WPRO - Harrisburg Shootout

Sixteen year old phenom Veronica Sotomayor won another satellite event on the Women's Professional Racquetball Organization (WPRO) tour this past weekend, as she beat Doreen Fowler in the final of the Harrisburg Shootout, 11-1, 11-0, 11-2 (results courtesy tournament director Khanh Holtslander). Sotomayor won the New Jersey Open in November.

As she did in New Jersey, Sotomayor defeated two top 10 WPRO players in taking the title. In fact, it was the same two players, but in reverse order. This weekend she beat WPRO #1 Rhonda Rajsich in the semi-finals and then Fowler in the final, while in New Jersey, Sotomayor beat Fowler in the semi-finals and Rajsich in the final.

Sotomayor probably won't get enough points to raise her ranking from 11th, as it was a satellite event and she's 40 points behind Jo Shattuck in 10th.

Nonetheless, it does speak well for Sotomayor's development and demonstrates that she'll be a threat at the next full WPRO stop: the Great Balls of Fire event in Miami, Florida at the end of February.

Harrisburg Shootout 2009

First Round
Khanh Holtslander d. Tammy DelSol, 11-2, 11-8, 11-6
Karen Morton d. Kim Zemenski, 11-0, 11-2, 11-6
Dolly Watson d. Christine Vandeling, 6-11, 11-4, 9-11, 11-2, 11-1

Quarter finals
Rhonda Rajsich d. Khanh Holtslander, 11-0, 11-1, 11-2
Veronica Sotomayer d. TJ Baumbagh, 11-0, 11-2, 11-7
Jo Shattuck d. Karen Morton, 13-11, 11-2, 11-7
Doreen Fowler d. Dolly Watson, 11-2, 11-0, 11-2

Semi finals
Veronica Sotomayer d. Rhonda Rajsich, 7-11, 11-9, 11-7, 11-8 (?*)
Doreen Fowler d. Jo Shattuck, 11-7, 9-11, 11-4, 10-12, 11-8

Finals
Veronica Sotomayer d. Doreen Fowler, 11-1, 11-0, 11-2

*Note: "?" was in the message from Ms. Holtslander.

Follow the bouncing ball....