LPRT - Torneo Fenapo Tournament - Preview UPDATED

The 2014-15 Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) season begins this weekend with the Torneo Fenapo 2014 Paola Longoria in San Luis Potosi, Mexico. Twenty eight players are in the field including the top 6 ranked players and 16 of the top 20.

A field of 28 means the top four seeds receive byes in the Round of 32, so Paola Longoria, Rhonda Rajsich, Maria Jose Vargas and Samantha Salas - the number 1-4 seeds, respectively - won't have to play in round one. However, the LPRT was more competitive last season than at any time in recent years, and that should continue this season.

The competitiveness should start this weekend, as the draw has several interesting matches. For example, it looks like Michelle Key and Jessica Parrilla will face off in the 32s with the winner to play Salas in the 16s. Also, veterans Susana Acosta and Cheryl Gudinas will play into each other, as will young players Frédérique Lambert and Sofia Rascon, who were the bronze medalists from the Pan American Sport Organization Sports Festival event last week in Guadalajara.

Lambert and Rascon will be in Vargas's quarter of the draw, while Acosta and Gudinas are in Rajsich's. Veronica Sotomayor and Da'monique Davis are in Longoria's quarter, but both need to beat one of the good young Mexican players in Alexandra Herrera (for Davis) and Lucia Gonzalez (for Sotomayor). Finally, Cristina Amaya and Maria Paz Muñoz are in the same quarter as Salas.

The Torneo Fenapo is a Grand Slam event, which is part of reason for the size and depth of the field. It's a great way to start of the season.

There's also a doubles event this weekend with 12 teams, including some of the best LPRT players. We've done a draw for that based on the sum of each team's LPRT ranking.

Rhonda Rajsich and Maria Jose Vargas are the top seeds with Paola Longoria and Samantha Salas, the current Women's Doubles World Champions, as the second seeds.

Some of the other top pairings are Veronica Sotomayor and Maria Paz Muñoz - bronze medalists at this year's World Championships, Frédérique Lambert with Michelle Key, Susana Acosta with Jessica Parrilla, and Cristina Amaya with Carla Muñoz.

LPRT Torneo Fenapo 2014 Paola Longoria
San Luis Potosi, Mexico

Singles
(unofficial draw with potential seeds)

1 Paola Longoria - BYE
16 Sheryl Lotts v. 17 T.J. Baumbaugh

9 Da'monique Davis v. 24 Alexandra Herrera
8 Veronica Sotomayor v. 25 Lucia Gonzalez

5 Cristina Amaya v. 28 Andrea Ramirez
12 Maria Paz Muñoz v. 21 Maria Renee Rodriguez

13 Michelle Key v. 20 Jessica Parrilla
4 Samantha Salas - BYE

3 Maria Jose Vargas - BYE
14 Sharon Jackson v. 19 Carolina Luque

11 Sofia Rascon v. 22 Diana Aguilar
6 Frédérique Lambert v. 27 Monserrat Mejia

7 Susana Acosta v. 26 Kimberly Irons
10 Cheryl Gudinas v. 23 Kelly Gremley

15 Carla Muñoz v. 18 Linda Tyler
2 Rhonda Rajsich - BYE

Doubles

1 Rhonda Rajsich & Maria Jose Vargas - BYE
8 T.J. Baumbaugh & Kelly Gremley v. 9 Sheryl Lotts & Kimberly Irons

5 Frédérique Lambert & Michelle Key v. 12 Maritza Franco & Regina Franco
4 Sofia Rascon & Lucia Gonzalez - BYE

3 Susana Acosta & Jessica Parilla - BYE
6 Veronica Sotomayor & Maria Paz Muñoz v. 11 Jacqueline Maldonado & Karen Segovia

7 Cristina Amaya & Carla Muñoz v. 10 Andrea Ramirez & Monserrat Mejia
2 Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas - BYE

Follow the bouncing ball….