16th IRF World Championships - Day 2 Results

Play continued Sunday at the 16th International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Championships began Saturday in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and on the singles side things have worked out as expected but there have been some surprising results in doubles.

But singles first, and top seed and two time defending champion Rocky Carson (USA) is into the semis with wins over Alejandro Herrera (Colombia), 15-5, 15-8, and Agustin Tristan (Catalunya), 15-5, 15-4, in the quarter finals. Carson will face Mexican Gilberto Mejia in the semis on Monday.

The other semi will also be a USA-Mexico showdown, as second seed Polo Gutierrez of Mexico will be up against American Jose Rojas.

On the women's side, the other two time defending champ American Rhonda Rajsich will face her current rival Paola Longoria of Mexico in the semis Monday, and the other women's semi will be between American Cheryl Gudinas and Canadian Jennifer Saunders of Canada, who prevented another Mexican-American stand-off by defeating Jessica Parrilla of Mexico in the quater-finals, 15-6, 15-9.

It's men's doubles where things got interesting on Sunday, as one of the quarter finals was between the Guatemalan team of Edwin Galicia and Pedro Manolo Sandoval and the Dominican Republic team of Ramon De Leon & Junior Rodriguez with the 13th seeded Guatemalans coming out on top in two straight games. They'll face Americans Jansen Allen and Tony Carson (USA) in the semis.

On the other side of the draw, there was an unfortunate ending to what might have been the match of the day as the Ecuadoran team of Fernando Rios and Jose Daniel Alvarez were in a tie-breaker with former World Champions Alvaro Beltran and Javier Moreno of Mexico when Alvarez when down with a knee injury. After being down for several minutes on the court, it was determined that Alvarez could not continue, giving the Mexican veterans the victory.

They'll face Bolivians Ricardo Monroy and Roland Keller in the semi-finals Monday as Monroy and Keller defeated the Canadian team of Mike Green and Vincent Gagnon, 15-10, 15-11.

Matches begin at 9 AM on Monday with the women's semi-finals, and it'll be live streamed via the IRF website. The men's and women's singles and doubles competitions will conclude on Tuesday. Then there will be an off day before the team competition begins on Thursday and that will conclude next Saturday.

16th IRF World Championships
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

Men's Singles - Round of 16

Rocky Carson (USA) d. Alejandro Herrera (Colombia), 15-5, 15-8
Agustin Tristan (Catalunya) d. Cesar Castillo (Venezuela), 15-9, 15-13

Kris Odegard (Canada) d. Fernando Rios (Ecuador), 8-15, 15-10, 11-4
Gilberto Meija (Mexico) d. Felipe Camacho (Costa Rica), 15-9, 15-7

Jose Rojas (USA) d. Juan Herrera (Colombia), 15-5, 15-10
Shai Manzuri (Argentina) d. Luis Reveron (Venezuela), 15-6, 15-13

Carlos Keller (Bolivia) d. Tim Landeryou (Canada), 15-13, 15-4
Polo Gutierrez (Mexico) d. Taobaldo Fumero Adams (Costa Rica), 15-1, 15-2

Men's Singles - Quarter finals

Rocky Carson (USA) d. Agustin Tristan (Catalunya), 15-5, 15-4
Gilberto Meija (Mexico) d. Kris Odegard (Canada), 15-4, 15-8

Jose Rojas (USA) d. Shai Manzuri (Argentina), 15-5, 7-15, 11-10
Polo Gutierrez (Mexico) d. Carlos Keller (Bolivia), 15-8, 15-10

Men's Singles - Semi-finals

Rocky Carson (USA) v. Gilberto Meija (Mexico)
Polo Gutierrez (Mexico) v. Jose Rojas (USA)

Men's Doubles - Quarter finals

Jansen Allen & Tony Carson (USA) d. Daniel Maggi & Fernando Kurzbard (Argentina), 15-5, 15-6
Edwin Galicia & Pedro Manolo Sandoval (Guatemala) d. Ramon De Leon & Junior Rodriguez (Dominican Republic), 15-9, 15-6

Ricardo Monroy & Roland Keller (Bolivia) d. Mike Green & Vincent Gagnon (Canada), 15-10, 15-11
Alvaro Beltran & Javier Moreno (Mexico) d. Fernando Rios & Jose Daniel Alvarez (Ecuador), 15-12, 14-15, 11-9

Men's Doubles - Semi-finals

Jansen Allen & Tony Carson (USA) v. Edwin Galicia & Pedro Manolo Sandoval (Guatemala)
Alvaro Beltran & Javier Moreno (Mexico) v. Ricardo Monroy & Roland Keller (Bolivia)

Women's Singles - Round of 16

Rhonda Rajsich (USA) d. Cristina Cordova (Ecuador), 15-13, 15-4
Angela Grisar (Chile) d. Toshiko Sakamoto (Japan), 15-6, 11-15, 11-6

Paola Longoria (Mexico) d. Maria Jose Vargas (Bolivia), 15-9, 15-3
Jung Eun Anh (South Korea) d. Brandi Jacobson Prentice (Canada), 15-5, 13-15, 11-6

Cheryl Gudinas (USA) d. Maria Paz Munoz (Ecuador), 15-12, 15-12
Naomi Wikimoto (Japan) d. Carla Muñoz (Chile), 15-14, 15-3

Jessica Parrilla (Mexico) d. Carola Loma (Bolivia), 15-13, 15-14
Jennifer Saunders (Canada) d. Melanie Sauma Masis (Costa Rica), 15-4, 15-2

Women's Singles - Quarter finals

Rhonda Rajsich (USA) d. Angela Grisar (Chile), 15-2, 15-1
Paola Longoria (Mexico) d. Jung Eun Anh (South Korea), 15-1, 15-4

Cheryl Gudinas (USA) d. Naomi Wikimoto (Japan), 15-4, 15-8
Jennifer Saunders (Canada) d. Jessica Parrilla (Mexico), 15-6, 15-9

Women's Singles - Semi-finals

Rhonda Rajsich (USA) v. Paola Longoria (Mexico)
Jennifer Saunders (Canada) v. Cheryl Gudinas (USA)

Women's Doubles - Quarter finals

Aimee Ruiz & Rhonda Rajsich (USA) d. Cristina Cordova & Maria Paz Munoz (Ecuador), 15-9, 15-7
Angela Grisar & Carla Muñoz (Chile) d. Maiko Satoh & Etsuko Noda (Japan), 15-9, 15-11

Josée Grand'Maître & Frédérique Lambert (Canada) d. Carola Loma & Jenny Daza (Bolivia), 15-4, 15-9
Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas Solis (MEX) d. Malhee Kwon & Mi Ok An (South Korea), 15-3, 15-8

Women's Doubles - Semi-finals

Aimee Ruiz & Rhonda Rajsich (USA) v. Angela Grisar & Carla Muñoz (Chile)
Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas Solis (MEX) v. Josée Grand'Maître & Frédérique Lambert (Canada)

Follow the bouncing ball....