IRT 2013 Red Swain Quarter-finals

Cliff Swain continues to turn back the clock at the Red Swain Shootout in Davison, Michigan - a Tier 1 International Racquetball Tour (IRT), as he defeated Marco Rojas, 3-11, 11-2, 11-7, 11-2, in the quarter finals on Friday evening.

Swain, the former IRT #1 player, is looking to win his first Tier 1 IRT event since February 2005, when he beat Shane Vanderson to win the San Diego Open. If he wins in Davison, he would tie Kane Waselenchuk as the winningest IRT player. Waselenchuk set the career record at 71 last month at the US Open, breaking the tie he had with Swain.

However, IRT #3 and second seed in Davison, Alvaro Beltran stands in Swain's way in the semi-finals on Saturday after Beltran beat Chris Crowther, 11-9, 11-8, 11-8, in the quarters Friday.

On the top side of the draw, top seed Rocky Carson is through to the semis after beating Tony Carson, 9-11, 11-1, 11-7, 11-7, in the quarters Friday. Tony Carson, who's no relation to Rocky Carson, won the first game on a long rally in which Tony dove twice to keep the ball in play and that ended in Rocky skipping a shot to the front right corner.

But the second game was all Rocky, as he won going away at 11-1. In game three, Rocky took a lead at 5-1, but Tony came back and tied it at 6-6. Rocky called a time out at that point, and after a couple of sideouts put a four point streak together that gave him a game point at 10-6.

Tony fought off two match points, scored a point of his own, but then succumbed to Rocky at 11-7.

Game four was similar, as the players were tied at 4-4, and then Rocky took a 7-4 lead, which he never relinquished, as Rocky went on to win that game 11-7, taking the match three games to one.

Rocky Carson's semi-final opponent will be Daniel De La Rosa, who upset 4th seed Ben Croft, 11-4, 8-11, 11-4, 11-3. De La Rosa's win coupled with Beltran's raises the possibility that there could be an all Mexico final on the IRT for the first time in its history.

Matches can be viewed over the web via the IRT Network. Note, the final will be at 7 PM Saturday night.

2013 Red Swain Shootout
Davison, Michigan

Quarter finals

Rocky Carson d. Tony Carson, 9-11, 11-1, 11-7, 11-7
Daniel De La Rosa d. Ben Croft, 11-4, 8-11, 11-4, 11-3

Cliff Swain d. Marco Rojas, 3-11, 11-2, 11-7, 11-2
Alvaro Beltran d. Chris Crowther, 11-9, 11-8, 11-8

Semi-finals - Saturday

Rocky Carson v. Daniel De La Rosa - 11 AM
Alvaro Beltran v. Cliff Swain - 12:30 PM

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