IRT Long Beach Open - Doubles Preview

The International Racquetball Tour (IRT) is holding a doubles only event in Long Beach, California this weekend, as the Long Beach Open takes place at the Belmont Athletic Club.

This will be the third IRT doubles event of the year to go with the US Open last October in Minneapolis and the Lewis Drug tournament in January in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Alvaro Beltran and Rocky Carson faced off against Ben Croft and Kane Waselenchuk in both finals of those events with Croft and Waselenchuk winning in Minneapolis and Beltran and Carson winning in Sioux Falls.

Thus, if they meet in the final Saturday night in Long Beach, it'll be their rubber match for the season. One would have to think they are odds on to do that, although there are several other good teams in Long Beach.

Daniel De La Rosa and Jose Rojas are the 3rd seeds, and Jansen Allen and Charlie Pratt are 4th seeds. Both are threats to knock off the 1st seed Beltran and Carson or 2nd seed Croft and Waselenchuk. Also, Jose Diaz and Marco Rojas, Chris Crowther and Javier Moreno, Jake Bredenbeck and Sebastian Franco, and David Horn and Mario Mercado are no slouches.

You can follow the action via the IRT Network. The first round matches are scheduled for 6 and 7 PM PDT on Thursday with the quarterfinals on Friday at 4, 5, 6, and 7 PM. Then the semi-finals and final will both be on Saturday, with the former are 10 and 11 AM and the latter at 5 PM.

2015 Long Beach Open
Long Beach, California - April 9-11, 2015

Round of 16 - Thursday

1) Alvaro Beltran & Rocky Carson - BYE
8) Jake Bredenbeck & Sebastian Franco v. 9) Jason Mannino & John Scott

5) Jose Diaz & Marco Rojas v. 12) Scott Davis & Tom Durham
4) Jansen Allen & Charlie Pratt v. 13) Sebastian Fernandez & Miguel Rodriguez Jr

3) Daniel De La Rosa & Jose Rojas - BYE
6) Chris Crowther & Javier Moreno v. 11) Eric Harper & Majeed Shahin

7) David Horn & Mario Mercado v. 10) Keith Minor & Brian Pineda
2) Ben Croft & Kane Waselenchuk - BYE

Follow the bouncing ball….