Thursday, February 6, 2025

Waselenchuk wins 45th Lewis Drug IRT Pro-Am

Kane Waselenchuk won the first International Racquetball Tour (IRT) event of the 2025 season last weekend, as he defeated Eduardo Portillo in the final of the 45th Lewis Drug Pro-Am in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, 15-5, 15-8. The win further confirms Waselenchuk as the #1 IRT player despite - or perhaps in spite of - being 43 years old.

In the semi-finals, Waselenchuk defeated Conrrado Moscoso, 15-11, 10-15, 11-6, and Eduardo Portillo beat Andrés Acuña, 15-11, 15-14.

Waselenchuk was up 8-0 on Moscoso in game one of that semi, and then was outscored 26-17 from that point to the end of game two, when it looked like Moscoso could pull out the win.

It continued to look that way, as Moscoso took a 3-1 lead in the tie-breaker. However, Waselenchuk tied it at 3-3. That was when Moscoso needed to put more focus into the match, but instead he made a few errors and some loose shots, which led to Waselenchuk taking an 8-3 lead.

That lead effectively put the game - and by extension the match - out of reach. Moscoso did come back to within two at 8-6, so there was no quit in his game, but to let Waselenchuk get seven straight points was enough to tip the balance to him, as Waselenchuk went on to win the breaker 11-6 and take the match in three games.

Moscoso did win the doubles final, as he and Kadim Carrasco eked out a win over top seeds Javier Mar and Rodrigo Montoya, 15-8, 13-15, 11-9. In the semi-finals, Moscoso and Carrasco defeated Andree Parrilla and Portillo, 10-15, 15-13, 11-7, while Mar and Montoya beat Andrés Acuña and Alan Natera, 15-13, 15-13.

The Minnesota Hall of Fame tournament, in Minneapolis, March 6-9, is the next big IRT event with the 40th Annual Papa Nicholas Shamrock Shootout to follow a week later in Lombard, Illinois, March 13-16. If you missed any of the action from Sioux Falls check out the IRT YouTube channel.

45th Lewis Drug IRT Pro-Am
Sioux Falls, South Dakota - January 30-February 2, 2025

IRT Singles - Final

1) Kane Waselenchuk d. 15) Eduardo Portillo, 15-5, 15-8

Semi-finals

1) Kane Waselenchuk d. 4) Conrrado Moscoso, 15-11, 10-15, 11-6
15) Eduardo Portillo d. 6) Andrés Acuña, 15-11, 15-14

Quarterfinals

1) Kane Waselenchuk d. 9) Jake Bredenbeck, 15-3, 15-8
4) Conrrado Moscoso d. 12) Jordy Alonso, 15-7, 15-10

6) Andrés Acuña d. 14) Javier Mar, 10-15, 15-12, 11-8
15) Eduardo Portillo d. 10) Jaime Martell, 15-2, 15-10

Round of 16

1) Kane Waselenchuk d. 17) Diego Gastelum, 15-1, 15-4
9) Jake Bredenbeck d. 8) Alan Natera, 15-7, 15-1

12) Jordy Alonso d. 5) Andree Parrilla, forfeit
4) Conrrado Moscoso d. 20) Sam Bredenbeck, 15-4, 15-6

14) Javier Mar d. 3) Adam Manilla, 8-15, 15-9, 11-4
6) Andrés Acuña d. 11) Thomas Carter, 15-10, 15-6

10) Jaime Martell d. 7) Erick Trujillo, 15-13, 11-15, 11-5
15) Eduardo Portillo d. 2) Rodrigo Montoya, 15-6, 15-4

Round of 32

1) Kane Waselenchuk d. 33) Guillermo Jesus Ortega Jr., 15-1, 15-6
17) Diego Gastelum d. 16) Robert Collins, 15-6, 15-6

9) Jake Bredenbeck d. 24) Diego Garcia, 15-8, 15-9
8) Alan Natera d. 24) Lee Connell, 15-4, 15-11

5) Andree Parrilla d. 28) Gerson Miranda Martinez, 15-6, 15-4
12) Jordy Alonso d. 21) John Goth, 15-12, 15-2

20) Sam Bredenbeck d. 13) Carlos Ramirez, 15-3, 15-5
4) Conrrado Moscoso d. 29) Alejandro Bear, 15-1, 15-10

3) Adam Manilla d. 30) Sebastian Franco, 15-9, 15-11
14) Javier Mar d. 19) Cole Sendrey, 15-6, 15-1

11) Thomas Carter d. 22) Cody Elkins, 15-5, 15-11
6) Andrés Acuña d. 27) Blase Zera, 15-3, 15-3

7) Erick Trujillo d. 26) John Wolfe, 15-6, 15-7
10) Jaime Martell d. 23) Diego Gatica, 15-2, 15-2

15) Eduardo Portillo d. 18) Kadim Carrasco, 15-12, 15-5
2) Rodrigo Montoya d. 31) David Horn, 15-6, 15-4

Round of 64

33) Guillermo Jesus Ortega Jr. d. 32) Alejandro Herrera, 4-15, 15-14, 11-3
30) Sebastian Franco d. 35) Javier Gonzalez, 15-4, 15-4
31) David Horn d. 34) Benjamin Horner, 15-6, 15-4

IRT Doubles - Final

2) Conrrado Moscoso & Kadim Carrasco d. 1) Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya, 15-8, 13-15, 11-9

Semi-finals

1) Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya d. 4) Andrés Acuña & Alan Natera, 15-13, 15-13
2) Conrrado Moscoso & Kadim Carrasco d. 3) Andree Parrilla & Eduardo Portillo, 10-15, 15-13, 11-7

Quarterfinals

1) Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya d. 8) Diego Gastelum & Cole Sendrey, 15-14, 15-1
4) Andrés Acuña & Alan Natera d. 12) Diego Garcia & Gerson Miranda Martinez, 15-9, 15-9

3) Andree Parrilla & Eduardo Portillo d. 2) Jake Bredenbeck & Sam Bredenbeck, 15-7, 9-15, 11-4
2) Conrrado Moscoso & Kadim Carrasco d. 7) Jordy Alonso & Erick Trujillo, 15-6, 10-15, 11-3

Round of 16

1) Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya - BYE
8) Diego Gastelum & Cole Sendrey d. 9) Robert Collins & Guillermo Jesus Ortega Jr., 13-15, 15-3, 11-5

12) Diego Garcia & Gerson Miranda Martinez d. 5) David Horn & Adam Manilla, 15-8, 4-15, 11-3
4) Andrés Acuña & Alan Natera d. 13) Cody Elkins & John Goth, 15-4, 15-8

3) Andree Parrilla & Eduardo Portillo d. 14) Sebastian Franco & Alejandro Herrera, 15-10, 15-9
2) Jake Bredenbeck & Sam Bredenbeck d. 11) Diego Gatica & Carlos Ramirez, 15-1, 15-2

7) Jordy Alonso & Erick Trujillo d. 10) Thomas Carter & Jaime Martell, 15-6, 9-15, 11-8
2) Conrrado Moscoso & Kadim Carrasco - BYE

Follow the bouncing ball….

Monday, January 20, 2025

Mejia wins first LPRT event of 2025

Montserrat Mejia won the 2025 Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) Arizona Open on the weekend in Tempe, Arizona, where she defeated Paola Longoria in the final, 15-8, 15-14. The win was Mejia’s first of the season, and her first since June 2023, when she finished as the #1 LPRT player.

However, last season Mejia didn’t win a tournament and fell back to #3. Midway through this season, Longoria is the #1 player. However, Mejia is the 4th player in 4 events to win this season along with Longoria and Maria Jose Vargas, who was #1 last season, and Gabriela Martinez.

Those were the four semi-finalists in Tempe, as Longoria defeated Martinez in one semi, 12-15, 15-8, 11-1, and Mejia beat Vargas, 15-7, 15-9, in the other.

Although Longoria didn’t win singles, she did win doubles, as she and long time partner Samantha Salas defeated Vargas and Valeria Centellas, 15-12, 15-10, in the final. In the semi-finals, Longoria and Salas beat Michelle Key and Natalia Mendez, 15-14, 15-8, while Centellas and Vargas upset top seeds Alexandra Herrera and Mejia, 15-11, 7-15, 11-10.

The next LPRT event is the Boston Open March 7-9, 2025 in Marlborough, Massachusetts. If you missed any of the action from Arizona, check out the LPRT YouTube channel.

LPRT Arizona Open
Tempe, Arizona - January 16-19, 2025

Singles Final

3) Montserrat Mejia d. 1) Paola Longoria, 15-8, 15-14

Singles Semi-finals

1) Paola Longoria d. 5) Gabriela Martinez, 12-15, 15-8, 11-1
3) Montserrat Mejia d. 2) Maria José Vargas, 15-7, 15-9

Singles Quarterfinals

1) Paola Longoria d. 9) Samantha Salas, 15-2, 15-4
5) Gabriela Martinez d. 4) Alexandra Herrera, 15-8, 15-4

3) Montserrat Mejia d. 6) Kelani Lawrence, 15-0, 15-4
2) Maria José Vargas d. 7) Natalia Mendez, 13-15, 15-7, 11-5

Singles Round of 16

1) Paola Longoria d. 17) Sheryl Lotts, 15-5, 15-7
9) Samantha Salas d. 8) Cristina Amaya, 15-10, 12-15, 11-10

5) Gabriela Martinez d. 21) Maria Renee Rodriguez, 15-2, 15-8
4) Alexandra Herrera d. 20) Valeria Centellas, 10-15, 15-13, 11-6

3) Montserrat Mejia d. 14) Stephanie Synhorst, 15-3, 15-3
6) Kelani Lawrence d. 22) Annie Sanchez, 15-2, 15-10

7) Natalia Mendez d. 10) Jessica Parrilla, 15-11, 15-1
2) Maria José Vargas d. 15) Angelica Barrios, 15-10, 15-12

Singles Round of 32

1) Paola Longoria - BYE
17) Sheryl Lotts d. 16) Naomi Ros, 9-15, 15-6, 11-2

9) Samantha Salas d. 24) Daniela Rico, 15-7, 15-7
8) Cristina Amaya d. 25) Lucia Gonzalez, 15-8, 15-14

5) Gabriela Martinez - BYE
21) Maria Renee Rodriguez d. 12) Michelle Key, forfeit

20) Valeria Centellas d. 13) Michelle Paz Riquelme, 15-6, 15-3
4) Alexandra Herrera - BYE

3) Montserrat Mejia - BYE
14) Stephanie Synhorst d. 19) Khyathi Velpuri, 15-14, 15-2

22) Annie Sanchez d. 11) Lexi York, 15-13, 15-6
6) Kelani Lawrence - BYE

7) Natalia Mendez d. 26) Yanna Salazar, 15-6, 15-1
10) Jessica Parrilla d. 23) Nancy Enriquez, 15-4, 15-2

15) Angelica Barrios d. 18) Hollie Scott, 15-4, 15-9
2) Maria José Vargas - BYE

Doubles - Final

3) Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas d. 4) Valeria Centellas & Maria Jose Vargas, 15-12, 15-10

Doubles - Semi-finals

4) Valeria Centellas & Maria Jose Vargas d. 1) Alexandra Herrera & Montserrat Mejia, 15-11, 7-15, 11-10
3) Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas d. 2) Michelle Key & Natalia Mendez, 15-14, 15-8

Doubles - Quarterfinals

1) Alexandra Herrera & Montserrat Mejia d. 8) Sheryl Lotts & Lexi York, 13-15, 15-3, 11-6
4) Valeria Centellas & Maria Jose Vargas d. 5) Kelani Lawrence & Hollie Scott, 12-15, 15-6, 11-4

3) Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas d. 6) Cristina Amaya & Jessica Parrilla, 15-13, 15-7
2) Michelle Key & Natalia Mendez d. 7) Gabriela Martinez & Maria Renee Rodriguez, 6-15, 15-4, 11-3

Doubles - Round of 16 - Friday

1) Alexandra Herrera & Montserrat Mejia
8) Sheryl Lotts & Lexi York d. 9) Naomi Ros & Annie Sanchez, 15-3, 15-10

5) Kelani Lawrence & Hollie Scott - BYE
4) Valeria Centellas & Maria Jose Vargas - BYE

3) Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas - BYE
6) Cristina Amaya & Jessica Parrilla d. 11) Ella Boaz & Khyathi Velpuri, 15-5, 15-2

7) Gabriela Martinez & Maria Renee Rodriguez d. 10) Nancy Enriquez & Daniela Rico, 15-9, 15-1
2) Michelle Key & Natalia Mendez - BYE

Follow the bouncing ball….

Monday, December 16, 2024

35th IRF World Junior Championships - Medal Summary

Players from seven countries won World Cup medals at the 35th International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Junior Championships in Guatemala City, Guatemala last week. Mexican players won medals in all 15 World Cup divisions (Boys & Girls, U21, U18, U16, singles, doubles & mixed doubles).

Bolivia was close behind, as Bolivians won medals in 13 of the 15 World Cup divisions. The two divisions they didn’t medal in were Girls U18 Singles, when the two Bolivians played the two Mexicans in the quarterfinals and Mexico won both matches, and Girls U16 Doubles, which didn’t feature a Bolivian team.

The other countries with medalists were the USA, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Chile and Ecuador.

Medal summary by country

Mexico - 8 gold, 6 silver, 7 bronze
Bolivia - 7 gold, 4 silver, 4 bronze
USA - 3 silver, 7 bronze
Costa Rica - 1 silver, 3 bronze
Guatemala - 6 bronze
Chile - 3 bronze
Ecuador - 1 bronze

Multiple medalists

Twenty eight players won multiple medals in Guatemala: 15 girls and 13 boys. Twelve Mexicans won multiple medals, as did six Bolivians, five USA players, three Guatemalans, and one Chilean and one Costa Rican.

Ten players won three medals, so one in singles, doubles and mixed doubles. In U21, Camila Rivero (Bolivia) won two gold and one silver, Ivanna Balderrama (Mexico), won one gold and two bronze, and Erick Trujillo (Mexico), won two gold and one bronze. In U18, Yanna Salazar (Mexico), won one gold, one silver, and one bronze, Naomi Ros (USA) won one silver and two bronze, and Jorge Gutierrez (Mexico), won one gold and two bronze. In U16, Sebastian Ruelas (Mexico) won two gold and one silver, Sebastian Terrazas Tapia (Bolivia) won one gold, one silver and one bronze, and Alvaro Guillen (Costa Rica) won one silver and two bronze. Finally, Adriana Noelia Blacutt Conde (Bolivia) won one gold in U18 and two bronze in U16.

Girls U21
Camila Rivero (Bolivia), gold singles, gold doubles, silver mixed doubles
Ivanna Balderrama (Mexico), bronze singles, bronze doubles, gold mixed doubles
Natalia Mendez Veizaga (Bolivia), gold doubles (& gold U18 doubles)
Angela Veronica Ortega Sabido (Mexico), silver singles, bronze doubles
Annie Sanchez (USA), bronze singles, bronze mixed doubles

Boys U21

Joel Alexis Acha Portugal (Bolivia), gold singles, silver mixed doubles
Sebastian Hernández (Mexico), gold doubles, silver singles
Erick Trujillo (Mexico), gold doubles, gold mixed doubles, bronze singles
Jaime Mansilla (Chile), bronze doubles, bronze mixed doubles

Girls U18

Yanna Salazar (Mexico), gold singles, silver doubles, bronze mixed doubles

Adriana Noelia Blacutt Conde (Bolivia), gold doubles (U16 bronze singles, bronze mixed doubles)
Cynthia Gutierrez (Mexico), silver singles, silver doubles
Naomi Ros (USA), silver mixed doubles, bronze singles, bronze doubles
Paula Aguilar (Guatemala), bronze singles, bronze doubles
Andrea Reyes (Guatemala), bronze doubles, bronze mixed doubles

Boys U18
Nicolas Ramiro Iglesias Rivera (Bolivia), silver singles, gold mixed doubles
Jorge Gutierrez (Mexico), gold doubles, bronze singles, bronze mixed doubles
Eder Renteria (Mexico), gold doubles, bronze singles
Cole Sendrey (USA), silver doubles, silver mixed doubles

Girls U16

Miranda Barraza (Mexico), gold singles, gold doubles
Andrea Perez Picon (Mexico), gold doubles, gold mixed doubles, silver singles
Victoria Rodriguez (USA), silver doubles, bronze mixed doubles
Jamileth Sipac (Guatemala), bronze singles, bronze doubles

Boys U16

Sebastian Ruelas (Mexico), gold doubles, gold mixed doubles, silver singles
Sebastian Terrazas Tapia (Bolivia), gold singles, silver doubles, bronze mixed doubles
Nicolas Galindo (Mexico), gold doubles, bronze singles
Alvaro Guillen (Costa Rica), silver mixed doubles, bronze singles, bronze doubles
Eshan Ali (USA), bronze doubles, bronze mixed doubles

XXXV IRF World Junior Championships 

December 7-14 - Guatemala City, Guatemala

Girls U21 Singles - Medals

GOLD: Camila Rivero (Bolivia)
SILVER: Angela Veronica Ortega Sabido (Mexico)
BRONZE: Ivanna Balderrama (Mexico) & Annie Sanchez (USA)

Girls U21 Doubles - Medals

GOLD: Camila Rivero & Natalia Mendez Veizaga (Bolivia)
SILVER: Fabiana Landy & Maria Angela Villacreses (Ecuador)
BRONZE: Ella Boaz & Annika Fiedler (USA) & Angela Veronica Ortega Sabido & Ivanna Balderrama (Mexico)

Boys U21 Singles - Medals

GOLD: Joel Alexis Acha Portugal (Bolivia)
SILVER: Sebastian Hernández (Mexico)
BRONZE: Erick Trujillo (Mexico) & Hector Barrios (Bolivia)

Boys U21 Doubles - Medals

GOLD: Sebastian Hernández & Erick Trujillo (Mexico)
SILVER: Luis Aguilar & Adrian Jaldin Lobo (Bolivia)
BRONZE: Oscar Montejo & Antonio Sanchez (Costa Rica) & Diego Gatica & Jaime Mansilla (Chile)

Mixed Doubles U21 - Medals

GOLD: Ivanna Balderrama & Erick Trujillo (Mexico)
SILVER: Jhoel Alexis Acha Portugal & Camila Rivero (Bolivia)
BRONZE: Jaime Mansilla & Paula Mansilla (Chile) & Iain Dunn & Annie Sanchez (USA)

Girls U18 Singles - Medals

GOLD: Yanna Salazar (Mexico)
SILVER: Cynthia Gutierrez (Mexico)
BRONZE: Naomi Ros (USA) & Paula Aguilar (Guatemala)

Girls U18 Doubles - Medals

GOLD: Natalia Mendez Veizaga & Adriana Noelia Blacutt Conde (Bolivia)
SILVER: Cynthia Gutierrez & Yanna Salazar (Mexico)
BRONZE: Ava Kaiser & Naomi Ros (USA) & Andrea Reyes & Paula Aguilar (Guatemala)

Boys U18 Singles - Medals

GOLD: Jhonatan Flores (Bolivia)
SILVER: Nicolas Ramiro Iglesias Rivera (Bolivia)
BRONZE: Eder Renteria (Mexico) & Jorge Gutierrez (Mexico)

Boys U18 Doubles - Medals

GOLD: Jorge Gutierrez & Eder Renteria (Mexico)
SILVER: DJ Mendoza & Cole Sendrey (USA)
BRONZE: Miguel Anduari Segundo Ramos & Matias Arnez (Bolivia) & Christian Aldana & Jose Caceras (Guatemala)

Mixed Doubles U18 - Medals

GOLD: Nicolás Iglesias & Florencia Villain Chalco (Bolivia)
SILVER: Naomi Ros & Cole Sendrey (USA)
BRONZE: Jose Caceres & Andreas Reyes (Guatemala) & Jorge Gutierrez & Yanna Salazar (Mexico)

Girls U16 Singles - Medals

GOLD: Miranda Barraza (Mexico)
SILVER: Andrea Perez Picon (Mexico)
BRONZE: Jamileth Sipac (Guatemala) & Adriana Noella Blacutt Conde (Bolivia)

Girls U16 Doubles - Medals

GOLD: Miranda Barraza & Andrea Perez Picon (Mexico)
SILVER: Victoria Rodriguez & Montserrat Torres (USA)
BRONZE: Jamileth Sipac & Isabella Wer (Guatemala) & Catalina Guzman & Clarita Vivar (Chile)

Boys U16 Singles - Medals

GOLD: Sebastian Terrazas Tapia (Bolivia)
SILVER: Sebastian Ruelas (Mexico)
BRONZE: Nicolas Galindo (Mexico) & Alvaro Guillen (Costa Rica)

Boys U16 Doubles - Medals

GOLD: Nicolas Galindo & Sebastian Ruelas (Mexico)
SILVER: Bismarck Pereira & Sebastian Terrazas Tapia (Bolivia)
BRONZE: Alvaro Guillen & Marcelo García Sanchez (Costa Rica) & Eshan Ali & Nathan Rykhus (USA)

Mixed Doubles U16 - Medals

GOLD: Andrea Perez Picon & Sebastian Ruelas (Mexico)
SILVER: Larissa Faeth & Alvaro Guillen (Costa Rica)
BRONZE: Eshan Ali & Victoria Rodriguez (USA) & Adriana Noella Blacutt Conde & Sebastian Terrazas Tapia (Bolivia)

Follow the bouncing ball....