Top 10 Racquetball Stories of 2013

On this the final day of 2013, The Racquetball Blog has put together its list of the Top 10 Racquetball Stories of the year. There were several to choose from, and before we get to the top 10 here are some Honourable Mentions: Rocky Carson, Rhonda Rajsich, Marco Rojas, Cliff Swain, and the doubles team of Jansen Allen & Tony Carson.

The Top 10 Racquetball Stories of 2013

10) Mexican Dominance at World Juniors. Mexicans won gold in four of the six World Cup singles divisions (U18, U16, U14 Boys & Girls) and swept all six doubles divisions at the 2013 International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Juniors in Bolivia. It's the kind of performance that the USA junior team used to do, but the Americans haven't done in some time, and the USA had their worst outcome this year with only three (3!) medals. To be fair, two of their Junior National Champions weren't in Bolivia, but nonetheless it has to be a concern.

9) Maria Jose Vargas. The 2012 World Junior U18 Girls Champion made a big splash on the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) in 2013 and is currently the 4th ranked LPRT player, having reached the semi-finals in four of the five LPRT events this season.

8) Daniel De La Rosa. There have been several young Mexican male players do well at the junior level, but none has really broken through at the senior level. Until now. De La Rosa has been on the radar for a few years, and this season he reached his first International Racquetball Tour (IRT) final, where he lost to fellow Mexican Alvaro Beltran. A string of good performances have got De La Rosa up to 6th on the IRT rankings.

7) World Racquetball Tour. A new racquetball association was created this year: the World Racquetball Tour (WRT). WRT events have been held in the southwest USA and in Mexico and Chile, and are aimed at developing mens players. The idea of having more racquetball competitions isn't bad in and of itself, although having another racquetball association that may be aimed at rivalling the IRT could be problematic if it leads to a division among the elite players, as in what happened in boxing, which had three different associations at one point each with their own champion in each weight class so it was difficult to figure out who, for example, was really the heavyweight champion of the world.

6) Alvaro Beltran. Beltran got the monkey, which was probably King Kong size, off his back by winning a IRT Tier 1 event in early November. He's been a winner in several other venues - internationally (IRF World Champion in 2000) and outdoors - but he hadn't got that big IRT win. Beltran's the 3rd ranked IRT player, and deservingly so.

5) Cristina Amaya. Amaya reached new heights in 2013. She was a silver medalist at the 2013 World Games in her homeland of Colombia, and late in the year reached the #3 position on the LPRT despite having some inconsistent results in the first half of the LPRT season. However, Amaya's game is clearly in the ascendency.

4) Jose Rojas. Rojas got his second career IRT win in Kansas City when he defeated IRT #1 Kane Waselenchuk and IRT #2 Rocky Carson in back to back matches. Rojas has had some disappointing results, but he seems to have raised the top end of his game, so that when he's playing his best he has a great chance to beat anyone.

3) Young players on the LPRT. Several young players have played well on the LPRT so far this season, including Amaya and Vargas, mentioned above, but also Aubrey Kirch, Veronica Sotomayor, Maria Paz Muñoz, Frédérique Lambert and Sharon Jackson. The LPRT began a scholarship program to help young players get to events, and this was begun through a suggestion by Rhonda Rajsich, and good on her for doing so. The elite of the LPRT in recent years have been over 30, Cheryl Gudinas, Kerri Wachtel, Susana Acosta, as well as Rajsich, and though they can still play at a high level, there was a need for new players to step up and this scholarship program will help them do so.

2) Kane Waselenchuk. Waselenchuk lost in his first tournament of the IRT season, but then rebounded to win his 9th US Open, which was his record setting 71 career IRT win surpassing Cliff Swain's 70 wins. The record helps to solidify Waselenchuk's position as the best men's racquetball player ever, which is something we at The Racquetball Blog have thought for sometime.

1) Paola Longoria. Longoria's on court performance has been great - she's won every women's pro event since May 2011, and could be enough to put her on top of this list alone, although it would be close with what Waselenchuk has achieved. But Longoria's the top story because of the impact she's having in Mexico, where she is a big deal. Big. Deal. Forbes Mexican edition named its most influential women in Mexico and Longoria was included along with judges, lawyers, and social activists. A tournament was created in her name and televised live within Mexico. These are things that the men's game dreams of having, and they are the reason Longoria is the biggest story in racquetball right now.

Clearly, there were a lot of good stories in racquetball in 2013 and we look forward to more of the same in 2014, when we'll continue to…

Follow the bouncing ball....

Merry Christmas to TRB readers!

Merry Christmas to all the readers of The Racquetball Blog!

We'll be putting our year end top 10 together soon, and if you'd like to make any suggestions, please leave a comment below or on our Facebook page or via Twitter: @racquetballblog.

Once again, we hope that you are having a great day and thank you for reading TRB.

Cheers!

Follow the bouncing ball….

IRT Rankings - Waselenchuk #1 at Christmas

Kane Waselenchuk is back atop the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) rankings, moving ahead of Rocky Carson, who's now #2, on the basis of his win last weekend at the New Jersey Open, where Carson a semi-finalist. This ends the brief period that Waselenchuk spent in the #2 spot.

Waselenchuk has only lost one completed match since January 2009.

Daniel De La Rosa has reached a career high, as he's now the 6th ranked IRT player, moving ahead of Chris Crowther, who's now 7th.

In the next 10, Brad Schopieray and Alex Ackermann have switched places with Schopieray moving up two to 14th and Ackermann down two to 16th. Also, Charlie Pratt is back in the top 20 at 19th ahead of Mauricio Zelada, who's 20th.

The IRT resumes on the first weekend of the new year with the Coast to Coast California Open in Reseda, California January 2-5.

IRT Rankings - December 20, 2013

Rank - Player - Country - Points

1 Kane WASELENCHUK (Canada) 3844
2 Rocky CARSON (USA) 3678
3 Alvaro BELTRAN (Mexico) 2792
4 Jose ROJAS (USA) 2584
5 Ben CROFT (USA) 2386

6 Daniel DE LA ROSA (Mexico) 1816
7 Chris CROWTHER (USA) 1708
8 Tony CARSON (USA) 1570
9 Jansen ALLEN (USA) 1167
10 Marco ROJAS (USA) 1194

11 Jose DIAZ (USA) 1006
12 Andy HAWTHORNE (USA) 904
13 Alejandro LANDA (Mexico) 800
14 Brad SCHOPIERAY (USA) 779
15 Javier MORENO (Mexico) 749

16 Alex ACKERMANN (USA) 700
17 Cliff Swain (USA) 662
18 Anthony HERRERA (USA) 644
19 Charlie PRATT (USA) 597
20 Mauricio ZELADA (USA) 592

Follow the bouncing ball....

LPRT Rankings - Longoria #1, Vargas at #4

Paola Longoria and Rhonda Rajsich the #1 and #2 players on the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) following the Paola Longoria Invitational tournament last weekend in Monterrey, Mexico. But Cristina Amaya's time at #3 was short lived as she has fallen to #5 with Samantha Salas and Maria Jose Vargas, the semi-finalists in Monterrey, moving ahead of her into #3 and #4, respectively.

Vargas's #4 ranking is a career high for the 2012 World Junior U18 Champion.

Susana Acosta in 6th is the last of the players with over 600 points. Then there are six players in the 300 point range.

Veteran Cheryl Gudinas leads that pack, and is the 7th ranked player overall. Then it's Da'monique Davis, up from 10th, Adrienne Haynes 9th, Jennifer Saunders 10th, Veronica Sotomayor 11th, and Frédérique Lambert in 12th.

Grace Hughes is 13th, Maria Paz Muñoz 14th, and T. J. Baumbaugh 15th.

Finally, the top 20 rounds out with Hailey Miller (16), Carla Muñoz (17), Linda Scales (18), Sofia Rascon (19), and Aubrey Kirch (20).

Notable in her absence. Kerri Wachtel has dropped out of the top 20. Wachtel's announced in the fall that she will no longer be a regular tour player, and her inactivity has dropped her to 21st.

However, Wachtel should be in action at the next LPRT event as the Wilson Tour for Hope is in her hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio January 24-26.

Longoria's Streak

Longoria hasn't lost a women's pro match since May 2011, a 31 month period. In that span, she's won 98 matches in Tier 1 or Grand Slam events, and another 10 in satellite events, for a total of 108.

LPRT Rankings - December 17, 2013

Rank - Name - Country - Points

1 Paola Longoria (Mexico) 2380.00
2 Rhonda Rajsich (USA) 1274.00
3 Samantha Salas (Mexico) 662.50
4 Maria Jose Vargas (Bolivia) 650.50
5 Cristina Amaya (Colombia) 625.00

6 Susana Acosta (Mexico) 601.50
7 Cheryl Gudinas (USA) 358.00
8 Adrienne Haynes (USA) 347.00
9 Da'monique Davis (USA) 354.75
10 Jennifer Saunders (Canada) 343.75

11 Veronica Sotomayor (Ecuador) 338.00
12 Frédérique Lambert (Canada) 301.50
13 Grace Hughes (USA) 252.00
14 Maria Paz Muñoz (Ecuador) 239.50
15 T.J. Baumbaugh (USA) 230.75

16 Hailey Miller (USA) 200.75
17 Carla Muñoz (Chile) 193.50
18 Linda Scales (USA) 190.25
19 Sofia Rascon (Mexico) 188.75
20 Aubrey Kirch (USA) 180.50

Follow the bouncing ball....

Weekend Round Up - Ugalde, Cardona, Rios & Alvarez winners

Jose Daniel Ugalde was the surprise winner of the New Jersey Open Men's Open division. Surprise winner, because he was the 8th seed, but the whole draw was a bit mixed up as of the top four seeds only 4th seed Sean Klingaman made the semi-finals.

Ugalde defeated 6th seed Joseph Palazzo in the final, 15-8, 15-6. In the semis, Ugalde defeated Klingaman, 15-9, 15-5, and Palazzo beat 7th seed Jonathan Justice, 15-13, 2-15, 11-10.

In the Men's Open Doubles division final, Fernando Rios and Jose Daniel Alvarez beat Klingaman and Jonathan Clay, 14-15, 15-11, 11-9. Rios and Alvarez beat Shai Manzuri and Fabian Pedraza in the semi-finals, 15-9, 15-9, while Clay and Klingaman defeated Thomas Carter and Alec Wasilonsky, 15-7, 15-10.

World Racquetball Tour

On the other coast, Alejandro Cardona defeated Alejandro Landa, 15-8, 9-15, 11-7, to take the World Racquetball Tour (WRT) SoCal Showdown in Eastlake Chula Vista, California. Cardona, seeded 2nd in the event, beat 3rd seed Anthony Herrera, 15-13, 14-15, 11-6, in one semi-final, while 4th seed Landa knocked off the 1st seed Polo Gutierrez in the other semi, 15-9, 15-9.

New Jersey Open
Warren, NJ

Men's Open Singles

Final

Jose Daniel Ugalde d. Joseph Palazzo, 15-8, 15-6

Semi-finals

Jose Daniel Ugalde d. Sean Klingaman, 15-9, 15-5
Joseph Palazzo d. Jonathan Justice, 15-13, 2-15, 11-10

Men's Open Doubles

Final

Fernando Rios & Jose Daniel Alvarez d. Sean Klingaman & Jonathan Clay, 14-15, 15-11, 11-9

Semi-finals

Fernando Rios & Jose Daniel Alvarez d. Shai Manzuri & Fabian Pedraza, 15-9, 15-9
Jonathan Clay & Sean Klingaman d. Thomas Carter & Alec Wasilonsky, 15-7, 15-10

World Racquetball Tour
SoCal Showdown
Eastlake Chula Vista, California

Final

Alejandro Cardona d. Alejandro Landa, 15-8, 9-15, 11-7

Semi-finals

Alejandro Landa d. Polo Gutierrez, 15-9, 15-9
Alejandro Cardona d. Anthony Herrera, 15-13, 14-15, 11-6

Follow the bouncing ball….

Longoria wins & loses at LPRT Paola Longoria Invitational

Appropriately, Paola Longoria won the Paola Longoria Invitational tournament in Monterrey, Mexico - a Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) Grand Slam event, but she didn't sweep the competition, as Rhonda Rajsich and Maria Jose Vargas won the doubles side of the competition.

In the singles final, Longoria beat Rajsich in three straight games, but the first two were by the narrowest of margins - only two points, as Longoria won 11-9, 13-11, 11-4.

Longoria is undefeated since May 2011, a streak of 98 matches (Tier 1 or Grand Slam).

But in doubles, Longoria and fellow Mexican Samantha Salas Solis lost to Rajsich and Vargas in a tie-breaker, 15-13, 13-15, 11-7. It's the second consecutive time the Mexican team has lost to Rajsich, as Rajsich and Sharon Jackson beat them earlier this year at the Pan American Championships.

The next LPRT event is the Wilson Tour for Hope in Cincinnati, Ohio from January 24th to 26th, 2014.

Paola Longoria Invitational
Monterrey, Mexico

Singles - Final

1) Paola Longoria d. 2) Rhonda Rajsich, 11-9, 13-11, 11-4

Doubles - Final

2. Rhonda Rajsich & Maria Jose Vargas d. 1. Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas Solis, 15-13, 13-15, 11-7

Follow the bouncing ball….

Waselenchuk wins the New Jersey Open, his 2nd title of the season

Kane Waselenchuk completed a successful return to the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) by capturing the New Jersey Open title in Warren, New Jersey with a win over Jose Rojas in the final, 11-6, 11-8, 2-11, 11-1. Waselenchuk had missed the previous two IRT Tier 1 events.

The win was also a measure of revenge for Waselenchuk, who lost to Rojas the last time they met, which was in September in Kansas City. That loss was the first in a completed match in four and half years.

They were close in game one, and the score was tied at 6-6, when Waselenchuk ran a string of points, which led to his 11-6 win.

Game two was similar, but it was Rojas who took the lead in the mid-game at 7-5 and 8-7. But again Waselenchuk responded positively, including an ace serve that made it 10-8.

Rojas fought off two game points, but on the third Waselenchuk hit a soft backhand shot on the third shot of the rally to win it, and go up 2-0.

Rojas could have folded his tent at that point, because the likelihood of winning three straight games on Waselenchuk is small at best. However, Rojas did nothing of the sort, and full credit to him, as he played an excellent game three, closing it out with eight points on eight rallies, 11-2.

But as great as Rojas was in game three, Waselenchuk was in game four, as he stormed out to a 5-0 lead on consecutive rallies, which caused Rojas to call a timeout, but no avail as Waselenchuk won four more consecutive rallies to lead 9-0.

Rojas didn't quit, as they went back and forth for a few rallies, with Rojas scoring a point, but the writing was on the wall, and Waselenchuk finished off at 11-1 to take his second title of the season and become the first multiple title winner this season.

Earlier on Saturday in the semi-finals, Waselenchuk beat Alvaro Beltran in three straight games, 11-9, 11-3, 11-6, while Rojas needed a tie-breaker to defeat Rocky Carson, 5-11, 11-8, 9-11, 11-4, 11-3.

Carson won last year's New Jersey Open, and Waselenchuk didn't play in it, so it's possible that combination of Waselenchuk's win and Carson's semi-final finish, Waselenchuk will regain the #1 IRT ranking.

The next IRT event is the California Open January 2-5, 2014. If you missed any of this weekend's action, you can check it out in the IRT Network archive (subscription required).

2013 New Jersey Open
Warren, New Jersey

Final

Kane Waselenchuk d. Jose Rojas, 11-6, 11-8, 2-11, 11-1

Semi-finals

Jose Rojas d. Rocky Carson, 5-11, 11-8, 9-11, 11-4, 11-3
Kane Waselenchuk d. Alvaro Beltran, 11-9, 11-3, 11-6

Follow the bouncing ball….

Longoria & Rajsich to face off twice Sunday at LPRT Paola Longoria Invitational

Paola Longoria will have a chance to win the tournament that bears her name, as she's reached the final of the Paola Longoria Invitational tournament in Monterrey, Mexico - a Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) Grand Slam event. But getting there was not without difficulty.

In the semi-finals, Longoria faced her doubles parter Samantha Salas Solis. After winning game one, 11-4, Longoria found herself down 6-0 in game two, as Salas Solis drove serve effectively to the right side - Longoria's forehand. A timeout started a comeback, but Salas Solis never gave up the lead as she went on to win game two 11-9.

The LPRT's #1 player's response was emphatic, as Longoria blanked Salas Solis in game three 11-0. Game four was also one-sided, as Longoria closed out the match, winning 11-5, 9-11, 11-0, 11-3.

Second seed Rhonda Rajsich will be Longoria's opponent in the final, as she defeated 6th seed Maria Jose Vargas in the other semi-final, 2-11, 11-1, 15-13, 11-7.

After a slow start to the season, when she had two early exits, Rajsich has rebounded to reach her third consecutive final.

Doubles

Longoria and Rajsich will play each other twice on Sunday, as they will also face off in the doubles final. And their respective partners are the players who they beat in the singles semi-finals.

Longoria and Salas defeated another Mexican duo in Susana Acosta and Sofia Rascon, 15-4, 15-5, in one doubles semi-final, while Rajsich and Vargas beat Americans Da'monique Davis and Sharon Jackson, 9-15, 15-8, 11-1, in the other.

Both finals can viewed via the LPRT Network Sunday afternoon. The singles final is set for 2 PM CST and the doubles final for 3 PM CST.

Paola Longoria Invitational
Monterrey, Mexico

Singles - Semi-finals - Saturday

1) Paola Longoria d. 5) Samantha Salas Solis, 11-5, 9-11, 11-0, 11-3
2) Rhonda Rajsich d. 6) Maria Jose Vargas, 2-11, 11-1, 15-13, 11-7

Singles - Final - Sunday

1) Paola Longoria v. 2) Rhonda Rajsich

Doubles

Semi-finals

1. Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas Solis d. 4. Susana Acosta & Sofia Rascon, 15-4, 15-5
2. Rhonda Rajsich & Maria Jose Vargas d. 6. Da'monique Davis & Sharon Jackson, 9-15, 15-8, 11-1

Final - Sunday

1. Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas Solis v. 2. Rhonda Rajsich & Maria Jose Vargas

Follow the bouncing ball….

LPRT Paola Longoria Invitational Quarter finals

After a day with many upsets, the quarter finals of the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) Paola Longoria Invitational tournament in Monterrey, Mexico ran according to form, and all four higher seeds won in three straight games.

The tournament's namesake, Paola Longoria, the #1 LPRT player, defeated Jennifer Saunders, 11-1, 11-6, 11-2, in her quarter final match. She'll face doubles parter Samantha Salas Solis in the semi-finals, as Salas Solis defeated Sharon Jackson, 11-3, 11-5, 11-2, in the quarters.

Second seed Rhonda Rajsich beat Frédérique Lambert, 11-5, 11-4, 11-9, and will face 6th seed Maria Jose Vargas in the semi-finals, as Vargas beat Aubrey Kirch, 12-10, 11-5, 12-10.

Matches can be viewed via the LPRT Network.

Paola Longoria Invitational
Monterrey, Mexico

Singles - Quarter finals - Saturday

1) Paola Longoria d. 9) Jennifer Saunders, 11-1, 11-6, 11-2
5) Samantha Salas Solis d. 20) Sharon Jackson, 11-3, 11-5, 11-2

6) Maria Jose Vargas d. 19) Aubrey Kirch, 12-10, 11-5, 12-10
2) Rhonda Rajsich d. 10) Frédérique Lambert, 11-5, 11-4, 11-9

Singles - Semi-finals - Saturday

1) Paola Longoria v. 5) Samantha Salas Solis
2) Rhonda Rajsich v. 6) Maria Jose Vargas

Follow the bouncing ball….

LPRT Paola Longoria Invitational - Doubles results

There's also a doubles competition at this weekend's Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) event in Monterrey, Mexico, as the Paola Longoria Invitational features nine doubles teams made up of the elite of the LPRT.

There's only been one upset through the first few matches, as the American team of Da'monique Davis and Sharon Jackson defeated the South American team of Maria Paz Muñoz and Cristina Amaya, 15-12, 15-8.

Next up for Davis and Jackson will be 2nd seeds Rhonda Rajsich and Maria Jose Vargas in what will be a battle of Pan American Championship gold medalists, as Rajsich and Jackson won gold at this Pan Am Championships back in the spring. They'll be on opposite sides on Saturday.

Paola Longoria Invitational
Monterrey, Mexico

Doubles - First Round

8. Aubrey Kirch & Sheryl Lotts d. 9. Carla Muñoz & Cecilia Orozco, 15-5, 15-7

Quarter finals

1. Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas Solis v. 8. Aubrey Kirch & Sheryl Lotts
4. Susana Acosta & Sofia Rascon d. 5. Frédérique Lambert & Jennifer Saunders, 6-15, 15-14, 11-3

6. Da'monique Davis & Sharon Jackson d. 3. Cristina Amaya & Maria Paz Muñoz, 15-12, 15-8
2. Rhonda Rajsich & Maria Jose Vargas d. 7. Krystal Csuk & Linda Scales, 15-8, 11-15, 11-4

Semi-finals

1. Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas Solis / 8. Aubrey Kirch & Sheryl Lotts v. 4. Susana Acosta & Sofia Rascon
2. Rhonda Rajsich & Maria Jose Vargas v. 6. Da'monique Davis & Sharon Jackson

Follow the bouncing ball….

Top Four Seeds into Semi-finals at the IRT New Jersey Open

The New Jersey Open semi-finals will be 1 versus 4 and 2 versus 3, as Rocky Carson - the #1 player on the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) will face #4 Jose Rojas in one semi-final in Warren, New Jersey, while #2 Kane Waselenchuk will face #3 Alvaro Beltran in the other.

And the four top seeds made short work of their respective opponents in the quarter finals, as all four of them won in three straight games.

Perhaps the most impressive display was by Waselenchuk, who brushed aside Tony Carson, 11-0, 11-3, 11-0, in 23 minutes. The third game had 15 rallies only a few of which were longer than three shots. Waselenchuk got up 6-0 on aces and third shot winners.

Maybe ironically, top seed Rocky Carson was the most troubled of the four in his match against Jansen Allen, which he won 11-6, 15-13, 11-2.

The turning point of that match was Carson pulling out the second game on his fifth game point opportunity. Allen had been up in that game, 5-1, but found himself down 10-7, yet battled back to tie it at 10-10 and then had the lead at 11-10. Allen served twice for the game, but unsuccessfully.

Carson won game two with a serve that he drove to the left side - Allen's backhand, which Allen couldn't return.

Like Waselenchuk's victory, Beltran's win over Daniel De La Rosa, 11-1, 11-3, 11-5, was also impressive. The first game went by in the blink of an eye, and Beltran led all the way in game two.

In game three, De La Rosa had a brief lead at 5-4, but Beltran didn't allow his young countryman any more points, as he closed out the game, 11-5, and match in three straight games.

It was the 3rd seeded Beltran's fifth victory over De La Rosa in the last five weeks.

Finally, 4th seed Jose Rojas also had a comfortable win over 5th seed Chris Crowther, who did not seem to be anywhere near the top of his game, as Rojas won 11-4, 11-3, 11-6.

The semi-finals from New Jersey can be viewed over the web via the IRT Network. Note that the final will be Saturday night at 7 PM EST.

2013 New Jersey Open
Warren, New Jersey

Quarter finals

Rocky Carson d. Jansen Allen, 11-6, 15-13, 11-2
Jose Rojas d. Chris Crowther, 11-4, 11-3, 11-6

Alvaro Beltran d. Daniel De La Rosa, 11-1, 11-3, 11-5
Kane Waselenchuk d. Tony Carson, 11-0, 11-3, 11-0

Semi-finals - Saturday

Rocky Carson v. Jose Rojas - 11 AM EST
Kane Waselenchuk v. Alvaro Beltran - Noon EST

Follow the bouncing ball….

LPRT Paola Longoria Invitational - Kirch defeats Amaya in Round of 16

Cristina Amaya was upset in the Round of 16 at the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) Paola Longoria Invitational tournament in Monterrey, Mexico, as Aubrey Kirch came back from a 2-1 deficit in games to win in five games, 12-14, 11-5, 7-11, 11-4, 11-4. It's a setback for Amaya, who recently achieved a career high by becoming the 3rd ranked LPRT player.

Kirch will face Maria Jose Vargas in the quarter-finals on Saturday, as Vargas defeated Jessica Parrilla, who was the big winner earlier in the day, in three games, 11-6, 11-3, 11-8. Vargas will be trying to reach the semi-finals for the fourth time this season, while Kirch has never got that far in a women's pro event.

But the top seed and the tournament's marquee player did advance to the quarter finals, as Paola Longoria beat Sofia Rascon, but it wasn't a sweep, as Rascon took a game from the LPRT's #1 player, as the final score line was 11-4, 6-11, 11-3, 11-2.

Longoria will play Jennifer Saunders in the quarters, as the 9th seeded Canadian had a mild upset win over 8th seed Da'monique Davis, 11-6, 0-11, 11-8, 11-9.

But there were bigger upsets Friday. For example, 20th seed Sharon Jackson knocked off the 4th seed Susana Acosta in four games, 11-5, 6-11, 11-9, 11-8, to reach the quarter finals for the first time in her career.

In another upset 10th seed Frédérique Lambert beat 7th seed Cheryl Gudinas, 11-4, 11-7, 12-10, to advance to the quarters for the second time this season, and second in her career. She'll play 2nd seed Rhonda Rajsich in the quarters, and Lambert beat Rajsich earlier this season on her way to the semi-finals in Toluca, Mexico.

Matches can be viewed via the LPRT Network.

Paola Longoria Invitational
Monterrey, Mexico

Singles - Round of 16 - Friday

1) Paola Longoria d. 16) Sofia Rascon, 11-4, 6-11, 11-3, 11-2
9) Jennifer Saunders d. 8) Da'monique Davis, 11-6, 0-11, 11-8, 11-9

5) Samantha Salas Solis d. 12) T. J. Baumbaugh, 11-3, 11-2, 11-5
20) Sharon Jackson d. 4) Susana Acosta, 11-5, 6-11, 11-9, 11-8

19) Aubrey Kirch d. 3) Cristina Amaya, 12-14, 11-5, 7-11, 11-4, 11-4
6) Maria Jose Vargas d. 22) Jessica Parrilla, 11-6, 11-3, 11-8

10) Frédérique Lambert d. 7) Cheryl Gudinas, 11-4, 11-7, 12-10
2) Rhonda Rajsich v. 18) Krystal Csuk, 11-9, 11-8, 11-0

Singles - Quarter finals - Saturday

1) Paola Longoria v. 9) Jennifer Saunders
5) Samantha Salas Solis v. 20) Sharon Jackson

6) Maria Jose Vargas v. 19) Aubrey Kirch
2) Rhonda Rajsich v. 10) Frédérique Lambert

Follow the bouncing ball….

IRT New Jersey Open - No upsets in Round of 16

All the higher seeds are through to the quarter finals of the New Jersey Open in Warren, NJ, this weekend's International Racquetball Tour (IRT) Tier 1 event. But 3rd seed Alvaro Beltran had to battle back from two game deficit against 14th seed Charlie Pratt to win in five games, 1-11, 11-5, 5-11, 11-3, 11-4.

It was the third time Beltran and Pratt had played a five game match, and the previous two were won by Pratt, including a US Open match in 2011, when Pratt was down 0-2 and came back to win.

Beltran's win puts him against Daniel De La Rosa for the fifth tournament in a little over a month. Beltran's won all four previous matches, but the last one was a five gamer at the Lou Bradley Memorial in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin last weekend.

In other action, top seed and IRT #1 Rocky Carson easily beat Fernando Rios, 11-2, 11-0, 11-4, and second seed and IRT #2 Kane Waselenchuk needed only 18 minutes to defeat Matthew Majxner, 11-2, 11-0, 11-0.

Carson will play Jansen Allen in the quarter finals, while Waselenchuk faces off with Tony Carson (no relation to Rocky Carson).

Matches from New Jersey can be viewed over the web via the IRT Network. Note that the final will be Saturday night at 7 PM EST.

2013 New Jersey Open
Warren, New Jersey

Round of 16

Rocky Carson d. Fernando Rios, 11-2, 11-0, 11-4
Jansen Allen d. Marco Rojas, 6-11, 11-5, 11-6, 11-7

Chris Crowther d. Alex Ackermann
Jose Rojas d. Mauricio Zelada, 11-7, 11-5, 11-4

Alvaro Beltran d. Charlie Pratt, 1-11, 5-11, 11-5, 11-3, 11-4
Daniel De La Rosa d. Andy Hawthorne

Tony Carson d. Jose Diaz, 11-5, 11-2, 7-11, 11-8
Kane Waselenchuk d. Matthew Majxner, 11-2, 11-0, 11-0

Quarter finals

Rocky Carson v. Jansen Allen
Jose Rojas v. Chris Crowther

Alvaro Beltran v. Daniel De La Rosa
Kane Waselenchuk v. Tony Carson

Follow the bouncing ball….

LPRT Paola Longoria Invitational Round of 32

We thought the highlight match in the Round of the 32 at the Paola Longoria Invitational on the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) would be 11th seed Maria Paz Munoz against 22nd seed Jessica Parrilla, and it did not disappoint, as they played five games with Parrilla coming back from 2-1 down in games to win 6-11, 11-9, 6-11, 11-2, 11-1. She'll now play Maria Jose Vargas, the 6th seed, in the Round of 16 later today.

Three other upsets in the 32s were not actually that surprising, as Aubrey Kirch, former World Junior U18 Champion, defeated Carla Muñoz, 11-5, 11-7, 11-6, and 20th seed Sharon Jackson defeated 13th seed Hailey Miller, 11-4, 11-4, 11-4, and former #4 player Krystal Csuk beat Linda Scales, who's going to be her doubles partner this weekend, 11-7, 2-11, 11-1, 12-10.

In addition to Vargas-Parrillia, the other matches to watch for in the 16s are Frédérique Lambert versus Cheryl Gudinas and Kirch versus 3rd seed Cristina Amaya.

Matches can be viewed via the LPRT Network.

Paola Longoria Invitational
Monterrey, Mexico

Singles - Round of 32

1) Paola Longoria - BYE
16) Sofia Rascon d. 17) Sheryl Lotts, 12-10, 11-9, 6-11, 9-11, 11-2

9) Jennifer Saunders d. 24) Cecilia Orozco, 11-3, 11-6, 11-5
8) Da'monique Davis v. 25) Ana Laura Flores, 11-2, 11-4, 11-5

5) Samantha Salas Solis - BYE
12) T. J. Baumbaugh v. 21) Carolina Luque, 11-2, 11-7, 10-12, 11-9

20) Sharon Jackson d. 13) Hailey Miller, 11-4, 11-4, 11-4
4) Susana Acosta - BYE

3) Cristina Amaya - BYE
19) Aubrey Kirch d. 14) Carla Munoz, 11-5, 11-7, 11-6

22) Jessica Parrilla d. 11) Maria Paz Munoz, 6-11, 11-9, 6-11, 11-2, 11-1
6) Maria Jose Vargas - BYE

7) Cheryl Gudinas - BYE
10) Frédérique Lambert v. 23) Alexandra Herrera, 11-9, 11-6, 11-8

18) Krystal Csuk d. 15) Linda Scales, 11-7, 2-11, 11-1, 12-10
2) Rhonda Rajsich - BYE

Singles - Round of 16 - Friday

1) Paola Longoria v. 16) Sofia Rascon
8) Da'monique Davis v. 9) Jennifer Saunders

5) Samantha Salas Solis v. 12) T. J. Baumbaugh
4) Susana Acosta v. 20) Sharon Jackson

3) Cristina Amaya v. 19) Aubrey Kirch
6) Maria Jose Vargas v. 22) Jessica Parrilla

7) Cheryl Gudinas v. 10) Frédérique Lambert
2) Rhonda Rajsich v. 18) Krystal Csuk

Follow the bouncing ball….

IRT New Jersey Open Preliminary Results

No surprises in qualifying at the New Jersey Open - this weekend's International Racquetball Tour (IRT) Tier 1 event in Warren, New Jersey. The closet match in the second round of qualifying was between Alex Ackermann and Joseph Palazzo with Ackermann winning in four games, 13-11, 13-11, 8-11, 11-3.

Matches from New Jersey can be viewed over the web via the IRT Network.

2013 New Jersey Open
Warren, New Jersey

Qualifying Round 1 - Thursday

Miguel Nunez d. Toby Devore
Fernando Rios d. David Austin, 11-7, 11-7, 11-3

Ismael Zhindon d. Andrew Kopf, 8-11, 11-1, 11-4, 10-12, 11-2

Joseph Palazzo d. Jonathan Clay, 10-12, 11-4, 11-8, 11-8

Thomas Carter d. John Scott, 11-3, 11-2, 11-1

Jose Daniel Ugalde d. Jack Goldberg, forfeit
Charlie Pratt d. Scott Manship, 11-1, 11-2, 11-4

Jose Daniel Alvarez d. Mitch Posner, 11-1, 11-8, 12-14, 11-5

Shai Manzuri d. John Behm, 11-1, 11-9, 11-4

Robert Collins d. Johnathan Justice, 5-11, 11-4, 8-11, 11-7, 11-9
Matthew Majxner d. Abraham Cardenas, 11-1, 12-10, 11-1

Qualifying Round 2 - Thursday

Q8: Fernando Rios d. Miguel Nunez, 11-2, 11-0, 11-4
Q1: Marco Rojas d. Ismael Zhindon, 11-2, 11-3, 11-5

Q4: Alex Ackermann d. Joseph Palazzo, 13-11, 13-11, 8-11, 11-3
Q5: Mauricio Zelada d. Thomas Carter, 11-5, 11-3, 11-7

Q6: Charlie Pratt d. Jose Daniel Ugalde, 11-3, 11-7, 11-3
Q3: Andy Hawthorne d. Jose Daniel Alvarez, 11-3, 14-12, 11-5

Q2: Jose Diaz d. Shai Manzuri, 11-6, 11-5, 11-2
Q7: Matthew Majxner d. Robert Collins, 11-5, 11-1, 11-2

Round of 16 - Friday

Rocky Carson v. Fernando Rios
Jansen Allen v. Marco Rojas

Chris Crowther v. Alex Ackermann
Jose Rojas v. Mauricio Zelada

Alvaro Beltran v. Charlie Pratt
Daniel De La Rosa v. Andy Hawthorne

Tony Carson v. Jose Diaz
Kane Waselenchuk v. Matthew Majxner

Follow the bouncing ball….

IRT - New Jersey Open Preview

The New Jersey Open - the International Racquetball Tour's (IRT's) last event of the calendar year - begins today in Warren, New Jersey. has 23 players, and for the first time since April 2009, Kane Waselenchuk is the 2nd seed in the draw.

Rocky Carson took over the #1 spot on the IRT rankings last month as Waselenchuk has missed a couple of events and lost in the semi-finals of another. Thus, for the first time in over four and a half years Waselenchuk is seeded #2.

We expect that will only be more motivation for Waselenchuk, who has only lost one completed match in that four and half year span (there have been a couple of matches where he had to retire due to injury).

We anticipate that Waselenchuk will be lifting the New Jersey Trophy Saturday night, as the New Jersey Open's final will be Saturday night final, rather than Sunday.

Also in the draw, IRT #3 Alvaro Beltran is likely to meet fellow Mexican Daniel De La Rosa - the 6th seed - in the quarter finals, and if they do play, it will be the fifth time they'll have met on tour this season. Beltran's won all four meetings thus far, although last weekend in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin he needed a tie-breaker to fend off the younger Mexican.

But the main thing to look for this weekend is a return to form for the former - and likely future - IRT #1: Kane Waselenchuk.

Matches from New Jersey can be viewed over the web via the IRT Network.

2013 New Jersey Open
Warren, New Jersey

Qualifying Round 1 - Thursday

Toby Devore v. Miguel Nunez
Fernando Rios v. David Austin

Ismael Zhindon v. Andrew Kopf

Joseph Palazzo v. Jonathan Clay

John Scott v. Thomas Carter

Jose Daniel Ugalde v. Jack Goldberg
Charlie Pratt v. Scott Manship

Jose Daniel Alvarez v. Mitch Posner

Shai Manzuri v. John Behm

Robert Collins v. Johnathan Justice
Matthew Majxner v. Abraham Cardenas

Qualifying Round 2 - Thursday

Q8: Toby Devore or Miguel Nunez v. Fernando Rios or David Austin
Q1: Marco Rojas v. Ismael Zhindon or Andrew Kopf

Q4: Alex Ackermann v. Joseph Palazzo or Jonathan Clay
Q5: Mauricio Zelada v. John Scott or Thomas Carter

Q6: Jose Daniel Ugalde or Jack Goldberg v. Charlie Pratt or Scott Manship
Q3: Andy Hawthorne v. Jose Daniel Alvarez or Mitch Posner

Q2: Jose Diaz v. Shai Manzuri or John Behm
Q7: Robert Collins or Johnathan Justice v. Matthew Majxner or Abraham Cardenas

Round of 16 - Friday

Rocky Carson v. Q8
Jansen Allen v. Q1

Chris Crowther v. Q4
Jose Rojas v. Q5

Alvaro Beltran v. Q6
Daniel De La Rosa v. Q3

Tony Carson v. Q2
Kane Waselenchuk v. Q7

Follow the bouncing ball….

LPRT Paola Longoria Invitational Preview

The Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) plays the second of back to back tournaments this weekend with the Paola Longoria Invitational in Monterrey, Mexico. The event wasn't on the schedule at the beginning of the season, but has come together in the last couple of months to showcase Longoria - the LPRT's #1 player - in her home country.

Longoria is undefeated on the LPRT since May of 2011, and she'll look to extend her winning streak this weekend. And she will be playing doubles also with long term partner Susana Acosta; together they are two time World Champions in Women's Doubles.

But past Longoria, the field of 26 players for this weekend is strong, and there should be several good matches. The highlight match should be 11th seed Maria Paz Munoz against 22nd seed Jessica Parrilla, who played on the Mexican National Team at the World Championships last year.

The other matches to watch for in the Round of 32 are Chilean Carla Munoz against American Aubrey Kirch, and two all-American matches - Hailey Miller versus Sharon Jackson and Krystal Csuk versus Linda Scales, which is a battle of two players who will be teaming up in doubles.

Past that the whole bottom of the draw will be interesting as the Paz Muñoz and Parrilla winner will face 6th Maria Jose Vargas in the Round of 16 and 3rd seed Cristina Amaya will take on the winner of Carla Muñoz and Kirch.

Second seed Rhonda Rajsich's first opponent will be either Csuk or Scales, and if she survives that Rajsich could face either veteran Cheryl Gudinas or young Canadian Frédérique Lambert both of whom have had success against Rajsich, including Lambert's win over her the last time the LPRT was in Mexico back in September.

Still the weekend is set up to highlight Longoria, and anything less than a Longoria sweep - wins in singles and doubles - will be a surprise.

Paola Longoria Invitational
Monterrey, Mexico

Singles - Round of 32 (with seeding)

1. Paola Longoria - BYE
16. Sofia Rascon v. 17. Sheryl Lotts

9. Jennifer Saunders v. 24. Cecilia Orozco
8. Da'monique Davis v. 25. Ana Laura Flores

5. Samantha Salas Solis - BYE
12. T. J. Baumbaugh v. 21. Carolina Luque

13. Hailey Miller v. 20. Sharon Jackson
4. Susana Acosta - BYE

3. Cristina Amaya - BYE
14. Carla Munoz v. 19. Aubrey Kirch

11. Maria Paz Munoz v. 22. Jessica Parrilla
6. Maria Jose Vargas - BYE

7. Cheryl Gudinas - BYE
10. Frédérique Lambert v. 23. Alexandra Herrera

15. Linda Scales v. 18. Krystal Csuk
2. Rhonda Rajsich - BYE

Doubles - First Round

8. Aubrey Kirch & Sheryl Lotts v. 9. Carla Munoz & Cecilia Orozco

Quarter finals

1. Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas Solis v. 8. Aubrey Kirch & Sheryl Lotts or 9. Carla Munoz & Cecilia Orozco
4. Susana Acosta & Sofia Rascon v. 5. Frédérique Lambert & Jennifer Saunders

3. Cristina Amaya & Maria Paz Munoz v. 6. Da'monique Davis & Sharon Jackson
2. Rhonda Rajsich & Maria Jose Vargas v. 7. Krystal Csuk & Linda Scales

Follow the bouncing ball….

LPRT Rankings - Amaya up to 3rd

Cristina Amaya was named the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour's (LPRT's) most improved player this past weekend at the 22nd Annual Christmas Classic in Arlington, Virginia, and to back that up, she is now the 3rd ranked LPRT player, which is a career high for Amaya.

Previously, she was 4th, but a semi-final finish in Arlington bumped her up.

Paola Longoria and Rhonda Rajsich remain the #1 and #2 LPRT players, and they are well ahead of the rest of the field. Longoria, who hasn't lost a LPRT match in two and half years, is over 1000 points ahead of Amaya and Rajsich is 469 ahead of Amaya.

Amaya and the next three players - Susana Acosta #4, Samantha Salas #5, and Maria Jose Vargas #6 - are all ranked in the 500s, so they are relatively close together.

There a drop in points to the next four players, who are within 35 points of each other. They are Adrienne Haynes in 7th, Veronica Sotomayor 8th, Cheryl Gudinas 9th, and Da'monique Davis 10th.

Jennifer Saunders has bounced back up to sit in 11th ahead of Grace Hughes in 12th and fellow Canadian Frédérique Lambert in 13th. Maria Paz Muñoz is 14th with T. J. Baumbaugh up to 15th.

Rounding out the top 20 are Hailey Miller (16), Kerri Wachtel (17), Carla Muñoz (18), Linda Scales (19), and Sofia Rascon (20).

The LPRT is back in action this weekend with the Paola Longoria Invitational in Monterrey, Mexico beginning Friday December 13-15, 2013.

LPRT Rankings - December 9, 2013

Rank - Name - Country - Points

1 Paola Longoria (Mexico) 2060.00
2 Rhonda Rajsich (USA) 1050.00
3 Cristina Amaya (Colombia) 581.00
4 Susana Acosta (Mexico) 559.50
5 Samantha Salas (Mexico) 538.50

6 Maria Jose Vargas (Bolivia) 526.50
7 Adrienne Haynes (USA) 347.00
8 Veronica Sotomayor (Ecuador) 338.00
9 Cheryl Gudinas (USA) 318.00
10 Da'monique Davis (USA) 312.75

11 Jennifer Saunders (Canada) 263.75
12 Grace Hughes (USA) 252.00
13 Frédérique Lambert (Canada) 221.50
14 Maria Paz Muñoz (Ecuador) 217.50
15 T.J. Baumbaugh (USA) 190.75

16 Hailey Miller (USA) 180.75
17 Kerri Wachtel (USA) 178.00
18 Carla Muñoz (Chile) 173.50
19 Linda Scales (USA) 169.25
20 Sofia Rascon (Mexico) 146.75

Follow the bouncing ball....

Weekend Round Up - Wins by Beltran, Allen, Jackson & Gutierrez

There were two International Racquetball Tour (IRT) minor events on the weekend. Alvaro Beltran won the Tier 3 16th Annual Lou Bradley Memorial Pro-Am in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin and Jansen Allen won the Christmas Classic in Boise, Idaho.

Daniel De La Rosa could be excused for having had enough of Beltran, as he was the loser against Beltran for a 4th time in a little over a month. But it took a tie-breaker this time, as Beltran won 9-11, 11-3, 11-5, 8-11, 11-6.

Beltran defeated Tony Carson in one semi-final with De La Rosa beating Chris Crowther in the other.

Allen defeated Charlie Pratt in the Boise final. In the semis, Allen defeated Thomas Fuhrmann and Pratt beat Andrew Gale.

At the 22nd Christmas Classic in Arlington, Virginia, Sharon Jackson won the Women's Open division by defeating Mariana Tobon Gordon, 15-6, 15-10, in the final. Jackson defeated Da'monique Davis, 15-13, 15-12, in one semi-final with Gordon beating Maria Renee Rodriguez, 15-2, 15-10, in the other.

Finally, the Fremont Open was a World Racquetball Tour (WRT) event in Fremont, California, and Polo Gutierrez came out on top, as he defeated Alejandro Cardona, 15-4, 15-3, in the final. Gutierrez beat Gilberto Meija, 5-15, 15-11, 11-2, and Cardona beat Anthony Herrera, 15-8, 15-14, in the semi-finals.

Jaime Martell and Joshua Hungerford won the WRT Men's Doubles by defeating Fernando Rios and Jose Daniel Alvarez, 14-15, 15-7, 11-8, in the final. Martell and Hungerford beat Gutierrez and Meija, 15-14, 15-13, in one semi-final with Rios and Alvarez defeated Coby Iwaasa and Anthony Schonberger, 15-9, 15-14, in the other.

16th Annual Lou Bradley Memorial Pro-Am
Sun Prairie, Wisconsin

Final

Alvaro Beltran d. Daniel De La Rosa, 9-11, 11-3, 11-5, 8-11, 11-6

Semi-finals

Alvaro Beltran d. Tony Carson
Daniel De La Rosa d. Chris Crowther

2013 Christmas Classic
Boise, Idaho

Final

Jansen Allen d. Charlie Pratt

Semi-finals

Jansen Allen d. Thomas Fuhrmann
Charlie Pratt d. Andrew Gale

22nd Annual Christmas Classic
Arlington, Virginia

Final

Sharon Jackson d. Mariana Tobon Gordon, 15-6, 15-10

Semi-finals

Sharon Jackson d. Da'monique Davis, 15-13, 15-12
Mariana Tobon Gordon d. Maria Renee Rodriguez, 15-2, 15-10

Fremont Open - World Racquetball Tour
Fremont, California

Final

Polo Gutierrez d. Alejandro Cardona, 15-4, 15-3

Semi-finals

Polo Gutierrez d. Gilberto Meija, 5-15, 15-11, 11-2
Alejandro Cardona d. Anthony Herrera, 15-8, 15-14

Doubles Final

Jaime Martell & Joshua Hungerford d. Fernando Rios & Jose Daniel Alvarez, 14-15, 15-7, 11-8

Semi-finals

Jaime Martell & Joshua Hungerford d. Polo Gutierrez & Gilberto Meija, 15-14, 15-13
Fernando Rios & Jose Daniel Alvarez d. Coby Iwaasa & Anthony Schonberger, 15-9, 15-14

Follow the bouncing ball….

Longoria wins LPRT Christmas Classic

Paola Longoria won the Ladies Pro Racquetball Tour's (LPRT's) 22nd Annual Christmas Classic in Arlington, Virgina for a third consecutive year, as she defeated Rhonda Rajsich in the final on Sunday, 11-2, 11-5, 11-5. Longoria closes out 2013 without losing an LPRT match, which is the second calendar year she's been undefeated. Her winning streak goes back to May of 2011.

The LPRT will be in action again next weekend in Monterray, Mexico, which will be the site of the Paola Longoria Invitational tournament.

LPRT Awards

In Arlington, the LPRT named their award winners of 2013. Longoria was named Player of the Year with Maria Jose Vargas named Rookie of the Year and Cristina Amaya as the Most Improved Player. The Janet Myer Sportsmanship Award went to Hailey Miller.

Those concerned about the state of women's high performance racquetball in the USA will note that none of the LPRT performance awards went to American women.

22nd Annual Christmas Classic
Arlington, Virginia - December 6-8, 2013

Final

1 Paola Longoria d. 2 Rhonda Rajsich, 11-2, 11-5, 11-5

Follow the bouncing ball….

LPRT - Longoria & Rajsich to meet in the Christmas Classic final

For the second consecutive Ladies Pro Racquetball Tour (LPRT) event, the final will be #1 versus #2, when Paola Longoria and Rhonda Rajsich meet in the final of the 22nd Annual Christmans Classic in Arlington, Virgina.

Longoria, the LPRT #1, reached the final with comfortable wins over Jennifer Saunders in the quarter finals, 11-3, 11-1, 11-1, and Maria Jose Vargas, 11-1, 11-0, 11-4. Rajsich, the #2 LPRT player, beat T. J. Baumbaugh, 11-7, 11-9, 11-9, in the quarters and then took out Cristina Ananya, 11-4, 11-5, 9-11, 11-3.

Vargas was an upset winner over 4th seed Samantha Salas, 11-8, 11-8, 11-0, which might have an impact on the rankings next week.

Amaya ended Cheryl Gudinas's return to the LPRT, but it took five games to do so, as Amaya won in a tie-breaker after dropping the first two games to the veteran Gudinas, 12-14, 9-11, 11-4, 11-8, 11-7.

The final will be live on the LPRT Network beginning at noon Sunday.

22nd Annual Christmas Classic
Arlington, Virginia - December 6-8, 2013

Quarter finals

1 Paola Longoria d. 8 Jennifer Saunders, 11-3, 11-1, 11-1
5 Maria Jose Vargas d. 4 Samantha Salas, 11-8, 11-8, 11-0

3 Cristina Amaya v. 6 Cheryl Gudinas, 12-14, 9-11, 11-4, 11-8, 11-7
2 Rhonda Rajsich v. 10 T. J. Baumbaugh, 11-7, 11-9, 11-9

Semi-finals

1 Paola Longoria d. 5 Maria Jose Vargas, 11-1, 11-0, 11-4
2 Rhonda Rajsich v. 10 3 Cristina Amaya, 11-4, 11-5, 9-11, 11-3

Final

1 Paola Longoria v. 2 Rhonda Rajsich - Sunday Noon EST

Follow the bouncing ball….

LPRT Christmas Classic Round of 16

Only one main upset so far at the 22nd Annual Christmas Classic, this weekend's Ladies Pro Racquetball Tour (LPRT) event, as 10th seed T. J. Baumbaugh came back from 2-1 down to defeat 7th seed Da'monique Davis, 9-11, 11-3, 3-11, 11-9, 11-5. She'll play LPRT #2 Rhonda Rajsich in the quarter finals on Saturday, as Rajsich beat Kimberly Ferina, 11-9, 11-5, 11-7.

Paola Longoria, the LPRT's #1 player, won her match on Friday night against Maria Renee Rodriguez, 11-2, 11-1, 11-1, and will face Jennifer Saunders in the quarters, as Saunders beat Hailey Miller, 11-4, 11-8, 11-9, in the 16s.

Cheryl Gudinas's return to the LPRT was successful, although not easy as she went tie-breaker with Sheryl Lotts, winning 11-1, 7-11, 11-13, 11-9, 11-7.

The quarter finals will be live on the LPRT Network beginning at 11 AM Saturday.

22nd Annual Christmas Classic
Arlington, Virginia - December 6-8, 2013

LPRT Round of 16 (with seeding)

1 Paola Longoria d. 16 Maria Renee Rodriguez, 11-2, 11-1, 11-1
8 Jennifer Saunders d. 9 Hailey Miller, 11-4, 11-8, 11-9

5 Maria Jose Vargas d. 12 Mariana Tobon Gordon, 11-4, 11-3, 8-11, 11-4
4 Samantha Salas d. 13 Sharon Jackson, 11-1, 11-1, 11-3

3 Cristina Amaya d. 14 Carolina Luque, 11-5, 11-2, 11-6
6 Cheryl Gudinas d. 11 Sheryl Lotts, 11-1, 7-11, 11-13, 11-9, 11-7

10 T. J. Baumbaugh d. 7 Da'monique Davis, 9-11, 11-3, 3-11, 11-9, 11-5
2 Rhonda Rajsich d. 18 Kimberly Ferina, 11-9, 11-5, 11-7

Quarter finals

1 Paola Longoria v. 8 Jennifer Saunders - Noon EST
4 Samantha Salas v. 5 Maria Jose Vargas - Noon EST

3 Cristina Amaya v. 6 Cheryl Gudinas - 11 AM EST
2 Rhonda Rajsich v. 10 T. J. Baumbaugh - 11 AM EST

LPRT Round of 32 (with seeding)

1 Paola Longoria BYE
16 Maria Renee Rodriguez d. 17 Claudia Andrade, 11-0, 11-9, 11-8

9 Hailey Miller BYE
8 Jennifer Saunders BYE

5 Maria Jose Vargas BYE
12 Mariana Tobon Gordon BYE

13 Sharon Jackson BYE
4 Samantha Salas BYE

3 Cristina Amaya BYE
14 Carolina Luque BYE

11 Sheryl Lotts BYE
6 Cheryl Gudinas BYE

7 Da'monique Davis BYE
10 T. J. Baumbaugh VYE

18 Kimberly Ferina d. 15 Ana Paola Nunez, 11-5, 11-1, 11-5
2 Rhonda Rajsich BYE

Follow the bouncing ball….

LPRT Christmas Classic Preview

You may have forgotten about them, as it's been two months since the last Ladies Pro Racquetball Tour (LPRT) event, but they are back in action this weekend with the 22nd Annual Christmas Classic in Arlington, Virginia, which is the first of back to back events, as the LPRT will down in Monterrey, Mexico for the Paola Longoria Invitational tournament.

Anyone who's unaware of Longoria's impact in Mexico hasn't been following Twitter, where Longoria has over 56,000 followers (a few more than Racquetball Blog has). The LPRT's #1 player, Longoria is hosting an event that's come about in the last couple of months, as it wasn't on the schedule when it was first released. And it will be an event with Grand Slam prize money. Very impressive and great for the LPRT.

In contrast, this weekend's event in Arlington is a little light on players, as there are only 18 in the draw. But it does include Longoria and her main rival Rhonda Rajsich, the LPRT's #2, as well as #4 Samantha Salas. Also, Cheryl Gudinas returns from her foot injury that's caused her to miss the first three LPRT events of this season.

Cristina Amaya is the 3rd seed and she's had a good year with two runner up finishes to Longoria. One was on the LPRT in September and the other was at the World Games. But she'll face Gudinas in the quarter finals, if they both win their first matches.

Rajsich, who's had some disappointing finishes, but did reach the final of the US Open, which is the last LPRT event, would likely face the winner of Amaya and Gudinas in the semi-finals.

On the top of the draw, Longoria's path to the final will likely go through Jennifer Saunders in the quarters and then either Salas or 5th seed Maria Jose Vargas, who's also played well recently. But Salas will have to defeat Sharon Jackson in the Round of 16, and Jackson could be the best young American player right now, having represented USA at the Pan American Championships earlier this year earning a bronze medal in singles and winning gold with Rajsich.

So, a small draw in Arlington, but there should be several good matches. You can follow the action live on the LPRT Network beginning at 4 PM on Friday with the Round of 16.

22nd Annual Christmas Classic
Arlington, Virginia - December 6-8, 2013

LPRT Round of 32 (with seeding)

1 Paola Longoria BYE
16 Maria Renee Rodriguez v. 17 Claudia Andrade

9 Hailey Miller BYE
8 Jennifer Saunders BYE

5 Maria Jose Vargas BYE
12 Mariana Tobon Gordon BYE

13 Sharon Jackson BYE
4 Samantha Salas BYE

3 Cristina Amaya BYE
14 Carolina Luque BYE

11 Sheryl Lotts BYE
6 Cheryl Gudinas BYE

7 Da'monique Davis BYE
10 T. J. Baumbaugh VYE

15 Ana Paola Nunez v. 18 Kimberly Ferina
2 Rhonda Rajsich BYE

Follow the bouncing ball….

Green & Lambert win Racquetball Canada National Team Selection Event in Winnipeg

Mike Green and Frédérique Lambert won the Men's and Women's finals, respectively, of the Racquetball Canada National Team Selection Event in Winnipeg on Sunday. Green - the reigning Canadian National Men's Champion - defeated 2nd seed Vincent Gagnon in the Men's final, 15-10, 15-12, while Lambert upset #1 seed and current National Women's Champion Jennifer Saunders in the women's final, 13-15, 15-6, 11-8.

In the men's semi-finals, Green defeated Coby Iwaasa, 15-6, 15-9, and Gagnon needed a tie-breaker to defeat Samuel Murray, 7-15, 15-11, 11-5.

Saunders beat Michèle Morissette, 15-3, 15-4, in one of the women's semi-finals, while Lambert defeated veteran Josée Grand'Maître, 15-12, 15-9, in the other.

The big upsets of the event occurred in the quarter finals. On the men's side, Murray, the 6th seed, beat 3rd seed Tim Landeryou, 9-15, 15-12, 11-9, while on the women's side Morissette, the 5th seed, defeated 4th seed Christine Richardson, 15-13, 8-15, 11-9.

This was the first Selection Event of the season, and the results from this event will be combined with the second Selection Event to be held in Brossard, Que. in January and the National Championships in May to determine the players who will represent Canada at the 2014 World Championships, which will be held in Burlington, Ont. next June.

RACQUETBALL CANADA NATIONAL TEAM SELECTION EVENT
Winnipeg, Manitoba

Men's Open

Final

Mike Green d. Vincent Gagnon, 15-10, 15-12

3rd Place

Coby Iwaasa d. Samuel Murray, 15-10, 15-8

5th Place

Tim Landeryou d. Nathaniel Husulak, 15-9, 15-11

7th Place

Lee Connell d. Eric Desrochers, injury default

9th Place

Kurtis Cullen d. Joshua Keil, 15-1, 15-6

Women's Open

Final - Sunday

Frédérique Lambert d. Jennifer Saunders, 13-15, 15-6, 11-8

3rd Place

Josée Grand'Maître d. Michèle Morissette, 15-4, 15-1

5th Place

Christine Richardson d. Nadia Verilli, 15-4, 15-1

7th Place

Brigitte Richard d. Alexis Iwaasa, 15-7, 15-10

Follow the bouncing ball….