22nd Pan American Championships - Preview

The 22nd Pan American Racquetball Championships begin this weekend in Cali, Columbia. It'll feature several of the world's top racquetball players. This year's event does not conflict with any pro tournament, which has sometimes been the case in previous years.

The Americans and Mexicans look to have the strongest teams. Mexicans won three of the four divisions at last year's Pan American Championships in Costa Rica. Alvaro Beltran and Paola Longoria, respectively, won men's and women's singles, while Mexicans Javier Moreno and Gilberto Mejia won men's doubles. Americans Aimee Ruiz and Jackie Paraiso won the women's doubles preventing a Mexico sweep.

All those players will be in Cali to defend their titles. Polo Gutierrez is the other Mexican player in men's singles, while Samantha Salas will play women's singles with Jessica Parrilla and Mayra Cardona playing women's doubles.

The other US women in Cali will be current World Champion Rhonda Rajsich and Cheryl Gudinas Holmes. The US men will be Chris Crowther and Andy Hawthorne in singles with Ben Croft and Mitch Williams playing doubles.

There will be several other strong players. The Canadian team includes Mike Green and Kris Odegard, as well as Jennifer Saunders. Saunders will play singles along with teen Frédérique T. Lambert. The Canadian men's team isn't set regarding singles and doubles, as Michael Burgess suffered an injury late last week and was forced to drop out. Lee Connell will take his place, but whether he'll play singles or doubles is unknown.

Andreas Herrera and Juan Herrera, top 20 players on the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) are playing for Columbia, as is Cristina Amaya. Jenny Daza of Bolivia and Maria Paz Munoz of Ecuador are two players who did well at last year's World Junior Championships, and they'll try to duplicate that success at the senior level in Cali.

Play begins Saturday with three days of round robin competition the results of which will be used to seed players for a playoff round ending April 11 with the finals to determine who will be the 2009 Pan American Champions.

Follow the bouncing ball...

Latest Rankings

WPRO

The race for #1 in the Women's Professional Racquetball Organization (WPRO) will come down to one tournament. But the #1 player remains Rhonda Rajsich, not Paola Longoria according to the latest WPRO rankings we've received today courtesy of Brenda Kyzer.

According to Kyzer, the season ending #1 spot will be deterimined by what happens in California at the Ektelon WPRO World Championships next month. If both Rajsich and Longoria are in the final, then the winner will be the #1 player. If either of them make it further in the draw than the other, then the player who makes it further will be #1.

Cheryl Gudinas Holmes cannot improve on her current #3 ranking regardless of what happens in California, according to Kyzer.

We understand that all the players are going to be at the WPRO Championships, except perhaps for Kyzer, who's still not fully recovered from her foot injury. But she's hoping to be there.

WPRO Rankings - March 31, 2009
Rank Name Country
1 Rhonda Rajsich (USA)
2 Paola Longoria (Mexico)
3 Cheryl Gudinas Holmes (USA)
4 Kerri Wachtel (USA)
5 Kristen Bellows (USA)
6 Adrienne Fisher (USA)
7 Veronica Sotomayor (Ecuador)
8 Angela Grisar (Chile)
9 Doreen Fowler (USA)
10 Brenda Kyzer (USA)
11 Jennifer Saunders (Canada)
12 Jo Shattuck (USA)
13 Diane Moore (USA)
14 Samantha Salas (Mexico)
15 Keely Franks (USA)
16 T. J. Baumbaugh (USA)
17 Vivian Gomez (USA)
18 Krystal Csuk (USA)
19 Susy Acosta (Mexico)
20 Christie Van Hees (Canada)

IRT

The International Racquetball Tour (IRT) has released their latest rankings taking into account the Florida Spring Break event. Kane Waselenchuk remains in 3rd spot behind #1 Rocky Carson and #2 Jack Huczek. But the gap between him and Huczek is a mere 113 points.

Note the difference though between Carson's and Huczek's Points and their Season-To-Date Points. Points carries back to last season, while Season-To-Date Points indicates how many points have been earned from this season only, beginning at the Motorola Racquetball World Championships.

That difference indicates that Carson and Huczek have a lot of points to defend, as they both made the finals of the last two events of last season (Carson won the Dennis Rosenberg event, while Huczek won Pro Nationals). If they fail to do as well at those events this season, then their points will suffer considerably.

The small difference between Waselenchuk's points total and season to date points is due to his playing in a minor IRT event late last season: the South Carolina Open.

IRT Rankings - March 23, 2009
Rank Name Points - Season-To-Date Points - Season-To-Date Best
1 Rocky CARSON - 4451 - 3630 - 3599
2 Jack HUCZEK 4151 3472 - 3472
3 Kane WASELENCHUK 4038 - 3919 - 3919
4 Alvaro BELTRAN 3476 - 3135 - 3060
5 Jason MANNINO 3038 - 2280 - 2280
6 Shane VANDERSON 2610 - 2448 - 2286
7 Ben CROFT 2411 2223 - 2153
8 Mitch WILLIAMS 2408 - 2398 - 2238
9 Chris CROWTHER 2048 - 1565 - 1565
10 Jason THOERNER 1817 - 1455 - 1455
11 Andy HAWTHORNE 1425 - 1399 - 1292
12 Juan HERRERA 1309 - 1022 - 1022
13 Alejandro HERRERA 1142 - 967 - 967
14 Travis WOODBURY 968 - 810 - 810
15 Andreas HERRERA 908 - 802 - 802
16 Hiroshi SHIMIZU 848 - 656 - 656
17 Kris ODEGARD 840 - 634 -634
18 Anthony HERRERA 782 - 704 - 704
19 Javier MORENO 776 - 488 - 488
20 Tony CARSON 727 - 607 - 607

Follow the bouncing ball....

Happy Monday Everyone

There'll be some time off for the men's and women's racquetball professionals, as their next tournaments aren't until the end of April. The last tournament of the Women's Professional Racquetball Organization (WPRO) season will be the Ektelon WPRO World Championships, April 24-26 in Stockton, California.

On that same weekend, the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) will be playing at the Dennis Rosenberg Pro Am in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Then the men's season will end with a Grand Slam event: the Motorola IRT Pro Nationals in Chicago, May 5-9.

But this period of inactivity doesn't mean The Racquetball Blog will be inactive. No sir-ee! So be sure to check back regularly - daily? hourly? minute-by-minute? (hey, wouldn't that make a great album title?). We'll give you nuggets of racquetball information, such as the following.

Women's Open

A final note from the Terrapin Shootout: Krystal Csuk won Women's Open by defeating Susy Acosta, 15-6, 12-15, 11-5, in the final. Csuk had an upset victory over Adrienne Fisher in the semis, winning 15-6, 8-15, 11-1, while Acosta beat Jenny Daza, 15-10, 15-12.

Follow the bouncing ball....

WPRO - Longoria wins Terrapin Shootout

Paola Longoria won the 2009 Terrapin Shootout in Gaithersburg, Maryland, the second last tournament on the Women's Professional Racquetball Organization (WPRO) tour in a final lasting almost two hours, as she defeated the current WPRO #1 Rhonda Rajsich, 6-11, 8-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-8. With the win, it's believed Longoria will become the #1 WPRO player. She was #2 going into the Terrapin Shootout.

The first three games were all close, and Longoria hardly led at all in the match until she won game three. In game one, they were tied at 4, and then Rajsich managed to get a 9-5 advantage that she held to win 11-6. In that game, Rajsich often served a backhand half lob to Longoria's backhand, and throughout the match Rajsich mostly used half lob and lob serves.

Game two was neck and neck right up to 8-8. Then Rajsich, the current World Champion, finished it off at 11-8, and with a two games to none advantage, it looked like she would defend her #1 WPRO ranking.

Game three was also back and forth. Rajsich needed some injury time early on, as she got a cut on her little finger. But she was up 8-7, before Longoria regained the lead and took it to 10-7. Rajsich got one more point back before Longoria finished off game three 11-9.

In game four, Longoria took an early lead at 5-2, and increased it to 8-2, and 9-4 and then 10-7. But Rajsich wouldn't give in easily, and Longoria needed five chances to finish off the fourth game and force a tie-breaker, eventually winning game four 11-9.

In game five, Rajsich jumped out to a 4-0 lead, only to see Longoria get it all back and then some to lead 5-4. A few more rallies, and Rajsich took a time out, down 5-7. But the time out didn't halt Longoria's momentum as she continued to hit the ball confidently and took a 10-5 lead.

But Rajsich got the serve back, and got three quick points to get back into the game. The third of those points came on an avoidable hinder call against Longoria. At that point, still up 10-8, Longoria called a time out.

When play resumed, Longoria got the serve back, and finished off the game and match, winning game five 11-8.

In the match, Longoria hit primarily drive serves and drive Z serves to the left side, although she did lob serve some in game one.

The WPRO season will conclude next month with the Ektelon WPRO World Championships in Stockton, California, April 24-26.

WPRO Terrapin Shootout - Gaithersburg, Maryland
Final

Paola Longoria d. Rhonda Rajsich, 6-11, 8-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-8

Follow the bouncing ball....

WPRO - Terrapin Shootout - Rajsich & Longoria in the final

Conditions were tough on Saturday afternoon at the Terrapin Shootout in Gaithersburg, Maryland, a Tier 1 Women's Professional Racquetball Organization (WPRO) tournament. The court walls were damp leading to unexpected bounces. From the score lines in the quarter finals and semis, it's clear that some players adjusted to this better than others, as only one match of those six went more than three games and in only a few games did the losing side have more than five points.

However, the final match-up is the expected one as #1 Rhonda Rajsich will play #2 Paola Longoria in the final on Sunday. Rajsich defeated #4 Kerri Wachtel in the semi-finals, 5-11, 12-10, 11-9, 11-8, while Longoria made short work of #3 Cheryl Gudinas Holmes in the other semi, winning 11-1, 11-3, 11-3.

The final will be at noon eastern time Sunday, and can be seen on Racquetball Online.tv.

WPRO Terrapin Shootout - Gaithersburg, Maryland
Quarter finals

Rhonda Rajsich d. Jo Shattuck, 11-4, 12-10, 11-4
Kerri Wachtel d. Adrienne Fisher, 11-3, 11-0, 11-1

Cheryl Gudinas Holmes d. Veronica Sotomayor, 11-8, 11-1, 11-1
Paola Longoria d. Diane Moore, 11-1, 11-7, 11-4

Semi-finals

Rhonda Rajsich d. Kerri Wachtel, 5-11, 12-10, 11-9, 11-8
Paola Longoria d. Cheryl Gudinas Holmes d. 11-1, 11-3, 11-3

Final - Sunday 12 EDT

Rhonda Rajsich v. Paola Longoria

Follow the bouncing ball....

WPRO - Terrapin Shootout - Round of 16

Diane Moore had the biggest upset victory on Friday at the Terrapin Shootout in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Seeded 10th, she defeated 7th seed Angela Grisar in five games, 9-11, 11-1, 10-12, 11-9, 11-8. The win puts Moore into the quarter finals of a Tier 1 Women's Professional Racquetball Organization (WPRO) tournament for just the second time this season.

In a minor upset, 9th seed Jo Shattuck defeated 8th seed Doreen Fowler, 11-9, 12-10, 11-6. All of the other higher seeds won in the Round of 16.

In the quarters, Moore will face second seed Paola Longoria, while Shattuck will be up against top seed Rhonda Rajsich.

Both the quarter finals and semi-finals will be played on Saturday. Matches can be seen on Racquetball Online.tv.

WPRO Terrapin Shootout - Gaithersburg, Maryland
Round of 16

Rhonda Rajsich d. Sheryl Lotts, 11-3, 11-2, 11-9
Jo Shattuck d. Doreen Fowler, 11-9, 12-10, 11-6

Adrienne Fisher d. T. J. Baumbaugh, 11-4, 11-5, 10-12, 2-11, 12-10
Kerri Wachtel d. Vivian Gomez, 11-5, 11-3, 11-3

Cheryl Gudinas Holmes d. Krystal Csuk, 11-8, 11-4, 11-3
Veronica Sotomayor d. Keely Franks, 11-3, 11-5, 11-4

Diane Moore d. Angela Grisar, 9-11, 11-1, 10-12, 11-9, 11-8
Paola Longoria d. Susy Acosta, 11-0, 7-11, 11-0, 11-5

Quarter finals

Rhonda Rajsich v. Jo Shattuck
Kerri Wachtel v. Adrienne Fisher

Cheryl Gudinas Holmes v. Veronica Sotomayor
Paola Longoria v. Diane Moore

Follow the bouncing ball....

WPRO - Terrapin Shootout First Round Results

The Terrapin Shootout is underway in Gaithersburg, Maryland. It's the second last tournament of the Women's Professional Racquetball Organization (WPRO) season.

Results were as expected in Round 1, with the closest match between American Krystal Csuk and Bolivian Jenny Daza, who was a World Juniors runner-up in December losing to Paola Longoria in the final of Girls 18 and under. Daza got up two games to one on Csuk, but the WPRO's #19 player came back and pulled out the match by the narrowest of margins, winning 3-11, 11-9, 4-11, 11-9, 12-10.

The reward for Csuk is a meeting with former #1 Cheryl Gudinas Holmes in the Round of 16. That'll go later today, along with the rest of the Round of 16.

Matches can be seen on Racquetball Online.tv.

WPRO Terrapin Shootout - Gaithersburg, Maryland
Round of 32

Rhonda Rajsich BYE
Sheryl Lotts d. Laura Brandt, 4-11, 11-2, 11-4, 11-0

Jo Shattuck BYE
Doreen Fowler BYE

Adrienne Fisher BYE
T. J. Baumbaugh d. Sarah Hettesheimer, 11-3, 11-4, 11-3

Vivian Gomez d. Yolanda Jordan, 11-7, 11-7, 11-8
Kerri Wachtel BYE

Cheryl Gudinas Holmes BYE
Krystal Csuk d. Jenny Daza, 3-11, 11-9, 4-11, 11-9, 12-10

Keely Franks d. Paola Nunez, 11-2, 11-3, 11-8
Veronica Sotomayor BYE

Angela Grisar BYE
Diane Moore d. Danielle Emerson, 11-4, 11-3, 11-0

Susy Acosta d. Maiko Sato, 11-4, 11-7, 11-1
Paola Longoria BYE

Round of 16

Rhonda Rajsich v. Sheryl Lotts
Jo Shattuck v. Doreen Fowler

Adrienne Fisher v. T. J. Baumbaugh
Kerri Wachtel v. Vivian Gomez

Cheryl Gudinas Holmes v. Krystal Csuk
Veronica Sotomayor v. Keely Franks

Angela Grisar v. Diane Moore
Paola Longoria v. Susy Acosta

Follow the bouncing ball....

WPRO - Terrapin Shootout Prediction

The Racquetball Blog has been pleased this week to see a little love from the TRB Readers to Rhonda Rajsich by picking her to win the Terrapin Shootout this weekend. Rajsich, the #1 player in the Women's Professional Racquetball Organization (WPRO), won last weekend's Miller Lite Open, defeating #2 Paola Longoria in the final.

Nevertheless, most of you folks out there in cyber-land have pipped up for Longoria to win the Terrapin Shootout. However, Rajsich's draw looks easier than Longoria's, with her most difficult opponent prior to the finals likely to be Kerri Wachtel (WPRO #4) in the semis.

Longoria on the other hand will play veteran Susy Acosta or surprising newcomer Maiko Sato, then probably former #3 Angela Grisar in the quarters, before likely taking on either teen phenom Veronica Sotomayor or Cheryl Gudinas Holmes, a former #1 who had a two games to one advantage on Longoria in their match last weekend.

Furthermore, we hear that if Rajsich is to retain the #1 spot at season's end, she needs to win this weekend and next month's season ending tournament, the Ektelon WPRO World Championships in California. This is just the kind of situation that elite players, like Rajsich, thrive on, and we think she'll rise to the challenge.

Thus, The Racquetball Blog is predicting Rhonda Rajsich to win this weekend's Terrapin Shootout in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

Follow the bouncing ball....

Latest WPRO Rankings

The Women's Professional Racquetball Organization's (WPRO's) latest rankings are out, and with two events left in the season they illustrate how close the race is for the top spot. Paola Longoria, winner of three WPRO events this season including the 2008 US Open, is about 200 points behind Rhonda Rajsich, who has been on top of the rankings for three years.

If Longoria wins the last two events, then she should finish at #1, and be the first Mexican - woman or man - to do so in racquetball history. Furthermore, at 19, she could be the youngest woman to be #1.

Also, according to The Racquetball Blog's records several other players have achieved personal bests in the latest rankings including Adrienne Fisher at #6, Veronica Sotomayor #7, Jennifer Saunders #10, Krystal Csuk #19, and Brandi Jacobson Prentice at #20.

Here's the 20 WPRO players as of March 23, 2009:

Rank Name (Country) Points
1 Rhonda Rajsich (USA) 1293.24
2 Paola Longoria (Mexico) 1092.5
3 Cheryl Gudinas Holmes (USA) 878.24
4 Kerri Wachtel (USA) 494.7
5 Kristen Bellows (USA) 410.5
6 Adrienne Fisher (USA) 351.2
7 Veronica Sotomayor (Ecuador) 308.9
8 Angela Grisar (Chile) 306.5
9 Brenda Kyzer (USA) 251.5
10 Jennifer Saunders (Canada) 249.7
11 Doreen Fowler (USA) 241.84
12 Jo Shattuck (USA) 200.41
13 Diane Moore (USA) 188
14 Samantha Salas (Mexico) 185
15 Keely Franks (USA) 155
16 T.J. Baumbaugh (USA) 136.46
17 Vivian Gomez (USA) 108.5
18 Christie Van Hees (Canada) 102
19 Krystal Csuk (USA) 100.43
20 Brandi Jacobson Prentice (Canada) 95.54

Follow the bouncing ball....

WPRO - Terrapin Shootout - Rounds of 32 & 16

The Terrapin Shootout is the second of back to back events on the Women's Professional Racquetball Organization (WPRO) tour. It's a slightly larger draw than last weekend's Miller Lite Open in York, Pennsylvania, with slightly different players. For example, Angela Grisar is there this week while Kristen Bellows isn't.

Reflecting her #1 seeding, Rhonda Rajsich's draw again looks easier than second seed Paola Longoria's. Longoria will likely play Grisar in the quarters and then either veteran Cheryl Gudinas Holmes, who almost beat Longoria last week, or Veronica Sotomayor in the semi finals.

Only by getting past those players will Longoria have a chance at a rematch with Rajsich in the final, and an opportunity to get back on equal terms with her, as Rajsich now has four tournament titles this season compared to Longoria's three.

WPRO Terrapin Shootout - Gaithersburg, Maryland
Round of 32

Rhonda Rajsich BYE
Sheryl Lotts v. Laura Brandt

Jo Shattuck BYE
Doreen Fowler BYE

Adrienne Fisher BYE
T. J. Baumbaugh v. Sarah Hettesheimer

Vivian Gomez v. Yolanda Jordan
Kerri Wachtel BYE

Cheryl Gudinas Holmes BYE
Krystal Csuk v. Jenny Daza

Keely Franks v. Paola Nunez
Veronica Sotomayor BYE

Angela Grisar BYE
Diane Moore v. Danielle Emerson

Susy Acosta v. Maiko Sato
Paola Longoria BYE

Round of 16

Rhonda Rajsich v. Sheryl Lotts or Laura Brandt
Jo Shattuck v. Doreen Fowler

Adrienne Fisher v. T. J. Baumbaugh or Sarah Hettesheimer
Kerri Wachtel v. Vivian Gomez or Yolanda Jordan

Cheryl Gudinas Holmes v. Krystal Csuk or Jenny Daza
Veronica Sotomayor v. Keely Franks or Paola Nunez

Angela Grisar v. Diane Moore or Danielle Emerson
Paola Longoria v. Susy Acosta or Maiko Sato

Follow the bouncing ball....

Weekend Review - Two IRT Tier 4 events

Two Tier 4 International Racquetball Tour (IRT) events took place on this past weekend.

Northwest Open

The first was the Northwest Open in Bellingham, Washington, where Joey Lakowske defeated Jimmy Lowe, 11-9, 11-9, 8-11, 11-6 to take the title. Lakowske defeated the US Junior Team player Taylor Knoth in the semis, 11-8, 11-2, 4-11, 10-12, 13-11, while Lowe beat Grant Stalley.

Knoth took third by defeating Stalley, 11-6, 11-1, 11-3, and won doubles with Joshua Hungerford beating Lakowske and David Laforest in the final, 15-7, 15-11.

Miller Lite Open

The other IRT event was the Miller Lite Open in York, Pennsylvania that we've reported on as a Women's Professional Racquetball Organization (WPRO) event. But it was also an IRT event. We've got the draw for you courtesy of Dave Negrete, IRT commissioner.

Top seed Andy Hawthorne was upset in the final by second seed Travis Aldinger, but it was a battle. Aldinger won the first two games, but Hawthorne dug in, changed serve strategy, and came back to win games three and four.

In the tie-breaker, the crowd got behind Aldinger, the hometown player who was also one of the tournament directors, and boosted by that support, he pulled out the tie-breaker, winning the match 11-6, 11-6, 4-11, 5-11, 11-6.

In the semis, Aldinger defeated Ben Drumm, 11-1, 12-10, 11-6, and Hawthorne took out US Junior Team member Danny Lavely, 9-11, 11-1, 11-3, 11-2.

Miller Lite Open, York, Penn.
Final
Travis Aldinger d. Andy Hawthorne, 11-6, 11-6, 4-11, 5-11, 11-6.

Semi-final
Aldinger d. Ben Drumm, 11-1, 12-10, 11-6
Hawthorne d. Danny Lavely, 9-11, 11-1, 11-3, 11-2

Quarter finals
Aldinger d. Jamal Harris, 11-3, 11-1, 11-3
Lavely d. Mauricio Zelada, 11-9, 3-11, 11-6, 11-6

Drumm d. John Barrett, 12-10, 11-9, 11-3
Aldinger d. Stephen Lee, 11-4, 11-1, 11-3

Round of 16
Hawthorne d. Ryan Wilson, 11-1, 11-1, 11-2
Harris d. Marty Hammond, 11-2, 11-7, 11-2

Zelada d. Adam Long, 11-8, 11-0, 11-6
Lavely d. Page, 11-3, 11-7, 11-6

Drumm d. Brad Krish, forfeit
Barrett d. Eric New, 11-4, 1-11, 11-4, 11-9

Lee d. Jeremy Workman, 11-9, 11-7, 11-5
Aldinger d. Lance Warigon, 11-0, 11-3, 11-1

First round
Long d. Mitch Posner, 11-6, 8-11, 11-8, 11-5
Drumm d. Ronan Mooney, 5-11, 11-3, 11-0, 11-3
New d. Justin Bullock, 11-2, 4-11, 12-14, 11-0, 11-0

Follow the bouncing ball....

WPRO - Miller Lite Open - Complete Results & Scores

Late Sunday night, official word came down on the Women's Professional Racquetball Organization (WPRO) tour's Miller Lite Open in York, Pennsylvania. So, we now know that Rhonda Rajsich's victory over Paola Longoria was in four games. Rajsich had an impressive tournament, as she didn't lose a game until the third game of the final, sweeping through her first three matches.

Longoria, on the other hand, needed four games to defeat Veronica Sotomayor in the quarter finals, and then was down two games to one to Cheryl Gudinas Holmes in the semis before coming back to win, and earn a place in the finals.

Thus, the Miller Lite Open worked out as The Racquetball Blog predicted it would: Rajsich had an easier time getting to the final than Longoria, so she was able to defeat Longoria and win the tournament. That's not what any of you TRB Readers predicted would happen.

All the WPRO players will have another chance to win this weekend at the Terrapin Shootout in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

2009 WPRO Miller Lite Open - York, Penn.
First Round

Sheryl Lotts d. Karen Morton, 11-6, 6-11, 11-1, 11-7
Brandi Jacobson Prentice d. Sarah Hettesheimer, 11-9, 5-11, 13-11, 13-11
Susy Acosta d. Christina Vandling, forfeit

Round of 16

Rhonda Rajsich d. Sheryl Lotts, 11-3, 11-4 11-6
Jen Saunders d. Jo Shattuck, 11-3, 11-4, 11-6

Kristen Bellows d. Keely Franks, 11-8, 11-6, 11-8
Kerri Wachtel d. Krystal Csuk, 8-11, 11-5, 11-4, 3-11, 11-8

Cheryl Gudinas Holmes d. Brandi Jacobson Prentice, 11-3, 7-11, 11-8, 11-4
Adrienne Fisher d. T. J. Baumbaugh, 11-5, 13-11, 6-11, 8-11, 11-5

Veronica Sotomayor d. Samantha Salas, 4-11, 10-12, 11-9, 11-8, 11-3
Paola Longoria d. Susy Acosta, 11-4, 11-2, 11-3

Quarter finals

Rhonda Rajsich d. Jen Saunders, 11-3, 11-8, 11-8
Kerri Wachtel d. Kristen Bellows, 5-11, 11-7, 11-9, 9-11, 11-3

Cheryl Gudinas Holmes d. Adrienne Fisher, 7-11, 11-4, 11-0, 11-9
Paola Longoria d. Veronica Sotomayor, 8-11, 11-3, 11-5, 11-1

Semi-finals

Rhonda Rajsich d. Kerri Wachtel, 11-6, 11-6, 11-2
Paola Longoria d. Cheryl Gudinas Holmes, 7-11, 11-9, 4-11, 11-3, 11-5

Finals

Rhonda Rajsich d. Paola Longoria, 11-2, 11-6, 9-11, 11-7

Follow the bouncing ball....

WPRO - Rajsich wins Miller Lite Open

Rhonda Rajsich has reportedly defeated Paola Longoria to win her fourth Women's Professional Racquetball Organization (WPRO) tournament of the season at the Miller Lite Open in York, Pennsylvania, a Tier 1 WPRO event. Rajsich and Longoria are #1 and #2, respectively, in the WPRO rankings.

No word on scores.

The next WPRO event is next weekend's Terrapin Shootout in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

WPRO Miller Lite Open - York, Penn.
Final

Rhonda Rajsich d. Paola Longoria

Follow the bouncing ball....

WPRO - Miller Lite Open - Final

There continues to be no official word on what's happened at the Miller Lite Open in York, Pennsylvania, a Tier 1 event on the Women's Professional Racquetball Organization (WPRO) tour, but we have heard that Sunday's final will be between #1 Rhonda Rajsich and #2 Paola Longoria. Rajsich and Longoria have split the Tier 1 titles between them this season with each winning three.

They have also met in the finals in four of those six events with each player winning twice. Cheryl Gudinas Holmes was the finalist on the other two occasions.

WPRO Miller Lite Open - York, Penn.
Final

Rhonda Rajsich v. Paola Longoria

Follow the bouncing ball....

WPRO - Miller Lite Open - Early Results

No official word on what's happened at the Miller Lite Open in York, Pennsylvania - a Tier 1 event on the Women's Professional Racquetball Organization (WPRO) tour, but our source close to the action tells us there have been no major upsets through the Round of 16. However, reportedly, there were three matches that went five games.

Kerri Wachtel needed five games to defeat Krystal Csuk, as did Adrienne Fisher and Veronica Sotomayor to get past T. J. Baumbaugh and Samantha Salas, respectively. Results are below, although we have no game scores currently.

The quarter finals and semi-finals are slated for later on Saturday.

WPRO Miller Lite Open - York, Penn.
First Round

Sheryl Lotts d. Karen Morton
Brandi Jacobson Prentice d. Sarah Hettesheimer
Susy Acosta d. Christina Vandling

Round of 16

Rhonda Rajsich d. Sheryl Lotts
Jen Saunders d. Jo Shattuck

Kristen Bellows d. Keely Franks
Kerri Wachtel d. Krystal Csuk

Cheryl Gudinas Holmes d. Brandi Jacobson Prentice
Adrienne Fisher d. T. J. Baumbaugh

Veronica Sotomayor d. Samantha Salas
Paola Longoria d. Susy Acosta

Quarter finals

Rhonda Rajsich v. Jen Saunders
Kerri Wachtel v. Kristen Bellows

Cheryl Gudinas Holmes v. Adrienne Fisher
Paola Longoria v. Veronica Sotomayor

Follow the bouncing ball....

WPRO - Miller Lite Open - Predictions

The Racquetball Blog is a little surprised at the degree of support that Paola Longoria is getting on our little survey of "Who'll win the WPRO Miller Lite Open?" Or perhaps we not surprised at Longoria's support as the lack of support for the other players.

With only a couple of hours to go in the voting, Longoria has 13 votes and "Another player" (i.e., someone other than Longoria, Rhonda Rajsich, Cheryl Gudinas Holmes and Kerri Wachtel) has 4 votes.

But no one other than Longoria and Rajsich has won a Tier 1 WPRO event this season. Yes, Gudinas Holmes and Wachtel have both won satellite events, as has Veronica Sotomayor - twice, Doreen Fowler, Cristina Amaya, and Jennifer Saunders. But if you're putting your money on someone to win this weekend, it would be best placed on one of the two top seeds: #1 Rajsich or #2 Longoria.

We picked Longoria to win in Miami, because Rajsich had the more difficult draw. But this week, the situations are reversed, as Rajsich's draw looks easier. She'll likely have to face Wachtel in the semis, and perhaps Saunders in the quarters, who has been playing well of late defeating Kristen Bellows in Miami.

However, that doesn't seem as difficult as Longoria's potential match-ups with either Samantha Salas or Veronica Sotomayor and then Cheryl Gudinas Holmes.

Thus, The Racquetball Blog is picking Rhonda Rajsich to win the Miller Lite Open in York, Pennsylvania this weekend. And we got 14 of 16 correct in our NCAA men's basketball pool last night, so you know we're not just good looking.

Follow the bouncing ball....

WPRO - Miller Lite Open - First Two Rounds

The Women's Professional Racquetball Organization (WPRO) continues this weekend with the Miller Lite Open in York, Pennsylvania. Paola Longoria will be playing her first tournament as second seed, and she'll be trying to win her second tournament in a row in York.

However, Longoria's draw is not an easy one, as she'll likely face Mexican veteran Susy Acosta in the Round of 16 and then in the quarter finals either Veronica Sotomayor or Samantha Salas, who along with Longoria are among the best young WPRO players.

If Longoria survives those matches, she'll likely have second seed Cheryl Gudinas Holmes in the semis and then top seed Rhonda Rajsich in the final. So, no, it won't be an easy task for Longoria to get her second consecutive tournament win.

Elsewhere in the draw, it's a safe bet that K. will make it to the semi-finals, although whether it will be Kristen, Keely, Krystal or Kerri is another matter. Those four players - Bellows, Franks, Csuk and Wachtel, respectively - are in the same bracket.

WPRO Miller Lite Open - York, Penn.
First Round

Sheryl Lotts v. Karen Morton
Sarah Hettesheimer v. Brandi Jacobson Prentice
Susy Acosta v. Christina Vandling

Round of 16

Rhonda Rajsich v. Sheryl Lotts or Karen Morton
Jen Saunders v. Jo Shattuck

Kristen Bellows v. Keely Franks
Krystal Csuk v. Kerri Wachtel

Cheryl Gudinas Holmes v. Sarah Hettesheimer or Brandi Jacobson Prentice
T. J. Baumbaugh v. Adrienne Fisher

Veronica Sotomayor v. Samantha Salas
Paola Longoria v. Susy Acosta or Christina Vandling

Follow the bouncing ball....

IRT - Florida Spring Break Final

Kane Waselenchuk continued towards his goal of being the #1 racquetball player in the world Sunday, as he defeated current #1 Rocky Carson in final of the Florida Spring Break tournament in Sarasota, a Tier 1 event on the International Racquetball Tour (IRT). Waselenchuk wants to regain the position that was his at the end of the 2003-04, 2004-05, and 2005-06 seasons.

In Sarasota, Waselenchuk defeated Carson in three straight games, 11-8, 11-(-1), 13-11. After falling behind by a wide margin in game two, Carson was charged with a technical, resulting a loss of a point and the negative score.

Waselenchuk's now won four tournaments in a row, and eight of the nine he's entered. He's only lost one match all season. Only Carson with two and Jack Huczek with one have won a Tier 1 IRT event this season.

This win may be enough to move Waselenchuk up to second from third on the IRT rankings, passing Huczek, who lost to Waselenchuk in a five game semi-final match on Saturday.

There are two remaining main IRT events this season. The Dennis Rosenberg Pro-Am will be April 23-26 in Allentown, Penn., Tier 1 event, and then the season will end with a Grand Slam event: the Motorola IRT Pro Nationals in Chicago May 5-9.

Florida Spring Break Tournament
Final

Kane Waselenchuk d. Rocky Carson, 11-8, 11-(-1), 13-11

Follow the bouncing ball....

IRT - Florida Spring Break - Semi finals

Rocky Carson, the #1 player on the International Racquetball Tour (IRT), will play Kane Waselenchuk, the man who wants to be #1 by season's end, as he was in 2004, 2005, and 2006, in Sunday's final of the Florida Spring Break IRT tournament in Sarasota.

Carson defeated fourth seed Alvaro Beltran in three straight games, 11-6, 11-9, 11-3, in one semi-final on Saturday. However, Waselenchuk fell behind two games to zero in his semi-final match against Jack Huczek.

However, Waselenchuk, who's defeated Huczek in all of their meeting this season, was not going to be denied an opportunity for a fourth straight tournament victory. He stormed back to oust Huczek, 4-11, 8-11, 11-3, 11-3, 11-2.

Florida Spring Break Tournament
Semi-finals - Saturday

Rocky Carson d. Alvaro Beltran, 11-6, 11-9, 11-3
Kane Waselenchuk d. Jack Huczek, 4-11, 8-11, 11-3, 11-3, 11-2

Final

Rocky Carson v. Kane Waselenchuk at Noon (eastern)

Follow the bouncing ball....

IRT - Florida Spring Break - Quarter finals

For the fourth tournament in a row, the top four players on the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) will meet in the semi finals of a Tier 1 event, as they were all victorious in the quarter finals of the Florida Spring Break tournament in Sarasota on Friday.

But it was the top seed, Rocky Carson, who had the most difficulty, as he needed five games before defeating former #1 Jason Mannino, 8-11, 11-7, 11-7, 5-11, 11-3. He'll now face fourth seed Alvaro Beltran for only the second time this season. Beltran beat Shane Vanderson in the quarters, 11-7, 7-11, 11-8, 11-9.

In their previous meeting, Carson defeated Beltran in five games after Beltran won the first two in the final of the California Open.

On the bottom half of the draw, Kane Waselenchuk, third seed and seven time winner on tour this season had the easiest time of it, as he defeated Ben Croft in three straight games, 11-2, 11-6, 11-5.

Waselenchuk will have a rematch with Jack Huczek on Saturday, as second seeded Huczek won his quarter final match against Mitch Williams, 9-11, 11-6, 11-8, 11-9. Huczek and Waselenchuk have met in the finals of the last three tournaments, with Waselenchuk coming out on top each time.

Thus, both Huczek and Beltran will likely feel they have something to prove Saturday. But will either be up to the task?

Florida Spring Break Tournament
Quarter finals - Friday

Rocky Carson d. Jason Mannino, 8-11, 11-7, 11-7, 5-11, 11-3
Alvaro Beltran d. Shane Vanderson, 11-7, 7-11, 11-8, 11-9

Kane Waselenchuk d. Ben Croft, 11-2, 11-6, 11-5
Jack Huczek d. Mitch Williams, 9-11, 11-6, 11-8, 11-9

Semi-finals - Saturday

Rocky Carson v. Alvaro Beltran at 5:00 PM (eastern)
Jack Huczek v. Kane Waselenchuk at 4:00 PM (eastern)

Follow the bouncing ball....

IRT - Florida Spring Break - Round of 16 Results

There were no qualifier wins - what The Racquetball Blog affectionately calls Q Dubs - Friday in the Round of 16 at the Florida Spring Break tournament in Sarasota - a Tier 1 event on the International Racquetball Tour (IRT), as all the top 8 players won on Friday.

Rocky Carson, the IRT's #1, will have to face another former #1 in the quarters in Jason Mannino. Carson defeated Cliff Swain, a former #1 in the Round of 16 in three straight games. The other top seeds - two through five - also won in three straight games.

The quarter finals will be played later on Friday with the semi-finals to come Saturday and final on Sunday.

Florida Spring Break Tournament
Main Draw - Round of 16

Rocky Carson d. Cliff Swain, 11-4, 11-2, 11-4
Jason Mannino d. Chris Crowther, 11-5, 9-11, 4-11, 11-7, 11-2

Shane Vanderson d. Jorge Hirsekorn, 11-3, 11-4, 11-3
Alvaro Beltran d. Travis Woodbury, 11-9, 11-9, 12-10

Kane Waselenchuk d. Andres Herrera, 11-9, 11-2, 11-6
Ben Croft d. Juan Herrera, 7-11, 11-1, 11-3, 2-11, 11-1

Mitch Williams d. Andy Hawthorne, 11-9, 10-12, 11-0, 9-11, 11-9
Jack Huczek d. Mike Green, 11-3, 11-3, 11-5

Quarter finals

Rocky Carson v. Jason Mannino
Alvaro Beltran v. Shane Vanderson

Kane Waselenchuk v. Ben Croft
Jack Huczek v. Mitch Williams

Follow the bouncing ball....

IRT - Florida Spring Break Qualifying RESULTS UPDATED

We've now got complete qualifying results from Sarasota, Florida, where the Florida Spring Break International Racquetball Tour (IRT) event is going on. Six of the eight seeded qualifiers got through to the Round of 16. The only exceptions were the international players we noted earlier: Mike Green of Canada and Jorge Hirsekorn of Venezuela.

In the Round of 16, current IRT #1 Rocky Carson will face former #1 Cliff Swain. The winner of that match will face the winner of an all California resident match between Jason Mannino and Chris Crowther in the quarter finals.

Competition in the main draw begins Friday with the Round of 16 and Quarter finals.

Florida Spring Break Tournament
Round 1 & 2

Q1 : Toby St. Pierre d. Mark Davis, 11-1, 11-2, 11-2

Q8 : Brad Slocum d. Pete Soltren, 11-6, 11-2, 11-0
Q8 : Brad Slocum d. Jason Sylvester, 11-3, 5-11, 11-9, 11-6

Q5 : Vince Carvello d. Steven Hunt Marriot, 13-11, 11-2, 11-4
Q5 : Joe Linnell d. Vincent Carvello, 11-7, 11-9, 5-11, 11-5

Q4 : Adam Anderson d. Andrew Depiro, 11-3, 0-11, 11-6, 6-11, 11-4
Q4 : Jorge Hirsekorn d. Adam Anderson, 8-11, 11-3, 11-2, 11-3

Q3 : Mark Harmon d. Daniel Yamin, 11-7, 11-8, 11-4
Q3 : Mark Harmon d. Alex Zamudio, 11-3, 11-2, 9-11, 10-12, 11-9

Q6 : Marcelo Laprea d. Kevin Pillon, 11-4, 11-6, 11-4
Q6 : Marcelo Laprea d. Andy Thompson, 11-4, 6-11, 4-11, 11-4, 11-2

Q7 : Dayan Yamin d. Troy Moore, 9-11, 12-10, 3-11, 12-10
Q7 : Mike Green d. Dayan Yamin, 11-4, 11-1, 11-1

Q2 : Josua Jones d. Ivan Villegas, 11-7, 1-11, 11-8, 11-9
Q2 : Luis Reveron d. Joshua Jones, 3-11, 14-12, 11-9, 11-1

Round 3

Q1 : Chris Crowther d. Toby St. Pierre, 11-1, 11-4, 11-6
Q8 : Cliff Swain d. Brad Slocum, 11-8, 11-6, 11-6

Q5 : Travis Woodbury d. Joe Linnell, 11-7, 11-1, 6-11, 8-11, 11-6
Q4 : Jorge Hirsekorn d. Alejandro Herrera, 11-3, 10-12, 3-11, 11-6, 12-10

Q3 : Juan Herrera d. Mark Harmon, 11-5, 10-12, 11-0, 12-10
Q6 : Andres Herrera d. Marcelo Laprea, 9-11, 11-2, 11-5, 11-5

Q7 : Mike Green d. Anthony Herrera, 11-2, 5-11, 4-11, 11-8, 12-10
Q2 : Andy Hawthorne d. Luis Reveron, 11-1, 11-1, 11-0

Main Draw - Round of 16

Rocky Carson v. Cliff Swain
Jason Mannino v. Chris Crowther

Shane Vanderson v. Jorge Hirsekorn
Alvaro Beltran v. Travis Woodbury

Kane Waselenchuk v. Andres Herrera
Ben Croft v. Juan Herrera

Mitch Williams v. Andy Hawthorne
Jack Huczek v. Mike Green

Follow the bouncing ball....

IRT - Florida Spring Break Prediction

Time for The Racquetball Blog to make its prediction for this weekend's Florida Spring Break International Racquetball Tour (IRT) event. Kane Waslenechuk, winner of seven of the ten IRT main events this season (two of which he did not enter), is the clear favorite of The Racquetball Blog Readers.

Waselenchuk's now #3 on the IRT rankings, so he's on the same side of the draw as #2 Jack Huczek, who has been his opponent in the finals for the last three IRT events. If Waselenchuk again beats Huczek he'll likely face either IRT #1 Rocky Carson or #4 Alvaro Beltran.

Beltran is the only player to defeat Waselenchuk this season, but to have another chance at that he'll have to get past Carson. In their only meeting this season, Carson defeated Beltran in the final of the California Open.

Thus, The Racquetball Blog thinks it's looking good for Waselenchuk to win again. We know it's the obvious choice, and the other guys certainly aren't rolling over for him. But we think Waselenchuk is rolling, and will continue to do so in Sarasota.

Follow the bouncing ball....

IRT - Florida Spring Break Qualifying

There are only partial results in from the last round of qualifying for the Florida Spring Break International Racquetball Tour (IRT) event in Sarasota. However, both international players Mike Green of Canada and Jorge Hirsekorn of Venezuela made it through qualifying. Green and Hirsekorn are likely using the event as a tune up for next month's Pan American Championships in Cali, Columbia.

Both earned their spots in the Round of 16 with five game matches after falling behind two games to one, and they both won game five 12-10. Green defeated Anthony Herrera, 11-2, 5-11, 4-11, 11-8, 12-10, while Hirsekorn beat Alejandro Herrera, 11-?, 10-12, 11-3 11-6, 12-10. In the Round of 16, Green will face Jack Huczek while Hirsekorn will take on Shane Vanderson.

Competition in the main draw begins Friday with the Round of 16 and Quarter finals.

Florida Spring Break Tournament
Round 1 & 2

Q1 : Toby St. Pierre d. Mark Davis, 11-1, 11-2, 11-2

Q8 : Brad Slocum d. Pete Soltren, 11-6, 11-2, 11-0
Q8 : Brad Slocum d. Jason Sylvester, 11-3, 5-11, 11-9, 11-6

Q5 : Vince Carvello d. Steven Hunt Marriot, 13-11, 11-2, 11-4
Q5 : Joe Linnell d. Vincent Carvello, 11-7, 11-9, 5-11, 11-5

Q4 : Adam Anderson d. Andrew Depiro, 11-3, 0-11, 11-6, 6-11, 11-4
Q4 : Jorge Hirsekorn d. Adam Anderson, 8-11, 11-3, 11-2, 11-3

Q3 : Mark Harmon d. Daniel Yamin, 11-7, 11-8, 11-4
Q3 : Mark Harmon d. Alex Zamudio, 11-3, 11-2, 9-11, 10-12, 11-9

Q6 : Marcelo Laprea d. Kevin Pillon, 11-4, 11-6, 11-4
Q6 : Marcelo Laprea d. Andy Thompson, 11-4, 6-11, 4-11, 11-4, 11-2

Q7 : Dayan Yamin d. Troy Moore, 9-11, 12-10, 3-11, 12-10
Q7 : Mike Green d. Dayan Yamin, 11-4, 11-1, 11-1

Q2 : Josua Jones d. Ivan Villegas, 11-7, 1-11, 11-8, 11-9
Q2 : Luis Reveron d. Joshua Jones, 3-11, 14-12, 11-9, 11-1

Round 3

Q1 : Chris Crowther v. Toby St. Pierre
Q8 : Cliff Swain v. Brad Slocum

Q5 : Travis Woodbury v. Joe Linnell
Q4 : Jorge Hirsekorn d. Alejandro Herrera, 11-?, 10-12, 3-11, 11-6, 12-10

Q3 : Juan Herrera v. Zamudio or Harmon or Yamin
Q6 : Andres Herrera v. Marcelo Laprea

Q7 : Mike Green d. Anthony Herrera, 11-2, 5-11, 4-11, 11-8, 12-10
Q2 : Andy Hawthorne v. Luis Reveron

Main Draw - Round of 16

Rocky Carson v. Q8
Jason Mannino v. Q1

Shane Vanderson v. Jorge Hirsekorn
Alvaro Beltran v. Q5

Kane Waselenchuk v. Q6
Ben Croft v. Q3

Mitch Williams v. Q2
Jack Huczek v. Mike Green

Follow the bouncing ball....

New WPRO Rankings

The Racquetball Blog has the latest Women's Professional Racquetball Organization (WPRO) rankings courtesy of Brenda Kyzer. They confirm that Paola Longoria's win in Miami, the most recent Tier 1 WPRO event, was enough to move her into 2nd place ahead of Cheryl Gudinas Holmes, who drops to 3rd. Rhonda Rajsich continues to be #1.

Also benefitting from a great performance in Miami is veteran Canadian Josée Grand'Maître, who is now #20 after getting to the semi-finals in Miami.

Top 20 WPRO players (March 2009)

1. Rhonda Rajsich (USA)
2. Paola Longoria (Mexico)
3. Cheryl Gudinas Holmes (USA)
4. Kerri Wachtel (USA)
5. Kristen Bellows (USA)
6. Angela Grisar (Chile)
7. Andrienne Fisher (USA)
8. Brenda Kyzer (USA)
9. Doreen Fowler (USA)
10. Veronica Sotomayor (Ecuador)
11. Jennifer Saunders (Canada)
12. Jo Shattuck (USA)
13. Diane Moore (USA)
14. Samantha Salas (Mexico)
15. Keely Franks (USA)
16. T. J. Baumbaugh (USA)
17. Vivian Gomez (USA)
18. Christie Van Hees (Canada)
19. Kimi Ferina (USA)
20. Josée Grand'Maître (Canada)

Follow the bouncing ball....

IRT - Florida Spring Break Qualifying Rounds

Below is the qualifying draw for this weekend's Florida Spring Break tournament in Sarasota - a Tier 1 event on the International Racquetball Tour (IRT). Of the seeded qualifiers, probably the one with the toughest road into the main draw is Anthony Herrera who'll likely have to face reigning Canadian champion, Mike Green. The winner of that bracket gets to face Jack Huczek in the Round of 16.

Mr. S will win the Q8 bracket, as all four players' surnames in that bracket begin with S. Most likely, Mr. Cliff Swain will win out over Messrs. Jason Sylvester, Pete Soltren and Brad Slocum. Swain, a former IRT #1 player, will face current #1 Rocky Carson in the Round of 16, if he does indeed win the Q8 bracket.

Qualifying round play begins Thursday afternoon, and will conclude Thursday evening with the main draw to begin on Friday.

Florida Spring Break Tournament
Round 1 & 2

Q1 : Mark Davis v. Toby St. Pierre

Q8 : Pete Soltren v. Brad Slocum
Q8 : Jason Sylvester v. Soltren or Slocum

Q5 : Steven Hunt Marriot v. Vince Carvello
Q5 : Joe Linnell v. Hunt Marriot or Carvello

Q4 : Adam Anderson v. Andrew Depiro
Q4 : Jorge Hirsekorn v. Anderson or Depiro

Q3 : Mark Harmon v. Daniel Yamin
Q3 : Alex Zamudio v. Harmon or Yamin

Q6 : Marcelo Laprea v. Kevin Pillon
Q6 : Andy Thompson v. Laprea or Pillon

Q7 : Dayan Yamin v. Troy Moore
Q7 : Mike Green v. Yamin or Moore

Q2 : Josua Jones v. Ivan Villegas
Q2 : Luis Reveron v. Jones or Villegas

Round 3

Q1 : Chris Crowther v. Mark Davis or Toby St. Pierre
Q8 : Cliff Swain v. Sylvester or Soltren or Slocum

Q5 : Travis Woodbury v. Linnell or Marriot or Carvello
Q4 : Alejandro Herrera v. Hirsekorn or Anderson or Depiro

Q3 : Juan Herrera v. Zamudio or Harmon or Yamin
Q6 : Andres Herrera v. Thompson or Laprea or Pillon

Q7 : Anthony Herrera v. Green or Yamin or Moore
Q2 : Andy Hawthorne v. Reveron or Jones or Villegas

Main Draw - Round of 16

Rocky Carson v. Q8
Jason Mannino v. Q1

Shane Vanderson v. Q4
Alvaro Beltran v. Q5

Kane Waselenchuk v. Q6
Ben Croft v. Q3

Mitch Williams v. Q2
Jack Huczek v. Q7

Follow the bouncing ball....

Weekend Round-Up

On the weekend, Mitch Williams was a double winner at 3rd Annual Carl Myers Racquetball Tournament in Garden City, Kansas, which is a Tier 2 event on the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) as he won both singles and doubles with partner Ben Croft.

Williams was seeded third, but defeated Croft, the second seed, in the semi-finals, 11-3, 14-12, 0-11, 11-3, and then in the final took out the top seed Shane Vanderson in three straight games, 11-7, 11-9, 11-4. Vanderson got to the final by beating Jason Thoerner, 11-5, 11-4, 11-5.

In doubles, Williams and Croft defeated Vanderson and Thoerner.

Meanwhile, at the Leamington Racquetball Classic - a Tier 4 IRT event in Leamington, Ontario, second seed Eric Desrochers defeated top seed Brian Simpson in three straight games, 11-8, 11-7, 11-5. But Desrochers had a more difficult time in the semis, as he needed five games to finish off a pesky Jason Reaume, 11-6, 11-4, 6-11, 8-11, 11-4, while Simpson defeated Anthony Barraco in three straight games, 11-8, 11-4, 11-5.

This Week

Coming up this week is the the Florida Spring Break event, the third last major event (Tier 1 or Grand Slam) of the IRT season. There are 31 players in the qualifying draw, including regulars Chris Crowther, Andy Hawthorne, and Travis Woodbury, as well as international players Mike Green and Jorge Hirsekorn, and all four Herreras: Alejandro, Andres, Anthony and Juan.

Follow the bouncing ball....

Additions & Deletions

There are two events on the International Racquetball Tour (IRT). The bigger event is the 3rd Annual Carl Myers Racquetball Tournament in Garden City, Kansas, which is a Tier 2 IRT event. IRT top 10 players Shane Vanderson (#6), Ben Croft (#7), Mitch Williams (#8) and Jason Thoerner (#10) will be there. The Herrera count in Garden City is one, as Anthony Herrera is the fifth seed.

Also, there's a Tier 4 event in Leamington, Ontario, where the top seeds will be Brian Simpson (#1) and Eric Desrochers (#2).

It's good to have smaller events to compliment the larger events, as it allows up and coming players to get their feet wet on the tour without necessarily going too far from home. Also, it's good to have more tournaments under the IRT umbrella.

The Leamington event is a new IRT event, and like last month's Keystone Classic, it wasn't on the schedule at the beginning of the year. But it's good to see more events added to the mix and provide development opportunities for more players.

Deletion

On the other side of the ball, the Mexico Open in Tijuana has been dropped from the IRT schedule. Local scheduling conflicts were cited as the reason for the change.

This leaves three major events left on the IRT schedule: two Tier 1 events - Florida Spring Break (Sarasota, Fla.), Dennis Rosenberg Pro Am (Allentown, Penn.), and one Grand Slam event - Motorola Pro Nationals (Chicago, Ill.).

With over 900 points separating #3 Kane Waselenchuk from #1 Rocky Carson in the ranking race, Waselenchuk almost has to win out. Approximately 400 points can be earned for a Tier 1 tournament victory, and 600 points for a Grand Slam victory.

If Waselenchuk doesn't win all of the remaining tournaments, and Carson gets to all three finals (and especially if he wins some of them), Carson may remain on top at season's end. Players can drop two results from their season performance, but Waselenchuk has effectively already done so as he missed two Tier 1 events earlier in the season.

Thus, while the pressure may have been on others to stop Waselenchuk to prevent him from getting to #1 at season's end, the deletion of the Mexico Open shifts the pressure to Waselenchuk to continue to win through the season's end.

Follow the bouncing ball....

New IRT Rankings

The new International Racquetball Tour (IRT) rankings are out and as The Racquetball Blog expected Kane Waselenchuk is now ranked third passing Alvaro Beltran, who drops to fourth. It's another step forward for Waselenchuk, a former IRT #1, who has returned to IRT competition this season after missing two seasons due to a suspension for testing positive for banned substances at the 2006 Canadian National Championships.

Waselenchuk held the #1 spot for most of the period between 2003 and 2006.

The ranking change will put Waselenchuk and Jack Huczek, IRT #2, on the same side of the draw at the next tournament, the Florida Spring Break event going on next weekend March 12-15 in Sarasota, Florida.

Waselenchuk and Huczek have met in the finals of the last three IRT events, and Waselenchuk won all three meetings.

IRT Rankings - March 2, 2009

1 Rocky Carson - 4541 points
2 Jack Huczek - 4204
3 Kane Waselenchuk - 3626
4 Alvaro Beltran - 3484
5 Jason Mannino - 3038
6 Shane Vanderson - 2618
7 Ben Croft - 2479
8 Mitch Williams - 2400
9 Chris Crowther - 2100
10 Jason Thoerner - 1873
11 Andy Hawthorne - 1418
12 Juan Herrera - 1309
13 Alejandro Herrera - 1194
14 Hiroshi Shimizu - 968
15 Travis Woodbury - 968
16 Kris Odegard - 840
17 Andres Herrera - 788
18 Javier Moreno - 776
19 Anthony D. Herrera - 713
20 Tony Carson - 676

Follow the bouncing ball....

Weekend Review - Ranking possibilities & Open results

Both Paola Longoria and Kane Waselenchuk may be moving up the rankings with their wins on the weekend. Last week, Longoria was third on the Women's Professional Racquetball Organization (WPRO) rankings, 102.74 points behind Cheryl Gudinas Holmes in second. But her victory at the Great Balls of Fire tournament in Miami combined with Gudinas Holmes's loss to Longoria in the semi-finals could be enough to put Longoria into second, which would be her highest career ranking.

Similarly, Waselenchuk was fourth on the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) rankings 256 points behind Alvaro Beltran in third, and he won the San Diego Open while Beltran lost in the semi-finals to Jack Huczek. Thus, Waselenchuk may have passed Beltran and got a little bit closer to his goal of finishing the season on top.

If so, then in the next tournament Waselenchuk will be on same side of the draw as Jack Huczek, who he's played in the last three tournament finals. It would mean they'd meet in the semis rather than the finals with Beltran facing IRT #1 Rocky Carson in the other semi-final - assuming everything works out according to the rankings, which of course doesn't always happen.

Open Division Results

Great Balls of Fire - Veronica Sotomayor won the women's open division in Miami. She defeated Jennifer Saunders in the final, 15-12, 11-15, 11-7. To reach the final, Sotomayor defeated T. J. Baumbaugh, 15-12, 8-15, 11-5 in the quarter-finals, and Keely Franks, 15-8, 5-15, 11-9 in the semi-finals, while Saunders beat Jo Shattuck, 15-5, 15-9 in the quarters, and Adrienne Fisher, 5-15, 15-11, 11-10 in the semis.

San Diego Open - Jacqueline Paraiso, US women's doubles champion and former WPRO #1, won the women's open division at the San Diego Open by defeating Samantha Salas Solis in the final, 15-7, 13-15, 11-2. In the semi-finals, Paraiso beat Michelle Poage, 15-4, 15-10, and Salas Solis defeated Jessica Parrilla, 15-4, 15-10.

On the men's side in San Diego, Kris Odegard took the title with two default victories. In fact, it seems Odegard was the only player able to show up for the semi finals, as Chris Crowther and Gil Mejia both forfeited their semi-final match. Bizarre.

Odegard won his semi by forfeit as Jose Rojas was a no show. As Odegard was the only person in the final, we wonder if he got both the first place and second place prize money.

Follow the bouncing ball....

WPRO - Great Balls of Fire - Final Result

Paola Longoria won The Great Balls of Fire tournament, a Tier 1 event on the Women's Professional Racquetball Organization (WPRO), in Miami Sunday for her third victory of the season. Third seed Longoria defeated #1 seed Rhonda Rajsich, 7-11, 11-5, 6-11, 11-5, 11-3.

Also with the victory, Longoria evened the season series between her and Rajsich at two wins a piece. They've traded wins back and forth, and have each won once in four games and once in five. Thus, there is little difference between them.

2009 WPRO Great Ball of Fire
Miami, Florida

Finals

(3) Paola Longoria d. (1) Rhonda Rajsich, 7-11, 11-5, 6-11, 11-5, 11-3.

Follow the bouncing ball....

IRT - San Diego Open Final Results

Kane Waselenchuk won for the seventh time in eight tournaments Sunday as he took the San Diego Open on the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) by defeating Jack Huczek in the final, 11-5, 5-11, 13-11, 11-5. It was the third consecutive final that Waselenchuk and Huczek had met in, and Waselenchuk's won all three.

The last two finals have had the same pattern, with Waselenchuk winning the first game, Huczek the second, and then Waselenchuk taking game three by two points - the minumum winning margin, and following that up by taking the fourth.

The next IRT event will be the Florida Spring Break event March 12-15 in Sarasota, Florida.

San Diego Open
Finals

(4) Kane Waselenchuk d. (2) Jack Huczek, 11-5, 5-11, 13-11, 11-5

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IRT - San Diego Open Semi Final Results

Jack Huczek and Kane Waselenchuk will meet in the final of an International Racquetball Tour (IRT) event for the third consecutive time, as they advanced to the finals of the San Diego Open on Saturday.

Huczek had the tougher time of it, as Alvaro Beltran won the first two games of their semi-final match, 12-10 and 11-9. But Huczek came back and won game three 11-9, and then took the next two 11-5 and 11-8.

Waselenchuk defeated Rocky Carson in three straight games, 12-10, 11-4, 11-1. Sunday he'll try to win his seventh tournament of the IRT season. Huczek and Carson are the only other winners this season. Huczek's won once and Carson twice.

Sunday's final will be the fourth meeting between Huczek and Waselenchuk in a final this season and seventh overall. Waselechuk's won them all, twice in three games, thrice in four and once in five.

The finals are scheduled for noon (Pacific time) Sunday.

San Diego Open
Semi finals

(4) Kane Waselenchuk d. (1) Rocky Carson, 12-10, 11-4, 11-1
(2) Jack Huczek v. (3) Alvaro Beltran, 10-12, 9-11, 11-9, 11-5, 11-8

Finals

(2) Jack Huczek v. (4) Kane Waselenchuk

Follow the bouncing ball....