Weekend Round Up

It was a great weekend for senior players to play junior players, as Ruben Gonzalez and Jimmy Lowe, two players who've participated in Classic Pro Racquetball Tour (CPRT) events, defeated a couple guys who still have junior eligibility.

Northwest Open

Jimmy Lowe came out on top in Bellingham, Washington at the Northwest Open, a Tier 4 event on the International Racquetball Tour (IRT). Lowe defeated Taylor Knoth in the final, 9-11, 13-11, 11-4, 11-4.

In the semi-finals, Lowe defeated Joshua Hungerford, another junior player, 11-3, 11-1, 11-5, while Knoth took out Sebastien Boissonneault, 11-1, 11-1, 11-4. Hungerford beat Boissonneault in the 3rd place match, 11-6, 11-5, 11-3.

Another title for Gonzalez

Like that battery powered bunny, Ruben Gonzalez just keeps going and going. Sunday he won the New York State Open title in Albany. In the final, Gonzalez faced Bradley Kirch, and despite giving up several decades to Kirch, Gonzalez came out on top, 15-14, 15-12. Gonzalez reached the finals by defeating Anthony Defusto 15-9, 15-6, while Kirch beat Nick Montalbano 8-15, 15-14, 11-7.

Open Winners

Jennifer Saunders won the open division in Laurel, Maryland at the Terrapin Shootout. She defeated Krystal Csuk 11-15, 15-5, 11-5. It's her 3rd open title this season. In the semi-finals, Saunders defeated Sharon Jackson, 15-11, 15-0, and Csuk beat Samantha Salas Solis, 15-7, 4-15, 11-4.

In Sarasota, Florida, Andy Hawthorne took the open title of the Florida Spring Break Pro Am tournament. Hawthorne defeated surprise finalist Mike Harmon, 15-13, 15-11, in the final.

Fifth seed Harmon upset top seed Jose Rojas in the semis to reach the final, winning 15-10, 8-15, 11-8. Hawthorne was seeded 3rd and defeated 2nd seed Alejandro Landa in the other semi, 15-6, 12-15, 11-8.

Huczek's loss in 16s

Jack Huczek lost in the Round of 16 in Sarasota on the weekend for the first time since September 2007, when Javier Moreno defeated him in the Motorola World Racquetball Championships. To find a Huczek loss in the 16s before you have to go back to February 2005, when Jason Thoerner defeated him in the 16s at the San Diego Open.

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