The first International Racquetball Tour (IRT) tour event of the season may have changed some perceptions of what will happen this season, but it didn't change the top four rankings at all. Kane Waselenchuk remains #1 with Rocky Carson #2, Alvaro Beltran #3, and Jose Rojas #4, although Rojas won the Stockton Pro-Am two weeks ago, beating Waselenchuk and Carson in the process. It was Waselenchuk's first loss in a complete match in four and half years.
Waselenchuk and Rojas could meet again in the semi-finals at the US Open next week in Minneapolis, where Waselenchuk will be trying to win his 9th US Open title. He hasn't lost a US Open match since 2002, winning every US Open he's entered since then.
Ben Croft is #5 moving ahead of Chris Crowther, who's #6, with Tony Carson 7th and Daniel De La Rosa 8th. Shane Vanderson, who is not in the US Open field, is 9th. Javier Moreno, the Mexican veteran lefty, rounds out the top 10.
There a bit of movement in ranks 11-20 although not one dropped out of that range. Marco Rojas - Jose's younger brother - and Jansen Allen had the biggest moves, going up 2 positions each, with Marco Rojas at 11th and Allen at 15th.
The IRT's second event of 2013-14 is the US Open next week - October 2-6 - in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Everyone will be trying to stop Waselenchuk from winning his 9th US Open title, which would also set the IRT record for most career tournament wins. But it would be a big shock if Waselenchuk doesn't win in Minneapolis.
IRT Rankings - September 27, 2013
Rank - Player - Country - Points
1 Kane WASELENCHUK (Canada) 3844
2 Rocky CARSON (USA) 3456
3 Alvaro BELTRAN (Mexico) 2470
4 Jose ROJAS (USA) 2150
5 Ben CROFT (USA) 1842
6 Chris CROWTHER (USA) 1830
7 Tony CARSON (USA) 1422
8 Daniel DE LA ROSA (Mexico) 1293
9 Shane VANDERSON (USA) 1066
10 Javier MORENO (Mexico) 1063
11 Marco ROJAS (USA) 1040
12 Alex ACKERMANN (USA) 974
13 Andy HAWTHORNE (USA) 914
14 Jose DIAZ (USA) 860
15 Jansen ALLEN (USA) 854
16 Alejandro LANDA (Mexico) 800
17 Anthony HERRERA (USA) 736
18 Brad SCHOPIERAY (USA) 637
19 David HORN (USA) 523
20 Nick MONTALBANO (USA) 480
Follow the bouncing ball....
Friday, September 27, 2013
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
The latest LPRT rankings have many changes but not at the top
Paola Longoria continues to be the #1 player the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT), which released its latest rankings on Tuesday. Rhonda Rajsich is also steady at #2 despite not having only quarter final and Round of 16 finishes so far this season.
But Susana Acosta is the new #3 player switching players with fellow Mexican Samantha Salas who's now #4 after missing the first two LPRT event due to a foot injury. Cheryl Gudinas has also missed the first two events with a foot injury and has dropped from #5 to #7.
Cristina Amaya has replaced Gudinas at #5, which is up four spots from her previous #9 ranking. Fifth is Amaya's highest career ranking, coming off her first career final appearance last weekend in Toluca, Mexico.
Maria Jose Vargas, who was a semi-finalist for the second time this season on the weekend, also moved up and is now #6.
Adrienne Haynes and Grace Hughes have dropped to 8th and 9th respectively.
Veronica Sotomayor rounds out the top 10 followed by veterans Da'monique Davis, Jennifer Saunders, Kerri Wachtel, Krystal Csuk and T. J. Baumbaugh, in spots 11-15.
Maria Paz Muñoz is up one place to 17th, ahead of former #1 Jackie Paraiso. Linda Scales is back in the top 20 at 18th followed by Hailey Miller and Frédérique Lambert, who cracks the top 20 for the first time.
The US Open is the next LPRT event and it runs October 2-6, 2013 in Minneapolis. Forty two players are entered and forty one of them will have sights on ending Paola Longoria's winning streak, while she will be trying to win her fourth US Open title.
LPRT Rankings - September 23, 2013
Rank - Name - Country - Points
1 Paola Longoria (Mexico) 2500.00
2 Rhonda Rajsich (USA) 1298.00
3 Susana Acosta (Mexico) 683.00
4 Samantha Salas (Mexico) 672.50
5 Cristina Amaya (Colombia) 564.75
6 Maria Jose Vargas (Bolivia) 520.75
7 Cheryl Gudinas (USA) 509.50
8 Adrienne Haynes (USA) 486.75
0 Grace Hughes (USA) 393.50
10 Veronica Sotomayor (Ecuador) 372.50
11 Da'monique Davis (USA) 370.75
12 Jennifer Saunders (Canada) 310.50
13 Kerri Wachtel (USA) 284.75
14 Krystal Csuk (USA) 284.00
15 T.J. Baumbaugh (USA) 260.75
16 Maria Paz Muñoz (Ecuador) 253.00
17 Jackie Paraiso (USA) 228.55
18 Linda Scales (USA) 208.00
19 Hailey Miller (USA) 205.75
20 Frédérique Lambert (Canada) 184.00
Follow the bouncing ball....
But Susana Acosta is the new #3 player switching players with fellow Mexican Samantha Salas who's now #4 after missing the first two LPRT event due to a foot injury. Cheryl Gudinas has also missed the first two events with a foot injury and has dropped from #5 to #7.
Cristina Amaya has replaced Gudinas at #5, which is up four spots from her previous #9 ranking. Fifth is Amaya's highest career ranking, coming off her first career final appearance last weekend in Toluca, Mexico.
Maria Jose Vargas, who was a semi-finalist for the second time this season on the weekend, also moved up and is now #6.
Adrienne Haynes and Grace Hughes have dropped to 8th and 9th respectively.
Veronica Sotomayor rounds out the top 10 followed by veterans Da'monique Davis, Jennifer Saunders, Kerri Wachtel, Krystal Csuk and T. J. Baumbaugh, in spots 11-15.
Maria Paz Muñoz is up one place to 17th, ahead of former #1 Jackie Paraiso. Linda Scales is back in the top 20 at 18th followed by Hailey Miller and Frédérique Lambert, who cracks the top 20 for the first time.
The US Open is the next LPRT event and it runs October 2-6, 2013 in Minneapolis. Forty two players are entered and forty one of them will have sights on ending Paola Longoria's winning streak, while she will be trying to win her fourth US Open title.
LPRT Rankings - September 23, 2013
Rank - Name - Country - Points
1 Paola Longoria (Mexico) 2500.00
2 Rhonda Rajsich (USA) 1298.00
3 Susana Acosta (Mexico) 683.00
4 Samantha Salas (Mexico) 672.50
5 Cristina Amaya (Colombia) 564.75
6 Maria Jose Vargas (Bolivia) 520.75
7 Cheryl Gudinas (USA) 509.50
8 Adrienne Haynes (USA) 486.75
0 Grace Hughes (USA) 393.50
10 Veronica Sotomayor (Ecuador) 372.50
11 Da'monique Davis (USA) 370.75
12 Jennifer Saunders (Canada) 310.50
13 Kerri Wachtel (USA) 284.75
14 Krystal Csuk (USA) 284.00
15 T.J. Baumbaugh (USA) 260.75
16 Maria Paz Muñoz (Ecuador) 253.00
17 Jackie Paraiso (USA) 228.55
18 Linda Scales (USA) 208.00
19 Hailey Miller (USA) 205.75
20 Frédérique Lambert (Canada) 184.00
Follow the bouncing ball....
Sunday, September 22, 2013
LPRT - Longoria wins Abierto Mexicano de Racquetas, extends winning streak
Paola Longoria - the #1 player on the Ladies Pro Racquetball Tour (LPRT) - extended her tournament winning streak to 21 as she defeated Cristina Amaya, 11-1, 11-3, 11-7, to win the Abierto Mexicano de Racquetas in Toluca, Mexico, on Sunday night. Longoria hasn't lost a women's pro event since May 2011.
Longoria also has a winning streak in international competition playing for Mexico, and that includes a win over Amaya this past summer in the World Games, when they met in the final with Longoria winning in a tie-breaker.
Amaya was playing in her first career pro final and had not made it past the quarter finals prior to this weekend.
The next LPRT event is the US Open in Minneapolis October 2-6, 2013.
2013 Abierto Mexicano de Racquetas
Toluca, Mexico
Final
1 Paola Longoria d. 6 Cristina Amaya, 11-1, 11-3, 11-7
Follow the bouncing ball….
Longoria also has a winning streak in international competition playing for Mexico, and that includes a win over Amaya this past summer in the World Games, when they met in the final with Longoria winning in a tie-breaker.
Amaya was playing in her first career pro final and had not made it past the quarter finals prior to this weekend.
The next LPRT event is the US Open in Minneapolis October 2-6, 2013.
2013 Abierto Mexicano de Racquetas
Toluca, Mexico
Final
1 Paola Longoria d. 6 Cristina Amaya, 11-1, 11-3, 11-7
Follow the bouncing ball….
Saturday, September 21, 2013
LPRT - Abierto Mexicano de Racquetas - Longoria & Amaya win semi-finals
Paola Longoria - the #1 player on the Ladies Pro Racquetball Tour (LPRT) - will have a chance to extend her tournament winning streak Sunday, as she won her semi-final match in the Abierto Mexicano de Racquetas in Toluca, Mexico, beating 5th seed Maria Jose Vargas, 11-1, 11-8, 11-2.
Longoria's opponent will be 6th seed Cristina Amaya, who defeated Frédérique Lambert, the 15th seed, 11-9, 6-11, 11-0, 11-5, and will be playing in her first career pro final. In contrast, Longoria will be trying to win her 21st consecutive pro tournament and will be playing in her 46th pro final.
Sunday's final will be a rematch of this past summer's World Games final, which Longoria won in a tie-breaker. The final will be Sunday at 6 PM.
2013 Abierto Mexicano de Racquetas
Toluca, Mexico
Semi-finals (with seeding)
1 Paola Longoria d. 5 Maria Jose Vargas, 11-1, 11-8, 11-2
6 Cristina Amaya d. 15 Frédérique Lambert, 11-9, 6-11, 11-0, 11-5
Final
1 Paola Longoria v. 6 Cristina Amaya
Follow the bouncing ball….
Longoria's opponent will be 6th seed Cristina Amaya, who defeated Frédérique Lambert, the 15th seed, 11-9, 6-11, 11-0, 11-5, and will be playing in her first career pro final. In contrast, Longoria will be trying to win her 21st consecutive pro tournament and will be playing in her 46th pro final.
Sunday's final will be a rematch of this past summer's World Games final, which Longoria won in a tie-breaker. The final will be Sunday at 6 PM.
2013 Abierto Mexicano de Racquetas
Toluca, Mexico
Semi-finals (with seeding)
1 Paola Longoria d. 5 Maria Jose Vargas, 11-1, 11-8, 11-2
6 Cristina Amaya d. 15 Frédérique Lambert, 11-9, 6-11, 11-0, 11-5
Final
1 Paola Longoria v. 6 Cristina Amaya
Follow the bouncing ball….
LPRT - Abierto Mexicano de Racquetas Quarter Finals
This could be the season of the upset on the Ladies Pro Racquetball Tour (LPRT), as there were two more in the first two quarter final matches in the Abierto Mexicano de Racquetas tournament - a Grand Slam event on the in Toluca, Mexico. Frédérique Lambert, the 15th seed, who beat LPRT #2 Rhonda Rajsich Friday, won her quarter final match against Maria Paz Muñoz, 7-11, 11-6, 6-11, 11-3, 11-8, to reach the semi-finals for the first time in her career.
Joining Lambert in the semis is Cristina Amaya, who beat 3rd seed Susana Acosta, 11-9, 11-6, 7-11, 5-11, 11-5. Amaya will also play her 1st career semi-final this evening, so it's guaranteed that someone will be in their first pro final on Sunday. It's only a question of whether it will be Amaya or Lambert.
Both Amaya and Lambert have been in international finals. Amaya was a finalist last summer in the World Games and Lambert was a finalist in last year's Pan American Championships.
But in both finals they lost to Paola Longoria, who's also the #1 LPRT player. She defeated Veronica Sotomayor in three straight games, 1-6, 11-1, 11-4, and will play 5th seed Maria Jose Vargas in the semi-finals, as Vagars beat Linda Scales, 11-0, 11-0, 11-5, in the quarters.
An upset of Longoria would be huge, but as we saw last weekend, huge upsets can happen.
The semi-finals go Saturday evening at 6 PM and 7 PM with the final Sunday at 6 PM.
2013 Abierto Mexicano de Racquetas
Toluca, Mexico
Quarter finals (with seeding)
1 Paola Longoria d. 8 Veronica Sotomayor, 11-6, 11-1, 11-4
5 Maria Jose Vargas d. 13 Linda Scales, 11-0, 11-0, 11-5
6 Cristina Amaya d. 3 Susana Acosta, 11-9, 11-6, 7-11, 5-11, 11-5
15 Frédérique Lambert d. 10 Maria Paz Muñoz, 7-11, 11-6, 6-11, 11-3, 11-8
Semi-finals (with seeding)
1 Paola Longoria v. 5 Maria Jose Vargas - 7 PM CDT
6 Cristina Amaya v. 15 Frédérique Lambert - 6 PM CDT
Follow the bouncing ball….
Joining Lambert in the semis is Cristina Amaya, who beat 3rd seed Susana Acosta, 11-9, 11-6, 7-11, 5-11, 11-5. Amaya will also play her 1st career semi-final this evening, so it's guaranteed that someone will be in their first pro final on Sunday. It's only a question of whether it will be Amaya or Lambert.
Both Amaya and Lambert have been in international finals. Amaya was a finalist last summer in the World Games and Lambert was a finalist in last year's Pan American Championships.
But in both finals they lost to Paola Longoria, who's also the #1 LPRT player. She defeated Veronica Sotomayor in three straight games, 1-6, 11-1, 11-4, and will play 5th seed Maria Jose Vargas in the semi-finals, as Vagars beat Linda Scales, 11-0, 11-0, 11-5, in the quarters.
An upset of Longoria would be huge, but as we saw last weekend, huge upsets can happen.
The semi-finals go Saturday evening at 6 PM and 7 PM with the final Sunday at 6 PM.
2013 Abierto Mexicano de Racquetas
Toluca, Mexico
Quarter finals (with seeding)
1 Paola Longoria d. 8 Veronica Sotomayor, 11-6, 11-1, 11-4
5 Maria Jose Vargas d. 13 Linda Scales, 11-0, 11-0, 11-5
6 Cristina Amaya d. 3 Susana Acosta, 11-9, 11-6, 7-11, 5-11, 11-5
15 Frédérique Lambert d. 10 Maria Paz Muñoz, 7-11, 11-6, 6-11, 11-3, 11-8
Semi-finals (with seeding)
1 Paola Longoria v. 5 Maria Jose Vargas - 7 PM CDT
6 Cristina Amaya v. 15 Frédérique Lambert - 6 PM CDT
Follow the bouncing ball….
Friday, September 20, 2013
LPRT - Abierto Mexicano de Racquetas Round of 16
Two big upsets and on minor one in the Round of 16 at the Abierto Mexicano de Racquetas tournament - a Grand Slam event on the Ladies Pro Racquetball Tour (LPRT) in Toluca, Mexico. Frédérique Lambert caused the biggest upset by defeating LPRT #2 Rhonda Rajsich in four games, 11-7, 11-8, 6-11, 11-6, to move into the quarter finals on Saturday.
There Lambert will play 10th seed Maria Paz Muñoz who upset 7th seed Da'monique Davis, 11-2, 7-11, 11-7, 11-0, in the 16s.
The other upset happened on the top side of the draw, as Linda Scales took out 4th seed Adrienne Haynes, 5-11, 11-3, 11-4, 11-8. Scales will now face fifth seed Maria Jose Vargas in the quarter finals, as Vargas beat Carla Muñoz, 8-11, 11-2, 11-4, 11-5.
LPRT #1 Paola Longoria easily defeated 16th seed Sharon Jackson, winning in three straight games, 11-1, 11-6, 11-0. She'll play Veronica Sotomayor, who defeated Jennifer Saunders, 11-3, 11-3, 11-6, in the quarter finals, and that will be a rematch of the final from earlier this month in Stockton, California.
Finally, 3rd seed Susana Acosta beat Sofia Rascon in four games, 11-4, 9-11, 11-5, 11-2, and will play sixth seed Cristina Amaya in the quarters, as Amaya defeated Hailey Miller, 11-5, 11-3, 11-1, in the 156s.
The quarter finals begin Saturday morning at 10 AM with the and semi-finals Saturday evening at 6 PM and 7 PM, and the final Sunday at 6 PM.
2013 Abierto Mexicano de Racquetas
Toluca, Mexico
Round of 16 (with seeding)
1 Paola Longoria d. 16 Sharon Jackson, 11-1, 11-6, 11-0
8 Veronica Sotomayor d. 9 Jennifer Saunders, 11-3, 11-3, 11-6
5 Maria Jose Vargas d. 12 Carla Muñoz, 8-11, 11-2, 11-4, 11-5
13 Linda Scales d. 4 Adrienne Haynes, 5-11, 11-3, 11-4, 11-8
3 Susana Acosta d. 14 Sofia Rascon, 11-4, 9-11, 11-5, 11-2
6 Cristina Amaya d. 11 Hailey Miller, 11-5, 11-3, 11-1
10 Maria Paz Muñoz d. 7 Da'monique Davis, 11-2, 7-11, 11-7, 11-0
15 Frédérique Lambert d. 2 Rhonda Rajsich, 11-7, 11-8, 6-11, 11-6
Quarter finals (with seeding)
1 Paola Longoria v. 8 Veronica Sotomayor
5 Maria Jose Vargas v. 13 Linda Scales
3 Susana Acosta v. 6 Cristina Amaya
10 Maria Paz Muñoz v. 15 Frédérique Lambert
Follow the bouncing ball….
There Lambert will play 10th seed Maria Paz Muñoz who upset 7th seed Da'monique Davis, 11-2, 7-11, 11-7, 11-0, in the 16s.
The other upset happened on the top side of the draw, as Linda Scales took out 4th seed Adrienne Haynes, 5-11, 11-3, 11-4, 11-8. Scales will now face fifth seed Maria Jose Vargas in the quarter finals, as Vargas beat Carla Muñoz, 8-11, 11-2, 11-4, 11-5.
LPRT #1 Paola Longoria easily defeated 16th seed Sharon Jackson, winning in three straight games, 11-1, 11-6, 11-0. She'll play Veronica Sotomayor, who defeated Jennifer Saunders, 11-3, 11-3, 11-6, in the quarter finals, and that will be a rematch of the final from earlier this month in Stockton, California.
Finally, 3rd seed Susana Acosta beat Sofia Rascon in four games, 11-4, 9-11, 11-5, 11-2, and will play sixth seed Cristina Amaya in the quarters, as Amaya defeated Hailey Miller, 11-5, 11-3, 11-1, in the 156s.
The quarter finals begin Saturday morning at 10 AM with the and semi-finals Saturday evening at 6 PM and 7 PM, and the final Sunday at 6 PM.
2013 Abierto Mexicano de Racquetas
Toluca, Mexico
Round of 16 (with seeding)
1 Paola Longoria d. 16 Sharon Jackson, 11-1, 11-6, 11-0
8 Veronica Sotomayor d. 9 Jennifer Saunders, 11-3, 11-3, 11-6
5 Maria Jose Vargas d. 12 Carla Muñoz, 8-11, 11-2, 11-4, 11-5
13 Linda Scales d. 4 Adrienne Haynes, 5-11, 11-3, 11-4, 11-8
3 Susana Acosta d. 14 Sofia Rascon, 11-4, 9-11, 11-5, 11-2
6 Cristina Amaya d. 11 Hailey Miller, 11-5, 11-3, 11-1
10 Maria Paz Muñoz d. 7 Da'monique Davis, 11-2, 7-11, 11-7, 11-0
15 Frédérique Lambert d. 2 Rhonda Rajsich, 11-7, 11-8, 6-11, 11-6
Quarter finals (with seeding)
1 Paola Longoria v. 8 Veronica Sotomayor
5 Maria Jose Vargas v. 13 Linda Scales
3 Susana Acosta v. 6 Cristina Amaya
10 Maria Paz Muñoz v. 15 Frédérique Lambert
Follow the bouncing ball….
LPRT - 2013 Abierto Mexicano de Racquetas Round of 32
Early results coming in from the the Abierto Mexicano de Racquetas tournament - a Grand Slam event on the Ladies Pro Racquetball Tour (LPRT) in Toluca, Mexico. Carla Muñoz defeated Natalia Villagomez Beltran, 11-4, 11-0, 11-4 and Linda Scales beat Anna Kristyn Rivera Droves, 11-2, 11-2, 11-0, in the first Round of 32 matches of the day.
Muñoz will play Maria Jose Vargas in the 16s later this afternoon with Scales facing Adrienne Haynes.
Concluding the Round of 32, Sharon Jackson defeated Diana Aguilar, 3-11, 11-3, 11-8, 11-6, and will play LPRT #1 Paola Longoria in the Round of 16 Friday evening.
LPRT #2 Rhonda Rajsich will face Frédérique Lambert in the 16s, as Lambert beat Carolina Luque, 11-3, 11-3, 13-11.
Finally, Sofia Rascon won against Erin Rivera, 11-1, 11-1, 11-1, and will next play LPRT #3 Susana Acosta.
Play continues Friday afternoon and evening with the Round of 16. The quarter finals and semi-finals will go on Saturday and final on Sunday.
2013 Abierto Mexicano de Racquetas
Toluca, Mexico
LPRT Round of 32 (with seeding)
1 Paola Longoria BYE
16 Sharon Jackson d. 17 Diana Aguilar, 3-11, 11-3, 11-8, 11-6
9 Jennifer Saunders BYE
8 Veronica Sotomayor BYE
5 Maria Jose Vargas BYE
12 Carla Muñoz d. 21 Natalia Villagomez Beltran, 11-4, 11-0, 11-4
13 Linda Scales d. 20 Anna Kristyn Rivera Droves, 11-2, 11-2, 11-0
4 Adrienne Haynes BYE
3 Susana Acosta BYE
14 Sofia Rascon d. 19 Erin Rivera, 11-1, 11-1, 11-1
11 Hailey Miller BYE
6 Cristina Amaya BYE
7 Da'monique Davis BYE
10 Maria Paz Muñoz BYE
15 Frédérique Lambert d. 18 Carolina Luque, 11-3, 11-3, 13-11
2 Rhonda Rajsich BYE
Round of 16 (with seeding)
1 Paola Longoria v. 16 Sharon Jackson
8 Veronica Sotomayor v. 9 Jennifer Saunders
5 Maria Jose Vargas v. 12 Carla Muñoz
4 Adrienne Haynes v. 13 Linda Scales
3 Susana Acosta v. 14 Sofia Rascon
6 Cristina Amaya v. 11 Hailey Miller
7 Da'monique Davis v. 10 Maria Paz Muñoz
2 Rhonda Rajsich v. 15 Frédérique Lambert
Follow the bouncing ball….
Muñoz will play Maria Jose Vargas in the 16s later this afternoon with Scales facing Adrienne Haynes.
Concluding the Round of 32, Sharon Jackson defeated Diana Aguilar, 3-11, 11-3, 11-8, 11-6, and will play LPRT #1 Paola Longoria in the Round of 16 Friday evening.
LPRT #2 Rhonda Rajsich will face Frédérique Lambert in the 16s, as Lambert beat Carolina Luque, 11-3, 11-3, 13-11.
Finally, Sofia Rascon won against Erin Rivera, 11-1, 11-1, 11-1, and will next play LPRT #3 Susana Acosta.
Play continues Friday afternoon and evening with the Round of 16. The quarter finals and semi-finals will go on Saturday and final on Sunday.
2013 Abierto Mexicano de Racquetas
Toluca, Mexico
LPRT Round of 32 (with seeding)
1 Paola Longoria BYE
16 Sharon Jackson d. 17 Diana Aguilar, 3-11, 11-3, 11-8, 11-6
9 Jennifer Saunders BYE
8 Veronica Sotomayor BYE
5 Maria Jose Vargas BYE
12 Carla Muñoz d. 21 Natalia Villagomez Beltran, 11-4, 11-0, 11-4
13 Linda Scales d. 20 Anna Kristyn Rivera Droves, 11-2, 11-2, 11-0
4 Adrienne Haynes BYE
3 Susana Acosta BYE
14 Sofia Rascon d. 19 Erin Rivera, 11-1, 11-1, 11-1
11 Hailey Miller BYE
6 Cristina Amaya BYE
7 Da'monique Davis BYE
10 Maria Paz Muñoz BYE
15 Frédérique Lambert d. 18 Carolina Luque, 11-3, 11-3, 13-11
2 Rhonda Rajsich BYE
Round of 16 (with seeding)
1 Paola Longoria v. 16 Sharon Jackson
8 Veronica Sotomayor v. 9 Jennifer Saunders
5 Maria Jose Vargas v. 12 Carla Muñoz
4 Adrienne Haynes v. 13 Linda Scales
3 Susana Acosta v. 14 Sofia Rascon
6 Cristina Amaya v. 11 Hailey Miller
7 Da'monique Davis v. 10 Maria Paz Muñoz
2 Rhonda Rajsich v. 15 Frédérique Lambert
Follow the bouncing ball….
Thursday, September 19, 2013
LPRT - 2013 Abierto Mexicano de Racquetas PREVIEW
For the second consecutive year the Ladies Pro Racquetball Tour (LPRT) is in Toluca, Mexico for the Abierto Mexicano de Racquetas tournament. And once again twenty one players will be there battling for one of the, if not THE, biggest purses of the season. LPRT #1 Paola Longoria - recently part of a group photo on the cover of Forbes magazine's Mexican edition - will try to extend her tournament winning streak that extends back to May 2011.
As in the first LPRT event of the season - the Stockton Pro-Am - the field has some of the bright young LPRT players, as injuries keep three of the of the top veteran players out of action: Kerri Wachtel (shoulder injury), Samantha Salas and Cheryl Gudinas (both with foot injuries). Jessica Parrilla, a promising young Mexican player, is playing at the 3 Wallball World Championships, which is a LPRT satellite event.
Longoria may have to meet the finalist from Stockton in the quarter finals, as Veronica Sotomayor is seeded 8th this weekend. However, before that - in the Round of 16 - Sotomayor needs to defeat Canadian Champion Jennifer Saunders and Longoria must beat the winner of Sharon Jackson and Diana Aguilar.
Another potential quarter final match up on the top side of the draw is between Bolivian Maria Jose Vargas and veteran American Adrienne Haynes, although to se that up they'll have to defeat Carla Muñoz and Linda Scales, respectively.
On the bottom side of the draw, LPRT #3 Susana Acosta will likely face Sofia Rascon in the 16s, and Rascon upset Haynes and reached the semi-finals in Stockton, so she's not someone to take lightly.
Also on the bottom of the draw, a potential match of interest is LPRT #2 Rhonda Rajsich versus Canadian Frédérique Lambert, as Lambert defeated Rajsich in the 2012 Pan American Championships. To set up that match, Lambert has to first defeat Carolina Luque.
Thus, there will be plenty of interesting matches going on in Toluca this weekend.
Play begins on Friday morning with the Round of 32 matches. The Round of 16 matches will be Friday afternoon and evening, then the quarter finals and semi-finals will go on Saturday and final on Sunday.
2013 Abierto Mexicano de Racquetas
Toluca, Mexico
LPRT Round of 32 (with seeding)
1 Paola Longoria BYE
16 Sharon Jackson v. 17 Diana Aguilar
9 Jennifer Saunders BYE
8 Veronica Sotomayor BYE
5 Maria Jose Vargas BYE
12 Carla Muñoz v. 21 Natalia Villagomez Beltran
13 Linda Scales v. 20 Anna Kristyn Rivera Droves
4 Adrienne Haynes BYE
3 Susana Acosta BYE
14 Sofia Rascon v. 19 Erin Rivera
11 Hailey Miller BYE
6 Cristina Amaya BYE
7 Da'monique Davis BYE
10 Maria Paz Muñoz BYE
15 Frédérique Lambert v. 18 Carolina Luque
2 Rhonda Rajsich BYE
Follow the bouncing ball….
As in the first LPRT event of the season - the Stockton Pro-Am - the field has some of the bright young LPRT players, as injuries keep three of the of the top veteran players out of action: Kerri Wachtel (shoulder injury), Samantha Salas and Cheryl Gudinas (both with foot injuries). Jessica Parrilla, a promising young Mexican player, is playing at the 3 Wallball World Championships, which is a LPRT satellite event.
Longoria may have to meet the finalist from Stockton in the quarter finals, as Veronica Sotomayor is seeded 8th this weekend. However, before that - in the Round of 16 - Sotomayor needs to defeat Canadian Champion Jennifer Saunders and Longoria must beat the winner of Sharon Jackson and Diana Aguilar.
Another potential quarter final match up on the top side of the draw is between Bolivian Maria Jose Vargas and veteran American Adrienne Haynes, although to se that up they'll have to defeat Carla Muñoz and Linda Scales, respectively.
On the bottom side of the draw, LPRT #3 Susana Acosta will likely face Sofia Rascon in the 16s, and Rascon upset Haynes and reached the semi-finals in Stockton, so she's not someone to take lightly.
Also on the bottom of the draw, a potential match of interest is LPRT #2 Rhonda Rajsich versus Canadian Frédérique Lambert, as Lambert defeated Rajsich in the 2012 Pan American Championships. To set up that match, Lambert has to first defeat Carolina Luque.
Thus, there will be plenty of interesting matches going on in Toluca this weekend.
Play begins on Friday morning with the Round of 32 matches. The Round of 16 matches will be Friday afternoon and evening, then the quarter finals and semi-finals will go on Saturday and final on Sunday.
2013 Abierto Mexicano de Racquetas
Toluca, Mexico
LPRT Round of 32 (with seeding)
1 Paola Longoria BYE
16 Sharon Jackson v. 17 Diana Aguilar
9 Jennifer Saunders BYE
8 Veronica Sotomayor BYE
5 Maria Jose Vargas BYE
12 Carla Muñoz v. 21 Natalia Villagomez Beltran
13 Linda Scales v. 20 Anna Kristyn Rivera Droves
4 Adrienne Haynes BYE
3 Susana Acosta BYE
14 Sofia Rascon v. 19 Erin Rivera
11 Hailey Miller BYE
6 Cristina Amaya BYE
7 Da'monique Davis BYE
10 Maria Paz Muñoz BYE
15 Frédérique Lambert v. 18 Carolina Luque
2 Rhonda Rajsich BYE
Follow the bouncing ball….
Monday, September 16, 2013
Weekend Round Up - Wins by Acuña, Zelada, Mascorro and Franco & Herrera
Andres Acuna won the Men's Open division at the Kansas City Pro-Am / Ghost of Georgetown tournament in Overland Park, Kansas on the weekend, when he defeated Alejandro Herrera, 15-10, 15-11. However, Herrera did win the Men's Open Doubles title with Sebastian Franco, as they beat Matt Majxner and Peter Wrigley in the final, 15-10, 15-11.
There were two International Racquetball Tour (IRT) Tier 4 events on the weekend: the Maryland Open in Laurel, Maryland and the Bobcat Open in San Marcos, Texas.
Mauricio Zelada won the Maryland event by defeating former IRT top 10 player Dan Fowler, 11-3, 11-4, 11-9, in the final, while over in Texas Patric Mascorro came out on top in the final of the Bobcat Open by defeating Richard Eisemann, 6-11, 11-4, 11-2, 11-5.
2013 Kansas City Pro-Am - Ghost of Georgetown
Men's Open
Final
Andres Acuña d. Alejandro Herrera, 15-10, 15-11
Semi-finals
Andres Acuña d. Fernando Rios, 10-15, 15-13, 11-9
Alejandro Herrera d. Matt Majxner, 15-5, 15-10
Men's Open Doubles
Final
Sebastian Franco & Alejandro Herrera d. Matt Majxner & Peter Wrigley, 15-10, 15-11
Semi-finals
Sebastian Franco & Alejandro Herrera d. Bradly Rogers & Rosco Halsey, 6-15, 15-5, 11-5
Matt Majxner & Peter Wrigley d. Travis Kern & Jacob Chambers, 15-13, 10-15, 11-8
Maryland Open - Tier 4 IRT Event
Men's Open
Final
Mauricio Zelada d. Dan Fowler, 11-3, 11-4, 11-9
Semi-finals
Mauricio Zelada d. Thomas Gerhardt, 11-4, 11-7, 1-11, 11-9
Dan Fowler d. Jimmy Lowe, 11-9, 11-8, 11-4
2013 Bobcat Open - Tier 4 IRT Event
Men's Open
Final
Patric Mascorro d. Richard Eisemann, 6-11, 11-4, 11-2, 11-5
Semi-finals
Richard Eisemann d. Soly Kor, 11-5, 12-10, 11-5
Patric Mascorro d. Matthew Anderson, 11-4, 11-3, 11-3
Follow the bouncing ball….
There were two International Racquetball Tour (IRT) Tier 4 events on the weekend: the Maryland Open in Laurel, Maryland and the Bobcat Open in San Marcos, Texas.
Mauricio Zelada won the Maryland event by defeating former IRT top 10 player Dan Fowler, 11-3, 11-4, 11-9, in the final, while over in Texas Patric Mascorro came out on top in the final of the Bobcat Open by defeating Richard Eisemann, 6-11, 11-4, 11-2, 11-5.
2013 Kansas City Pro-Am - Ghost of Georgetown
Men's Open
Final
Andres Acuña d. Alejandro Herrera, 15-10, 15-11
Semi-finals
Andres Acuña d. Fernando Rios, 10-15, 15-13, 11-9
Alejandro Herrera d. Matt Majxner, 15-5, 15-10
Men's Open Doubles
Final
Sebastian Franco & Alejandro Herrera d. Matt Majxner & Peter Wrigley, 15-10, 15-11
Semi-finals
Sebastian Franco & Alejandro Herrera d. Bradly Rogers & Rosco Halsey, 6-15, 15-5, 11-5
Matt Majxner & Peter Wrigley d. Travis Kern & Jacob Chambers, 15-13, 10-15, 11-8
Maryland Open - Tier 4 IRT Event
Men's Open
Final
Mauricio Zelada d. Dan Fowler, 11-3, 11-4, 11-9
Semi-finals
Mauricio Zelada d. Thomas Gerhardt, 11-4, 11-7, 1-11, 11-9
Dan Fowler d. Jimmy Lowe, 11-9, 11-8, 11-4
2013 Bobcat Open - Tier 4 IRT Event
Men's Open
Final
Patric Mascorro d. Richard Eisemann, 6-11, 11-4, 11-2, 11-5
Semi-finals
Richard Eisemann d. Soly Kor, 11-5, 12-10, 11-5
Patric Mascorro d. Matthew Anderson, 11-4, 11-3, 11-3
Follow the bouncing ball….
Sunday, September 15, 2013
Rojas closes the deal, winning IRT Kansas City Pro-Am / Ghost of Georgetown
Jose Rojas finished the job on Sunday as he won the Kansas City Pro-Am / Ghost of Georgetown tournament - the first event of the 2013-14 International Racquetball Tour (IRT) season - by defeating Rocky Carson in the final, 11-4, 11-5, 9-11, 3-11, 13-11. It's Rojas's second career victory.
Rojas cruised through the first two games and looked like he was going to win in three straight, as he led in game three at 9-6. Carson had other ideas.
Carson got a point to make it 9-7, and then they went back and forth at that score before Carson put together four straight points on consecutive rallies to take the third game, 11-9.
Carson's momentum carried over into game four, as he went out to a 5-0 lead. Rojas called time out and got two points immediately after that making it 5-2, but he was only able to get one more point as Carson went on to win 11-3.
That set up a fifth game tie-breaker, and what a game that was. It mirrored the first four games, as Rojas took the lead early and stayed ahead. Carson never got closer than two points after it was 2-1 in Rojas's favour.
Rojas got the score to 10-5, and then stalled. He had five chances to win, but skipped most of those opportunities. This allowed Carson back into the game, and he tied it at 10-10.
Then Carson took the lead for the first time in the game, and served for the match. He hit a jam serve to the left that went long. On his second serve, Carson hit an off speed Z serve to the left that Rojas returned with a backhand kill shot.
Rojas couldn't score on his serve, giving Carson another opportunity to win it at 11-10. But on that rally Carson hit a forehand on the right side that came back to himself and Rojas was right there to play the ball. A penalty hinder, or avoidable, was assessed and Carson lost the rally.
Rojas seized the opportunity and won the next three rallies to take the game and match, 13-11.
At the end of the match, Rojas just lay on the floor for several seconds as Carson came over and congratulated him. Afterwards, Rojas said "I feel great and awful at the same time," as he seemed to be cramping up in the latter part of the tie-breaker.
But Rojas overcame that to win his second career tournament. The first came in February of 2012, when he defeated Alvaro Beltran in the final of the San Diego Open. That match also went five games with Rojas winning it 12-10 in the fifth.
Rojas was 4th seed in that tournament as he was this weekend, but he beat four qualifying players en route to the title: Juan Herrera, Javier Moreno, Tony Carson and Alvaro Beltran, who was coming back from a knee injury that kept him out for the better part of a year.
However, this weekend Rojas went through the IRT's #1 and #2 players in Kane Waselenchuk and Carson, respectively. Rojas defeated Waselenchuk in the semi-finals yesterday.
When Rojas was a junior player there was talk about him as a potentially the next #1 IRT player. That talk diminished with the great play of Waselenchuk, who's loss yesterday was his first in a complete match in over four and a half years.
But with Rojas's performance this weekend that talk may start up again. Consider that Rojas is one of five players to win the U18 IRF World Junior Championship twice (or more), winning it in 2008 and 2009. Three of the other four players - Sudsy Monchik, Rocky Carson and Jack Huczek - became #1 on the IRT.
Only Rojas and Ben Croft have yet to do so. But maybe this will be Rojas's year. He's certainly made a good start to it.
The next IRT event is the US Open in Minneapolis October 2-6. You can be sure that Waselenchuk, who hasn't lost a US Open match since 2002, will be prepared to defend the title he has won eight times.
2013 Kansas City Pro-Am - Ghost of Georgetown
Final (with seeding)
4 Jose Rojas d. 2 Rocky Carson, 11-4, 11-5, 9-11, 3-11, 13-11
Follow the bouncing ball….
Rojas cruised through the first two games and looked like he was going to win in three straight, as he led in game three at 9-6. Carson had other ideas.
Carson got a point to make it 9-7, and then they went back and forth at that score before Carson put together four straight points on consecutive rallies to take the third game, 11-9.
Carson's momentum carried over into game four, as he went out to a 5-0 lead. Rojas called time out and got two points immediately after that making it 5-2, but he was only able to get one more point as Carson went on to win 11-3.
That set up a fifth game tie-breaker, and what a game that was. It mirrored the first four games, as Rojas took the lead early and stayed ahead. Carson never got closer than two points after it was 2-1 in Rojas's favour.
Rojas got the score to 10-5, and then stalled. He had five chances to win, but skipped most of those opportunities. This allowed Carson back into the game, and he tied it at 10-10.
Then Carson took the lead for the first time in the game, and served for the match. He hit a jam serve to the left that went long. On his second serve, Carson hit an off speed Z serve to the left that Rojas returned with a backhand kill shot.
Rojas couldn't score on his serve, giving Carson another opportunity to win it at 11-10. But on that rally Carson hit a forehand on the right side that came back to himself and Rojas was right there to play the ball. A penalty hinder, or avoidable, was assessed and Carson lost the rally.
Rojas seized the opportunity and won the next three rallies to take the game and match, 13-11.
At the end of the match, Rojas just lay on the floor for several seconds as Carson came over and congratulated him. Afterwards, Rojas said "I feel great and awful at the same time," as he seemed to be cramping up in the latter part of the tie-breaker.
But Rojas overcame that to win his second career tournament. The first came in February of 2012, when he defeated Alvaro Beltran in the final of the San Diego Open. That match also went five games with Rojas winning it 12-10 in the fifth.
Rojas was 4th seed in that tournament as he was this weekend, but he beat four qualifying players en route to the title: Juan Herrera, Javier Moreno, Tony Carson and Alvaro Beltran, who was coming back from a knee injury that kept him out for the better part of a year.
However, this weekend Rojas went through the IRT's #1 and #2 players in Kane Waselenchuk and Carson, respectively. Rojas defeated Waselenchuk in the semi-finals yesterday.
When Rojas was a junior player there was talk about him as a potentially the next #1 IRT player. That talk diminished with the great play of Waselenchuk, who's loss yesterday was his first in a complete match in over four and a half years.
But with Rojas's performance this weekend that talk may start up again. Consider that Rojas is one of five players to win the U18 IRF World Junior Championship twice (or more), winning it in 2008 and 2009. Three of the other four players - Sudsy Monchik, Rocky Carson and Jack Huczek - became #1 on the IRT.
Only Rojas and Ben Croft have yet to do so. But maybe this will be Rojas's year. He's certainly made a good start to it.
The next IRT event is the US Open in Minneapolis October 2-6. You can be sure that Waselenchuk, who hasn't lost a US Open match since 2002, will be prepared to defend the title he has won eight times.
2013 Kansas City Pro-Am - Ghost of Georgetown
Final (with seeding)
4 Jose Rojas d. 2 Rocky Carson, 11-4, 11-5, 9-11, 3-11, 13-11
Follow the bouncing ball….
Saturday, September 14, 2013
Rojas upsets Waselenchuk in semi-finals of IRT Kansas City Pro-Am / Ghost of Georgetown
Jose Rojas did what no one has done since January 2009: defeat Kane Waselenchuk, the #1 International Racquetball Tour (IRT) player in a complete match, as Rojas defeated Waselenchuk in the semi-finals of the Kansas City Pro-Am / Ghost of Georgetown tournament, 2-11, 11-9, 11-8, 11-4.
Rojas, the #4 IRT player, will play IRT #2 Rocky Carson in the final on Sunday. Carson defeated IRT #3 Alvaro Beltran in the other semi-final, 11-8, 11-4, 11-2.
Rojas should be wary of tomorrow's final, as the last time Waselenchuk lost was also in a semi-final, when Beltran beat him in the 2009 California Open, and Beltran last in that final to Carson. It's often difficult to follow up a huge upset the next day.
In game one, Waseelenchuk looked comfortable and led all the way, winning 11-2. Rojas had a lead at the start of game two, going up 3-0 and 5-2 before Waselenchuk caught him and took his own lead a 9-5.
But Rojas held Waselenchuk at nine and scored six straight points to take game two, 11-9. Rojas hit drive serves to both the left and right as well as drive Z serves to the right, which was to the left-handed Waselenchuk's backhand.
Rojas kept the momentum up in game three, as he went out to a 6-1 lead. They went back and forth at the point and Waselenchuk worked his way back into the game, tying it at 7-7.
Most likely expected at this would where Waselenchuk steps it up or Rojas would fall apart, but neither happened. Rojas got the next point, making it 8-7, and maintained the lead to win 11-8, on a drive serve ace to the back left corner.
And so it was that Waselenchuk found himself down 2-1 for the first time since February 2011, when Carson was up 2-1 on him in the final of the San Diego Open. Then Waselenchuk came back to win 12-10 in the tie-breaker.
But in game four, Rojas again took a big lead early, going up 5-0. Waselenchuk came back and closed the gap, but never less than two, when he trailed 6-4. Rojas held the the #1 player at 4 as he scored the last five points of the match, winning game four 11-4.
Rojas won on the first match point, as Waselenchuk skipped a serve return of what might have been Rojas's worse serve of the match. He drove serve to the right, but hit it well high and it came off the right wall putting Waselenchuk in an awkward spot. Waselenchuk hit it to the left, which might have been a pinch attempt, but the ball hit the floor around the service box.
Afterwards, Waselenchuk said "today just wasn't my day," and "it is what it is." Asked about his knee, which caused him to default a match last season, Waselenchuk said "my body's good." However, he also said he "didn't care whether I won or lost" adding that it showed in his play, so it seems Waselenchuk wasn't in the right place mentally Saturday, and it cost him.
Thus, Waselenchuk won't set the record for most career IRT tournament wins. He's currently tied with Cliff Swain at 70. The next IRT event is the US Open in early October. Waselenchuk hasn't lost a US Open match since 2002, and it would be fitting if he set the career tournament wins record in Minneapoils at the US Open.
In the other semi, Carson had a relatively easy time with Beltran winning in three straight games, although he said afterwards he's always ready to play four or five games when facing Beltran. Carson was helped by Beltran who wasn't sharp Saturday. For example, Beltran skipped shots on the last four rallies of game two giving Carson a 2-0 advantage.
The IRT Network will webcast the final at noon CDT on Sunday.
2013 Kansas City Pro-Am - Ghost of Georgetown
Semi finals (with seeding)
4 Jose Rojas d. 1 Kane Waselenchuk, 2-11, 11-9, 11-8, 11-4
2 Rocky Carson v. 3 Alvaro Beltran, 11-8, 11-4, 11-2
Final (with seeding)
2 Rocky Carson v. 4 Jose Rojas - Noon Sunday
Follow the bouncing ball….
Rojas, the #4 IRT player, will play IRT #2 Rocky Carson in the final on Sunday. Carson defeated IRT #3 Alvaro Beltran in the other semi-final, 11-8, 11-4, 11-2.
Rojas should be wary of tomorrow's final, as the last time Waselenchuk lost was also in a semi-final, when Beltran beat him in the 2009 California Open, and Beltran last in that final to Carson. It's often difficult to follow up a huge upset the next day.
In game one, Waseelenchuk looked comfortable and led all the way, winning 11-2. Rojas had a lead at the start of game two, going up 3-0 and 5-2 before Waselenchuk caught him and took his own lead a 9-5.
But Rojas held Waselenchuk at nine and scored six straight points to take game two, 11-9. Rojas hit drive serves to both the left and right as well as drive Z serves to the right, which was to the left-handed Waselenchuk's backhand.
Rojas kept the momentum up in game three, as he went out to a 6-1 lead. They went back and forth at the point and Waselenchuk worked his way back into the game, tying it at 7-7.
Most likely expected at this would where Waselenchuk steps it up or Rojas would fall apart, but neither happened. Rojas got the next point, making it 8-7, and maintained the lead to win 11-8, on a drive serve ace to the back left corner.
And so it was that Waselenchuk found himself down 2-1 for the first time since February 2011, when Carson was up 2-1 on him in the final of the San Diego Open. Then Waselenchuk came back to win 12-10 in the tie-breaker.
But in game four, Rojas again took a big lead early, going up 5-0. Waselenchuk came back and closed the gap, but never less than two, when he trailed 6-4. Rojas held the the #1 player at 4 as he scored the last five points of the match, winning game four 11-4.
Rojas won on the first match point, as Waselenchuk skipped a serve return of what might have been Rojas's worse serve of the match. He drove serve to the right, but hit it well high and it came off the right wall putting Waselenchuk in an awkward spot. Waselenchuk hit it to the left, which might have been a pinch attempt, but the ball hit the floor around the service box.
Afterwards, Waselenchuk said "today just wasn't my day," and "it is what it is." Asked about his knee, which caused him to default a match last season, Waselenchuk said "my body's good." However, he also said he "didn't care whether I won or lost" adding that it showed in his play, so it seems Waselenchuk wasn't in the right place mentally Saturday, and it cost him.
Thus, Waselenchuk won't set the record for most career IRT tournament wins. He's currently tied with Cliff Swain at 70. The next IRT event is the US Open in early October. Waselenchuk hasn't lost a US Open match since 2002, and it would be fitting if he set the career tournament wins record in Minneapoils at the US Open.
In the other semi, Carson had a relatively easy time with Beltran winning in three straight games, although he said afterwards he's always ready to play four or five games when facing Beltran. Carson was helped by Beltran who wasn't sharp Saturday. For example, Beltran skipped shots on the last four rallies of game two giving Carson a 2-0 advantage.
The IRT Network will webcast the final at noon CDT on Sunday.
2013 Kansas City Pro-Am - Ghost of Georgetown
Semi finals (with seeding)
4 Jose Rojas d. 1 Kane Waselenchuk, 2-11, 11-9, 11-8, 11-4
2 Rocky Carson v. 3 Alvaro Beltran, 11-8, 11-4, 11-2
Final (with seeding)
2 Rocky Carson v. 4 Jose Rojas - Noon Sunday
Follow the bouncing ball….
Friday, September 13, 2013
IRT - Kansas City Pro-Am / Ghost of Georgetown Quarter finals
The top 4 seeds have all made the semi-finals at the first International Racquetball Tour (IRT) event of the season: the Kansas City Pro-Am / Ghost of Georgetown tournament. IRT #1 Kane Waselenchuk beat Daniel De La Rosa in three straight games, 11-6, 11-4, 11-5, although De La Rosa played well.
They were close in game one, when Waselenchuk led 7-4, but he then ran the score to 10-4, and closed it out after De La Rosa got a couple of points to make it look more respectable.
In game two, De La Rosa scored the first two points, but then Waselenchuk scored the next 10. De La Rosa switched to lob serves to the right - Waselenchuk's backhand, and he got a couple more points before Waselenchuk won game two 11-4.
De La Rosa kept the lob serve going early in game three and led 4-1. But Waselenchuk was cutting those serves off not letting them get deeper than the receiving line, reducing the serve's effectiveness and led De La Rosa to go back to drive serves. Waselenchuk tied the game at 5-5 and then held De La Rosa there as he went on to win game three 11-5 and take the match in three straight games.
IRT #2 Rocky Carson was in complete control in defeating Marco Rojas, 11-2, 11-2, 11-3. Rojas's brother and IRT #4 Jose won in straight games against Jansen Allen, winning 11-8, 11-4, 11-8.
The first game of Rojas-Allen was close and it could have gone Allen's way. It took six game points before Rojas won it, and that was a kill shot off a ball that sailed off the back wall when Allen had a great opportunity to hit a winning pass down the right side. Not winning game one seemed to take the wind out of Allen's sails and he wasn't as sharp in game two.
Rojas continued the momentum into game three, as he took an 8-1 lead, but Allen staged a comeback to 10-8. However, Rojas won it at 11-8 with a service winner off a drive serve to the left side.
In what was the closest of the quarter final matches, Alvaro Beltran, IRT #3, beat 6th seed Ben Croft, 11-9, 11-8, 11-9. Croft played Beltran close in each game and had a lead early in game three at 5-2, but he was never able to catch Beltran late and take a game. Beltran used both his classic lob serve tight to the right side wall as well as drive serves against Croft, who drove served through the match.
The IRT Network will have the semi-finals at 4 PM and 5 PM CDT Saturday and the final at noon on Sunday.
2013 Kansas City Pro-Am - Ghost of Georgetown
Quarter finals (with seeding)
1 Kane Waselenchuk d. 8 Daniel De La Rosa, 11-6, 11-4, 11-5
4 Jose Rojas d. Jansen Allen, 11-8, 11-4, 11-8
3 Alvaro Beltran d. 6 Ben Croft, 11-9, 11-8, 11-9
2 Rocky Carson d. Marco Rojas, 11-2, 11-2, 11-3
Semi-finals - Saturday
1 Kane Waselenchuk v. 4 Jose Rojas - 5 PM
2 Rocky Carson v. 3 Alvaro Beltran - 4 PM
Follow the bouncing ball….
They were close in game one, when Waselenchuk led 7-4, but he then ran the score to 10-4, and closed it out after De La Rosa got a couple of points to make it look more respectable.
In game two, De La Rosa scored the first two points, but then Waselenchuk scored the next 10. De La Rosa switched to lob serves to the right - Waselenchuk's backhand, and he got a couple more points before Waselenchuk won game two 11-4.
De La Rosa kept the lob serve going early in game three and led 4-1. But Waselenchuk was cutting those serves off not letting them get deeper than the receiving line, reducing the serve's effectiveness and led De La Rosa to go back to drive serves. Waselenchuk tied the game at 5-5 and then held De La Rosa there as he went on to win game three 11-5 and take the match in three straight games.
IRT #2 Rocky Carson was in complete control in defeating Marco Rojas, 11-2, 11-2, 11-3. Rojas's brother and IRT #4 Jose won in straight games against Jansen Allen, winning 11-8, 11-4, 11-8.
The first game of Rojas-Allen was close and it could have gone Allen's way. It took six game points before Rojas won it, and that was a kill shot off a ball that sailed off the back wall when Allen had a great opportunity to hit a winning pass down the right side. Not winning game one seemed to take the wind out of Allen's sails and he wasn't as sharp in game two.
Rojas continued the momentum into game three, as he took an 8-1 lead, but Allen staged a comeback to 10-8. However, Rojas won it at 11-8 with a service winner off a drive serve to the left side.
In what was the closest of the quarter final matches, Alvaro Beltran, IRT #3, beat 6th seed Ben Croft, 11-9, 11-8, 11-9. Croft played Beltran close in each game and had a lead early in game three at 5-2, but he was never able to catch Beltran late and take a game. Beltran used both his classic lob serve tight to the right side wall as well as drive serves against Croft, who drove served through the match.
The IRT Network will have the semi-finals at 4 PM and 5 PM CDT Saturday and the final at noon on Sunday.
2013 Kansas City Pro-Am - Ghost of Georgetown
Quarter finals (with seeding)
1 Kane Waselenchuk d. 8 Daniel De La Rosa, 11-6, 11-4, 11-5
4 Jose Rojas d. Jansen Allen, 11-8, 11-4, 11-8
3 Alvaro Beltran d. 6 Ben Croft, 11-9, 11-8, 11-9
2 Rocky Carson d. Marco Rojas, 11-2, 11-2, 11-3
Semi-finals - Saturday
1 Kane Waselenchuk v. 4 Jose Rojas - 5 PM
2 Rocky Carson v. 3 Alvaro Beltran - 4 PM
Follow the bouncing ball….
IRT - Kansas Pro-Am / Ghost of Georgetown - Round of 16
Two upsets in the Round of 16 at the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) Kansas City Pro-Am / Ghost of Georgetown tournament, as Marco Rojas defeated Tony Carson, 11-4, 11-7, 11-6. He'll take on the IRT #2 Rocky Carson (no relation to Tony) in the quarter finals later on Friday, as Rocky beat Alejandro Herrera, 11-2, 11-4, 11-2, in the 16s.
In the other, Jansen Allen upset 5th seed Chris Crowther, 11-13, 11-3, 11-8, 11-3. He'll play Jose Rojas in the quarter finals, as Rojas beat David Horn, 11-9, 11-5, 11-7.
All the matches in the 16s but one were only three games, including IRT #1 Kane Waselenchuk's win over Travis Woodbury, 11-4, 11-2, 11-0.
The only exception was the Alvaro Beltran - Mike Green match, which Beltran won in four games, 12-10, 2-11, 11-1, 11-2. That looked like it would be in Green's favour after he had a lopsided win in game two, but Beltran came out drive serving in game three and that gave him the extra advantage that led to victory.
The IRT Network will carry the quarter finals live over the web from 4 PM CDT, as well as the semi-finals at 4 PM and 5 PM CDT Saturday and the final at noon on Sunday.
2013 Kansas City Pro-Am - Ghost of Georgetown
Round of 16
1 Kane Waselenchuk d. Travis Woodbury, 11-4, 11-2, 11-0
8 Daniel De La Rosa d. Alex Ackermann, 11-9, 11-8, 11-5
Jansen Allen d. 5 Chris Crowther, 11-13, 11-3, 11-8, 11-3
4 Jose Rojas d. David Horn, 11-9, 11-5, 11-7
3 Alvaro Beltran d. Mike Green, 12-10, 2-11, 11-1, 11-2
6 Ben Croft d. Jose Diaz, 11-5, 11-5, 11-4
Marco Rojas d. 7 Tony Carson, 11-4, 11-7, 11-6
2 Rocky Carson d. Alejandro Herrera, 11-2, 11-4, 11-2
Quarter finals
1 Kane Waselenchuk v. 8 Daniel De La Rosa
4 Jose Rojas v. Jansen Allen
3 Alvaro Beltran v. 6 Ben Croft
2 Rocky Carson v. Marco Rojas
Follow the bouncing ball….
In the other, Jansen Allen upset 5th seed Chris Crowther, 11-13, 11-3, 11-8, 11-3. He'll play Jose Rojas in the quarter finals, as Rojas beat David Horn, 11-9, 11-5, 11-7.
All the matches in the 16s but one were only three games, including IRT #1 Kane Waselenchuk's win over Travis Woodbury, 11-4, 11-2, 11-0.
The only exception was the Alvaro Beltran - Mike Green match, which Beltran won in four games, 12-10, 2-11, 11-1, 11-2. That looked like it would be in Green's favour after he had a lopsided win in game two, but Beltran came out drive serving in game three and that gave him the extra advantage that led to victory.
The IRT Network will carry the quarter finals live over the web from 4 PM CDT, as well as the semi-finals at 4 PM and 5 PM CDT Saturday and the final at noon on Sunday.
2013 Kansas City Pro-Am - Ghost of Georgetown
Round of 16
1 Kane Waselenchuk d. Travis Woodbury, 11-4, 11-2, 11-0
8 Daniel De La Rosa d. Alex Ackermann, 11-9, 11-8, 11-5
Jansen Allen d. 5 Chris Crowther, 11-13, 11-3, 11-8, 11-3
4 Jose Rojas d. David Horn, 11-9, 11-5, 11-7
3 Alvaro Beltran d. Mike Green, 12-10, 2-11, 11-1, 11-2
6 Ben Croft d. Jose Diaz, 11-5, 11-5, 11-4
Marco Rojas d. 7 Tony Carson, 11-4, 11-7, 11-6
2 Rocky Carson d. Alejandro Herrera, 11-2, 11-4, 11-2
Quarter finals
1 Kane Waselenchuk v. 8 Daniel De La Rosa
4 Jose Rojas v. Jansen Allen
3 Alvaro Beltran v. 6 Ben Croft
2 Rocky Carson v. Marco Rojas
Follow the bouncing ball….
IRT - Kansas City Pro-Am / Ghost of Georgetown Preliminary Results
Two results of note from the preliminary rounds on Thursday at the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) Kansas City Pro-Am / Ghost of Georgetown tournament. Canadian Champion Mike Green reached the Round of 16 with two wins on Thursday. He first took out Fernando Rios, 11-6, 11-0, 11-1, and then took out Charlie Pratt in five games, 11-4, 11-1, 13-15, 8-11, 11-3. He'll play Alvaro Beltran in the 16s on Friday.
Travis Woodbury also made it through to the 16s with a win over Francisco Troncoso, 4-11, 11-1, 11-7, 11-5. But that win might be a mixed blessing for Woodbury as he'll face IRT #1 Kane Waselenchuk on Friday.
All the other final round qualifying matches were won by the higher seed in three straight games, including a win by young American Jansen Allen over Japanese veteran Hiroshi Shimizu, 11-2, 11-5, 11-8.
The IRT Network will carry the action live over the web all day Friday beginning at 10 AM CDT and the quarter finals at 4 PM CDT.
2013 Kansas City Pro-Am - Ghost of Georgetown
Preliminary Round 1
John Scott d. James Palmer, 3-11, 11-4, 11-5, 11-8
Cody Hudson d. Set Cubillos, 11-5, 11-5, 11-0
Preliminary Round 2
Francisco Troncoso d. Joe Workman, 11-9, 11-0, 11-6
Travis Woodbury d. Sebastian Franco, fft
Matt Majxner d. Filip Vesely, 11-8, 11-4, 11-2
Hiroshi Shimizu d. Armondo Bermudez, 11-4, 11-2, 11-2
David Horn d. John Scott, 11-2, 11-0, 11-3
Bradly Rogers d. Francisco Gomez, 11-7, 11-3, 8-11, 11-2
Mike Green d. Fernando Rios, 11-6, 11-0, 11-1
Charlie Pratt d. Cody Hudson, 11-2, 14-12, 11-3
Robert Collins d. Logan Reese, 11-9, 11-5, 11-5
Troy Vanbemmelen d. Juan Martinez, 11-9, 11-6, 11-9
Peter Wrigley d. Arthur Schmeiser, fft
Alejandro Herrera d. Andres Acuna, 3-11, 15-13, 5-11, 11-7, 11-2
Preliminary Round 3
Q8 Travis Woodbury d. Francisco Troncoso, 4-11, 11-1, 11-7, 11-5
Q1 Alex Ackermann d. Matt Majxner, 11-4, 11-3, 11-0
Q4 Jansen Allen d. Hiroshi Shimizu, 11-2, 11-5, 11-8
Q5 David Horn d. Bradly Rogers, 11-4, 11-2, 11-5
Q6 Mike Green d. Charlie Pratt, 11-4, 11-1, 13-15, 8-11, 11-3
Q3 Jose Diaz d. Robert Collins, 11-9, 11-6, 11-7
Q2 Marco Rojas d. Troy Vanbemmelen, 11-8, 11-9, 11-2
Q7 Alejandro Herrera d. Peter Wrigley, 11-4, 11-6, 11-4
Main Draw of 16
1 Kane Waselenchuk v. Travis Woodbury
8 Daniel De La Rosa v. Alex Ackermann
5 Chris Crowther v. Jansen Allen
4 Jose Rojas v. David Horn
3 Alvaro Beltran v. Mike Green
6 Ben Croft v. Jose Diaz
7 Tony Carson v. Marco Rojas
2 Rocky Carson v. Alejandro Herrera
Follow the bouncing ball….
Travis Woodbury also made it through to the 16s with a win over Francisco Troncoso, 4-11, 11-1, 11-7, 11-5. But that win might be a mixed blessing for Woodbury as he'll face IRT #1 Kane Waselenchuk on Friday.
All the other final round qualifying matches were won by the higher seed in three straight games, including a win by young American Jansen Allen over Japanese veteran Hiroshi Shimizu, 11-2, 11-5, 11-8.
The IRT Network will carry the action live over the web all day Friday beginning at 10 AM CDT and the quarter finals at 4 PM CDT.
2013 Kansas City Pro-Am - Ghost of Georgetown
Preliminary Round 1
John Scott d. James Palmer, 3-11, 11-4, 11-5, 11-8
Cody Hudson d. Set Cubillos, 11-5, 11-5, 11-0
Preliminary Round 2
Francisco Troncoso d. Joe Workman, 11-9, 11-0, 11-6
Travis Woodbury d. Sebastian Franco, fft
Matt Majxner d. Filip Vesely, 11-8, 11-4, 11-2
Hiroshi Shimizu d. Armondo Bermudez, 11-4, 11-2, 11-2
David Horn d. John Scott, 11-2, 11-0, 11-3
Bradly Rogers d. Francisco Gomez, 11-7, 11-3, 8-11, 11-2
Mike Green d. Fernando Rios, 11-6, 11-0, 11-1
Charlie Pratt d. Cody Hudson, 11-2, 14-12, 11-3
Robert Collins d. Logan Reese, 11-9, 11-5, 11-5
Troy Vanbemmelen d. Juan Martinez, 11-9, 11-6, 11-9
Peter Wrigley d. Arthur Schmeiser, fft
Alejandro Herrera d. Andres Acuna, 3-11, 15-13, 5-11, 11-7, 11-2
Preliminary Round 3
Q8 Travis Woodbury d. Francisco Troncoso, 4-11, 11-1, 11-7, 11-5
Q1 Alex Ackermann d. Matt Majxner, 11-4, 11-3, 11-0
Q4 Jansen Allen d. Hiroshi Shimizu, 11-2, 11-5, 11-8
Q5 David Horn d. Bradly Rogers, 11-4, 11-2, 11-5
Q6 Mike Green d. Charlie Pratt, 11-4, 11-1, 13-15, 8-11, 11-3
Q3 Jose Diaz d. Robert Collins, 11-9, 11-6, 11-7
Q2 Marco Rojas d. Troy Vanbemmelen, 11-8, 11-9, 11-2
Q7 Alejandro Herrera d. Peter Wrigley, 11-4, 11-6, 11-4
Main Draw of 16
1 Kane Waselenchuk v. Travis Woodbury
8 Daniel De La Rosa v. Alex Ackermann
5 Chris Crowther v. Jansen Allen
4 Jose Rojas v. David Horn
3 Alvaro Beltran v. Mike Green
6 Ben Croft v. Jose Diaz
7 Tony Carson v. Marco Rojas
2 Rocky Carson v. Alejandro Herrera
Follow the bouncing ball….
Thursday, September 12, 2013
IRT - Kansas City Pro-Am - Ghost of Georgetown Preview
The 2013-14 International Racquetball Tour (IRT) season kicks off today with the Kansas City Pro-Am / Ghost of Georgetown tournament. Thirty eight players are vying for the first IRT title of the season. IRT #1 Kane Waselenchuk is tied with Cliff Swain for most tournament titles all time at 70. If Waselenchuk wins this weekend, he'll be alone at the top. Few, if any, would bet against that happening.
But before we get there, there are some preliminary matches to play on Thursday.
One of the highlight matches on in Thursday's qualifying matches will be Mike Green versus Fernando Rios, which will be a repeat of the 2012 Pan American Championships gold medal match that Green won. The winner will likely play Charlie Pratt for a spot in the Round of 16 on Friday versus 3rd seed Alvaro Beltran.
Another good match Thursday could be young American Jansen Allen versus Japanese veteran Hiroshi Shimizu, although Shimizu has to first defeat Armondo Bermudez to play Allen. The winner of that bracket will face 5th seed Chris Crowther in the 16s on Friday.
The IRT Network will carry the action live over the web on Thursday night from 8 PM CDT and then all day Friday beginning at 10 AM CDT.
2013 Kansas City Pro-Am - Ghost of Georgetown
Preliminary Round 1
James Palmer v. John Scott
Cody Hudson v. Set Cubillos
Preliminary Round 2
Francisco Troncoso v. Joe Workman
Sebastian Franco v. Travis Woodbury
Filip Vesely v. Matt Majxner
Hiroshi Shimizu v. Armondo Bermudez
David Horn v. James Palmer or John Scott
Bradly Rogers v. Francisco Gomez
Fernando Rios v. Mike Green
Charlie Pratt v. Cody Hudson or Set Cubillos
Robert Collins v. Logan Reese
Juan Martinez v. Troy Vanbemmelen
Arthur Schmeiser v. Perter Wrigley
Alejandro Herrera v. Andres Acuna
Preliminary Round 3
Q8 Francisco Troncoso or Joe Workman v. Sebastian Franco or Travis Woodbury
Q1 Alex Ackermann v. Filip Vesely or Matt Majxner
Q4 Jansen Allen v. Hiroshi Shimizu or Armondo Bermudez
Q5 David Horn or James Palmer or John Scott v. Bradly Rogers or Francisco Gomez
Q6 Charlie Pratt or Cody Hudson or Set Cubillos v. Fernando Rios or Mike Green
Q3 Jose Diaz v. Robert Collins or Logan Reese
Q2 Marco Rojas v. Juan Martinez or Troy Vanbemmelen
Q7 Arthur Schmeiser or Perter Wrigley v. Alejandro Herrera or Andres Acuna
Main Draw of 16
1 Kane Waselenchuk v. Q8
8 Daniel De La Rosa v. Q1
5 Chris Crowther v. Q4
4 Jose Rojas v. Q5
3 Alvaro Beltran v. Q4
6 Ben Croft v. Q5
7 Tony Carson v. Q2
2 Rocky Carson v. Q7
Follow the bouncing ball….
But before we get there, there are some preliminary matches to play on Thursday.
One of the highlight matches on in Thursday's qualifying matches will be Mike Green versus Fernando Rios, which will be a repeat of the 2012 Pan American Championships gold medal match that Green won. The winner will likely play Charlie Pratt for a spot in the Round of 16 on Friday versus 3rd seed Alvaro Beltran.
Another good match Thursday could be young American Jansen Allen versus Japanese veteran Hiroshi Shimizu, although Shimizu has to first defeat Armondo Bermudez to play Allen. The winner of that bracket will face 5th seed Chris Crowther in the 16s on Friday.
The IRT Network will carry the action live over the web on Thursday night from 8 PM CDT and then all day Friday beginning at 10 AM CDT.
2013 Kansas City Pro-Am - Ghost of Georgetown
Preliminary Round 1
James Palmer v. John Scott
Cody Hudson v. Set Cubillos
Preliminary Round 2
Francisco Troncoso v. Joe Workman
Sebastian Franco v. Travis Woodbury
Filip Vesely v. Matt Majxner
Hiroshi Shimizu v. Armondo Bermudez
David Horn v. James Palmer or John Scott
Bradly Rogers v. Francisco Gomez
Fernando Rios v. Mike Green
Charlie Pratt v. Cody Hudson or Set Cubillos
Robert Collins v. Logan Reese
Juan Martinez v. Troy Vanbemmelen
Arthur Schmeiser v. Perter Wrigley
Alejandro Herrera v. Andres Acuna
Preliminary Round 3
Q8 Francisco Troncoso or Joe Workman v. Sebastian Franco or Travis Woodbury
Q1 Alex Ackermann v. Filip Vesely or Matt Majxner
Q4 Jansen Allen v. Hiroshi Shimizu or Armondo Bermudez
Q5 David Horn or James Palmer or John Scott v. Bradly Rogers or Francisco Gomez
Q6 Charlie Pratt or Cody Hudson or Set Cubillos v. Fernando Rios or Mike Green
Q3 Jose Diaz v. Robert Collins or Logan Reese
Q2 Marco Rojas v. Juan Martinez or Troy Vanbemmelen
Q7 Arthur Schmeiser or Perter Wrigley v. Alejandro Herrera or Andres Acuna
Main Draw of 16
1 Kane Waselenchuk v. Q8
8 Daniel De La Rosa v. Q1
5 Chris Crowther v. Q4
4 Jose Rojas v. Q5
3 Alvaro Beltran v. Q4
6 Ben Croft v. Q5
7 Tony Carson v. Q2
2 Rocky Carson v. Q7
Follow the bouncing ball….
Monday, September 9, 2013
2013-14 IRT Season Preview
The International Racquetball Tour's (IRT's) 2013-14 season begins this week with The Ghost of Georgetown racquetball tournament in Overland Park, Kansas. Thus, it's a good time to remind you what happened in the 12 Tier 1 or Grand Slam events last season.
IRT Rank - Player - Wins - Seconds - Semis - Quarters
1) Kane Waselenchuk - 9 wins, 1 seconds, 0 semi-finals, 0 quarters
2) Rocky Carson - 3 win, 5 seconds, 4 semis, 0 qtrs
3) Alvaro Beltran - 3 seconds, 4 semis, 3 qtr
4) Jose Rojas - 1 seconds, 5 semis, 4 qrts
5) Chris Crowther - 3 semi, 8 qtrs
6) Ben Croft - 2 seconds, 3 semis, 4 qtrs
7) Tony Carson - 8 qrts
8) Shane Vanderson - 1 semis, 3 qtrs
9) Daniel De La Rosa - 1 semi, 3 qtrs
10) Javier Moreno - 4 qtrs
11) Alex Ackermann - 2 qtrs
12) Andy Hawthorne - 1 qtr
13) Marco Rojas - 1 semi, 1 qtr
14) Jose Diaz - 1 qtr
15) Alejandro Landa - 1 semis, 2 qtr
16) Anthony Herrera - 1 qtr
17) Jansen Allen - 1 qtr
19) Nick Montalbano - 1 semi
21) Charlie Pratt - 1 qrt
35) Fernando Rios - 1 qtr
Event - Final - Semi-Finalists
Kansas City Final: Waselenchuk d. R. Carson - Semis: Beltran, J. Rojas
US Open Final: Waselenchuk d. R. Carson - Beltran, Crowther
Davison Final: Waselenchuk d. Beltran - Semis: Vanderson, R. Carson
New Jersey Open Final: R. Carson d. Beltran - Semis: Crowther, Montalbano
California Open Final: Waselenchuk d. R. Carson - Semis: Landa, Beltran
New York City Final: R. Carson d. J. Rojas - Semis: Crowther, Beltran
Florida Spring Break Final: Waselenchuk d. Croft - Semis: J. Rojas, R. Carson
Denver Final: R. Carson d. Waselenchuk - Semis: Croft, J. Rojas
St Louis Final: Waselenchuk d. Beltran - Semis: M. Rojas, R. Carson
Portland Final: Waselenchuk d. Croft - Semis: J. Rojas, R. Carson
Stockton Final: Waselenchuk d. R. Carson - Semis: Croft, De La Rosa
Ektelon Nationals Final: Waselenchuk d. R. Carson - Semis: J. Rojas, Croft
The 2012-13 IRT Statistical Abstract
Total matches played: 479
Percentage of 3 game matches: 57.4 (275 of 479)
Percentage of 4 game matches: 22.5 (108)
Percentage of 5 game matches: 14.0 (67)
Percentage of matches that were defaults or data was incomplete: 6.3 (30)
Most points scored in a victory
53 - (i) John Behm d. Arthur Schmeiser, 13-11, 8-11, 10-12, 11-5, 11-7, in the NYC Pro-Am, (ii) Alex Ackermann d. Andy Hawthorne, 9-11, 12-10, 10-12, 11-4, 11-5, in the New Jersey Open, & (iii) Alvaro Beltran d. Rocky Carson, 11-[-1], 11-1, 10-12, 9-11, 11-1
Most points scored in a loss
52 - Alvaro Beltran in loss to Ben Croft, 11-9, 11-9, 9-11, 4-11, 12-10, in the Denver Pro-Am
2nd most: 51 - (i) Alejandro Landa in loss to Daniel De La Rosa, 11-13, 11-8, 12-10, 6-11, 11-9, in the California Open, & (ii) Nick Montalbano in lose to Jose Rojas, 12-10, 10-12, 2-11, 11-9, 11-9, in the New Jersey Open
Most points in a...
5 game match: 102 - Daniel De La Rosa d. Alejandro Landa, 11-13, 11-8, 12-10, 6-11, 11-9, in the California Open
4 game match: 90 - Alex Ackermann d. Anthony Herrera, 13-11, 12-10, 9-11, 13-11 in the US Open
3 game match: 68 - Nick Montalbano d. Eric Muller, 11-7, 13-11, 14-12 in the New Jersey Open
Largest margin of victory
5 game match: 22 - Taylor Knoth d. Brad Schopieray, 11-4, 10-12, 9-11, 11-1, 11-2, in Portland
4 game match: 26 - Andrew Clarke d. Alexi David Cocco Hayes, 11-13, 11-0, 11-1, 11-4 in the Denver Pro-Am
3 game match: 33 by Roberto Santandar over Eli Mireles, 11-0, 11-0, 11-0 in the New Jersey Open
Smallest margin of victory
5 game match: -9 - Alvaro Beltran d. Ben Croft, 1-11, 11-8, 11-7, 2-11, 11-8 in the Kansas City Pro-Am
4 game match: 1 - David Horn d. Jansen Allen, 12-10, 5-11, 11-8, 11-9 in the Kansas City Pro-Am
3 game match: 8 - (i) Nick Montalbano d. Eric Muller, 11-7, 13-11, 14-12 in the New Jersey Open & (ii) Alejandro Landa d. Jose Rojas, 12-10, 11-8, 11-8, in the California Open
Waselenchuk dominance continues
Kane Waselenchuk maintained his dominant position in men's pro racquetball last season, although for the second consecutive season he missed some tournaments due to injury and he had to retire during the final of the Denver Pro-Am. Waselenchuk's will be 32 in November and he plays more racquetball matches than most of the other IRT players (although he generally only plays Tier 1 and Grand Slam events while most other players will enter some lower Tier events during the season), so he's got relatively more mileage on his body than others.
However, Waselenchuk's game level is still very high, and there seems little reason to doubt that he will again dominate the IRT this season.
The rest of the field
Waselenchuk's only lost on court in the past few season when he's been injured. You have to go back to January 2009 for his last on court loss. Will this be the season he loses again on court? We wouldn't place any bets on that, at least not without getting really good odds.
However, if he was to do so, who would do it? Rocky Carson re-established himself as the #2 IRT player last season, as he was the only other player to win any tournaments. We believe that it's possible for him to beat Waselenchuk, but clearly it's not an easy task.
It looked like Carson had an opportunity in the California Open, when Waselenchuk seemed to be injured late in the match (and he missed the tournament the next week), and Carson was ahead when they played in the Denver final prior to Waselenchuk injuring his knee that led him to retire after the third game.
So, Carson could beat Waselenchuk. Who else?
Alvaro Beltran is the last person to do (and we anticipated that), and he did reach three finals last season, losing twice to Waselenchuk and once to Carson. But Beltran's in his mid-30s now, so time's not on his side. Beltran's game style - good drive serves, lob serves tight to the right wall, and hitting winner off of diving gets - matches up well against Waselenchuk, but that style demands a lot of energy and fitness, which hasn't always been Beltran's strongest suit.
Ben Croft didn't win an event last season, as he did the season before. But he did improve his drive serve and did take a game off of Waselenchuk in one of the two finals they played together. However, one game isn't a match, but if Croft continues to improve his game, it's conceivable that he could get the better of Waselenchuk.
Like Croft, Jose Rojas won a tournament two seasons ago but not last season. He started last season poorly, but that was likely due to finishing up his college studies. With that done, he played well the in the second half of the season and is the youngest of the players in the top 4, so time is on side more than anyone else.
New blood
Six more players reached the quarter finals or better at an IRT event last season than in the season before (20 v. 14), so there have been some new faces in the later rounds of IRT events.
Daniel De La Rosa has been the best of the new players, as he finished 9th in the IRT rankings with one semi-final appearance and three quarter final appearances. De La Rosa is an exciting young player from Mexico, whose arm speed with his forehand shot is blurringly fast. He's younger than Rojas and if he plays the full season it will certainly be interesting to see how he does.
Alejandro Landa, another Mexican, also did well last season despite not playing the whole year. But in four events he had one semi-final and two quarter final finishes.
There were also some young Americans who did well last season, including Marco Rojas, Jose Diaz, Jansen Allen, and Nick Montalbano. Thus, we could see even an greater variety of players in the semi-finals and finals this season.
But in the end, we still like Waselenchuk's chances to dominate the IRT this season. He's tied with Cliff Swain for most IRT tournament wins all time at 70, and this time next week he may be the winningest IRT player ever. Considering Waselenchuk's won 70 tournaments in 108 tournament appearances* (64.8 winning percentage), and you can understand why people talk about him as the best ever.
This is sport, however, so strange things can happen, and probably will. And we'll be sure to cover it all for you during the 2013-14 IRT season.
* Note - The IRT Historical Archive lists 114 tournament appearances for Waselenchuk, but six of those were tournaments where he didn't play a single match; effectively, he wasn't there, so we've removed those events from the calculation here.
Follow the bouncing ball....
IRT Rank - Player - Wins - Seconds - Semis - Quarters
1) Kane Waselenchuk - 9 wins, 1 seconds, 0 semi-finals, 0 quarters
2) Rocky Carson - 3 win, 5 seconds, 4 semis, 0 qtrs
3) Alvaro Beltran - 3 seconds, 4 semis, 3 qtr
4) Jose Rojas - 1 seconds, 5 semis, 4 qrts
5) Chris Crowther - 3 semi, 8 qtrs
6) Ben Croft - 2 seconds, 3 semis, 4 qtrs
7) Tony Carson - 8 qrts
8) Shane Vanderson - 1 semis, 3 qtrs
9) Daniel De La Rosa - 1 semi, 3 qtrs
10) Javier Moreno - 4 qtrs
11) Alex Ackermann - 2 qtrs
12) Andy Hawthorne - 1 qtr
13) Marco Rojas - 1 semi, 1 qtr
14) Jose Diaz - 1 qtr
15) Alejandro Landa - 1 semis, 2 qtr
16) Anthony Herrera - 1 qtr
17) Jansen Allen - 1 qtr
19) Nick Montalbano - 1 semi
21) Charlie Pratt - 1 qrt
35) Fernando Rios - 1 qtr
Event - Final - Semi-Finalists
Kansas City Final: Waselenchuk d. R. Carson - Semis: Beltran, J. Rojas
US Open Final: Waselenchuk d. R. Carson - Beltran, Crowther
Davison Final: Waselenchuk d. Beltran - Semis: Vanderson, R. Carson
New Jersey Open Final: R. Carson d. Beltran - Semis: Crowther, Montalbano
California Open Final: Waselenchuk d. R. Carson - Semis: Landa, Beltran
New York City Final: R. Carson d. J. Rojas - Semis: Crowther, Beltran
Florida Spring Break Final: Waselenchuk d. Croft - Semis: J. Rojas, R. Carson
Denver Final: R. Carson d. Waselenchuk - Semis: Croft, J. Rojas
St Louis Final: Waselenchuk d. Beltran - Semis: M. Rojas, R. Carson
Portland Final: Waselenchuk d. Croft - Semis: J. Rojas, R. Carson
Stockton Final: Waselenchuk d. R. Carson - Semis: Croft, De La Rosa
Ektelon Nationals Final: Waselenchuk d. R. Carson - Semis: J. Rojas, Croft
The 2012-13 IRT Statistical Abstract
Total matches played: 479
Percentage of 3 game matches: 57.4 (275 of 479)
Percentage of 4 game matches: 22.5 (108)
Percentage of 5 game matches: 14.0 (67)
Percentage of matches that were defaults or data was incomplete: 6.3 (30)
Most points scored in a victory
53 - (i) John Behm d. Arthur Schmeiser, 13-11, 8-11, 10-12, 11-5, 11-7, in the NYC Pro-Am, (ii) Alex Ackermann d. Andy Hawthorne, 9-11, 12-10, 10-12, 11-4, 11-5, in the New Jersey Open, & (iii) Alvaro Beltran d. Rocky Carson, 11-[-1], 11-1, 10-12, 9-11, 11-1
Most points scored in a loss
52 - Alvaro Beltran in loss to Ben Croft, 11-9, 11-9, 9-11, 4-11, 12-10, in the Denver Pro-Am
2nd most: 51 - (i) Alejandro Landa in loss to Daniel De La Rosa, 11-13, 11-8, 12-10, 6-11, 11-9, in the California Open, & (ii) Nick Montalbano in lose to Jose Rojas, 12-10, 10-12, 2-11, 11-9, 11-9, in the New Jersey Open
Most points in a...
5 game match: 102 - Daniel De La Rosa d. Alejandro Landa, 11-13, 11-8, 12-10, 6-11, 11-9, in the California Open
4 game match: 90 - Alex Ackermann d. Anthony Herrera, 13-11, 12-10, 9-11, 13-11 in the US Open
3 game match: 68 - Nick Montalbano d. Eric Muller, 11-7, 13-11, 14-12 in the New Jersey Open
Largest margin of victory
5 game match: 22 - Taylor Knoth d. Brad Schopieray, 11-4, 10-12, 9-11, 11-1, 11-2, in Portland
4 game match: 26 - Andrew Clarke d. Alexi David Cocco Hayes, 11-13, 11-0, 11-1, 11-4 in the Denver Pro-Am
3 game match: 33 by Roberto Santandar over Eli Mireles, 11-0, 11-0, 11-0 in the New Jersey Open
Smallest margin of victory
5 game match: -9 - Alvaro Beltran d. Ben Croft, 1-11, 11-8, 11-7, 2-11, 11-8 in the Kansas City Pro-Am
4 game match: 1 - David Horn d. Jansen Allen, 12-10, 5-11, 11-8, 11-9 in the Kansas City Pro-Am
3 game match: 8 - (i) Nick Montalbano d. Eric Muller, 11-7, 13-11, 14-12 in the New Jersey Open & (ii) Alejandro Landa d. Jose Rojas, 12-10, 11-8, 11-8, in the California Open
Waselenchuk dominance continues
Kane Waselenchuk maintained his dominant position in men's pro racquetball last season, although for the second consecutive season he missed some tournaments due to injury and he had to retire during the final of the Denver Pro-Am. Waselenchuk's will be 32 in November and he plays more racquetball matches than most of the other IRT players (although he generally only plays Tier 1 and Grand Slam events while most other players will enter some lower Tier events during the season), so he's got relatively more mileage on his body than others.
However, Waselenchuk's game level is still very high, and there seems little reason to doubt that he will again dominate the IRT this season.
The rest of the field
Waselenchuk's only lost on court in the past few season when he's been injured. You have to go back to January 2009 for his last on court loss. Will this be the season he loses again on court? We wouldn't place any bets on that, at least not without getting really good odds.
However, if he was to do so, who would do it? Rocky Carson re-established himself as the #2 IRT player last season, as he was the only other player to win any tournaments. We believe that it's possible for him to beat Waselenchuk, but clearly it's not an easy task.
It looked like Carson had an opportunity in the California Open, when Waselenchuk seemed to be injured late in the match (and he missed the tournament the next week), and Carson was ahead when they played in the Denver final prior to Waselenchuk injuring his knee that led him to retire after the third game.
So, Carson could beat Waselenchuk. Who else?
Alvaro Beltran is the last person to do (and we anticipated that), and he did reach three finals last season, losing twice to Waselenchuk and once to Carson. But Beltran's in his mid-30s now, so time's not on his side. Beltran's game style - good drive serves, lob serves tight to the right wall, and hitting winner off of diving gets - matches up well against Waselenchuk, but that style demands a lot of energy and fitness, which hasn't always been Beltran's strongest suit.
Ben Croft didn't win an event last season, as he did the season before. But he did improve his drive serve and did take a game off of Waselenchuk in one of the two finals they played together. However, one game isn't a match, but if Croft continues to improve his game, it's conceivable that he could get the better of Waselenchuk.
Like Croft, Jose Rojas won a tournament two seasons ago but not last season. He started last season poorly, but that was likely due to finishing up his college studies. With that done, he played well the in the second half of the season and is the youngest of the players in the top 4, so time is on side more than anyone else.
New blood
Six more players reached the quarter finals or better at an IRT event last season than in the season before (20 v. 14), so there have been some new faces in the later rounds of IRT events.
Daniel De La Rosa has been the best of the new players, as he finished 9th in the IRT rankings with one semi-final appearance and three quarter final appearances. De La Rosa is an exciting young player from Mexico, whose arm speed with his forehand shot is blurringly fast. He's younger than Rojas and if he plays the full season it will certainly be interesting to see how he does.
Alejandro Landa, another Mexican, also did well last season despite not playing the whole year. But in four events he had one semi-final and two quarter final finishes.
There were also some young Americans who did well last season, including Marco Rojas, Jose Diaz, Jansen Allen, and Nick Montalbano. Thus, we could see even an greater variety of players in the semi-finals and finals this season.
But in the end, we still like Waselenchuk's chances to dominate the IRT this season. He's tied with Cliff Swain for most IRT tournament wins all time at 70, and this time next week he may be the winningest IRT player ever. Considering Waselenchuk's won 70 tournaments in 108 tournament appearances* (64.8 winning percentage), and you can understand why people talk about him as the best ever.
This is sport, however, so strange things can happen, and probably will. And we'll be sure to cover it all for you during the 2013-14 IRT season.
* Note - The IRT Historical Archive lists 114 tournament appearances for Waselenchuk, but six of those were tournaments where he didn't play a single match; effectively, he wasn't there, so we've removed those events from the calculation here.
Follow the bouncing ball....
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
LPRT Rankings - September 3, 2013
Results from the first Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) event of the season did not change the top six players in the LPRT rankings, which were released on Wednesday. Paola Longoria remains #1 with Rhonda Rajsich #2, Samantha Salas #3, Susana Acosta #4, Cheryl Gudinas #5, and Adrienne Haynes #6.
However, after that there are plenty of changes, as some young players had excellent results at that first event in Stockton, California. Maria Jose Vargas was a semi-finalist there and she has moved up to the #7 spot.
Vargas moved ahead of Grace Hughes and Cristina Amaya, who are 8th and 9th, respectively. Da'monique Davis, a quarter finalist in Stockton, moves up to 10th.
Veronica Sotomayor was the runner up in Stockton to Longoria, and she's moved up the rankings to 11th from from 16th.
Falling out of the top 10 for the first time in several years is Kerri Wachtel, who's 12th, as she didn't play in Stockton.
Also notable in the 11-20 spots are Maria Paz Muñoz, who's up to 17th, and Carla Muñoz (no relation), who's broken into the top 20 at #20.
The next LPRT event is the Albierto Mexicano de Racquetas in Toluca, Mexico September 20-22. That's a Grand Slam event. The 3 Wall Ball World Championships in Las Vegas is a LPRT satellite event, and that's going September 18-22.
LPRT Rankings - September 3, 2013
Season Ending Rankings
Rank - Name - Country - Points
1 Paola Longoria (Mexico) 2180.00
2 Rhonda Rajsich (USA) 1256.00
3 Samantha Salas (Mexico) 672.50
4 Susy Acosta (Mexico) 597.00
5 Cheryl Gudinas (USA) 509.50
6 Adrienne Haynes (USA) 444.75
7 Maria Jose Vargas (Bolivia) 400.75
8 Grace Hughes (USA) 393.50
9 Cristina Amaya (Colombia) 340.75
10 Da'monique Davis (USA) 328.75
11 Veronica Sotomayor (Ecuador) 292.50
12 Kerri Wachtel (USA) 284.75
13 Krystal Csuk (USA) 284.00
14 Jennifer Saunders (Canada) 270.50
15 T.J. Baumbaugh (USA) 260.75
16 Jackie Paraiso (USA) 227.00
17 Maria Paz Muñoz (Ecuador) 167.00
18 Hailey Miller (USA) 165.75
19 Sheryl Lotts (USA) 142.25
20 Carla Muñoz (Chile) 129.50
Follow the bouncing ball....
However, after that there are plenty of changes, as some young players had excellent results at that first event in Stockton, California. Maria Jose Vargas was a semi-finalist there and she has moved up to the #7 spot.
Vargas moved ahead of Grace Hughes and Cristina Amaya, who are 8th and 9th, respectively. Da'monique Davis, a quarter finalist in Stockton, moves up to 10th.
Veronica Sotomayor was the runner up in Stockton to Longoria, and she's moved up the rankings to 11th from from 16th.
Falling out of the top 10 for the first time in several years is Kerri Wachtel, who's 12th, as she didn't play in Stockton.
Also notable in the 11-20 spots are Maria Paz Muñoz, who's up to 17th, and Carla Muñoz (no relation), who's broken into the top 20 at #20.
The next LPRT event is the Albierto Mexicano de Racquetas in Toluca, Mexico September 20-22. That's a Grand Slam event. The 3 Wall Ball World Championships in Las Vegas is a LPRT satellite event, and that's going September 18-22.
LPRT Rankings - September 3, 2013
Season Ending Rankings
Rank - Name - Country - Points
1 Paola Longoria (Mexico) 2180.00
2 Rhonda Rajsich (USA) 1256.00
3 Samantha Salas (Mexico) 672.50
4 Susy Acosta (Mexico) 597.00
5 Cheryl Gudinas (USA) 509.50
6 Adrienne Haynes (USA) 444.75
7 Maria Jose Vargas (Bolivia) 400.75
8 Grace Hughes (USA) 393.50
9 Cristina Amaya (Colombia) 340.75
10 Da'monique Davis (USA) 328.75
11 Veronica Sotomayor (Ecuador) 292.50
12 Kerri Wachtel (USA) 284.75
13 Krystal Csuk (USA) 284.00
14 Jennifer Saunders (Canada) 270.50
15 T.J. Baumbaugh (USA) 260.75
16 Jackie Paraiso (USA) 227.00
17 Maria Paz Muñoz (Ecuador) 167.00
18 Hailey Miller (USA) 165.75
19 Sheryl Lotts (USA) 142.25
20 Carla Muñoz (Chile) 129.50
Follow the bouncing ball....
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Weekend Round Up
Fernando Rios was a double winner on the weekend at the Stockton Pro-Am in Stockton, California, as he won the Men's Open Singles and Doubles divisions. In singles, Rios defeated Jose Daniel Ugalde, 15-9, 15-8, while in doubles he teamed up with Jose Daniel Alvarez to beat former pro Tim Doyle and Seung Jun Jeon.
In the singles semi-finals, Rios defeated Tom Durham in two straight games, 15-4, 15-8, while Ugalde needed a tie-breaker to beat Marcelo Vargas, 9-15, 15-11, 11-4.
Both doubles semis were two straight game victories with Rios and Alvarez beating Bradley Kirch and Jonathan Clay, 15-9, 15-8, in one semi while Doyle and Jun Jeon saw off Mauro Rojas and Robert Collins, 15-8, 15-11, in the other.
On the women's side, Sharon Jackson won the Women's Open Singles division by defeating Maria Paz Muñoz, 15-13, 15-12, in the final. Jackson beat Carla Muñoz, 15-10, 15-6, in one semi-final with Paz Muñoz beating Do'monique Davis, 15-4, 15-5, in the other.
Notably, in the quarter-finals Jackson also beat Cristina Amaya, who was the #1 seed, 15-8, 15-10.
In Women's Open Doubles, Paz Muñoz and Veronica Sotomayor won a four team round robin, which was effectively a three team round robin as one of the teams - Aimee Ruiz and Maria Jose Vargas - defaulted all their matches.
Paz Muñoz and Sotomayor beat Amaya and Susana Acosta, 15-10, 9-15, 11-2, for first, and both those teams beat the Korean team of Nawoo Kim and Youngock Lee.
Ruiz did play Mixed Open Doubles, and won that division with Marco Rojas, as they defeated Sotomayor and Jose Diaz, 15-8, 15-9, in the final. In the semi-finals, Ruiz and Marco Rojas beat Paola Longoria and Mike Orr, 15-10, 15-11, while Sotomayor and Diaz defeated Sharon Jackson and Jose Rojas, 15-13, 15-11.
The next big racquetball event is the Ghost of Georgetown tournament in Overland Park, Kansas, September 12-15, which will kick off the 2013-14 International Racquetball Tour (IRT) season.
LPRT 2013 Stockton Pro-Am, Stockton, Calif.
Women's Open
Final
Sharon Jackson d. Maria Paz Muñoz, 15-13, 15-12
Semi-finals
Sharon Jackson d. Carla Muñoz, 15-10, 15-6
Maria Paz Muñoz d. Do'monique Davis, 15-4, 15-5
Men's Open
Final
Fernando Rios d. Jose Daniel Ugalde, 15-9, 15-8
Semi-finals
Fernando Rios d. Tom Durham, 15-4, 15-8
Jose Daniel Ugalde d. Marcelo Vargas, 9-15, 15-11, 11-4
Men's Open Doubles
Final
Fernando Rios & Jose Daniel Alvarez d. Seung Jun Jeon & Tim Doyle
Semi-finals
Fernando Rios & Jose Daniel Alvarez d. Bradley Kirch & Jonathan Clay, 15-9, 15-8
Seung Jun Jeon & Tim Doyle d. Mauro Rojas & Robert Collins, 15-8, 15-11
Mixed Open
Final
Aimee Ruiz & Marco Rojas d. Veronica Sotomayor & Jose Diaz, 15-8, 15-9
Semi-finals
Aimee Ruiz & Marco Rojas d. Paola Longoria & Mike Orr, 15-10, 15-11
Veronica Sotomayor & Jose Diaz d. Sharon Jackson & Jose Rojas, 15-13, 15-11
Follow the bouncing ball....
In the singles semi-finals, Rios defeated Tom Durham in two straight games, 15-4, 15-8, while Ugalde needed a tie-breaker to beat Marcelo Vargas, 9-15, 15-11, 11-4.
Both doubles semis were two straight game victories with Rios and Alvarez beating Bradley Kirch and Jonathan Clay, 15-9, 15-8, in one semi while Doyle and Jun Jeon saw off Mauro Rojas and Robert Collins, 15-8, 15-11, in the other.
On the women's side, Sharon Jackson won the Women's Open Singles division by defeating Maria Paz Muñoz, 15-13, 15-12, in the final. Jackson beat Carla Muñoz, 15-10, 15-6, in one semi-final with Paz Muñoz beating Do'monique Davis, 15-4, 15-5, in the other.
Notably, in the quarter-finals Jackson also beat Cristina Amaya, who was the #1 seed, 15-8, 15-10.
In Women's Open Doubles, Paz Muñoz and Veronica Sotomayor won a four team round robin, which was effectively a three team round robin as one of the teams - Aimee Ruiz and Maria Jose Vargas - defaulted all their matches.
Paz Muñoz and Sotomayor beat Amaya and Susana Acosta, 15-10, 9-15, 11-2, for first, and both those teams beat the Korean team of Nawoo Kim and Youngock Lee.
Ruiz did play Mixed Open Doubles, and won that division with Marco Rojas, as they defeated Sotomayor and Jose Diaz, 15-8, 15-9, in the final. In the semi-finals, Ruiz and Marco Rojas beat Paola Longoria and Mike Orr, 15-10, 15-11, while Sotomayor and Diaz defeated Sharon Jackson and Jose Rojas, 15-13, 15-11.
The next big racquetball event is the Ghost of Georgetown tournament in Overland Park, Kansas, September 12-15, which will kick off the 2013-14 International Racquetball Tour (IRT) season.
LPRT 2013 Stockton Pro-Am, Stockton, Calif.
Women's Open
Final
Sharon Jackson d. Maria Paz Muñoz, 15-13, 15-12
Semi-finals
Sharon Jackson d. Carla Muñoz, 15-10, 15-6
Maria Paz Muñoz d. Do'monique Davis, 15-4, 15-5
Men's Open
Final
Fernando Rios d. Jose Daniel Ugalde, 15-9, 15-8
Semi-finals
Fernando Rios d. Tom Durham, 15-4, 15-8
Jose Daniel Ugalde d. Marcelo Vargas, 9-15, 15-11, 11-4
Men's Open Doubles
Final
Fernando Rios & Jose Daniel Alvarez d. Seung Jun Jeon & Tim Doyle
Semi-finals
Fernando Rios & Jose Daniel Alvarez d. Bradley Kirch & Jonathan Clay, 15-9, 15-8
Seung Jun Jeon & Tim Doyle d. Mauro Rojas & Robert Collins, 15-8, 15-11
Mixed Open
Final
Aimee Ruiz & Marco Rojas d. Veronica Sotomayor & Jose Diaz, 15-8, 15-9
Semi-finals
Aimee Ruiz & Marco Rojas d. Paola Longoria & Mike Orr, 15-10, 15-11
Veronica Sotomayor & Jose Diaz d. Sharon Jackson & Jose Rojas, 15-13, 15-11
Follow the bouncing ball....
Sunday, September 1, 2013
LPRT - Longoria wins 2013 Stockton Pro-Am to start the 2013-14 LPRT season
Paola Longoria, the #1 player on the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT), lost the last time she played in Stockton, California. That was May 2011, and that was the last time she's lost women's pro match.
So it was a measure of redemption when she won the 2013 Stockton Pro-Am on Sunday by defeating Veronica Sotomayor in the final, 11-1, 11-9, 11-3. It was a dominant performance, who needed only 15 rallies to win the first game, as Sotomayor only served twice.
Longoria clearly had a game plan for serving to Sotomayor, as she did not drive serve at all in the final. Rather Longoria hit lob Z serves - and added some straight lob serves for variety - all to the right side, Sotomayor's forehand.
The players went back and forth in game two, but when Longoria went ahead 8-4, it seemed like it would be all over for Sotomayor. However, the young Ecuadoran player battled back and tied the game at 9-9.
Again they went back and forth. Then with the game still tied at 9-9, Sotomayor got the serve back and called a time-out. But on the ensuing rally she had a chance to hit a forehand winner but instead skipped the shot.
Longoria then made it 10-9 and then after another side-out, closed it out, as Sotomayor skipped another ball with her forehand that was left up following a Longoria pinch to the left corner.
The third game started slowly, and it wasn't until the 12th rally that Longoria made it 2-1. But she then went on a run taking the score up to 10-1. Sotomayor got a couple points back, but the writing was on the wall, and Longoria won it 11-3, to take the first LPRT event of the season.
The next LPRT event is the Albierto Mexicano de Racquetas tournament in Toluca, Mexico, September 20-22. It's a Grand Slam event, so results will be worth more ranking points, and there will be more prize money on the line as well.
LPRT 2013 Stockton Pro-Am, Stockton, Calif.
Final
Paola Longoria d. Veronica Sotomayor, 11-1, 11-9, 11-3
Follow the bouncing ball....
So it was a measure of redemption when she won the 2013 Stockton Pro-Am on Sunday by defeating Veronica Sotomayor in the final, 11-1, 11-9, 11-3. It was a dominant performance, who needed only 15 rallies to win the first game, as Sotomayor only served twice.
Longoria clearly had a game plan for serving to Sotomayor, as she did not drive serve at all in the final. Rather Longoria hit lob Z serves - and added some straight lob serves for variety - all to the right side, Sotomayor's forehand.
The players went back and forth in game two, but when Longoria went ahead 8-4, it seemed like it would be all over for Sotomayor. However, the young Ecuadoran player battled back and tied the game at 9-9.
Again they went back and forth. Then with the game still tied at 9-9, Sotomayor got the serve back and called a time-out. But on the ensuing rally she had a chance to hit a forehand winner but instead skipped the shot.
Longoria then made it 10-9 and then after another side-out, closed it out, as Sotomayor skipped another ball with her forehand that was left up following a Longoria pinch to the left corner.
The third game started slowly, and it wasn't until the 12th rally that Longoria made it 2-1. But she then went on a run taking the score up to 10-1. Sotomayor got a couple points back, but the writing was on the wall, and Longoria won it 11-3, to take the first LPRT event of the season.
The next LPRT event is the Albierto Mexicano de Racquetas tournament in Toluca, Mexico, September 20-22. It's a Grand Slam event, so results will be worth more ranking points, and there will be more prize money on the line as well.
LPRT 2013 Stockton Pro-Am, Stockton, Calif.
Final
Paola Longoria d. Veronica Sotomayor, 11-1, 11-9, 11-3
Follow the bouncing ball....
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