Red Swain Shootout - Round of 16

Ho hum, Kane Waselenchuk won another match. The #1 player on the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) defeated fellow Canadian Lee Connell, 11-5, 11-2, 11-1, in the Round of 16 at the Red Swain Shootout in Davison, Michigan.

Next up for Waselenchuk will be Andy Hawthorne who beat Tony Carson, 11-0, 11-8, 9-11, 11-3. Hawthorne was strong in games 1 and 4, but had a couple of prolonged lapses of form in games 2 and 3. He was able to recover from it in game 2, but not in game 3. Hawthorne won't be able to afford any lapses later today when he plays Waselenchuk in the quarter finals.

Third seed Ben Croft had a battle with James Slamko, losing the first game but winning the next three to take the match, 5-11, 11-8, 11-7, 12-10. Slamko was three points from taking a 2-0 lead in games, when he led 8-6 in game two, but Croft turned the momentum around, switching serves from the lob nick he was using to a drive serve.

Croft was comfortably in control of game three, although Slamko did come back to 10-7 before losing 11-7. Game four also started comfortably for Croft, as he led 7-4 and 9-5.

But then Slamko staged a late comeback, tying the game at 9-9, and then taking the lead at 10-9. But he couldn't close it out as Croft fought off the game point and then scored three straight points to take the game, 12-10, and match, 3 games to 1.

In the final Round of 16 match, Jose Rojas defeated Cliff Swain, 11-6, 11-5, 12-10. Rojas led comfortably in games one and two, and had 6-2 and 9-4 leads in game three, but Swain used his great serve to come back and tie it at 9-9 and 10-10. However, Rojas closed the door on the former IRT #1 by winning the last two points to take the game and the match.

Earlier, Rocky Carson had little trouble with young left hander Brad Schopieray, winning 11-4, 11-5, 11-2, although Schopieray did have a 4-1 lead in game 2. Carson's response to that was a 7 point run to lead 8-4, and then win it 11-5. Game 5 was similar as they were tied at 2-2, and Carson won the next 9 points to take the game and match.

The IRT Network's webcast of the Red Swain Shootout continues Friday with the rest of the Round of 16 and quarter finals Friday evening.

Red Swain Shootout, Davison, Michigan

Round of 16

Kane Waselenchuk d. Lee Connell, 11-5, 11-2, 11-1
Andy Hawthorne d. Tony Carson, 11-0, 11-8, 9-11, 11-3

Shane Vanderson d. Brandon Cortese, 11-5, 11-1, 11-1
Jose Rojas d. Cliff Swain, 11-6, 11-5, 12-10

Ben Croft d. James Slamko, 5-11, 11-8, 11-7, 12-10
Charlie Pratt d. Conrad Cole, 11-9, 11-7, 11-3

Chris Crowther d. Anthony Herrera, 11-3, 11-6, 11-2
Rocky Carson d. Brad Schopieray, 11-4, 11-5, 11-2

Quarter finals

Kane Waselenchuk v. Andy Hawthorne
Jose Rojas v. Shane Vanderson

Ben Croft v. Charlie Pratt
Rocky Carson v. Chris Crowther

Follow the bouncing ball....