WPRO : Christmas Classic Draw

The Women's Professional Racquetball Organization's (WPRO's) Christmas Classic in Arlington, Virginia goes this weekend, and it's the last major pro stop of the calendar year.

The main question is can Paola Longoria continue her win streak? She's won the last two WPRO Tier 1 tournaments - the US Open in Memphis and the Canadian Classic in Edmonton, which has moved her up the rankings. However, she's still only ranked third, so potentially she'll have to beat beat both #2 Cheryl Gudinas Holmes and #1 Rhonda Rajsich to win in Arlington.

This season Longoria's 3-0 versus Gudinas Holmes and 1-1 versus Rajsich.

If Gudinas Holmes is going to play Longoria, she'll have to get to the semi-finals, which could be a tall task, as her potential quarter final match is against teen phenom Veronica Sotomayor. Gudinas Holmes has beaten Sotomayor in their two previous matches this season, but in four games each time. And since their last meeting in the US Open, Sotomayor defeated Rajisch, which must be a big boost to the young player's confidence.

Thus, the two Latin teenagers, 19 year old Longoria from Mexico, and 16 year old Sotomayor from Ecuador, will be the players to watch in Virginia.

You can make your choice for who'll win in Arlington by clicking on a selection in the right side bar. The Racquetball Blog will make its prediction later in the week.

Here's the complete Christmas Classic draw with seedings.

2008 Christmas Classic
Arlington, Virginia
First round (seeding)

(16) Krystal Csuk v. (17) Laura Brandt
(13) T.J. Baumbaugh v. (20) Kelley Fields
(14) Keely Franks v. (19) Yolanda Jordan
(15) Jen Saunders v. (18) Dolly Watson

Round of 16

(1) Rhonda Rajsich v. winner of (16) Krystal Csuk v. (17) Laura Brandt
(8) Doreen Fowler v. (9) Jo Shattuck

(5) Kristen Bellows v. (12) Vivian Gomez
(4) Kerri Wachtel v. winner of (13) T.J. Baumbaugh v. (20) Kelley Fields

(3) Paola Longoria v. winner of (14) Keely Franks v. (19) Yolanda Jordan
(6) Adrienne Fisher v. (11) Diane Moore

(7) Brenda Kyzer v. (10) Veronica Sotomayor
(2) Cheryl Gudinas Holmes v. winner of (15) Jen Saunders v. (18) Dolly Watson

Follow the bouncing ball....