Lambert & Green win Racquetball Canada National Team Selection Event

On the weekend, Frédérique Lambert and Mike Green won the men's and women's divisions, respectively, at Racquetball Canada's second National Team Selection Event of the season in Brossard, Que.

Lambert defeated reigning Canadian Women's Champion Jennifer Saunders, 1-15, 15-10, 11-9, in the women's final. After the first game, which was all Saunders, Lambert switched serving strategy to lob serves from drive serves, as she usually does.

The switch worked, and was somewhat ironic, as lob serves, especially nick lobs are Saunders' primary weapon.

With the win, Lambert will become the #1 women's player in Canada, as she also defeated Saunders at the first National Team Selection Event of the season in Winnipeg in December.

Green is the reigning National Men's Champion and he defeated 2nd seed Vincent Gagnon, 15-8, 15-8, in the men's final Sunday.

In the men's semi-finals, Green was up against the young phenom 17 year old Coby Iwaasa. After winning game one, Green lost game two to the young Iwaasa, but Green recovered and won the tie-breaker by a comfortable margin, making the final score 15-12, 8-15, 11-1.

In the other semi-final, Gagnon defeated Tim Landeryou, 15-13, 13-15, 11-9, and the margin of victory could not have been smaller as Racquetball Canada matches have to be won by two points minimum.

Landeryou beat Iwaasa in the 3rd place match, 15-7, 14-16, 11-6. During that match Landeryou was in control throughout, as he kept the ball out of the middle, while too many of Iwaasa's shots went into the middle. The match only went to a tie-breaker as Iwaasa started hitting lob Z serves to the right side - Landeryou's forehand - that Landeryou had some difficulty returning.

This event was the last opportunity players had to earn points towards selection for the team representing Canada at the 2014 Pan American Championships in Santa Cruz, Bolivia in April. Those points will also count toward selection for Team Canada at the 2014 World Championships in Burlington, Ont., Canada in June.

RACQUETBALL CANADA NATIONAL TEAM SELECTION EVENT
Nautilus Plus
Brossard, Quebec

Men's Open

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

3rd - Tim Landeryou d. Coby Iwaasa, 15-7, 14-16, 11-6

5th - Pedro Castro d. Samuel Murray, 15-4, 5-15, 12-10

7th - Lee Connell d. Nathaniel Husulak, 15-12, 15-4

9th - Tanner Mattson d. Kurtis Cullen, 15-7, 8-15, 11-9

Women's Open

Final - Frédérique Lambert d. Jennifer Saunders, 1-15, 15-10, 11-9

3rd - Josée Grand'Maître d. Michèle Morissette, 15-8, 15-7

5th - Christine Richardson d. Valerie Fallu, 15-13, 10-15, 11-3

7th - Leanne Neubauer d. Brigitte Richard, 15-4, 16-14

Follow the bouncing ball….