Saunders & Grand'Maître, Green & Iwaasa win Canadian Doubles Championships

Jennifer Saunders and Josée Grand'Maître completed a successful defence of their national doubles title Tuesday at 2013 Canadian Racquetball Championships in Langley, B.C., but it wasn't easy the young team of Brigitte Richard and Christine Richardson, forced the Champs to a tie-breaker before losing, 15-9, 7-15, 11-5.

Richard and Richardson started the match well with a 5-1 lead in game one, but the veterans Saunders and Grand'Maître came back to tie it at 5-5. Richard and Richardson again went ahead 8-5, and again the veterans came back, tied it at 8-8 and went ahead.

Saunders and Grand'Maître kept the lead as they won game one, 15-9.

However, losing game one didn't dampen the spirits of Richard and Richardson, as they again took an early lead in game two at 4-0. They pressed on to 9-2, and won game two relatively comfortably, 15-7.

Richard and Richardson shot very well in game two and clearly had the momentum going into the tie-breaker.

In the tie-breaker, veterans Saunders and Grand'Maître took the early lead at 3-0, but Richard and Richardson then scored five straight points to lead 5-3.

However, that was all they would get as the Champions held them at 5 and went on to win it 11-5.

Saunders and Grand'Maître are two of the most decorated women in Canadian racquetball history. Their 2013 doubles title is the 14th for Grand'Maître and 9th for Saunders, which the most and 2nd most Canadian Women's Open Doubles titles, respectively.

Also on Tuesday, Frédérique Lambert and Michele Morissette defeated Valerie Fallu and Alexis Iwaasa, 15-12, 15-7.

That win put Lambert and Morissette in 2nd with Richard and Richardson in 3rd, and Fallu and Iwaasa in 4th.

Men's Open Doubles

Mike Green and Coby Iwaasa won the Men's Open Doubles title Tuesday night at the 2013 Canadian Racquetball Championships in Langley, B.C. They defeated Lee Connell and Francis Guillemette in the final, 15-5, 15-5.

For Iwaasa, it's his first Canadian Championship at the senior level, but the 16 year old is the Canadian U18 and U16 Junior Champion, as well as the U16 Junior World Champion.

However, the veteran Green, who's the #1 men's player in Canada, the win is his eighth doubles title to go with eight singles titles. He's the defending champion in singles and will try to make it nine starting on Wednesday.

Green's 16 Canadian titles are the most men's titles and five more than Wayne Bowes, who has second most with two singles and nine doubles titles.

The doubles competition at the Canadian Racquetball Championships wrapped Tuesday and the singles competition began Wednesday and will run through Saturday May 25 at Newlands Golf and Country Club in Langley, B.C.

2013 Canadian Racquetball Championships
Langley, B.C.
(with seeding)

Men's Open Doubles

Final - Mike Green & Coby Iwaasa d. Lee Connell & Francis Guillemette, 15-5, 15-5

3rd Place - Eric Desrochers & Pedro Castro d. Samuel Murray & Tommy Murray, 15-4, 15-8

5th Place - James Landeryou & Tim Landeryou d. Nathaniel Husulak & Barret Husulak, 15-4, 15-2

7th Place - Kurtis Cullen & Tanner Mattson d. Hugo Laprise & Sebastian Juteau, 15-10, 6-15, 11-7

9th Place - Mitch Brayley & Anthony Schonberger d. 11 Ryan Mosdell & Travis Einarson, 11-15, 15-7, 11-9

Women's Open Doubles

Round 3 - Tuesday

Jennifer Saunders & Josée Grand'Maître d. Christine Richardson & Brigitte Richard, 15-9, 7-15, 11-5

Frédérique Lambert & Michele Morissette d. Valerie Fallu & Alexis Iwaasa, 15-12, 15-7

Final Standings

1st Jennifer Saunders & Josée Grand'Maître
2nd Frédérique Lambert & Michele Morissette
3rd Christine Richardson & Brigitte Richard
4th Valerie Fallu & Alexis Iwaasa

Follow the bouncing ball….

Men's top seeds lose in semi-finals at Canadian Racquetball Championships

The #1 seeds in Men's Open Doubles - Eric Desrochers and Pedro Castro lost in the semi-finals at the 2013 Canadian Racquetball Championships in Langley, B.C., but they did not go quietly as 4th seeds Lee Connell and Francis Guillemette needed three games, two of which went into extra points before they defeated the top seeds, 15-10, 16-18, 13-11.

The other semi-final was not nearly as close, as 2nd seeds Mike Green and Coby Iwaasa defeated 6th seeds Samuel Murray and Tommy Murray, 15-3, 15-6.

Thus, the Men's Final will feature a team without a National Championship in Connell and Guillemette against one with a player who has won seven Canadian doubles titles in Green and the rising young gun in Iwaasa, who at 16 is the current Canadian U18 and U16 Champion in singles.

Women's Division

In women's action, defending champions Jennifer Saunders and Josée Grand'Maître won again on Monday, as they beat 3rd seeds Frédérique Lambert and Michele Morissette, 15-6, 15-4. Also, 2nd seeds Brigitte Richard and Christine Richardson defeated Valerie Fallu and Alexis Iwaasa, 15-7, 15-4.

That gives Saunders and Grand'Maître two wins and no losses with both Lambert and Morissette and Richard and Richardson on one win and one loss. Fallu and Iwaasa have no wins and two losses.

Depending on how matches go on Tuesday, a tie-breaking formula may be needed to determine the National Champion, although the defending champs have their fate in their own hands, as if they win, they will repeat as National Champions.

The Canadian Racquetball Championships have the doubles competitions on the first three days and then singles competitions on the last four days.

2013 Canadian Racquetball Championships
Langley, B.C.
(with seeding)

Men's Open

Semi-finals - Monday

4 Lee Connell & Francis Guillemette d. 1 Eric Desrochers & Pedro Castro, 15-10, 16-18, 13-11
2 Mike Green & Coby Iwaasa d. 6 Samuel Murray & Tommy Murray, 15-3, 15-6

Final - Tuesday

2 Mike Green & Coby Iwaasa v. 4 Lee Connell & Francis Guillemette

Quarter finals - Monday

1 Eric Desrochers & Pedro Castro d. 8 Kurtis Cullen & Tanner Mattson, 15-4, 15-6
4 Lee Connell & Francis Guillemette d. 5 Nathaniel Husulak & Barret Husulak, 15-1, 11-15, 11-0

6 Samuel Murray & Tommy Murray d. 3 Tim Landeryou & James Landeryou, 15-7, 15-6
2 Mike Green & Coby Iwaasa d. 7 Hugo Laprise & Sebastian Juteau, 15-12, 15-8

Women's Open

Round 2 - Monday

1 Jennifer Saunders & Josée Grand'Maître d. 3 Frédérique Lambert & Michele Morissette, 15-6, 15-4
2 Christine Richardson & Brigitte Richard d. 4 Valerie Fallu & Alexis Iwaasa, 15-8, 15-9

Round 3 - Tuesday

1 Jennifer Saunders & Josée Grand'Maître v. 2 Christine Richardson & Brigitte Richard
3 Frédérique Lambert & Michele Morissette v. 4 Valerie Fallu & Alexis Iwaasa

Follow the bouncing ball….

Rajsich & Rojas win US Team Qualifying Divisions

Rhonda Rajsich successfully defended her US Team Qualifying title at the USA Racquetball (USAR) Ektelon Nationals in Fullerton, California on the weekend. She beat Jacqueline Paraiso in the semi-finals, 15-12, 15-9, and Janel Tisinger in the final, 15-12, 15-7.

Tisinger was a surprise finalist as she beat last year's runner up Cheryl Gudinas in the other semi-final, 15-7, 12-15, 11-10.

Men's Division

West Coast guys were the cream of the crop in the Men's Division of US Team Qualifying at the USAR Ektelon Nationals in Fullerton, California. And not just anywhere on the West Coast but specifically from Stockton, California, as Marco Rojas defeated David Horn in the final, 15-5, 15-6, after they both defeated East Coasters in the semi-finals.

In those semi-finals, Horn beat Mauricio Zelada from Columbia, Maryland, 15-11, 15-2, while Rojas defeated Mike Harmon from Sarasota, Florida, 15-12, 15-9.

USAR National Singles Championship - US Team Qualifying
May 16-19, 2013, Fullerton, California

Women's Division

Semi-finals

Rhonda Rajsich d. Jacqueline Paraiso, 15-12, 15-9
Janel Tisinger d. Cheryl Gudinas, 15-7, 12-15, 11-10

Final

Rhonda Rajsich d. Janel Tisinger, 15-12, 15-7

Men's Division

Semi-finals

Marco Rojas d. Mike Harmon, 15-12, 15-9
David Horn d. Mauricio Zelada, 15-11, 15-2

Final

Marco Rojas d. David Horn, 15-5, 15-6

Follow the bouncing ball….