Rojas wins & Gutierrez does it like 2007

The Men's Open/US Team division at the 2012 Ektelon Nationals in Fullerton, California had a curious outcome, as the final was a showdown of the #8 and #22 seeds. Marcos Rojas, seeded 22nd and younger brother of Jose Rojas, defeated 8th seed John Goth, 15-11, 13-15, 11-2. Rojas was out most of last year with a knee injury, but has clearly recovered from that and is playing strong.

Testament to Rojas's strong play is that he beat Charlie Pratt in the semi-finals, 15-10, 15-12. In the other semi-final, Goth defeated Tyler Otto, 15-5, 15-5.

2nd Semi Ever with Many Parallels 

Props to Polo Gutierrez, who made his second career semi-final at an International Racquetball Tour (IRT) event, last week at the Ektelon Nationals in Fullerton, California. His only previous semi-final was back at the 2007 Motorola World Championship in Colorado Springs that began the 2007-08 season. And there are many parallels for Gutierrez in these two events.

As with this past weekend, Gutierrez had to go through qualifying, defeating Charlie Pratt and Ruben Gonzalez to get to the 16s. And in the 16s he faced Jason Mannino, and again as with Fullerton, Gutierrez was down two games to zero in that match, but came back to win it in five games.

In that quarter final, Gutierrez faced Chris Crowther, who was his opponent again last week in Fullerton.

Also, in Colorado Springs Gutierrez lost in the semi-finals to the eventual winner - Rocky Carson, and he did so in Fullerton as well, as he fell to Kane Waselenchuk, who went on to win the tournament.

Finally, in both of these events the other finalist was Alvaro Beltran.

Men's Open/US Team Division - Ektelon Nationals - Fullerton, California 

Final

Marcos Rojas d. John Goth, 15-11, 13-15, 11-2

Semi-finals

Marcos Rojas d. Charlie Pratt, 15-10, 15-12
John Goth d. Tyler Otto, 15-5, 15-5

Follow the bouncing ball…. 

Waselenchuk defeats Beltran to win Ektelon Nationals

Kane Waselenchuk finished the 2011-12 International Racquetball Tour (IRT) season on a high, as he won the Ektelon Nationals in Fullerton, California, by defeating Alvaro Beltran in Sunday's final, 11-3, 12-10, 11-1. The victory was Waselenchuk's 9th of the season and he's now finished #1 at the end of seven IRT seasons, which is the most ever. He was previously tied with Cliff Swain for most seasons ending at #1, as Swain also did it six times.

After losing game one, Beltran led for most of game two, including at 6-4 and 8-6. But Waselenchuk tied it at 8-8 and then led 9-8, and it looked like all was lost for Beltran.

However, credit to the Mexican, as he came back and with drive serves to Waselenchuk's backhand got the lead back at 10-9. He had game point on his racquet but skipped a back hand shot that looked to be a good set up.

That was all Waselenchuk needed as he stepped in and tied the game at 10-10, before going on to win 12-10. Waselenchuk used the momentum gained from that comeback to easily win game three, and take the title.

IRT Ektelon Nationals - Fullerton, California

Final

Kane Waselenchuk d. Alvaro Beltran, 11-3, 12-10, 11-2

Semi-finals

Kane Waselenchuk d. Polo Gutierrez, 11-1, 11-1, 11-6
Alvaro Beltran d. Rocky Carson, 3-11, 12-10, 11-13, 11-8, 11-5

Follow the bouncing ball….

Longoria wins, Rajsich loses and wins in Fullerton

Paola Longoria defeated Rhonda Rajsich one last time in the 2011-12 Women's Professional Racquetball Organization (WPRO) season as she won the Ektelon National Championships in Fullerton, California. Longoria was undefeated this season and the runaway WPRO #1 player.

In Sunday's final, Longoria defeated WPRO #2 Rajsich, 12-10, 11-0, 11-6. In the semi-finals on Saturday, Longoria beat Cristina Amaya, 11-4, 11-5, 11-7, and Rajsich defeated Kristen Bellows, 12-10, 11-9, 11-3.

Rajsich did win the US Team Qualifying division by defeating Cheryl Gudinas in the final, 15-5, 15-5. As in the WPRO division, Rajsich got to the final by defeating Bellows in the semi-finals, in this case by scores of 15-11 and 15-4.

In the other semi-final, Gudinas beat Adrienne Fisher, 15-9, 15-6. Then in the 3rd place match, Bellows defeated Fisher, 15-13, 15-14.

WPRO Ektelon Nationals - Fullerton, California 

Final - Sunday 

Paola Longoria d. Rhonda Rajsich, 12-10, 11-0, 11-6

Semi-finals - Saturday 

Paola Longoria d. Cristina Amaya, 11-4, 11-5, 11-7
Rhonda Rajsich d. Kristen Bellows, 12-10, 11-9, 11-3

Women's US Team Qualifying Ektelon Nationals 

Final

Rhonda Rajsich  d.  Cheryl Gudinas, 15-5, 15-5

Semi-finals

Rhonda Rajsich  d. Kristen Bellows, 15-11, 15-4
Cheryl Gudinas  d. Adrienne Fisher, 15-9, 15-8

Follow the bouncing ball…. 

Green and Saunders successfully defend their titles at the Canadian National Racquetball Championships

Mike Green and Jennifer Saunders successfully defended their singles titles on Saturday at the 2012 Canadian National Racquetball Championships in Brossard, Quebec. Green won for the 3rd consecutive time and 8th overall, and Saunders won for the 4th consecutive time and 6th overall.

In the men's final, Green defeated Vincent Gagnon, 15-2, 15-8. Gagnon had few chances in game one, as Green was rolling all his shots out. Green's level slipped slightly in game two but he was always in control.

Saunders had a tougher go of it against Frédérique Lambert, as Lambert won game one before Saunders came back and won the match in a tie-breaker, 11-15, 15-1, 11-7. Lambert played well in game one and Saunders was a little off, but then she found her groove in game two and pushed on to win game three.

Saunders's desire for the title was clear in her effort on court as she dove several times to keep the ball in play.

By reaching the finals, all four players have solidified their places on Team Canada for the 2012 World Championships that will be held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic in August.

2012 Canadian National Racquetball Championships
Brossard, Quebec

Men's Open Final

Mike Green d. Vincent Gagnon, 15-2, 15-8

Women's Open Final 

Jennifer Saunders d. Frédérique Lambert, 11-15, 15-1, 11-7

Follow the bouncing ball.... 

Upsets of 3rd & 4th seeds at the Ektelon Nationals in Fullerton, California

The top two seeds won but the third and fourth seeds did not in the Women's Professional Racquetball Organization (WPRO) division at the Ektelon National Championships in Fullerton, California. Paola Longoria, the WPRO's #1 player, defeated Keely Franks in three straight games, 11-3, 11-1, 11-9, but WPRO #2 Rhonda Rajsich needed four games to fend off Da'monique Davis, 13-15, 11-7, 11-6, 11-5.

Cristina Amaya caused one of the upsets, as she defeated fourth seed Krystal Csuk, 9-11, 4-11, 11-5, 11-3, 11-2, and reach the semi-finals for one of the few times in her career. (note: Amaya has never reached the semis of a Tier 1 or Grand Slam event, but the Fullerton event is a Tier 3 satellite event).

Kristen Bellows caused the other upset, as she beat Kerri Wachtel, 11-8, 11-1, 11-4.

In the US Team Qualifying division, Rajsich and Bellows are also in the semi-finals, and in fact, play each other in the semis. Rajsich defeated Janel Tisinger, 15-5, 15-7, in one quarter final match, while Bellows defeated Krystal Csuk, 15-9, 15-13.

On the other side of the draw, it will be Cheryl Gudinas against Adrienne Fisher, as Gudinas beat Laura Fenton and Fisher beat Jackie Paraiso, 15-8, 15-13.

WPRO Ektelon Nationals - Fullerton, California

Quarter finals

Paola Longoria d. Keely Franks, 11-3, 11-1, 11-9
Cristina Amaya d. Krystal Csuk, 9-11, 4-11, 11-5, 11-3, 11-2

Kristen Bellows d. Kerri Wachtel, 11-8, 11-1, 11-4
Rhonda Rajsich d. Da'monique Davis, 13-15, 11-7, 11-6, 11-5

Semi-finals - Saturday

Paola Longoria v. Cristina Amaya - 2:40 PM PDT
Rhonda Rajsich v. Kristen Bellows - 12:40 PM PDT

Women's US Team Qualifying Ektelon Nationals

Quarter finals

Rhonda Rajsich d. Janel Tisinger, 15-5, 15-7
Kristen Bellows d. Krystal Csuk, 15-9, 15-13

Adrienne Fisher d. Jacqueline Paraiso, 15-8, 15-13
Cheryl Gudinas d. Laura Fenton

Semi-finals - Saturday

Rhonda Rajsich v. Kristen Bellows - 6:40 PM
Cheryl Gudinas v. Adrienne Fisher - 11:10 AM

Follow the bouncing ball….

An American, a Canadian and two Mexicans go into the semis at the Ektelon Nationals

Only one American has reached the semi-finals of the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) division at the Ektelon Nationals in Fullerton, California, and that's Rocky Carson, the #2 IRT player, who defeated Shane Vanderson in the quarter finals, 11-5, 11-3, 11-7.

Carson will play sixth seed Alvaro Beltran of Mexico, who upset third seed Jose Rojas in the quarters, 13-11, 11-0, 11-2.

There was an upset on the top side of the draw as well, as Mexican Polo Gutierrez, who came through qualifying, defeated Chris Crowther the fifth ranked IRT player, 4-11, 11-2, 11-6, 11-5.

Gutierrez will next face the IRT's #1 player Kane Waselenchuk, as Waselenchuk beat Tony Carson, 11-2, 11-2, 11-6. Waselenchuk's a Canadian, but resides in Austin, Texas.

Play continues in Fullerton through Sunday, and the IRT Network is live streaming the semi-finals Saturday and final on Sunday.

IRT Ektelon Nationals - Fullerton, California 

Quarter finals

Kane Waselenchuk d. Tony Carson, 11-2, 11-2, 11-6
Polo Gutierrez d. Chris Crowther, 4-11, 11-2, 11-6, 11-5

Alvaro Beltran d. Ben Croft, 13-11, 11-0, 11-2
Rocky Carson d. Shane Vanderson, 11-5, 11-3, 11-7

Semi-finals

Kane Waselenchuk v.  Polo Gutierrez - 7:10 PM PDT
Rocky Carson v. Alvaro Beltran - 3:40 PM PDT

Follow the bouncing ball…. 

Top four seeds through to men's and women's semi-finals at the Canadian National Racquetball Championships

The top four men's and women's seeds all reached the semi-finals at the 2012 Canadian National Racquetball Championships in Brossard, Quebec, and most of them did it with straight game victories in the quarter finals.

Two winners in two straight games were the defending champions, Mike Green of Burlington, Ont. and Jennifer Saunders of Winnipeg. Green defeated Lee Connell of Sasktaoon in one men's quarter final match, 15-7, 15-8, while on the women's side Saunders took out Nadia Verilli of Brossard, Que., 15-1, 15-7.

The player with the toughest time reaching the semis was men's 3rd seed Kris Odegard of Saskatoon, as he needed tie-breakers to advance against both Pedro Castro of Brossard, Que. and James Landeryou of Saskatoon, in the Round of 16 and quarter finals, respectively.

Odegard, the men's champion in 2007 and 2009, lost the first game of both those matches, but came back to win in three games, defeating Castro, 11-15, 15-8, 11-4, and Landeryou by injury default, as Landeryou suffered and knee injury in the tie-breaker of their match with the score 4-1. Landeryou had won game one 16-14, and Odegard game two 15-10.

Landeryou tried to continue, but didn't score another point and took a time out at 10-1, during which he decided he couldn't continue.

In women's action, Brandi Jacobson Prentice - formerly of Sasktaoon, now living in Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que. - also needed a tie-breaker to defeat Christine Richardson of Regina, winning 12-15, 15-6, 11-7.

The 2012 Canadian National Racquetball Championships continue through Saturday at the Nautilus Plus club in Brossard.

2012  Canadian National Racquetball Championships
Brossard, Quebec 

Men's Open Singles  

Round of 16 - Thursday 

Mike Green d. Kurtis Cullen, 15-3, 15-4
Lee Connell d. Jason Reaume, 15-10, 15-2
Nathaniel Husulak d. Alain Lavigne, 15-9, 15-12
Tim Landeryou d. Corey Osborne, 15-4, 15-5

Kris Odegard  d. Pedro Castro, 11-15, 15-8, 11-4  
James Landeryou d. Hugo Laprise, 15-10, 15-11
Eric Desrochers  d. Coby Iwaasa, 15-7, 16-14
Vincent Gagnon   d. Conrad Cole, 15-2, 15-7  

Quarter finals

Mike Green d. Lee Connell, 15-7, 15-8
Tim Landeryou d. Nathaniel Husulak, 15-4, 15-3

Kris Odegard  d. James Landeryou, 14-16, 15-10, 10-1, injury default
Vincent Gagnon   d. Eric Desrochers, 15-12, 15-7

Semi-finals

Mike Green v. Tim Landeryou
Vincent Gagnon  v. Kris Odegard

Women's   Open Singles 

Quarter finals 

Jennifer Saunders d. Nadia Verilli, 15-1, 15-7
Brandi Jacobson Prentice d. Christine Richardson, 12-15, 15-6, 11-7
Josée Grand'Maître d. Tanya Hodgin, 15-4, 15-6
Frederique Lambert d. Michèle Morissette, 15-12, 15-6

Semi-finals

Jennifer Saunders v. Brandi Jacobson Prentice
Frederique Lambert v. Josée Grand'Maître

Follow the bouncing ball…. 

WPRO Ektelon Nationals Round of 16 UPDATED

No upsets so far in the Women's Professional Racquetball Organization (WPRO) division at the Ektelon National Championships in Fullerton, California. The top seeds Paola Longoria and Rhonda Rajsich both won their Round of 16 matches in three straight games.

Longoria defeated fellow Mexican Jessica Parrilla, 11-4, 11-6, 11-5, while Rajsich was the victor in a battle of former #1 women's tour players, as she beat Jacqueline Paraiso, 11-5, 11-2, 11-2.

There were also no upsets in women's US Team Qualifying, although there was one close match, as Laura Fenton defeated Grace Hughes, 15-9, 7-15, 11-10. Fenton will now face Cheryl Gudinas in the quarter finals.

WPRO Ektelon Nationals - Fullerton, California

Round of 16

Paola Longoria d. Jessica Parrilla, 11-4, 11-6, 11-5
Keely Franks d. T.J. Baumbaugh, 11-5, 11-7, 11-1
Cristina Amaya d. Linda Scales, 11-9, 11-5, 15-13
Krystal Csuk d. Jocelyn Loredo, 11-6, 11-3, 11-4

Kerri Wachtel d. Carla Munoz, 11-1, 4-11, 11-3, 11-7
Kristen Bellows d. Laura Brandt, 11-5, 11-3, 11-5
Da'monique Davis d. Grace Hughes, 12-10, 12-10, 5-11, 11-6
Rhonda Rajsich d. Jacqueline Paraiso, 11-5, 11-2, 11-2

Quarter finals

Paola Longoria v. Keely Franks
Krystal Csuk v. Cristina Amaya

Kerri Wachtel v. Kristen Bellows
Rhonda Rajsich v. Da'monique Davis

Women's US Team Qualifying Ektelon Nationals

Round of 16

Rhonda Rajsich BYE
Janel Tisinger d. Da'monique Davis, 15-12, 15-1
Kristen Bellows d. T.J. Baumbaugh, 15-0, 15-1
Krystal Csuk d. Cheyenne Hayes, 15-13, 15-10

Adrienne Fisher d. Debbie Beldring, 15-10, 15-10
Jacqueline Paraiso d. Keely Franks, 15-9, 15-10
Laura Fenton d. Grace Hughes, 15-9, 7-15, 11-10
Cheryl Gudinas BYE

Quarter finals

Rhonda Rajsich v. Janel Tisinger
Krystal Csuk v. Kristen Bellows

Adrienne Fisher v. Jacqueline Paraiso
Cheryl Gudinas v. Laura Fenton

Follow the bouncing ball….

Ektelon Nationals - Gutierrez beats Rojas

Polo Gutierrez may have ended Jose Rojas's dream for finishing 3rd at in the season ending International Racquetball Tour (IRT) rankings, as he defeated Rojas on Thursday at the Ektelon Nationals in Fullerton, California. Rojas won the first two games before Gutierrez came back and won in five games, 9-11, 5-11, 11-8, 11-3, 11-1, which is further testament to how good Gutierrez is when a match goes five games. Rojas, currently ranked 4th, needed to finish at least as well as Ben Croft, the 3rd ranked IRT player, to have a hope of passing Croft for the 3rd spot.

However, Croft won his match against Josh Tucker in three straight games, 11-8, 11-9, 12-10, so he'll have at least a quarter final finish in Fullerton, which is a Grand Slam event and thus worth more ranking points than a regular Tier 1 event.

Both top seeds won, as #1 Kane Waselenchuk defeated Alejandro Landa, 11-2, 11-8, 11-9, and #2 Rocky Carson crushed Juan Herrera, 11-0, 11-0, 11-3.

There was one other surprise semi-finalist though, as Tony Carson, the 9th seed, upset 8th seed Andy Hawthorne, 12-10, 9-11, 11-6, 11-6. He'll now face Waselenchuk in the quarters.

Play continues in Fullerton through Sunday, and the IRT Network is live streaming the quarter finals Friday, semi-finals Saturday and final on Sunday.

IRT Ektelon Nationals - Fullerton, California 

Round of 16

Kane Waselenchuk d. Alejandro Landa, 11-2, 11-8, 11-9
Tony Carson d. Andy Hawthorne, 12-10, 9-11, 11-6, 11-6

Chris Crowther d. Anthony Herrera, 11-8, 11-2, 11-4
Polo Gutierrez d. Jose Rojas, 9-11, 5-11, 11-8, 11-3, 11-1

Ben Croft d. Josh Tucker, 11-8, 11-9, 12-10
Alvaro Beltran d. Javier Moreno, 9-11, 11-5, 13-11, 12-10, 11-2 [sic]

Shane Vanderson d. Charles Pratt, 11-1, 11-0, 11-3
Rocky Carson d. Juan Herrera, 11-0, 11-0, 11-3

Quarter finals

Kane Waselenchuk v. Tony Carson
Chris Crowther v. Polo Gutierrez

Ben Croft v. Alvaro Beltran
Rocky Carson v. Shane Vanderson

Round of 32 

Kane Waselenchuk d.  Mauricio Zelada, 11-6, 11-0, 11-3
Alejandro Landa d. Daniel De La Rosa, 11-5, 11-8, 1-11, 11-6
Tony Carson d.  Hiroshi Shimizu, 11-3, 11-8, 11-5
Andy Hawthorne d. Ryan Meyer, 11-5, 11-4, 11-6

Chris Crowther d. Marco Rojas, 11-1, 11-5, 11-7
Anthony Herrera d. Jansen Allen, 11-4, 11-6, 11-5
Polo Gutierrez d. Brad Schopieray, 11-3, 11-8, 11-2
Jose Rojas d. Cesar Castillo, 11-2, 9-11, 11-4, 12-10

Ben Croft d. Matthew Majxner, 11-8, 11-5, 11-6
Josh Tucker d. Ruben Gonzalez, 6-11, 11-7, 5-11, 11-0, 11-0
Javier Moreno d. Alejandro Herrera, 11-1, 11-9, 11-3
Alvaro Beltran d. Cliff Swain, 12-14, 11-4, 11-3, 11-7

Shane Vanderson d. Sebastian Franco, 11-5, 11-7, 11-9
Charles Pratt d. Andres Herrera, 11-8, 11-5, 6-11, 6-11, 11-7
Juan Herrera d.  James Swift, 12-10, 11-2, 11-5
Rocky Carson d.  Thomas Fuhrmann, 11-1, 11-4, 11-4  

Follow the bouncing ball…. 

WPRO Ektelon Nationals Round of 16

Early results from the Women's Professional Racquetball Organization (WPRO) division at the Ektelon National Championships in Fullerton, California have Keely Franks defeating T.J. Baumbaugh, 11-5, 11-7, 11-1, in the Round of 16.

Earlier Jessica Parrilla defeated Marci Drexler in five games, while former WPRO #1 Jacqueline Paraiso beat Cheyenne Hayes, 11-0, 11-1, 11-1.

In the Women's US Team Qualifying, Adrienne Fisher beat Debbie Beldring, 15-10, 15-10 in the Round of 16.

WPRO Ektelon Nationals - Fullerton, California

Round of 16

Paola Longoria v. Jessica Parrilla
Keely Franks d. T.J. Baumbaugh, 11-5, 11-7, 11-1
Cristina Amaya v. Linda Scales
Krystal Csuk v. Jocelyn Loredo

Kerri Wachtel v. Carla Munoz
Kristen Bellows v. Laura Brandt
Da'monique Davis v. Grace Hughes
Rhonda Rajsich v. Jacqueline Paraiso

Round of 32

Jessica Parrilla d. Marci Drexler, 11-7, 11-6, 6-11, 6-11, 11-4
Jacqueline Paraiso d. Cheyenne Hayes, 11-0, 11-1, 11-1

Women's US Team Qualifying Ektelon Nationals

Round of 16

Rhonda Rajsich BYE
Janel Tisinger v. Da'monique Davis
Kristen Bellows v. T.J. Baumbaugh
Krystal Csuk v. Cheyenne Hayes

Adrienne Fisher d. Debbie Beldring, 15-10, 15-10
Jacqueline Paraiso v. Keely Franks
Laura Fenton v. Grace Hughes
Cheryl Gudinas BYE

Follow the bouncing ball….

IRT Results for Qualifying at Fullerton Nationals

Only one match in the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) division of the Ektelon Nationals going on in Fullerton, California went to a tie-breaker so far, but it was a big upset as Josh Tucker defeated  the third seed in qualifying Jose Diaz, 7-11, 11-3, 14-12, 8-11, 11-5.

The win puts Tucker in the Round of 32 against Ruben Gonzalez on Thursday.

Tucker, while the lower seed, is an IRT veteran, who doesn't play often on the tour these days, so it's not a big an upset as it looks on paper.

Cliff Swain, another veteran and former #1 IRT player, as made it through qualifying with two wins - against Daniel Neri, 11-1, 11-3, 11-1, first and then Mike Orr, 11-5, 11-4, 11-1 - and will face Mexican Alvaro Beltran in the Round of 32.

Another couple of interesting matches in the Round of 32 should be Alejandro Landa versus Daniel De La Rosa and Jansen Allen against Anthony Herrera.

IRT Ektelon Nationals - Fullerton, California

Qualifying Round

Connor Laffey d.  Derek Izzi, 11-9, 11-5, 11-9
Mauricio Zelada d.  Erik Nemnich, 11-6, 11-4, 11-3

Andrew Gale d.  Andree Parrilla
Ryan Meyer d.  Pablo Rivas, fft

Tim Prigo d.   Coby Arff, 11-3, 11-9, 11-3
Amir Shahin d.   Joe Workman, 11-7, 11-8, 11-6

Francisco Troncoso d.   Sunji Spencer
Marco Rojas d.  Majeed Shahin, 11-3, 11-4, 11-4

Jose Serrano d.   Kolten Wenckus, 11-6, 11-6, 11-8
Brian Pineda d.   Erick Sandoval, fft

Cesar Castillo d.   Eddie Sada, 11-6, 11-2, 11-7
Trevor Deason d.   Hank Minardo, 11-4, 11-9, 11-7
 
Josh Tucker d. Kevin Kringle, 11-4, 11-4, 11-0
Matthew Majxner d.  Eduardo Avila, 11-3, 11-8, 11-3

Luis Reveron d.  Armando Bermudez, 11-5, 11-3, 11-9
Cliff Swain d.  Daniel Neri, 11-1, 11-3, 11-1

Mike Orr d. Toby Devore, fft
Ernesto Ruiz d. Mitch Posner, 11-4, 11-3, 11-1
 
Chris Young d.  Jeremy McGlothin, 11-2, 11-9, 11-8
Sebastian Franco d. Allan Crockett, 11-2, 12-10, 11-9

Ralph Comer d. Luis Felipe Munoz, fft
Tyler Otto d.   Alex Purcell

Thomas Fuhrmann d. Rafael Filippini, 11-6, 11-5, 11-4
James Swift d. Joshua Hungerford, 11-9, 12-10, 11-4

Qualifying Round 2

Q1: Daniel De La Rosa d. Connor Laffey, 11-4, 11-4, 11-5
Q16: Mauricio Zelada d. Andrew Gale, 11-5, 11-1, 11-2

Q9: Ryan Meyer d. Tim Prigo, 11-3, 11-9, 8-11, 11-8
Q8: Hiroshi Shimizu d. Amir Shahin, 11-1, 11-4, 11-13, 11-6

Q5: Jansen Allen d. Sunji Spencer
Q12: Marco Rojas d. Jose Serrano, 13-11, 11-5, 11-7

Q13: Cesar Castillo d. Brian Pineda
Q4: Polo Gutierrez d. Trevor Deason, 11-5, 11-2, 11-0

Q3: Josh Tucker d. Jose Diaz, 7-11, 11-3, 14-12, 8-11, 11-5
Q14: Matthew Majxner d. Luis Reveron

Q11: Cliff Swain d. Mike Orr, 11-5, 11-4, 11-1
Q6: Alejandro Herrera d. Ernesto Ruiz, 11-6, 11-7, 11-5

Q7: Andres Herrera d. Chris Young, 11-1, 11-7, 11-1
Q10: Sebastian Franco d. Ralph Comer, 11-6, 11-3, 11-0

Q15: Thomas Fuhrmann d. Tyler Otto, 11-4, 11-4, 7-11, 11-1
Q2: James Swift d. Arthur Schmeiser, 7-11, 11-4, 11-7, 11-1

Round of 32 

Kane Waselenchuk v.  Mauricio Zelada
Alejandro Landa v. Daniel De La Rosa
Tony Carson v.  Hiroshi Shimizu
Andy Hawthorne v. Ryan Meyer

Chris Crowther v. Marco Rojas
Jansen Allen v. Anthony Herrera
Brad Schopieray v. Polo Gutierrez
Jose Rojas v. Cesar Castillo

Ben Croft v. Matthew Majxner
Ruben Gonzalez v. Josh Tucker
Javier Moreno v. Alejandro Herrera
Alvaro Beltran v. Cliff Swain

Shane Vanderson v. Sebastian Franco
Charles Pratt v. Andres Herrera
Juan Herrera v.  James Swift
Rocky Carson v.  Thomas Fuhrmann

Follow the bouncing ball….

WPRO draw in Fullerton - Ektelon Nationals

The Women's Professional Racquetball Organization's (WPRO's) season ends this week at the Ektelon National Championships in Fullerton, California. Eighteen players are in the event, which is a Tier 3, but most of the top players are there.

Included in the draw are the WPRO #1 player Paola Longoria as well as #2 Rhonda Rajsich, #3 Kerri Wachtel and #4 Krystal Csuk. However, some of the top players in the Women's Open/US Team Qualifying, but not the WPRO draw, including Adrienne Fisher and Cheryl Gudinas.

Further some of the women are playing both divisions, including Rajsich and Csuk.

WPRO Ektelon Nationals - Fullerton, California 


Round of 32 - Thursday 

Marci Drexler  v. Jessica Parrilla
Cheyenne Hayes v.  Jacqueline Paraiso

Round of 16 - Thursday

Paola Longoria v. Marci Drexler  or Jessica Parrilla
Keely Franks   vs T.J. Baumbaugh  
Cristina Amaya v. Linda Scales
Krystal Csuk v.  Jocelyn Loredo

Kerri Wachtel v. Carla Munoz
Kristen Bellows v.  Laura Brandt
Da'monique Davis v. Grace Hughes
Rhonda Rajsich v. Cheyenne Hayes or  Jacqueline Paraiso

Follow the bouncing ball…. 

Canadian National Racquetball Championships underway in Brossard, Quebec

The 2012 Canadian National Racquetball Championships continued Wednesday in Brossard, Quebec with the singles competitions. The defending champions, Mike Green and Jennifer Saunders, won their first matches as did all of the top seeds.

On the men's side, Green defeated Anthony Schonberger,  15-7, 15-4, while 2nd seed  Vincent Gagnon beat Wade Shadlock,  15-5, 15-7.

Third seed Kris Odegard beat Frédérick Desmarais,  15-4, 15-2, and  4th seed Tim Landeryou defeated Matthew Swaine, 15-2, 15-4.

But both may have more difficulties in the next round on Thursday, as Odegard will be facing Pedro Castro, who reached the finals in doubles on Tuesday, and in the process defeated Odegard and Green in the semi-finals. Landeryou will be up against Corey Osborne, who is a former Canadian champion.

In women's action, three time defending champion Saunders beat Lindsay Swaine, 15-0, 15-2. She'll be up against former national team member Nadia Verilli  next, as Verilli beat Brigitte Richard, 16-14, 15-2.

Women's 2nd seed Frédérique Lambert defeated Zoe Hanson, 15-4, 15-0, which sets up a battle between the current World Junior U18 Girls Champion and the current Canadian Junior U18 Girls Champion in Michele Morissette, as Morissette beat Valerie Fallu, 15-17, 15-7, 11-8.

The 2012 Canadian National Racquetball Championships continue through Saturday at the Nautilus Plus club in Brossard.

2012  Canadian National Racquetball Championships
Brossard, Quebec 




Men's Open Singles  


First Round - Wednesday 

Frédérick Desmarais d. Dylan Scattolon,  15-10,15-5
Wade Shadlock  d. Mitch Brayley,  15-7, 13-15, 11-8
Anthony Schonberger  d. Greg Holland,  13-15, 15-13, 11-4

Round of 32 - Wednesday 

Mike Green  d. Anthony Schonberger,  15-7, 15-4
Kurtis Cullen d. Barret Husulak,  15-5, 15-8
Jason Reaume   d. Ashton Duda,  15-12, 15-6
Lee Connell   d. Nicolas Bousquet,  15-8, 15-4
Nathaniel Husulak  d. Michael Leduc,  15-8, 15-3
Alain Lavigne   d. Francis Guillemette,  16-14, 15-8
Corey Osborne  d. Patrick Jauvin,  15-10, 15-10
Tim Landeryou   d. Matthew Swaine, 15-2, 15-4

Kris Odegard   d. Frédérick Desmarais,  15-4, 15-2
Pedro Castro   d. Joshua Keil,  15-9, 15-8
Hugo Laprise  d. Samuel Murray,   WBF - Injury
James Landeryou   d. Jerome Normand,  15-5, 15-2
Eric Desrochers   d. Sébastien Juteau,   15-8, 15-4
Coby Iwaasa   d. Tanner Mattson, 15-11, 8-15, 11-2
Conrad Cole   d. Francois Viens,  WBF - No Show
Vincent Gagnon  d. Wade Shadlock, 15-5, 15-7

Round of 16 - Thursday 

Mike Green  v. Kurtis Cullen
Lee Connell   v. Jason Reaume
Nathaniel Husulak   v. Alain Lavigne
Tim Landeryou v. Corey Osborne

Kris Odegard   v. Pedro Castro  
James Landeryou v. Hugo Laprise
Eric Desrochers   v. Coby Iwaasa
Vincent Gagnon   v. Conrad Cole  

Women's   Open Doubles 


Round of 16 

Jennifer Saunders d. Lindsay Swaine, 15-0, 15-2
Nadia Verilli d. Brigitte Richard, 16-14, 15-2
Christine Richardson  d. Brittany Nelson, 15-9, 15-10
Brandi Jacobson Prentice d. Cher Woodward, 15-5, 15-1

Josée Grand'Maître d. Danielle Drury, 15-1, 15-2
Tanya Hodgin d. Joanne Ditommaso, 15-9, 15-6
Michèle Morissette d. Valerie Fallu, 15-17, 15-7, 11-8
Frederique Lambert d. Zoe Hanson, 15-4, 15-0

Quarter finals 

Jennifer Saunders v. Nadia Verilli
Brandi Jacobson Prentice v. Christine Richardson
Josée Grand'Maître v. Tanya Hodgin
Frederique Lambert v. Michèle Morissette

Follow the bouncing ball…. 

Grand'Maître & Saunders and Gagnon & Viens win doubles at Canadian National Racquetball Championships

Jennifer Saunders and Josée Grand'Maître won women's doubles and Vincent Gagnon and François Viens won men's doubles at the 2012 Canadian National Racquetball Championships in Brossard, Quebec. For Saunders and Grand'Maître it was title number 8 together, while Gagnon and Viens won for a third time.

In the women's final, Saunders and Grand'Maître defeated the young team of Brandi Jacobson Prentice and Frédérique Lambert, 16-14, 15-10, although it looked like Jacobson Prentice and Lambert, title holders in 2010, would win game one, as they were up 14-11. But there is little veterans Saunders and Grand'Maître haven't faced before, and they dug in their heels and reeled off five straight points to take game one 16-14.

Game two was close until the midway point, when Saunders and Grand'Maître pulled ahead and stayed there.

On the men's side the big story was 5th seeds Eric Desrochers and Pedro Castro as they advanced to the final by defeating the defending doubles champions Mike Green and Kris Odegard in the semi-finals, 15-8, 8-15, 11-9. Desrochers and Castro had never reached the final before.

But in the final, they faced Gagnon and Viens, who had won the title twice before in 2008 and 2009. In the final, Gagnon and Viens won the first game relatively easily, and it seemed that Desrochers and Castro's good run had come to an end.

But in game two, the younger team came back and took a decisive lead at 10-5, and then pushed on to win 15-8. Part of their strategy change was to serve most of the balls to Viens, who was playing the right side.

Game three was again close early, but Gagnon and Viens pulled ahead to lead 9-5. Then there was an incident where the ball was coming to the back wall, and Viens jumped to avoid getting hit by it, but in doing so came down into Castro as he was moving back to get the ball.

Castro was down for a couple of minutes and took some injury time before continuing. But despite this, he and Desrochers made a run to cut the lead to one at 10-9. However, they couldn't get any closer as Gagnon and Viens closed it out at 11-9.

The singles competition of the 2012 Canadian National Racquetball Championships starts Wednesday and concludes on Saturday.

2012  Canadian National Racquetball Championships
Brossard, Quebec 


Men's Open Doubles  


Final

Vincent Gagnon & Francois Viens d. Eric Desrochers  & Pedro Castro, 15-8, 8-15, 11-9

Semi-finals

Eric Desrochers  & Pedro Castro d. Mike Green & Kris Odegard., 15-11, 1-15, 11-9
Vincent Gagnon & Francois Viens d. Corey Osborne & Francis Guillemette, 15-2, 14-16, 11-4

Women's   Open Doubles 


Final 

Jennifer Saunders & Josée Grand'Maître d. Brandi Jacobson Prentice &  Frederique Lambert, 16-14, 15-10

3rd place 

Brigitte Richard & Christine Richardson  d. Danielle Drury  & Michèle Morissette, 15-5, 15-8

Follow the bouncing ball…. 

Canadian National Racquetball Championships underway in Brossard, Quebec

The 2012 Canadian National Racquetball Championships began Monday in Brossard, Quebec, and the defending doubles champions - Mike Green and Kris Odegard in men's open and Jennifer Saunders and Josée Grand'Maître in women's open - are off to a good start, as they won their first matches comfortably on Monday.

Saunders and Grand'Maître defeated the junior team of Danielle Drury and Michèle Morissette, 15-1, 15-7. Morissette is Canada's top junior having won both U16 and U18 girls titles at last month's Junior National Championship, and Drury will partner with her at the Junior World Championships later this year in Los Angeles.

But playing against 7 time national champions is not like playing other juniors.

Saunders and Grand'Maître will face 2010 champions Brandi Jacobson Prentice and Frédérique Lambert in the final Tuesday, as they were winners over Brigitte Richard and Christine Richardson in the other semi-final, 17-15, 15-12.

Green and Odegard also faced the top Canadian junior in men's action, as they were up against Coby Iwaasa, who was the U16 and U18 boys champion at this year's Junior Nationals. Iwaasa was playing with Kurtis Cullen, who was last year's U18 boys champion. But the veterans carried the day with little problem, winning 15-2, 15-3.

There was an upset in the quarter finals on the men's side, however, as 5th seeds Eric Desrochers and Pedro Castro defeated the 4th seeded brother team of James and Tim Landeryou, 15-9, 11-15, 11-5. Desrochers and Castro will face Greed and Odegard in the semi-finals on Tuesday.

The other semi-final will be a battle between 2nd seeds Corey Osborne and Francis Guillemette and 3rd seeds François Viens and  Vincent Gagnon.

The 2012 Canadian National Racquetball Championships continue through the week at the Nautilus Plus club in Brossard. The doubles finals will be Tuesday evening with the singles competition beginning on Wednesday and concluding on Saturday.

2012  Canadian National Racquetball Championships
Brossard, Quebec 


Results Summary


Men's Open Doubles  


Round of 16 

Mike Green  & Kris Odegard  BYE
Coby Iwaasa  & Kurtis Cullen d. Joshua Keil & Lee Connell, 13-15, 15-13, 12-10
Eric Desrochers & Pedro Castro d. Tanner Mattson & Anthony Schonberger, 15-0, 15-2
James Landeryou &  Tim Landeryou d. Nicolas Bousquet & Mathieu Grand'Maître, 15-13, 15-6

Vincent Gagnon  & Francois Viens d. Greg Holland & Steve Scagnetti, 15-4, 15-7
Barret Husulak & Nathaniel Husulak d. Hugo Laprise & Sébastian Juteau, 14-16, 15-5, 12-10
Ashton Duda & Conrad Cole d. Alain Lavigne & Patrick Jauvin, 15-8, 15-8
Corey Osborne  & Francis Guillemette   d. Jean-Philippe Morin & Samuel Murray, 15-6, 15-6

Quarter finals

Mike Green & Kris Odegard d. Coby Iwaasa & Kurtis Cullen, 15-2, 15-3
Eric Desrochers  & Pedro Castro d. James Landeryou &  Tim Landeryou, 15-9, 11-15, 11-5

Vincent Gagnon  & Francois Viens d. Barret Husulak & Nathaniel Husulak, 15-4, 15-7
Corey Osborne  & Francis Guillemette d. Ashton Duda & Conrad Cole, 15-7, 15-5

Semi-finals

Mike Green & Kris Odegard  v. Eric Desrochers  & Pedro Castro
Corey Osborne & Francis Guillemette  v. Vincent Gagnon & Francois Viens

Women's   Open Doubles 


Quarter finals 

Jennifer Saunders & Josée Grand'Maître  BYE
Danielle Drury & Michèle Morissette d. Valerie Fallu & Nadia Verilli, 15-9, 15-6
Brigitte Richard  & Christine Richardson  d. Zoe Hanson  & Brittany Nelson, 15-5, 15-7
Brandi Jacobson Prentice & Frederique Lambert  d. Julie Dechene & Murielle Boivin, 15-6, 15-5

Semi-finals 

Jennifer Saunders & Josée Grand'Maître d. Danielle Drury  & Michèle Morissette, 15-1, 15-7
Brandi Jacobson Prentice & Frederique Lambert d. Brigitte Richard & Christine Richardson, 17-15, 15-12

Final - Tuesday 

Jennifer Saunders & Josée Grand'Maître v. Brandi Jacobson Prentice &  Frederique Lambert

Follow the bouncing ball…. 

Canadian National Racquetball Championships begin Monday

The 2012 Canadian National Racquetball Championships begin Monday in Brossard, Quebec with the doubles competitions, and last year's men's champions - Mike Green and Kris Odegard - and women's champions - Jennifer Saunders and Josée Grand'Maître - are ready to defend their titles. Green and Odegard will be trying to win for the third consecutive time, while Saunders and Grand'Maître are gunning for their 8th title together. If Green wins, it will be his 8th doubles title also.

Standing the way of Saunders and Grand'Maître are 2nd seeds and 2010 champions Brandi Jacobson Prentice and Frédérique Lambert, as well as 3rd seeds Brigitte Richard and Christine Richardson.

Green and Odegard could also face a former championship team, as 3rd seeds  Vincent Gagnon and François Viens won the title in 2008 & 2009, just prior to Green and Odegard's two victories. The 2nd seeded team of Corey Osborne and Francis Guillemette also has a past champion on it, as Osborne won the title in 2003 with Viens.

The 2012 Canadian National Racquetball Championships continue through the week in Brossard. The doubles finals will be Tuesday evening with the singles competition beginning on Wednesday and concluding on Saturday.

2012  Canadian National Racquetball Championships
Brossard, Quebec 


Men's Open Doubles  


Round of 16 

Mike Green (Burlington, Ont.) & Kris Odegard (Saskatoon) BYE
Joshua Keil (Antigonish, N.S.) & Lee Connell (Saskatoon) v. Coby Iwaasa (Lethbridge, Alta.) & Kurtis Cullen (Brandon, Man.)

Eric Desrochers  (Ancaster, Ont.) & Pedro Castro (Brossard, Que.) v. Tanner Mattson (North Vancouver, B.C.) & Anthony Schonberger (New Westminster, B.C.)
James Landeryou (Saskatoon) &  Tim Landeryou (Saskatoon) v. Nicolas Bousquet (Montreal) & Mathieu Grand'Maître (Longueuil, Que.)

Vincent Gagnon (Montreal) & Francois Viens (Delson, Que.) v. Greg Holland (Thorold, Ont.) & Steve Scagnetti (Kitchener, Ont.)
Barret Husulak (Saskatoon) & Nathaniel Husulak (Saskatoon) v. Hugo Laprise (Sherbrooke, Que) & Sébastian Juteau (Boucherville, Que.)

Ashton Duda (Regina) & Conrad Cole (Hamilton) v. Alain Lavigne (Joliette, Que.) & Patrick Jauvin (Lachenaie, Que.)
Corey Osborne (Penetanguishene, Ont.) & Francis Guillemette (Mercier, Que.)    v. Jean-Philippe Morin (Montreal) & Samuel Murray (Baie Comeau, Que.)

Women's   Open Doubles 


Quarter finals 

Jennifer Saunders (Winnipeg) & Josée Grand'Maître (Longueuil, Que) BYE
Valerie Fallu (Brossard, Que.) & Nadia Verilli (Brossard, Que.) v. Danielle Drury (Saskatoon) & Michèle Morissette (Baie Comeau, Que.)

Brigitte Richard (Saint Basile Le Grand, Que.) & Christine Richardson (Regina)  v. Zoe Hanson (Regina) & Brittany Nelson (Windsor)
Brandi Jacobson Prentice (Montreal) Frederique Lambert (Montreal) v. Julie Dechene (Ottawa) & Murielle Boivin (Québec, Que)

Follow the bouncing ball…. 

Crowther wins Costa Rica IRT event

Last weekend, Chris Crowther won the Costa Rica Open - a Tier 2 event on the International Racquetball Tour (IRT). He defeated Alejandro Landa, 1-11, 11-4, 11-3, 11-7, in the final.

Crowther beat Alejandro Herrera in the semi-finals, 11-1, 12-10, 11-1, while Landa upset Andy Hawthorne, who was making a return to active competition following an appendix operation, 11-4, 11-8, 13-11. Hawthorne may have also been tired from his quarter final match, as he needed five games against Fernando Rios, winning 11-3, 11-7, 3-11, 2-11, 11-9.

Crowther and Landa teamed up to take the doubles title, as they defeated the home side of Bruno Casalvolone and Joaquin Solera in the final, 15-7, 15-8. Crowther and Landa beat Rios and Ivan Villegas in the semi-finals, 15-5, 15-4, while Casalvolone and Solera, the 7th seeds, got there with two upsets.

First, they defeated Hawthorne and Alejandro Herrera in the quarter finals, 15-13, 15-10, and then Casalvolone and Solera beat Felipe Camacho and Teobaldo Fumero A. in the semi-finals, 15-12, 15-9.

IRT Costa Rica Open - San Jose, Costa Rica


Final 

Chris Crowther d. Alejandro Landa, 1-11, 11-4, 11-3, 11-7

Semi-finals 

Chris Crowther d. Alejandro Herrera, 11-1, 12-10, 11-1
Alejandro  Landa d. Andy Hawthorne, 11-4, 11-8, 13-11

Follow the bouncing ball…. 

IRT Rankings May 15, 2012 - Close races for 3rd & 5th

They're going to play the ultimate tournament of the 2011-12 International Racquetball Tour (IRT) season next week, when the Ektelon Nationals kicks off in Fullerton, California, and the latest IRT rankings are out. Similar to the Women's Professional Racquetball Organization (WPRO), the season ending top two IRT places are set with Kane Waselenchuk solidly at #1 and Rocky Carson equally solid at #2.

But after that there's a lot to play for.

And you don't have to go any further than the 3rd position to find a tight race, as only 8 points separate Ben Croft and Jose Rojas in 3rd and 4th, respectively. Rojas has quite a few more points this season than Croft (2804 to 2558), and he also has more points to gain in Fullerton, as Rojas lost to Tony Carson in the Round of 16 there last year while Croft made the semi-finals. Thus, if Croft is going to stay ahead of Rojas, he'll have to have a significantly better result than Rojas next week.

The battle for 5th is also close, as only 60 points separate Chris Crowther (on 2399) and Alvaro Beltran (2339). Crowther also has more season points to date (2416 to 2268), but Crowther was the other semi-finalist (with Croft) last year in Fullerton, while Beltran, like Rojas, went out in the 16s, losing to Shane Vanderson.

Thus, while now Croft is ahead of Rojas and Crowther ahead of Beltran, when the season ending rankings come out, it could easily be the other way round in both cases.

Finally, Ruben Gonzalez looks like he will fall short of his goal to be in the top 10 at season's end as he's on 730 points and needs more than twice that to move ahead of Charlie Pratt, who's currently in 10th with 1474 points. Nevertheless, Gonzalez is in 14th place, and if he says there, that's quite a respectable finish for someone who's going to turn 60 in July.

IRT Rankings -  15 May 2012 


Rank Player Points

1 Kane WASELENCHUK 4299
2 Rocky CARSON 3556
3 Ben CROFT 2723
4 Jose ROJAS 2715
5 Chris CROWTHER 2399
6 Alvaro BELTRAN 2339
7 Shane VANDERSON 2127
8 Andy HAWTHORNE 1992
9 Tony CARSON 1602
10 Charlie PRATT 1474

11 Javier MORENO 1372
12 Anthony HERRERA 1251
13 Brad SCHOPIERAY 773
14 Ruben GONZALEZ 730
15 Juan HERRERA 715
16 Alejandro LANDA 649
17 Taylor KNOTH 634
18 Daniel DE LA ROSA 568
19 Arthur SCHMEISER 540
20 Jose DIAZ 387

Follow the bouncing ball.... 

Ektelon's parent company files for bankruptcy protection

Ektelon, one of the major brands in racquetball and the one with longest history as it dates back almost 40 years, is owned by Prince Sports Inc., which recently filed for bankruptcy protection in U.S. court so as to facilitate reorganization.

Prince Sports has been a major brand in tennis, which is a bigger market than racquetball, so it's likely that their trouble stems from that side of the business rather than from racquetball. Sources tell us that it's business as usual on the Ektelon side.

Thus, while this is troubling news, it doesn't mean the end of Ektelon or even the end of Ektelon as a Prince Sports brand.

People often think of the health of a sport by the number of people playing, number of juniors, how well the pro tours are doing, but a major way to view the health of a sport is to see if there are companies making money from the sport. Again though the parent company is in difficulty, Ektelon itself seems to be doing fine. Proof to this is that Ektelon continues to be the title sponsor for the upcoming USA Racquetball National Singles Championships in Fullerton, California that begins next week.

Follow the bouncing ball.... 

WPRO Rankings Updated

The Women's Professional Racquetball Organization (WPRO) has updated its rankings following the SCS Title and Escrow Pro-Am in Herndon, Virginia. There's only one WPRO event left this season - a Tier 3 event at the USA Racquetball Nationals in Fullerton, so the rankings are unlikely to change very much.

Paola Longoria will finish as the #1 WPRO player with Rhonda Rajsich as #2 and Kerri Wachtel as #3. Krystal Csuk looks likely to finish the season at a career high of #4 ahead of Adrienne Fisher at #5.

Susy Acosta edged ahead of Jennifer Saunders into the #6 spot with Saunders at #7. Canadian Saunders won't be in Fullerton, as the Canadian National Championships are occurring at the same time and she'll be looking to extend her streak of Canadian Championships when that kicks off in Brossard, Québec.

Cristina Amaya at #8 will finish in the top 10 for the second year in a row. Kristen Bellows looks like she'll be in the season ending top 10 for the 9th time of her career but first time since 2008-09.

Finally, it seems that Cheryl Gudinas will continue her streak of top 10 women's pro tour finishes that began back in 1994, as she sits in 10th, 40 points ahead of Da'monique Davis.

The second 10 spots are dominated by women with five letter names: Davis, Salas, Keely, Grace, Laura, Linda, Sarah and Aimee. Only T.J. Baumbaugh in 13th and Sharon Jackson in 19th are exceptions.

WPRO Rankings - May 12, 2012 


Rank - Name - Country - Points

1 Paola Longoria (Mexico) 1312.00
2 Rhonda Rajsich (USA) 1098.00
3 Kerri Wachtel (USA) 535.40
4 Krystal Csuk (USA) 409.00
5 Adrienne Fisher (USA) 375.00
6 Susy Acosta (Mexico) 333.50
7 Jennifer Saunders (Canada) 330.50
8 Cristina Amaya (Colombia) 289.00
9 Kristen Bellows (USA) 286.50
10 Cheryl Gudinas (USA) 279.00

11 Da'monique Davis (USA) 239.00
12 Samantha Salas (Mexico) 207.00
13 T.J. Baumbaugh (USA) 175.00
14 Keely Franks (USA) 123.50
15 Grace Hughes (USA) 102.00
16 Laura Brandt (USA) 100.00
17 Linda Scales (USA) 91.50
18 Sarah Warhaftig (USA) 61.00
19 Sharon Jackson (USA) 58.60
20 Aimee Ruiz  (USA) 57.00

Follow the bouncing ball.... 

The IRF reaches agreement with Sports Unlimited

The International Racquetball Federation (IRF) issued a press release announcing an agreement with Sports Unlimited to be its Official Racquetball Court Supplier. Sports Unlimited of Stillwater, Oklahoma has built over 7000 racquetball and squash courts since it was established in 1974.

IRT Secretary General Luke St Onge said “we are most excited about our new relationship with Sports Unlimited and what they can do to help spread Racquetball worldwide. Currently there are over 70 courts either under construction or in the planning stages outside of the United States. We expect this trend to continue and will continue to accelerate. The time has come for us to provide the information and court construction to our members as racquetball continues to grow. Sports Unlimited will provide that expertise and support.”

Kent Taylor, Vice President of Sports Unlimited said “Sports Unlimited is also extremely excited about the opportunity to work closely with the IRF. As one of the very first companies to specialize in racquetball court construction  we feel strongly that we have a lot to offer those outside the United states who are trying to develop and promote the sport of Racquetball.”

The 2012 IRF World Championships will be held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic August 4-11.

Follow the bouncing ball.... 

Longoria signs with Head-Penn

Paola Longoria has signed a "long-term contract" with HEAD/Penn Racquet Sports. Previously, Longoria was with Ektelon, but our understanding is that arrangement was a tournament by tournament deal this season.

Longoria, 22, is the top ranked player on the Women's Professional Racquetball Organization (WPRO) tour. She's won 21 of the 35 Tier 1 or Grand Slam WPRO events over the past four seasons, including every event she entered this season.

Longoria, a native of San Luis Potosi, Mexico, joins fellow Mexican Samantha Salas, who teamed with Longoria to win the 2010 World Championship in doubles as well as Pan American Games gold in doubles last year, as well as her coach Fran Davis, in the HEAD/Penn racquetball group.

Longoria won her first tournament with a Head racquet last weekend, as she used the new HEAD Black Widow 160 racquet to win the SCS Title & Escrow Pro-Am in Herndon, Virgina.

A press release on the HEAD/Penn Facebook page quoted Doug Ganimm, HEAD/Penn's Manager of Indoor Promotions, as saying "we are thrilled to have Paola join the HEAD/Penn team. She is not only the most dominant women's player in the world but is a class act on and off the court. As the leading brands in the sport we look forward to providing her with the equipment she needs to further increase her competitive advantage."

For her part, Longoria said "I am very excited to join the premier racquetball equipment maker in the industry. By joining the HEAD/Penn team, I now have the best equipment on the market that will help me remain the No. 1 ranked player in the world. I’m so happy to be part of the HEAD/Penn team and look forward to achieving more titles."

The final WPRO event of the season is a Tier 3 event at USA Racquetball's National Singles Championships in Fullerton, California May 23-27. Longoria is expected to be competing there.

Follow the bouncing ball.... 

Weekend Round Up

Grace Hughes won the Women's Open division of the SCS Title and Escrow Pro-Am in Herndon, Virginia, as she defeated Cristina Amaya, 15-9, 15-13, in the final.

Hughes, seeded 4th, got to the final with the 15-14, 15-14 upset of top seed Da'monique Davis in the semi-finals. Third Amaya beat 2nd seed Keely Franks in the other semi, 15-5, 15-4.

Franks did win women's open doubles with Jennifer Saunders, as they defeated Candi Hostovich and Kristen Junkin, 15-10, 15-3.

Also, Davis came out on top in mixed open doubles as she and Mauricio Zelada defeated Erik Blood and T. J. Baumbaugh, 15-13, 15-6.

IRT

Ben Croft won the Cinco De Mayo Shootout - a Tier 4 event on the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) in Pueblo, Colorado, defeating Tony Carson, 5-11, 11-5, 12-10, 12-10, in the final.

Croft beat Nick Montalbano, 11-6, 5-11, 11-3, 11-1, in one semi-final, while Carson beat up and coming junior Adam Manilla, 11-2, 11-7, 11-2, in the other.

Rocky Carson won the HEAD Penn IRT Pro/Am Series event in Scottsdale, Arizona - a Tier 5 IRT event. He beat Arthur Schmeiser, 11-2, 11-3, 11-2, in the final. In the semi-finals, Carson defeated Bobby Ferreira, 11-4, 11-2, 11-5, and Schmeiser beat Rick Wagner, 11-5, 11-13, 13-11, 11-1.

Finally, in Oklahoma City, Erik Leetch won the IRT Tier 5 Twister City Pro-Am when Juan Martinez III had to take an injury forfeit. Leetch reached the final with a four game victory over Dustin Wheeler, 11-9, 11-4, 9-11, 11-6 with Martinez defeating Scott Wolford in the other semi, 12-10, 11-9, 11-7.

2012 SCS Title and Escrow Pro-Am - Herndon, Virginia 


Women's Open Final

Grace Hughes d. Cristina Amaya, 15-9, 15-13

Semi-final 

Grace Hughes d. Da'monique Davis,  15-14, 15-14
Cristina Amaya d. Keely Franks, 15-5, 15-4

IRT - Cinco De Mayo Shootout - Pueblo, Colorado


Final 

Ben Croft d. Tony Carson, 5-11, 11-5, 12-10, 12-10

Semi-finals 

Ben Croft d. Nick Montalbano, 11-6, 5-11, 11-3, 11-1
Tony Carson d. Adam Manilla, 11-2, 11-7, 11-2

HEAD Penn IRT Pro/Am Series #5, Scottsdale, Arizona 


Final 

Rocky Carson d. Arthur Schmeiser, 11-2, 11-3, 11-2

Semi-finals

Rocky Carson d. Bobby Ferreira, 11-4, 11-2, 11-5
Arthur Schmeiser d. Rick Wagner, 11-5, 11-13, 13-11, 11-1

Twister City Pro-Am, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma  


Final

Erik Leetch d. Juan Martinez III, injury forfeit

Semi-final 

Erik Leetch d.  Dustin Wheeler, 11-9, 11-4, 9-11, 11-6
Juan Martinez III d. Scott Wolford, 12-10, 11-9, 11-7

Follow the bouncing ball.... 

Longoria wins 2012 SCS Title & Escrow WPRO Tournament

Paola Longoria continued her unbeaten streak in the 2011-12 Women's Professional Racquetball Organization (WPRO) season with a win over Rhonda Rajsich in the final of the SCS Title and Escrow Pro-Am in Herndon, Virginia, winning 7-11, 3-11, 11-9, 11-7, 11-8.

Neither player drove serve very much, choosing instead to use half Z serves. Longoria hit them to Rajsich's forehand while Rajsich hit them backhanded to Longoria's backhand. Although they did use other serves, but those were what they relied on.

After winning the first two games, Rajsich looked good to complete the upset in game three, as she was up 5-1. However, Longoria came back to lead 8-7. But Rajsich took the next two points to get the lead back at 9-8.

However, Longoria pushed it to 10-8 with the 10th point coming on a skipped overhead return by Rajsich on that half Z to her forehand, and then Longoria closed it out to force game four, winning 11-8.

Longoria led all the way in game four, although Rajsich made it close late when she drew within one trailing 8-7. The game point was another skipped serve return by Rajsich, as Longoria won 11-7.

In game five, Longoria looked like she was going to close it out easily, as she quickly grabbed a 6-0 lead. But Rajsich is a fighter - she dove more than 20 times during the match - and she fought back again to tie the game at 8-8. Rajsich's 7th and 8th points were the result of skips by Longoria, who may have been feeling the pressure.

However, in the end it was the #1 player who once again came out on top, defeating the #2 player 11-8 in the fifth game.

This is the last WPRO Tier 1 event of the season, but they will play a Tier 3 event later this month in Fullerton at the USA Racquetball Ektelon Nationals May 23-27.

WPRO 2012 SCS Title and Escrow Pro-Am - Herndon, Virginia 


Final

Paola Longoria d. Rhonda Rajsich, 7-11, 3-11, 11-9, 11-7, 11-8

Follow the bouncing ball.... 

Top two WPRO players to battle for SCS Title & Escrow Pro-Am Title

It will be #1 versus #2 again in a Women's Professional Racquetball Organization (WPRO) final as Paola Longoria and Rhonda Rajsich - the #1 and #2, respectively, WPRO players - won their semi-final matches Saturday at the SCS Title and Escrow  Pro-Am in Herndon, Virginia. Longoria defeated 4th seed Krystal Csuk in three straight games, 11-0, 11-4, 11-5. Csuk was likely still feeling the effects of her five game battle with 5th seed Adrienne Fisher earlier in day.

For the second match in a row, Rajsich dropped the first game, but then came back to win, as she defeated 3rd seed Kerri Wachtel, 8-11, 11-0, 11-7, 11-4.

Rajsich would be well advised to not do that against Longoria on Sunday. Longoria hasn't lost a WPRO match since in a year, and hasn't lost a game since December, when Rajsich won the first two games of the Christmas Classic final, only to see Longoria come back and take the match in five games.

With a win on Sunday, Longoria would have 22 career titles, which puts her  5th all time (unofficially) behind Rajsich (25), Cheryl Gudinas (39), Michelle Gould (41) and Lynn Adams (43).

WPRO 2012 SCS Title and Escrow Pro-Am - Herndon, Virginia 


Semi-finals

Paola Longoria d. Krystal Csuk, 11-0, 11-, 11-5
Rhonda Rajsich d. Kerri Wachtel, 8-11, 11-0, 11-7, 11-4

Final

Paola Longoria v. Rhonda Rajsich

Follow the bouncing ball.... 

2012 SCS Title & Escrow WPRO Pro-Am Quarter finals

The top four seeds won their respective quarter-finals at the SCS Title and Escrow Women's Professional Racquetball Organization (WPRO) Pro-Am in Herndon, Virginia.  Number 1 seed Paola Longoria gave up the fewest points of the four, as she defeated Kristen Bellows, 11-7, 11-2, 11-3. Fourth seed Kerri Wachtel also won in three games, as she defeated Cheryl Gudinas, 11-7, 11-8, 12-10.

Second seed Rhonda Rajsich dropped the first game of her match with Susana Acosta, but then took the next three to win in four games, 8-11, 11-2, 11-7, 12-10.

The closest match was between 4th seed Krystal Csuk and 5th seed Adrienne Fisher, as Csuk needed five games to win, 11-8, 6-11, 11-8, 11-13, 11-3. Fisher led in game one 8-6, but Csuk won the next five points to take the first game 11-8. That was indicative of the match.

In game two, Fisher had a 6-1 lead, only to see Csuk come back and tie it at 6-6. Fisher did finish that game 11-6, and if she'd put that sort of finish into the other games, Fisher may have won the match.

Game three was closely fought with the players again tied at 6-6 and 8-8. Then Csuk went up 10-8. Fisher got the serve back and served a lob short, which only one of several unforced errors she made in the match.

Csuk won game three 11-8, so Fisher needed to win game four to force a tie-breaker. Again she took an early lead at 5-1, but again Csuk tied it at 5-5 and pushed ahead to 8-5. Fisher's turn to come back and she did, tying it at 9-9.

Fisher got game point opportunities at 10-9, but Csuk fought them off and had match points of her own at 11-10. Yet it was Fisher who ended the game by pulling it out 13-11.

In the tie-breaker, Csuk started quickly, going up 3-0 and 6-2. Fisher, perhaps tired from game four, had no answer, as Csuk went on to win it 11-3.

Both players used a variety of serves throughout the match. Fisher who often drive serves the majority of the time served a lot of lobs both to the left and right against Csuk, who mostly drove serve but hit drive Zs - to both the left and right - as well as straight drives to Fisher.

WPRO 2012 SCS Title and Escrow Pro-Am - Herndon, Virginia 


Quarter finals 

Paola Longoria d. Kristen Bellows, 11-7, 11-2, 11-3
Krystal Csuk d. Adrienne Fisher, 11-8, 6-11, 11-8, 11-13, 11-3

Kerri Wachtel d. Cheryl Gudinas, 11-7, 11-8, 12-10
Rhonda Rajsich d. Susana Acosta, 8-11, 11-2, 11-7, 12-10

Semi-finals

Paola Longoria v. Krystal Csuk
Rhonda Rajsich v. Kerri Wachtel

Follow the bouncing ball.... 

2012 SCS Title & Escrow Pro-Am - WPRO Round of 16

The Round of 16 at the SCS Title and Escrow Pro-Am in Herndon, Virginia - this weekend's Women's Professional Racquetball Organization (WPRO) event - produced one upset by the rankings, but it was former #1 Cheryl Gudinas defeating Jennifer Saunders in five games, 5-11, 12-10, 9-11, 11-5, 11-6, to advance to the quarter finals and likely continue Gudinas's streak of top 10 season ending finishes on the women's pro tour that dates back to 1994.

Krystal Csuk, the fourth seed for the first time in her career, was almost upset by Keely Franks, but managed to fend off the Texan in five games, 3-11, 11-4, 2-11, 11-6, 11-8.

Top seed Paola Longoria won easily, defeating Sarah Warhaftig, 11-0, 11-1, 11-3. Second seed Rhonda Rajsich might have been upset by Grace Hughes if they'd played a best of seven, as Hughes got three more points each game of their match. But of course, they played a best of five and Rajsich won in three games, 11-3, 11-6, 11-9.

WPRO 2012 SCS Title and Escrow Pro-Am - Herndon, Virginia 


Round of 16

Paola Longoria d. Sarah Warhaftig, 11-0, 11-1, 11-3

Kristen Bellows d. Cristina Amaya, 11-7, 11-7, 9-11, 3-11, 11-8

Adrienne Fisher d. T. J. Baumbaugh, 11-5, 11-4, 11-7
Krystal Csuk d. Keely Franks, 3-11, 11-4, 2-11, 11-6, 11-8

Kerri Wachtel d. Laura Brandt, 11-6, 11-4, 11-1
Cheryl Gudinas d. Jennifer Saunders, 5-11, 12-10, 9-11, 11-5, 11-6

Susana Acosta d. Da'monique Davis, 11-8, 11-3, 11-13, 12-10
Rhonda Rajsich d. Grace Hughes, 11-3, 11-6, 11-9

Quarter finals 

Paola Longoria v. Cristina Amaya or Kristen Bellows
Krystal Csuk v. Adrienne Fisher

Kerri Wachtel v. Cheryl Gudinas
Rhonda Rajsich v. Susana Acosta

Follow the bouncing ball.... 

2012 SCS Title & Escrow Pro-Am - WPRO 32s

The first round of the SCS Title and Escrow Pro-Am in Herndon, Virginia - this weekend's Women's Professional Racquetball Organization (WPRO) event - is complete, and there were no upsets. The anticipated match between Da'monique Davis and Brandi Jacobson Prentice did go extra games with the higher seeded Davis coming out on top, 11-8, 11-5, 2-11, 11-1. She'll play Mexican veteran Susana Acosta in the Round of 16 later Friday.

Cheryl Gudinas won the first match of the tournament, defeating Claudia Andrade, 11-4, 11-0, 11-2. That sets up a Round of 16 match between Gudinas and Jennifer Saunders, which will be played later today.

WPRO 2012 SCS Title and Escrow Pro-Am - Herndon, Virginia 


Round of 32 

Paola Longoria BYE
Sarah Warhaftig d. Marie Barron, 12-10, 11-6, 11-3

Cristina Amaya BYE
Kristen Bellows d. Karen Morton, 12-10, 11-5, 11-3

Adrienne Fisher BYE
T. J. Baumbaugh d. Ana Paola Nunez, 11-7, 11-2, 11-8

Keely Franks d. Anita Maldonado, 11-4, 7-11, 11-0, 11-5
Krystal Csuk BYE

Kerri Wachtel BYE
Laura Brandt d. Danielle Emerson, 11-8, 11-5, 8-11, 11-3

Cheryl Gudinas d. Claudia Andrade, 11-4, 11-0, 11-2
Jennifer Saunders  BYE

Susana Acosta BYE
Da'monique Davis d. Brandi Jacobson Prentice, 11-8, 11-5, 2-11, 11-1

Grace Hughes d. Carla Munoz, 11-8, 11-2, 11-4
Rhonda Rajsich  BYE

Round of 16

Paola Longoria v. Sarah Warhaftig
Cristina Amaya v. Kristen Bellows

Adrienne Fisher v. T. J. Baumbaugh
Krystal Csuk v. Keely Franks

Kerri Wachtel v. Laura Brandt
Jennifer Saunders  v. Cheryl Gudinas

Susana Acosta v. Da'monique Davis
Rhonda Rajsich v. Grace Hughes

Follow the bouncing ball.... 

2012 WPRO SCS Title & Escrow Pro-Am Preview

Gigi Rock, Commissioner of the Women's Professional Racquetball Organization (WPRO) informed us that this weekend's SCS Title and Escrow Pro-Am in Herndon, Virginia will not be the last WPRO event of their 2011-12 season, contrary to what we wrote yesterday. The WPRO will have a satellite event at the Ektelon Nationals in Fullerton, California later this month.

So this weekend's tournament isn't the last opportunity for players to earn ranking points, but it's their last best opportunity as it is a Tier 1 event.

Twenty four players are entered for Herndon, including Kristen Bellows who wasn't entered when we wrote yesterday's piece. Also in the draw is Canadian National Team member Brandi Jacobson Prentice, who doesn't have a current ranking, so she could be in a position to play a wild card role.

We've created a draw for Herndon based on the latest WPRO rankings. There are a couple of uncertainties as Karen Morton and Jacobson Prentice don't have rankings.

WPRO 2012 SCS Title and Escrow Pro-Am - Herndon, Virginia 


Round of 32 

Paola Longoria BYE
Sarah Warhaftig v. Marie Barron

Cristina Amaya BYE
Kristen Bellows v. Karen Morton or  Brandi Jacobson Prentice

Adrienne Fisher BYE
T. J. Baumbaugh v. Ana Paola Nunez

Keely Franks v. Anita Maldonado
Krystal Csuk BYE

Kerri Wachtel BYE
Danielle Emerson v. Laura Brandt

Cheryl Gudinas v. Claudia Andrade
Jennifer Saunders  BYE

Susana Acosta BYE
Da'monique Davis v. Karen Morton or Brandi Jacobson Prentice

Grace Hughes v. Carla Munoz
Rhonda Rajsich  BYE

Follow the bouncing ball....