semi-finals, 15–8, 15–6, then Americans Aimee Ruiz and Jackie Paraiso in final, 13–15, 15–13, 11–4, to claim Mexico's first women's World Championship. In Women's Singles, she reached the semi-finals by defeating Jin Young Seok of South Korea, 15–3, 15–4, in the quarterfinals, but lost to Rhonda Rajsich, 9–15, 15–10, 11–5, in the semi-finals, resulting in a bronze medal. Longoria also earned bronze in the Women's Team event, as Mexico defeated Japan in the quarterfinals, 2–1, but lost to the US in the semis, 2–1.

Longoria won gold in Women's Doubles with Samantha Salas at the 2011 Pan American Championships in Managua, Nicaragua. They defeated Canadians Josée Grand'Maître and Brandi Jacobson Prentice in the semi-finals, 15–10, 15–0, and Americans Rhonda Rajsich and Krystal Csuk in the final, 14–15, 15–7, 11–5. She also played Women's Singles, defeating Colombia's Cristina Amaya in the Round of 16, 15–12, 15–10, and Bolivian Adriana Riveros in the quarterfinals, 15–4, 15–7, but lost to Rajsich in the semi-finals, 15–11, 6–15, 11–5.

On the pro tour, Longoria won five tournaments in the 2010–11 season, and was in the final four other times, including at the 2010 US Open Racquetball Championships in Minneapolis, where she lost to Rhonda Rajsich in the final, 11–8, 8–11, 11–9, 11–5. Overall, Longoria finished the season #2 behind Rajsich.

Longoria won three gold medals for Mexico at the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico. In Women's Singles, she beat teammate Samantha Salas in the quarterfinals, 15–7, 15–5, American Cheryl Gudinas in the semi-finals, 15–7, 15–10, and American Rhonda Rajsich in the final, 12–15, 15–10, 11–9. In Women's Doubles she and Salas defeated Chileans Angela Grisar and Carla Muñoz in the semi-finals, 15–5, 15–5, and Americans Aimee Ruiz and Rajsich in the final, 15–12, 5–15, 11–5. Mexico also won the Women's Team event by defeating Ecuador in the semi-finals, and the US in the final (Longoria defeating Rajsich, 2–1, as part of the victory).

She won her second US Open title in October 2011, when she beat Samantha Salas in the semi-finals, 11–5, 11–4, 11–8, and Rhonda Rajsich in the final, 11–7, 11–5, 11–9. That was one of seven LPRT wins for Longoria in 2011-12 that made her #1 at season's end for the third time.

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, 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. 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.