Samuel Murray and Frédérique Lambert won the Men's and Women's divisions, respectively, at the first Racquetball Canada National Team Selection Event of the season in Brossard, Que. on Sunday. It's Lambert's fifth win in a selection event, but the first for Murray.
Murray won Men's Singles by defeating top seed Mike Green, 15-10, 15-13. It was Murray's first win against the veteran Green, and his first National Team Selection Event win. Murray's previous best was a runner up finish at the 2015 National Championships in May.
Green started strong, going out to a 5-0 lead in game one. But Murray came back and tied the game at 5-5 and 7-7. From there, Murray never trailed in the game, although it took eight rallies to get the last two points, the winner coming on a forehand pinch shot.
In game two, Murray took the early lead, going up 6-2. But Green caught him at 6-6 and 7-7. From there Murray scored four points on consecutive rallies, the last with a spectacular backhand pinch shot that made the score 11-7.
Green drew close at 12-10, but Murray got to match point at 14-10. However, the veteran wasn't giving in easily, and Green fought off five match points, scored three himself, including two aces, which made the score 14-13.
On match point number six, Murray was out of position on the right side, and Green tried to take advantage with a forehand overhead shot, but he put it into the floor, giving Murray the game, and his first selection event win.
The first game of the Women's Final was long. Lambert and Saunders went back and forth with Saunders holding a slight advantage or the score being tied. After 56 rallies, they were only at 8-8.
But from there, Lambert scored on seven straight rallies to win game one, 15-8. Saunders took a timeout at 11-8, but that only delayed the end.
Game two also took awhile, but Lambert went up early at 6-1, and Saunders never got closer than three after that, as Lambert pushed on to win 15-8.
The results of this tournament will be used - in part - to select Team Canada for the 2016 Pan American Championships in Temuco, Chile. Players are also working towards being selected to represent Canada at the 2016 International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Championships in Cali, Colombia in July.
Racquetball Canada National Team Selection Event
November 27-29, 2015 - Brossard, Quebec
Men's Final
Samuel Murray d. Mike Green, 15-10, 15-13
3rd place
Tim Landeryou d. Pedro Castro, 15-10, 15-6
5th place
Lee Connell d. James Landeryou, 15-12, 15-7
7th place
Nicolas Bousquet d. Tommy Murray, injury default
9th place
Nathaniel Husulak d. Kurtis Cullen, 15-10, 11-15, 11-4
Women's Final
Frédérique Lambert d. Jennifer Saunders, 15-8, 15-8
3rd Place
Christine Richardson d. Michèle Morissette, 15-10, 11-15, 11-8
5th Place
Valerie Fallu d. Alexis Iwaasa, 2-1
7th Place
Danielle Drury d. Jewel Sauvé, 15-7, 15-0
Follow the bouncing ball….
Monday, November 30, 2015
Sunday, November 29, 2015
De La Rosa wins singles & doubles at IRT Il Copa Puros Cuates
Daniel De La Rosa won the Il Copa Puros Cuates - an International Racquetball Tour (IRT) Tier 4 event in San Luis Potosi, Mexico Saturday by defeating Javier Mar in the final, 11-3, 12-10, 11-6.
De La Rosa capped his singles win with a win in doubles with partner Edson Martinez, as they defeated Gerardo Franco and Andree Parrilla in the final, 15-14, 15-5.
Earlier Saturday in the Men's Singles semi-finals, De La Rosa got the better of his doubles partner in four games, beating Martinez, 6-11, 12-10, 11-2, 11-6, while Mar needed a tie-breaker to fend off a comeback from Rodrigo Garay, 11-3, 11-3, 6-11, 8-11, 11-2.
Il Copa Puros Cuates
San Luis Potosi, Mexico
Men's Singles - Final
Daniel De La Rosa d. Javier Mar, 11-3, 12-10, 11-6
Semi-finals
Daniel De La Rosa d. Edson Martinez, 6-11, 12-10, 11-2, 11-6
Javier Mar d. Rodrigo Garay, 11-3, 11-3, 6-11, 8-11, 11-2
Men's Doubles - Final
Daniel De La Rosa & Edson Martinez d. Gerardo Franco & Andree Parrilla, 15-14, 15-5
Semi-finals
Daniel De La Rosa & Edson Martinez d. Alejandro Romo & Ruben Martinez, 13-15, 15-7, 11-5
Gerardo Franco & Andree Parrilla d. Rodrigo Garay & Javier Mar, 15-12, 15-14
Quarterfinals
Daniel De La Rosa & Edson Martinez d. Carlos Gonzalez & Luis Gonzalez, 15-2, 15-3
Alejandro Romo & Ruben Martinez d. Missael Leija & Fabian Parrilla, 15-11, 11-15, 11-5
Gerardo Franco & Andree Parrilla d. Carlos Bacmeister & Jorge Tovar Rodriguez, 15-9, 15-11
Rodrigo Garay & Javier Mar d. Hugo Martinez & Eduardo Portillo, 15-10, 15-13
Follow the bouncing ball….
De La Rosa capped his singles win with a win in doubles with partner Edson Martinez, as they defeated Gerardo Franco and Andree Parrilla in the final, 15-14, 15-5.
Earlier Saturday in the Men's Singles semi-finals, De La Rosa got the better of his doubles partner in four games, beating Martinez, 6-11, 12-10, 11-2, 11-6, while Mar needed a tie-breaker to fend off a comeback from Rodrigo Garay, 11-3, 11-3, 6-11, 8-11, 11-2.
Il Copa Puros Cuates
San Luis Potosi, Mexico
Men's Singles - Final
Daniel De La Rosa d. Javier Mar, 11-3, 12-10, 11-6
Semi-finals
Daniel De La Rosa d. Edson Martinez, 6-11, 12-10, 11-2, 11-6
Javier Mar d. Rodrigo Garay, 11-3, 11-3, 6-11, 8-11, 11-2
Men's Doubles - Final
Daniel De La Rosa & Edson Martinez d. Gerardo Franco & Andree Parrilla, 15-14, 15-5
Semi-finals
Daniel De La Rosa & Edson Martinez d. Alejandro Romo & Ruben Martinez, 13-15, 15-7, 11-5
Gerardo Franco & Andree Parrilla d. Rodrigo Garay & Javier Mar, 15-12, 15-14
Quarterfinals
Daniel De La Rosa & Edson Martinez d. Carlos Gonzalez & Luis Gonzalez, 15-2, 15-3
Alejandro Romo & Ruben Martinez d. Missael Leija & Fabian Parrilla, 15-11, 11-15, 11-5
Gerardo Franco & Andree Parrilla d. Carlos Bacmeister & Jorge Tovar Rodriguez, 15-9, 15-11
Rodrigo Garay & Javier Mar d. Hugo Martinez & Eduardo Portillo, 15-10, 15-13
Follow the bouncing ball….
Racquetball Canada National Team Selection Event - Semi-finals
Familiar foes will meet in the Women's Final Sunday at the first Racquetball Canada National Team Selection Event of the season in Brossard, Que., as Frédérique Lambert takes on Jennifer Saunders. Lambert defeated Saunders in May for her first Canadian Women's Singles Championship, and is the top seed in this event with Saunders 2nd seed.
Lambert advanced to the final with a win over Michèle Morissette, 15-5, 15-10, in one semi-final while Saunders defeated Christine Richardson, 15-3, 15-1, in the other semi.
In Men's Singles, top seed Mike Green needed a tie-breaker to get past Pedro Castro, 13-15, 15-7, 11-5, in the semis. Green took the early lead in game one against Castro, going up 5-0, but Castro came back and tied Green at 5-5 and again at 8-8.
Castro then went ahead 13-8, and it looked like he'd win game one easily. But no wins against the veteran Green come easily, as he came back to get within a point at 14-13 before Castro did get the last point.
In game two, Green again took an early lead at 7-1. Castro made it close at 7-5, but that was as close as he could get as Green went on to win 15-7 and force the tie-breaker.
In game three, Green put the writing on the wall early with a 7-1 lead. Castro fought until the end, but Green won my a comfortable margin at 11-5.
Samuel Murray will face Green in the final, as Murray beat Tim Landeryou, 15-7, 15-12, in the other semi-final. Murray - runner up in Men's Singles early this year at the Canadian Championships - started strong, as he took a 14-3 lead on Landeryou in game one, and won it comfortably 15-7.
In game two Murray again took the lead early at 7-3 and 10-4. But the veteran Landeryou dug in and came back to tie it at 10-10. Landeryou then went ahead 12-11, but he couldn't get past 12, as Murray responded helped by two Landeryou errors: one an aggressive attempt to end awkward rally that skipped that gave Murray his 13th point, and then a skipped backhand serve return giving Murray match point at 14-12. Murray finished the match on the next rally with a forehand pinch to the front right corner.
Notable in their absence from this event are Coby Iwaasa, who began a two mission as a member of the Church of Latter Day Saints, and Vincent Gagnon, who is taking the season off from competition for personal reasons.
The results of this tournament will be used - in part - to select Team Canada for the 2016 Pan American Championships in Temuco, Chile. Players are also working towards being selected to represent Canada at the 2016 International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Championships in Cali, Colombia in July.
Racquetball Canada National Team Selection Event
November 27-29, 2015 - Brossard, Quebec
Men's Final
Mike Green v. Samuel Murray
Semi-finals
Mike Green d. Pedro Castro, 13-15, 15-7, 11-5
Samuel Murray d. Tim Landeryou, 15-7, 15-12
Quarterfinals
Mike Green d. Nicolas Bousquet, 15-3, 15-5
Pedro Castro d. James Landeryou, 15-13, 15-6
Tim Landeryou d. Tommy Murray, 15-5, 17-15
Samuel Murray d. Lee Connell, 15-9, 15-1
Round of 16
Mike Green d. Patrick Jauvin, 15-3, 15-1
Nicolas Bousquet d. Kurtis Cullen, 12-15, 15-14, 11-5
Pedro Castro d. Michael Leduc, 15-5, 15-7
James Landeryou d. Francis Guillemette, 15-11, 15-11
Tim Landeryou d. Trevor Webb, 15-4, 15-8
Tommy Murray d. Nathaniel Husulak, 15-12, 15-10
Lee Connell d. Eric Desrochers, 15-3, 15-5
Samuel Murray d. Tanner Prentice, 15-2, 15-2
Women's Final
Frédérique Lambert v. Jennifer Saunders
Semi-finals
Frédérique Lambert d. Michèle Morissette, 15-5, 15-10
Jennifer Saunders d. Christine Richardson, 15-3, 15-1
Quarterfinals
Frédérique Lambert d. Jewel Sauvé, 15-1, 15-5
Michèle Morissette d. Valerie Fallu, 15-17, 15-5, 11-0
Christine Richardson d. Alexis Iwaasa, 5-15, 15-10, 11-6
Jennifer Saunders d. Danielle Drury, 15-5, 15-4
Follow the bouncing ball….
Lambert advanced to the final with a win over Michèle Morissette, 15-5, 15-10, in one semi-final while Saunders defeated Christine Richardson, 15-3, 15-1, in the other semi.
In Men's Singles, top seed Mike Green needed a tie-breaker to get past Pedro Castro, 13-15, 15-7, 11-5, in the semis. Green took the early lead in game one against Castro, going up 5-0, but Castro came back and tied Green at 5-5 and again at 8-8.
Castro then went ahead 13-8, and it looked like he'd win game one easily. But no wins against the veteran Green come easily, as he came back to get within a point at 14-13 before Castro did get the last point.
In game two, Green again took an early lead at 7-1. Castro made it close at 7-5, but that was as close as he could get as Green went on to win 15-7 and force the tie-breaker.
In game three, Green put the writing on the wall early with a 7-1 lead. Castro fought until the end, but Green won my a comfortable margin at 11-5.
Samuel Murray will face Green in the final, as Murray beat Tim Landeryou, 15-7, 15-12, in the other semi-final. Murray - runner up in Men's Singles early this year at the Canadian Championships - started strong, as he took a 14-3 lead on Landeryou in game one, and won it comfortably 15-7.
In game two Murray again took the lead early at 7-3 and 10-4. But the veteran Landeryou dug in and came back to tie it at 10-10. Landeryou then went ahead 12-11, but he couldn't get past 12, as Murray responded helped by two Landeryou errors: one an aggressive attempt to end awkward rally that skipped that gave Murray his 13th point, and then a skipped backhand serve return giving Murray match point at 14-12. Murray finished the match on the next rally with a forehand pinch to the front right corner.
Notable in their absence from this event are Coby Iwaasa, who began a two mission as a member of the Church of Latter Day Saints, and Vincent Gagnon, who is taking the season off from competition for personal reasons.
The results of this tournament will be used - in part - to select Team Canada for the 2016 Pan American Championships in Temuco, Chile. Players are also working towards being selected to represent Canada at the 2016 International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Championships in Cali, Colombia in July.
Racquetball Canada National Team Selection Event
November 27-29, 2015 - Brossard, Quebec
Men's Final
Mike Green v. Samuel Murray
Semi-finals
Mike Green d. Pedro Castro, 13-15, 15-7, 11-5
Samuel Murray d. Tim Landeryou, 15-7, 15-12
Quarterfinals
Mike Green d. Nicolas Bousquet, 15-3, 15-5
Pedro Castro d. James Landeryou, 15-13, 15-6
Tim Landeryou d. Tommy Murray, 15-5, 17-15
Samuel Murray d. Lee Connell, 15-9, 15-1
Round of 16
Mike Green d. Patrick Jauvin, 15-3, 15-1
Nicolas Bousquet d. Kurtis Cullen, 12-15, 15-14, 11-5
Pedro Castro d. Michael Leduc, 15-5, 15-7
James Landeryou d. Francis Guillemette, 15-11, 15-11
Tim Landeryou d. Trevor Webb, 15-4, 15-8
Tommy Murray d. Nathaniel Husulak, 15-12, 15-10
Lee Connell d. Eric Desrochers, 15-3, 15-5
Samuel Murray d. Tanner Prentice, 15-2, 15-2
Women's Final
Frédérique Lambert v. Jennifer Saunders
Semi-finals
Frédérique Lambert d. Michèle Morissette, 15-5, 15-10
Jennifer Saunders d. Christine Richardson, 15-3, 15-1
Quarterfinals
Frédérique Lambert d. Jewel Sauvé, 15-1, 15-5
Michèle Morissette d. Valerie Fallu, 15-17, 15-5, 11-0
Christine Richardson d. Alexis Iwaasa, 5-15, 15-10, 11-6
Jennifer Saunders d. Danielle Drury, 15-5, 15-4
Follow the bouncing ball….
Saturday, November 28, 2015
2015 IRT Il Copa Puros Cuates - Quarterfinals
With Thanksgiving in the USA this weekend has typically been a quiet one for racquetball there. But there are tournaments elsewhere, including in San Luis Potosi, Mexico where Il Copa Puros Cuates - an International Racquetball Tour (IRT) Tier 4 event - is happening.
The surprise result so far there is Rodrigo Garay, the 6th seed, defeating 3rd seed Andree Parrilla, 11-0, 1-11, 11-7, 11-6. He'll play 2nd seed Javier Mar in the semi-finals, as Mar beat Jordy Alonso, 11-6, 11-8, 11-3, in the quarterfinals.
On the other side of the draw, doubles partners Daniel De La Rosa and Edson Martinez will face off in the other semi-final, as De La Rosa defeated Gerardo Franco, 11-5, 11-7, 11-5, and Martinez was also a straight game winner over Missael Leija, 11-6, 11-4, 11-6.
Il Copa Puros Cuates
San Luis Potosi, Mexico
Round of 16
Daniel De La Rosa d. Hugo Martinez, 11-3, 11-3, 11-4
Gerardo Franco d. Carlos Bacmeister, 8-11, 11-1, 11-9, 11-4
Missael Leija d. Jorge Tovar Rodriguez, 11-3, 11-2, 11-9
Edson Martinez d. Miguel Jaimes, 11-4, 11-2, 11-3
Andree Parrilla d. Luis Gonzalez, 11-0, 11-3, 11-4
Rodrigo Garay d. Alejandro Romo, 8-11, 11-5, 11-3, 11-1
Jordy Alonso d. Saul Medellin, 11-3, 11-2, 11-3
Javier Mar d. Eduardo Portillo, 11-2, 11-1, 7-11, 11-2
Quarterfinals
Daniel De La Rosa d. Gerardo Franco, 11-5, 11-7, 11-5
Edson Martinez d. Missael Leija, 11-6, 11-4, 11-6
Rodrigo Garay d. Andree Parrilla, 11-0, 1-11, 11-7, 11-6
Javier Mar d. Jordy Alonso, 11-6, 11-8, 11-3
Semi-finals
Daniel De La Rosa v. Edson Martinez
Javier Mar v. Rodrigo Garay
Follow the bouncing ball….
The surprise result so far there is Rodrigo Garay, the 6th seed, defeating 3rd seed Andree Parrilla, 11-0, 1-11, 11-7, 11-6. He'll play 2nd seed Javier Mar in the semi-finals, as Mar beat Jordy Alonso, 11-6, 11-8, 11-3, in the quarterfinals.
On the other side of the draw, doubles partners Daniel De La Rosa and Edson Martinez will face off in the other semi-final, as De La Rosa defeated Gerardo Franco, 11-5, 11-7, 11-5, and Martinez was also a straight game winner over Missael Leija, 11-6, 11-4, 11-6.
Il Copa Puros Cuates
San Luis Potosi, Mexico
Round of 16
Daniel De La Rosa d. Hugo Martinez, 11-3, 11-3, 11-4
Gerardo Franco d. Carlos Bacmeister, 8-11, 11-1, 11-9, 11-4
Missael Leija d. Jorge Tovar Rodriguez, 11-3, 11-2, 11-9
Edson Martinez d. Miguel Jaimes, 11-4, 11-2, 11-3
Andree Parrilla d. Luis Gonzalez, 11-0, 11-3, 11-4
Rodrigo Garay d. Alejandro Romo, 8-11, 11-5, 11-3, 11-1
Jordy Alonso d. Saul Medellin, 11-3, 11-2, 11-3
Javier Mar d. Eduardo Portillo, 11-2, 11-1, 7-11, 11-2
Quarterfinals
Daniel De La Rosa d. Gerardo Franco, 11-5, 11-7, 11-5
Edson Martinez d. Missael Leija, 11-6, 11-4, 11-6
Rodrigo Garay d. Andree Parrilla, 11-0, 1-11, 11-7, 11-6
Javier Mar d. Jordy Alonso, 11-6, 11-8, 11-3
Semi-finals
Daniel De La Rosa v. Edson Martinez
Javier Mar v. Rodrigo Garay
Follow the bouncing ball….
Monday, November 23, 2015
Weekend Round Up - Wins for Simpson, Best & Rios and Franco
Brian Simmpson defeated Keith Minor to win the 24th Annual Turkey Shoot, a Tier 3 event on the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) on Sunday in Lombard, Illinois. Simpson lost the first game, but was up in the second, when Minor had to default due to injury, making the final score line 8-11, 7-0, injury default.
In the semi-finals, Simpson defeated Brad McCunniff, 11-2, 11-2, 8-11, 11-9, and Minor beat Andrew Price, 11-4, 13-11, 11-3.
Elsewhere, Jeremy Best and Fernando Rios won Men’s Open Doubles at the 2015 St Louis Winter Rollout in St. Louis, Missouri by defeating John Kleinschmidt and Ryan Maher, 15-11, 15-3, in the final. Best and Rios beat Dylan Reid and Josh Pearl in one semi-Final, while Kleinschmidt and Maher upset top seeds Brian Pineda and Charlie Pratt, 15-10, 5-15, 11-5, in the other.
Finally, at the 2015 WRT Kitsap Splat in Bremerton, Washington, Gerardo Franco won Men’s Open with a straight game victory over Nicolai Miramontes in the final, 15-8, 15-11. Both semi-final matches were also straight game wins, as Franco beat Paul Kiil, 15-10, 15-11, and Miramontes defeated Miguel Rodriguez Jr, 15-4, 15-5.
The big event this coming weekend is Racquetball Canada’s first National Team Selection Event of the season in Brossard, Que., November 27-29, 2015.
24th Annual Turkey Shoot Open, November 19-22, 2015
Lombard, Illinois
Men’s Open Final
Brian Simpson d. Keith Minor, 8-11, 7-0, injury forfeit
Semi-final
Keith Minor d. Andrew Price, 11-4, 13-11, 11-3
Brian Simpson d. Brad McCunniff, 11-2, 11-2, 8-11, 11-9
2015 St Louis Winter Rollout, November 19-22
St. Louis, Missouri
Men’s Open Doubles
Final
Jeremy Best & Fernando Rios d. John Kleinschmidt & Ryan Maher, 15-11, 15-3
Semi-Final
John Kleinschmidt & Ryan Maher d. Brian Pineda & Charlie Pratt, 15-10, 5-15, 11-5
Jeremy Best & Fernando Rios d. Dylan Reid & Josh Pearl
2015 WRT Kitsap Splat, November 20-22
Bremerton, Washington
Men’s Open
Final
Gerardo Franco d. Nicolai Miramontes, 15-8, 15-11
Semi-finals
Gerardo Franco d. Paul Kiil, 15-10, 15-11
Nicolai Miramontes d. Miguel Rodriguez Jr, 15-4, 15-5
Follow the bouncing ball….
In the semi-finals, Simpson defeated Brad McCunniff, 11-2, 11-2, 8-11, 11-9, and Minor beat Andrew Price, 11-4, 13-11, 11-3.
Elsewhere, Jeremy Best and Fernando Rios won Men’s Open Doubles at the 2015 St Louis Winter Rollout in St. Louis, Missouri by defeating John Kleinschmidt and Ryan Maher, 15-11, 15-3, in the final. Best and Rios beat Dylan Reid and Josh Pearl in one semi-Final, while Kleinschmidt and Maher upset top seeds Brian Pineda and Charlie Pratt, 15-10, 5-15, 11-5, in the other.
Finally, at the 2015 WRT Kitsap Splat in Bremerton, Washington, Gerardo Franco won Men’s Open with a straight game victory over Nicolai Miramontes in the final, 15-8, 15-11. Both semi-final matches were also straight game wins, as Franco beat Paul Kiil, 15-10, 15-11, and Miramontes defeated Miguel Rodriguez Jr, 15-4, 15-5.
The big event this coming weekend is Racquetball Canada’s first National Team Selection Event of the season in Brossard, Que., November 27-29, 2015.
24th Annual Turkey Shoot Open, November 19-22, 2015
Lombard, Illinois
Men’s Open Final
Brian Simpson d. Keith Minor, 8-11, 7-0, injury forfeit
Semi-final
Keith Minor d. Andrew Price, 11-4, 13-11, 11-3
Brian Simpson d. Brad McCunniff, 11-2, 11-2, 8-11, 11-9
2015 St Louis Winter Rollout, November 19-22
St. Louis, Missouri
Men’s Open Doubles
Final
Jeremy Best & Fernando Rios d. John Kleinschmidt & Ryan Maher, 15-11, 15-3
Semi-Final
John Kleinschmidt & Ryan Maher d. Brian Pineda & Charlie Pratt, 15-10, 5-15, 11-5
Jeremy Best & Fernando Rios d. Dylan Reid & Josh Pearl
2015 WRT Kitsap Splat, November 20-22
Bremerton, Washington
Men’s Open
Final
Gerardo Franco d. Nicolai Miramontes, 15-8, 15-11
Semi-finals
Gerardo Franco d. Paul Kiil, 15-10, 15-11
Nicolai Miramontes d. Miguel Rodriguez Jr, 15-4, 15-5
Follow the bouncing ball….
Sunday, November 22, 2015
Bredenbeck wins 2015 WRT Kitsap Splat
Jake Bredenbeck won the World Racquetball Tour (WRT) Kitsap Splat in Bremerton, Washington, Saturday by defeating Alejandro Cardona in two straight games, 15-14, 15-11. Cardona had won the last four WRT events, including three wins against Bredenbeck in the final.
Afterwards, Bredenbeck said it “feels good to get the win,” especially so as Cardona had beaten him so often lately.
Bredenbeck was 10-5 in game one, when Cardona called a timeout. That break lead to a six unanswered points, and a 11-10 lead for Cardona. From there it was back and forth.
Cardona reached 14 first, leading 14-12, and it was Bredenbeck’s turn to call a timeout. Again that break shifted momentum, as Bredenbeck got the serve back with a forehand pinch shot. He tied it at 14-14 with an ace drive serve to the left side, and then Bredenbeck won it with a forehand killshot down the line.
Game two was close the whole way, but Bredenbeck led the whole way after they were tied at 3-3. After that, the closest Cardona got was when he trailed 7-6. Bredenbeck got to match point at 14-11, but it took three tries to finish it off. The end came when Bredenbeck drove serve to the left side, and Cardona’s return was a backhand shot that took a big skip as he hit it into the floor almost immediately after making contact with the ball.
The Monterrey Open will be next WRT event. It’s scheduled for December 3-6 in Monterrey, Mexico.
2015 WRT Kitsap Splat, November 20-22
Bremerton, Washington
Singles - Final
2) Jake Bredenbeck d. 1) Alejandro Cardona, 15-14, 15-11
Singles - Semi-finals
1) Alejandro Cardona d. 4) Andree Parrilla, 15-7, 15-12
2) Jake Bredenbeck d. 6) Jaime Martell, 14-15, 15-1, 11-5
Doubles - Semi-finals
1) Alejandro Cardona & Jaime Martell d. 4) Gerardo Franco & Anthony Herrera, 8-15, 15-5, 11-10
2) David Horn & Andree Parrilla d. 3) Jake Bredenbeck & Sebastian Franco, forfeit
Doubles - Final
1) Alejandro Cardona & Jaime Martell d. 2) David Horn & Andree Parrilla, forfeit
Follow the bouncing ball….
Afterwards, Bredenbeck said it “feels good to get the win,” especially so as Cardona had beaten him so often lately.
Bredenbeck was 10-5 in game one, when Cardona called a timeout. That break lead to a six unanswered points, and a 11-10 lead for Cardona. From there it was back and forth.
Cardona reached 14 first, leading 14-12, and it was Bredenbeck’s turn to call a timeout. Again that break shifted momentum, as Bredenbeck got the serve back with a forehand pinch shot. He tied it at 14-14 with an ace drive serve to the left side, and then Bredenbeck won it with a forehand killshot down the line.
Game two was close the whole way, but Bredenbeck led the whole way after they were tied at 3-3. After that, the closest Cardona got was when he trailed 7-6. Bredenbeck got to match point at 14-11, but it took three tries to finish it off. The end came when Bredenbeck drove serve to the left side, and Cardona’s return was a backhand shot that took a big skip as he hit it into the floor almost immediately after making contact with the ball.
The Monterrey Open will be next WRT event. It’s scheduled for December 3-6 in Monterrey, Mexico.
2015 WRT Kitsap Splat, November 20-22
Bremerton, Washington
Singles - Final
2) Jake Bredenbeck d. 1) Alejandro Cardona, 15-14, 15-11
Singles - Semi-finals
1) Alejandro Cardona d. 4) Andree Parrilla, 15-7, 15-12
2) Jake Bredenbeck d. 6) Jaime Martell, 14-15, 15-1, 11-5
Doubles - Semi-finals
1) Alejandro Cardona & Jaime Martell d. 4) Gerardo Franco & Anthony Herrera, 8-15, 15-5, 11-10
2) David Horn & Andree Parrilla d. 3) Jake Bredenbeck & Sebastian Franco, forfeit
Doubles - Final
1) Alejandro Cardona & Jaime Martell d. 2) David Horn & Andree Parrilla, forfeit
Follow the bouncing ball….
Saturday, November 21, 2015
Waselenchuk wins 2015 IRT St Louis Winter Rollout
Kane Waselenchuk defeated Rocky Carson to win the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) St Louis Winter Rollout in St. Louis, Missouri, 11-2, 11-5, 11-2. It’s the fifth win of the season for the IRT’s #1 player.
Waselenchuk started strong in the match, as he went out to a 6-0 lead in game one before Carson even served. He cruised from there to win game one 11-2.
Despite that Carson took the early lead in game two, as he went up 5-0. They traded points then, and were tied at 6-6. Waselenchuk scored a couple more to make it 8-6, and a frustrated Carson hit the ball after the rally was over and it went out of the court, reportedly hitting a spectator. That resulted in a technical, reducing Carson’s score to five.
A key aspect to winning then facing higher ranked players is to not make mistakes. In those situations, you can’t afford to make mistakes, But Carson made one today, which cost him a point. He didn’t score another, as Waselenchuk closed out game two 11-5.
Game three was tied at 2-2 before Waselenchuk turned up the heat, scoring nine unanswered points to win 11-2 with the final point coming off a soft backhand rekill pinch to the front right corner.
The IRT is now on a break until the new year, when they will kick off action for 2016 with the Cactus Salon NYC Pro-Am on Long Island, N.Y. January 14-17.
2015 St Louis Winter Rollout, November 19-22
St. Louis, Missouri
Final
1) Kane Waselenchuk d. 2) Rocky Carson, 11-2, 11-5, 11-2
Follow the bouncing ball….
Waselenchuk started strong in the match, as he went out to a 6-0 lead in game one before Carson even served. He cruised from there to win game one 11-2.
Despite that Carson took the early lead in game two, as he went up 5-0. They traded points then, and were tied at 6-6. Waselenchuk scored a couple more to make it 8-6, and a frustrated Carson hit the ball after the rally was over and it went out of the court, reportedly hitting a spectator. That resulted in a technical, reducing Carson’s score to five.
A key aspect to winning then facing higher ranked players is to not make mistakes. In those situations, you can’t afford to make mistakes, But Carson made one today, which cost him a point. He didn’t score another, as Waselenchuk closed out game two 11-5.
Game three was tied at 2-2 before Waselenchuk turned up the heat, scoring nine unanswered points to win 11-2 with the final point coming off a soft backhand rekill pinch to the front right corner.
The IRT is now on a break until the new year, when they will kick off action for 2016 with the Cactus Salon NYC Pro-Am on Long Island, N.Y. January 14-17.
2015 St Louis Winter Rollout, November 19-22
St. Louis, Missouri
Final
1) Kane Waselenchuk d. 2) Rocky Carson, 11-2, 11-5, 11-2
Follow the bouncing ball….
Waselenchuk & Carson to meet in IRT Winter Rollout final
Kane Waselenchuk, the #1 International Racquetball Tour (IRT) player is through to the final at the St Louis Winter Rollout in St. Louis, Missouri, after defeating 4th seed Daniel De La Rosa in the semi-finals, 11-4, 11-4, 11-7.
In the final, Waselenchuk faces Rocky Carson, the #2 IRT player, who defeated Mario Mercado, 11-2, 11-0, 11-4, in a very impressive display of serving.
The Winter Rollout final will be 7 PM CST on Saturday night. As always you can watch it live via the IRT Network.
2015 St Louis Winter Rollout, November 19-22
St. Louis, Missouri
Semi-finals
1) Kane Waselenchuk d. 4) Daniel De La Rosa, 11-4, 11-4, 11-9
2) Rocky Carson d. Mario Mercado, 11-2, 11-0, 11-4
Final
1) Kane Waselenchuk v. 2) Rocky Carson - 7 PM
Follow the bouncing ball….
In the final, Waselenchuk faces Rocky Carson, the #2 IRT player, who defeated Mario Mercado, 11-2, 11-0, 11-4, in a very impressive display of serving.
The Winter Rollout final will be 7 PM CST on Saturday night. As always you can watch it live via the IRT Network.
2015 St Louis Winter Rollout, November 19-22
St. Louis, Missouri
Semi-finals
1) Kane Waselenchuk d. 4) Daniel De La Rosa, 11-4, 11-4, 11-9
2) Rocky Carson d. Mario Mercado, 11-2, 11-0, 11-4
Final
1) Kane Waselenchuk v. 2) Rocky Carson - 7 PM
Follow the bouncing ball….
Friday, November 20, 2015
2015 WRT Kitsap Splat - Early rounds
Jaime Martell had the big upset Friday at the World Racquetball Tour (WRT) Kitsap Splat in Bremerton, Washington, as he defeated 3rd seed David Horn, 15-1, 15-9, in the quarterfinals to advance to Saturday’s semi-finals. He’ll play 2nd seed Jake Bredenbeck in the semi-finals, as Bredenbeck defeated his doubles partner Sebastian Franco, 15-13, 15-9, in the quarters.
On the top of the draw, Andree Parrilla narrowly defeated Anthony Herrera, 15-8, 14-15, 11-9, and awaits the winner of top seed Alejandro Cardona and 9th seed Luis Felipe Muñoz.
In another narrow victory, Franco squeaked by Nicolai Miramontes, 15-13, 14-15, 11-10, in the Round of 16.
Live streaming of the semi-finals will be available from Bremerton via the WRT website starting at 11:50 AM on Saturday with the final at 5:40 PM PST.
2015 WRT Kitsap Splat, November 20-22
Bremerton, Washington
Singles - Round of 32
1) Alejandro Cardona - BYE
16) Matthew Porter d. 17) Nathan Judd, 12-15, 15-12, 11-7
9) Luis Felipe Muñoz - BYE
8) Gerardo Franco - BYE
5) Anthony Herrera - BYE
12) Paul Kill - BYE
13) J Bouchard - BYE
4) Andree Parrilla - BYE
3) David Horn - BYE
14) Rocco Vega - BYE
11) Miguel Rodriguez Jr - BYE
6) Jaime Martell - BYE
7) Sebastian Franco - BYE
10) Nicolai Miramontes - BYE
18) Chris Cook d. 15) Miguel Rodriguez Sr, 15-12, 11-15, 11-8
2) Jake Bredenbeck - BYE
Singles - Round of 16
1) Alejandro Cardona d. 16) Matthew Porter, 15-13, 15-9
9) Luis Felipe Muñoz d. 8) Gerardo Franco, 14-15, 15-6, 11-4
5) Anthony Herrera d. 12) Paul Kill, 15-7, 15-11
4) Andree Parrilla d. 13) J Bouchard, 15-9, 15-10
3) David Horn d. 14) Rocco Vega, 15-4, 15-11
6) Jaime Martell d. 11) Miguel Rodriguez Jr, 4-15, 15-7, 11-1
7) Sebastian Franco d. 10) Nicolai Miramontes, 15-13, 14-15, 11-10
2) Jake Bredenbeck d. 18) Chris Cook
Singles - Quarterfinals
1) Alejandro Cardona d. 9) Luis Felipe Muñoz, 15-7, 15-1
4) Andree Parrilla d. 5) Anthony Herrera, 15-8, 14-15, 11-9
6) Jaime Martell d. 3) David Horn, 15-1, 15-9
2) Jake Bredenbeck d. 7) Sebastian Franco, 15-13, 15-9
Singles - Semi-finals
1) Alejandro Cardona v. 4) Andree Parrilla
2) Jake Bredenbeck v. 6) Jaime Martell
Doubles - First Round
8) Matthew Porter & Mourad Ettaki d. 9) Douglas Russell & Christopher McRae
Doubles - Quarterfinals
1) Alejandro Cardona & Jaime Martell d. 8) Matthew Porter & Mourad Ettaki, 15-1, 15-7
4) Gerardo Franco & Anthony Herrera d. 5) Nicolai Miramontes & Miguel Rodriguez Jr, 11-15, 15-7, 11-10 (?)
3) Jake Bredenbeck & Sebastian Franco d. 6) Luis Felipe Muñoz & Rocco Vega, 15-14, 15-14
2) David Horn & Andree Parrilla d. 7) J Bouchard & Paul Kill
Doubles - Semi-finals
1) Alejandro Cardona & Jaime Martell v. 4) Gerardo Franco & Anthony Herrera
2) David Horn & Andree Parrilla v. 3) Jake Bredenbeck & Sebastian Franco
Follow the bouncing ball….
On the top of the draw, Andree Parrilla narrowly defeated Anthony Herrera, 15-8, 14-15, 11-9, and awaits the winner of top seed Alejandro Cardona and 9th seed Luis Felipe Muñoz.
In another narrow victory, Franco squeaked by Nicolai Miramontes, 15-13, 14-15, 11-10, in the Round of 16.
Live streaming of the semi-finals will be available from Bremerton via the WRT website starting at 11:50 AM on Saturday with the final at 5:40 PM PST.
2015 WRT Kitsap Splat, November 20-22
Bremerton, Washington
Singles - Round of 32
1) Alejandro Cardona - BYE
16) Matthew Porter d. 17) Nathan Judd, 12-15, 15-12, 11-7
9) Luis Felipe Muñoz - BYE
8) Gerardo Franco - BYE
5) Anthony Herrera - BYE
12) Paul Kill - BYE
13) J Bouchard - BYE
4) Andree Parrilla - BYE
3) David Horn - BYE
14) Rocco Vega - BYE
11) Miguel Rodriguez Jr - BYE
6) Jaime Martell - BYE
7) Sebastian Franco - BYE
10) Nicolai Miramontes - BYE
18) Chris Cook d. 15) Miguel Rodriguez Sr, 15-12, 11-15, 11-8
2) Jake Bredenbeck - BYE
Singles - Round of 16
1) Alejandro Cardona d. 16) Matthew Porter, 15-13, 15-9
9) Luis Felipe Muñoz d. 8) Gerardo Franco, 14-15, 15-6, 11-4
5) Anthony Herrera d. 12) Paul Kill, 15-7, 15-11
4) Andree Parrilla d. 13) J Bouchard, 15-9, 15-10
3) David Horn d. 14) Rocco Vega, 15-4, 15-11
6) Jaime Martell d. 11) Miguel Rodriguez Jr, 4-15, 15-7, 11-1
7) Sebastian Franco d. 10) Nicolai Miramontes, 15-13, 14-15, 11-10
2) Jake Bredenbeck d. 18) Chris Cook
Singles - Quarterfinals
1) Alejandro Cardona d. 9) Luis Felipe Muñoz, 15-7, 15-1
4) Andree Parrilla d. 5) Anthony Herrera, 15-8, 14-15, 11-9
6) Jaime Martell d. 3) David Horn, 15-1, 15-9
2) Jake Bredenbeck d. 7) Sebastian Franco, 15-13, 15-9
Singles - Semi-finals
1) Alejandro Cardona v. 4) Andree Parrilla
2) Jake Bredenbeck v. 6) Jaime Martell
Doubles - First Round
8) Matthew Porter & Mourad Ettaki d. 9) Douglas Russell & Christopher McRae
Doubles - Quarterfinals
1) Alejandro Cardona & Jaime Martell d. 8) Matthew Porter & Mourad Ettaki, 15-1, 15-7
4) Gerardo Franco & Anthony Herrera d. 5) Nicolai Miramontes & Miguel Rodriguez Jr, 11-15, 15-7, 11-10 (?)
3) Jake Bredenbeck & Sebastian Franco d. 6) Luis Felipe Muñoz & Rocco Vega, 15-14, 15-14
2) David Horn & Andree Parrilla d. 7) J Bouchard & Paul Kill
Doubles - Semi-finals
1) Alejandro Cardona & Jaime Martell v. 4) Gerardo Franco & Anthony Herrera
2) David Horn & Andree Parrilla v. 3) Jake Bredenbeck & Sebastian Franco
Follow the bouncing ball….
2015 IRT St Louis Winter Rollout - Quarterfinals
Kane Waselenchuk, the #1 International Racquetball Tour (IRT) player won his quarterfinal match against Jansen Allen, 11-2, 11-1, 11-4, at the St Louis Winter Rollout in St. Louis, Missouri to advance to the semi-finals on Saturday. He’ll face the winner of 4th seed Daniel De La Rosa and 5th seed Marco Rojas, who play later.
Rocky Carson, the #2 IRT player, also advanced to the semi-finals, but his quarterfinal match with Jose Rojas was much more difficult than Waseelenchuk’s, as Carson had to come from two games down to win, 6-11, 4-11, 12-10, 11-8, 11-1.
Indeed, after he dropped the first two games, Carson found himself down 8-5 in game three, and on the verge of going out of the tournament. But he came back, and took the lead at 9-8. Rojas got the serve back at that point, and with a forehand cross court shot, reached game point first at 10-9.
However, Carson hit a forehand killshot that the referee judged to have rolled out, denying Rojas’s match point opportunity. It would be his only chance, as Carson tied it with a touch backhand shot, got to 11-10 when Rojas skipped a backhand serve return shot, and then won it with a forehand cross court pass.
Despite dropping game three, Rojas came out strong in game four, going up 4-0. Carson came back and tied it at 4-4, then went ahead 6-4. Rojas responded by tying it at 6-6, and then taking the lead with ace drive serve to the left: Carson’s backhand side. Rojas added one to that, making it 8-6, but Carson got a time out, and there was a break in the action, as the court needed to be wiped down and there was banter between the players.
Carson made it 7-8 with a flat backhand reverse pinch. Rojas gifted him an eighth point by skipping a backhand serve return that tied the game at 8–8. Rojas took a timeout. When play resumed, two Carson forehands - a pinch and a crosscourt - got him to game point at 10-8. Rojas got the serve back with a backhand return rollout from a Carson Z serve.
But Rojas couldn’t get any more points, as Carson got the serve back with a backhand return and then won it on the subsequent rally.
In game five, they were back and for six rallies and tied at 1-1. From there, Carson ran 10 unanswered points to win game five going away, completing what seemed like an improbable comeback.
Prior to today, Carson had not beaten Rojas in a five game match, going 0-2 in their preview five games. Overall, Rojas’s record in five game matches is better than Carson’s. Rojas is now 29-15 (0.659), while Carson is 59-44 (0.572) when going five games.
Next up for Carson will be Mario Mercado who defeated Maurcio Zelada in three straight games, 11-7, 11-5, 11-7, to reach his first career semi-final on the IRT. It’s also the first career semi for a Bolivian born player.
Waselenchuk will play IRT #4 Daniel De La Rosa in the semi-finals on Saturday, as De La Rosa made short work of 5th seed Marco Rojas in the quarters, winning 11-7, 11-0, 11-3. Rojas did not have his “A” game by any means, but De La Rosa was ruthless with his opportunities. De La Rosa lob served during most of the match, and mostly hit them to the right side: Rojas’s forehand, which Rojas did not have a good answer for.
The quarterfinals conclude Friday evening with the semi-finals set for 11 AM and noon Saturday. Please note the Winter Rollout final will be 7 PM CST on Saturday night. As always you can watch it live via the IRT Network.
2015 St Louis Winter Rollout, November 19-22
St. Louis, Missouri
Quarterfinals
1) Kane Waselenchuk d. 8) Jansen Allen, 11-2, 11-1, 11-4
4) Daniel De La Rosa d. 5) Marco Rojas, 11-7, 11-0, 11-3
Mario Mercado d. Mauricio Zelada, 11-7, 11-5, 11-7
2) Rocky Carson d. 7) Jose Rojas, 6-11, 4-11, 12-10, 11-8, 11-1
Semi-finals
1) Kane Waselenchuk v. 4) Daniel De La Rosa - 11 AM
2) Rocky Carson v. Mario Mercado - Noon
Follow the bouncing ball….
Rocky Carson, the #2 IRT player, also advanced to the semi-finals, but his quarterfinal match with Jose Rojas was much more difficult than Waseelenchuk’s, as Carson had to come from two games down to win, 6-11, 4-11, 12-10, 11-8, 11-1.
Indeed, after he dropped the first two games, Carson found himself down 8-5 in game three, and on the verge of going out of the tournament. But he came back, and took the lead at 9-8. Rojas got the serve back at that point, and with a forehand cross court shot, reached game point first at 10-9.
However, Carson hit a forehand killshot that the referee judged to have rolled out, denying Rojas’s match point opportunity. It would be his only chance, as Carson tied it with a touch backhand shot, got to 11-10 when Rojas skipped a backhand serve return shot, and then won it with a forehand cross court pass.
Despite dropping game three, Rojas came out strong in game four, going up 4-0. Carson came back and tied it at 4-4, then went ahead 6-4. Rojas responded by tying it at 6-6, and then taking the lead with ace drive serve to the left: Carson’s backhand side. Rojas added one to that, making it 8-6, but Carson got a time out, and there was a break in the action, as the court needed to be wiped down and there was banter between the players.
Carson made it 7-8 with a flat backhand reverse pinch. Rojas gifted him an eighth point by skipping a backhand serve return that tied the game at 8–8. Rojas took a timeout. When play resumed, two Carson forehands - a pinch and a crosscourt - got him to game point at 10-8. Rojas got the serve back with a backhand return rollout from a Carson Z serve.
But Rojas couldn’t get any more points, as Carson got the serve back with a backhand return and then won it on the subsequent rally.
In game five, they were back and for six rallies and tied at 1-1. From there, Carson ran 10 unanswered points to win game five going away, completing what seemed like an improbable comeback.
Prior to today, Carson had not beaten Rojas in a five game match, going 0-2 in their preview five games. Overall, Rojas’s record in five game matches is better than Carson’s. Rojas is now 29-15 (0.659), while Carson is 59-44 (0.572) when going five games.
Next up for Carson will be Mario Mercado who defeated Maurcio Zelada in three straight games, 11-7, 11-5, 11-7, to reach his first career semi-final on the IRT. It’s also the first career semi for a Bolivian born player.
Waselenchuk will play IRT #4 Daniel De La Rosa in the semi-finals on Saturday, as De La Rosa made short work of 5th seed Marco Rojas in the quarters, winning 11-7, 11-0, 11-3. Rojas did not have his “A” game by any means, but De La Rosa was ruthless with his opportunities. De La Rosa lob served during most of the match, and mostly hit them to the right side: Rojas’s forehand, which Rojas did not have a good answer for.
The quarterfinals conclude Friday evening with the semi-finals set for 11 AM and noon Saturday. Please note the Winter Rollout final will be 7 PM CST on Saturday night. As always you can watch it live via the IRT Network.
2015 St Louis Winter Rollout, November 19-22
St. Louis, Missouri
Quarterfinals
1) Kane Waselenchuk d. 8) Jansen Allen, 11-2, 11-1, 11-4
4) Daniel De La Rosa d. 5) Marco Rojas, 11-7, 11-0, 11-3
Mario Mercado d. Mauricio Zelada, 11-7, 11-5, 11-7
2) Rocky Carson d. 7) Jose Rojas, 6-11, 4-11, 12-10, 11-8, 11-1
Semi-finals
1) Kane Waselenchuk v. 4) Daniel De La Rosa - 11 AM
2) Rocky Carson v. Mario Mercado - Noon
Follow the bouncing ball….
2015 IRT St Louis Winter Rollout - Round of 16
Mario Mercado knocked off the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) #3 player Alvaro Beltran, 5-11, 15-13, 11-5, 7-11, 11-4, in the Round of 16 at the St Louis Winter Rollout in St. Louis, Missouri in five games. The two played last week in Garden City, Kansas, where Beltran won in three straight games, and it looked like the same would happen today, as Beltran won game one comfortably. But Mercado responded, and came back from 2-7 down in game two to squeak out the vin 15-13, and level the match at a game each.
Mercado was in control the whole of game three, winning it 11-5. But the veteran Beltran turned up the gas in game four, when his back was against the wall, winning 11-7 to force a tie-breaker.
In the breaker, Mercado took the early lead at 5-1. He had a great chance to make it six, but make an unforced error on a backhand pinch shot in the front court.
Beltran narrowed the gap to a point at 4-5, but then Mercado made a great backhand pinch shot to get the serve back. Three backhand winners later and the score was 8-4. Beltran called a timeout, but that couldn’t stop Mercado from reaching his first ever quarterfinal.
He’ll play Maurcio Zelada in the quarters, as Zelada upset 6th seed Charlie Pratt, 11-6, 6-11, 11-9, 11-1.
Zelada played his first quarterfinal in Atlanta earlier this season, losing to Beltran there, while Mercado has reached the quarterfinals for the first time. One of them will make their first semi-final with a win tonight.
Also advancing to the quarters were Kane Waselenchuk, the #1 IRT player, with a win over Jeremy Best, 11-4, 11-5, 11-4, and IRT #2 Rocky Carson, who beat Fernando Rios, 11-4, 11-0, 11-1. Waselenchuk will play Jansen Allen, who defeated Felipe Camacho, 11-5, 11-2, 11-5, and Carson will be up against Jose Rojas who was a straight game winner against Robert Collins, 11-8, 11-3, 11-4.
The IRT Round of 16 concludes Friday afternoon with the quarterfinals beginning at 4 PM CST. You can watch it live via the IRT Network. Also, note that the Winter Rollout final will be 7 PM CST on Saturday night. The semi-finals are scheduled for 11 AM and noon Saturday.
2015 St Louis Winter Rollout, November 19-22
St. Louis, Missouri
Round of 16 - Friday
1) Kane Waselenchuk d. Jeremy Best, 11-4, 11-5, 11-4
8) Jansen Allen d. Felipe Camacho, 11-5, 11-2, 11-5
5) Marco Rojas d. Matthew Majxner, 11-5, 11-0, 11-3
4) Daniel De La Rosa d. Maurice Miller, 11-3, 11-1, 11-4
Mario Mercado d. 3) Alvaro Beltran, 5-11, 15-13, 11-5, 7-11, 11-4
Mauricio Zelada d. 6) Charlie Pratt, 11-6, 6-11, 11-9, 11-1
7) Jose Rojas d. Robert Collins, 11-8, 11-3, 11-4
2) Rocky Carson d. Fernando Rios, 11-4, 11-0, 11-1
Quarterfinals
1) Kane Waselenchuk v. 8) Jansen Allen
4) Daniel De La Rosa v. 5) Marco Rojas
Mario Mercado v. Mauricio Zelada
2) Rocky Carson v. 7) Jose Rojas
Follow the bouncing ball….
Mercado was in control the whole of game three, winning it 11-5. But the veteran Beltran turned up the gas in game four, when his back was against the wall, winning 11-7 to force a tie-breaker.
In the breaker, Mercado took the early lead at 5-1. He had a great chance to make it six, but make an unforced error on a backhand pinch shot in the front court.
Beltran narrowed the gap to a point at 4-5, but then Mercado made a great backhand pinch shot to get the serve back. Three backhand winners later and the score was 8-4. Beltran called a timeout, but that couldn’t stop Mercado from reaching his first ever quarterfinal.
He’ll play Maurcio Zelada in the quarters, as Zelada upset 6th seed Charlie Pratt, 11-6, 6-11, 11-9, 11-1.
Zelada played his first quarterfinal in Atlanta earlier this season, losing to Beltran there, while Mercado has reached the quarterfinals for the first time. One of them will make their first semi-final with a win tonight.
Also advancing to the quarters were Kane Waselenchuk, the #1 IRT player, with a win over Jeremy Best, 11-4, 11-5, 11-4, and IRT #2 Rocky Carson, who beat Fernando Rios, 11-4, 11-0, 11-1. Waselenchuk will play Jansen Allen, who defeated Felipe Camacho, 11-5, 11-2, 11-5, and Carson will be up against Jose Rojas who was a straight game winner against Robert Collins, 11-8, 11-3, 11-4.
The IRT Round of 16 concludes Friday afternoon with the quarterfinals beginning at 4 PM CST. You can watch it live via the IRT Network. Also, note that the Winter Rollout final will be 7 PM CST on Saturday night. The semi-finals are scheduled for 11 AM and noon Saturday.
2015 St Louis Winter Rollout, November 19-22
St. Louis, Missouri
Round of 16 - Friday
1) Kane Waselenchuk d. Jeremy Best, 11-4, 11-5, 11-4
8) Jansen Allen d. Felipe Camacho, 11-5, 11-2, 11-5
5) Marco Rojas d. Matthew Majxner, 11-5, 11-0, 11-3
4) Daniel De La Rosa d. Maurice Miller, 11-3, 11-1, 11-4
Mario Mercado d. 3) Alvaro Beltran, 5-11, 15-13, 11-5, 7-11, 11-4
Mauricio Zelada d. 6) Charlie Pratt, 11-6, 6-11, 11-9, 11-1
7) Jose Rojas d. Robert Collins, 11-8, 11-3, 11-4
2) Rocky Carson d. Fernando Rios, 11-4, 11-0, 11-1
Quarterfinals
1) Kane Waselenchuk v. 8) Jansen Allen
4) Daniel De La Rosa v. 5) Marco Rojas
Mario Mercado v. Mauricio Zelada
2) Rocky Carson v. 7) Jose Rojas
Follow the bouncing ball….
2015 WRT Kitsap Splat Preview
The World Racquetball Tour (WRT) returns this weekend with the Kitsap Splat in Bremerton, Washington. Curiously, the draw is one of the smallest we’ve seen in a WRT event with only 18 players in the competition. But the top WRT players are all there, including Alejandro Cardona, winner of the last WRT event - the San Diego Open, Jake Bredenbeck, who was runner up in San Diego, David Horn and Andree Parrilla, who missed San Diego to attend the World Junior Championships in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, where he won gold in Boly’s U18 Doubles and silver in Boy’s U18 Singles.
Also, in Bremerton is Sebastian Franco, who will be playing doubles with Bredenbeck. They are seeded 3rd, but have won past WRT doubles events together. They should challenge the top ranked teams of Cardona and Jaime Martell and Horn and Parrilla for the title.
Live streaming will be available from Bremerton via the WRT website. That will likely start on Saturday with the quarterfinals at 10 AM PST.
2015 WRT Kitsap Splat, November 20-22
Bremerton, Washington
Singles - Round of 32
1) Alejandro Cardona - BYE
16) Matthew Porter v. 17) Nathan Judd
9) Luis Felipe Muñoz - BYE
8) Gerardo Franco - BYE
5) Anthony Herrera - BYE
12) Paul Kill - BYE
13) J Bouchard - BYE
4) Andree Parrilla - BYE
3) David Horn - BYE
14) Rocco Vega - BYE
11) Miguel Rodriguez Jr - BYE
6) Jaime Martell - BYE
7) Sebastian Franco - BYE
10) Nicolai Miramontes - BYE
15) Miguel Rodriguez Sr v. 18) Chris Cook
2) Jake Bredenbeck - BYE
Doubles - Round of 16
1) Alejandro Cardona & Jaime Martell - BYE
8) Matthew Porter & Mourad Ettaki v. 9) Douglas Russell & Christopher McRae
5) Nicolai Miramontes & Miguel Rodriguez Jr - BYE
4) Gerardo Franco & Anthony Herrera - BYE
3) Jake Bredenbeck & Sebastian Franco - BYE
6) Luis Felipe Muñoz & Rocco Vega - BYE
7) J Bouchard & Paul Kill - BYE
2) David Horn & Andree Parrilla - BYE
Follow the bouncing ball….
Also, in Bremerton is Sebastian Franco, who will be playing doubles with Bredenbeck. They are seeded 3rd, but have won past WRT doubles events together. They should challenge the top ranked teams of Cardona and Jaime Martell and Horn and Parrilla for the title.
Live streaming will be available from Bremerton via the WRT website. That will likely start on Saturday with the quarterfinals at 10 AM PST.
2015 WRT Kitsap Splat, November 20-22
Bremerton, Washington
Singles - Round of 32
1) Alejandro Cardona - BYE
16) Matthew Porter v. 17) Nathan Judd
9) Luis Felipe Muñoz - BYE
8) Gerardo Franco - BYE
5) Anthony Herrera - BYE
12) Paul Kill - BYE
13) J Bouchard - BYE
4) Andree Parrilla - BYE
3) David Horn - BYE
14) Rocco Vega - BYE
11) Miguel Rodriguez Jr - BYE
6) Jaime Martell - BYE
7) Sebastian Franco - BYE
10) Nicolai Miramontes - BYE
15) Miguel Rodriguez Sr v. 18) Chris Cook
2) Jake Bredenbeck - BYE
Doubles - Round of 16
1) Alejandro Cardona & Jaime Martell - BYE
8) Matthew Porter & Mourad Ettaki v. 9) Douglas Russell & Christopher McRae
5) Nicolai Miramontes & Miguel Rodriguez Jr - BYE
4) Gerardo Franco & Anthony Herrera - BYE
3) Jake Bredenbeck & Sebastian Franco - BYE
6) Luis Felipe Muñoz & Rocco Vega - BYE
7) J Bouchard & Paul Kill - BYE
2) David Horn & Andree Parrilla - BYE
Follow the bouncing ball….
2015 St Louis Winter Rollout Qualifying
No big surprises in the qualifying matches on Thursday at the 2015 International Racquetball Tour (IRT) St Louis Winter Rollout in St. Louis, Missouri. But there was a five game match between Jeremy Best and Troy Warigon with Best coming back from 2-1 down to win, 11-5, 7-11, 8-11, 11-7, 11-4. Best will play Kane Waselenchuk, the #1 IRT player, in the Round of 16 on Friday.
Japanese veteran Hiroshi Shimizu did play Costa Rican Felipe Camacho, and after trading the first two games, Camacho won games three and four to take the match, 9-11, 11-9, 11-5, 11-6. Camacho will face Jansen Allen in the 16s Friday.
One of the highest point totals for a three games match happened between Matthew Majxner and Brian Simpson, with Majxner winning 11-9, 13-11, 15-13. Majxner will play Marco Rojas in the Round of 16 on Friday.
The IRT Round of 16 begin Friday at 10 AM CST and can be viewed live via the IRT Network. Also, note that the Winter Rollout final will be 7 PM CST on Saturday night. The semi-finals are scheduled for 11 AM and noon Saturday.
2015 St Louis Winter Rollout, November 19-22
St. Louis, Missouri
Qualifying Round 1
Hiroshi Shimizu d. James DeMarco, forfeit
Qualifying Round 2
Q8) Jeremy Best d. Troy Warigon, 11-5, 7-11, 8-11, 11-7, 11-4
Q1) Felipe Camacho Hiroshi Shimizu, 9-11, 11-9, 11-5, 11-6
Q4) Matthew Majxner d. Brian Simpson, 11-9, 13-11, 15-13
Q5) Maurice Miller d. Scott McClellan, 11-2, 11-3, 11-9
Q6) Mario Mercado d. Brian Pineda
Q3) Mauricio Zelada d. Dylan Reid, 13-11, 2-11, 11-6, 11-6
Q2) Robert Collins d. Ryan Maher, 11-4, 11-5, 11-4
Q7) Fernando Rios d. Filip Vesely, 11-2, 11-3, 11-2
Round of 16 - Friday
1) Kane Waselenchuk v. Jeremy Best
8) Jansen Allen v. Felipe Camacho
5) Marco Rojas v. Matthew Majxner
4) Daniel De La Rosa v. Maurice Miller
3) Alvaro Beltran v. Mario Mercado
6) Charlie Pratt v. Mauricio Zelada
7) Jose Rojas v. Robert Collins
2) Rocky Carson v. Fernando Rios
Follow the bouncing ball….
Japanese veteran Hiroshi Shimizu did play Costa Rican Felipe Camacho, and after trading the first two games, Camacho won games three and four to take the match, 9-11, 11-9, 11-5, 11-6. Camacho will face Jansen Allen in the 16s Friday.
One of the highest point totals for a three games match happened between Matthew Majxner and Brian Simpson, with Majxner winning 11-9, 13-11, 15-13. Majxner will play Marco Rojas in the Round of 16 on Friday.
The IRT Round of 16 begin Friday at 10 AM CST and can be viewed live via the IRT Network. Also, note that the Winter Rollout final will be 7 PM CST on Saturday night. The semi-finals are scheduled for 11 AM and noon Saturday.
2015 St Louis Winter Rollout, November 19-22
St. Louis, Missouri
Qualifying Round 1
Hiroshi Shimizu d. James DeMarco, forfeit
Qualifying Round 2
Q8) Jeremy Best d. Troy Warigon, 11-5, 7-11, 8-11, 11-7, 11-4
Q1) Felipe Camacho Hiroshi Shimizu, 9-11, 11-9, 11-5, 11-6
Q4) Matthew Majxner d. Brian Simpson, 11-9, 13-11, 15-13
Q5) Maurice Miller d. Scott McClellan, 11-2, 11-3, 11-9
Q6) Mario Mercado d. Brian Pineda
Q3) Mauricio Zelada d. Dylan Reid, 13-11, 2-11, 11-6, 11-6
Q2) Robert Collins d. Ryan Maher, 11-4, 11-5, 11-4
Q7) Fernando Rios d. Filip Vesely, 11-2, 11-3, 11-2
Round of 16 - Friday
1) Kane Waselenchuk v. Jeremy Best
8) Jansen Allen v. Felipe Camacho
5) Marco Rojas v. Matthew Majxner
4) Daniel De La Rosa v. Maurice Miller
3) Alvaro Beltran v. Mario Mercado
6) Charlie Pratt v. Mauricio Zelada
7) Jose Rojas v. Robert Collins
2) Rocky Carson v. Fernando Rios
Follow the bouncing ball….
Thursday, November 19, 2015
2015 IRT St Louis Winter Rollout Preview
The draw is set for the 2015 International Racquetball Tour (IRT) St Louis Winter Rollout in St. Louis, Missouri with a full round of qualifying matches plus one. Kane Waselenchuk, the #1 IRT player, will be looking to add to his career IRT tournament winning record. Currently, Waselenchuk’s won 91 tournaments.
IRT #2 Rocky Carson is tied with current IRT President Jason Mannino for 5th of the all time IRT winning list with 22 wins. He got his 22nd last weekend in Garden City, Kansas. Two of Carson’s final wins have come over Waselenchuk, but were the result of injury defaults. In contrast, 42 of Waselenchuk’s IRT titles came from beating Carson in the final.
To reach the final in St. Louis, Carson will likely have to go through Jose Rojas in the quarterfinals and Alvaro Beltran in the semi-finals, while Waselenchuk will likely have to face Jansen Allen in the quarters and Daniel De La Rosa in the semis.
The tastiest match up of qualifying could be veteran Japanese player Hiroshi Shimizu versus young gun Costa Rican Felipe Camacho, although Shimizu will have to win a match against James DeMarco to set up the showdown with Camacho.
A fun aspect of the Winter Rollout tournament is that there are really only three divisions: the pros, a Men’s Open doubles, which only a few pros have entered, and a high school division.
The high school divisions are the fun part, because there isn’t just one of them. There’s fourteen. Yes, 14! And an equal number of boys and girls divisions. Why do they need so many divisions? Well, there are almost 450 high school players in the tournament. Yes, four hundred and fifty. Wow!
It’ll be fun for the kids to get to see the pro players compete, and undoubtedly fun for some of the pros to see the high schoolers compete also.
The IRT Round of 16 will be streamed live Friday from 10 AM CST via the IRT Network. Also, note that the Winter Rollout final will be 7 PM CST on Saturday night. The semi-finals are scheduled for 11 AM and noon Saturday.
2015 St Louis Winter Rollout, November 19-22
St. Louis, Missouri
Qualifying Round 1
Hiroshi Shimizu v. James DeMarco
Qualifying Round 2
Q8) Troy Warigon v. Jeremy Best
Q1) Felipe Camacho v. Hiroshi Shimizu or James DeMarco
Q4) Matthew Majxner v. Brian Simpson
Q5) Scott McClellan v. Maurice Miller
Q6) Mario Mercado v. Brian Pineda
Q3) Mauricio Zelada v. Dylan Reid
Q2) Robert Collins v. Ryan Maher
Q7) Filip Vesely v. Fernando Rios
Round of 16 - Friday
1) Kane Waselenchuk v. Q8
8) Jansen Allen v. Q1
5) Marco Rojas v. Q4
4) Daniel De La Rosa v. Q5
3) Alvaro Beltran v. Q6
6) Charlie Pratt v. Q3
7) Jose Rojas v. Q2
2) Rocky Carson v. Q7
Follow the bouncing ball….
IRT #2 Rocky Carson is tied with current IRT President Jason Mannino for 5th of the all time IRT winning list with 22 wins. He got his 22nd last weekend in Garden City, Kansas. Two of Carson’s final wins have come over Waselenchuk, but were the result of injury defaults. In contrast, 42 of Waselenchuk’s IRT titles came from beating Carson in the final.
To reach the final in St. Louis, Carson will likely have to go through Jose Rojas in the quarterfinals and Alvaro Beltran in the semi-finals, while Waselenchuk will likely have to face Jansen Allen in the quarters and Daniel De La Rosa in the semis.
The tastiest match up of qualifying could be veteran Japanese player Hiroshi Shimizu versus young gun Costa Rican Felipe Camacho, although Shimizu will have to win a match against James DeMarco to set up the showdown with Camacho.
A fun aspect of the Winter Rollout tournament is that there are really only three divisions: the pros, a Men’s Open doubles, which only a few pros have entered, and a high school division.
The high school divisions are the fun part, because there isn’t just one of them. There’s fourteen. Yes, 14! And an equal number of boys and girls divisions. Why do they need so many divisions? Well, there are almost 450 high school players in the tournament. Yes, four hundred and fifty. Wow!
It’ll be fun for the kids to get to see the pro players compete, and undoubtedly fun for some of the pros to see the high schoolers compete also.
The IRT Round of 16 will be streamed live Friday from 10 AM CST via the IRT Network. Also, note that the Winter Rollout final will be 7 PM CST on Saturday night. The semi-finals are scheduled for 11 AM and noon Saturday.
2015 St Louis Winter Rollout, November 19-22
St. Louis, Missouri
Qualifying Round 1
Hiroshi Shimizu v. James DeMarco
Qualifying Round 2
Q8) Troy Warigon v. Jeremy Best
Q1) Felipe Camacho v. Hiroshi Shimizu or James DeMarco
Q4) Matthew Majxner v. Brian Simpson
Q5) Scott McClellan v. Maurice Miller
Q6) Mario Mercado v. Brian Pineda
Q3) Mauricio Zelada v. Dylan Reid
Q2) Robert Collins v. Ryan Maher
Q7) Filip Vesely v. Fernando Rios
Round of 16 - Friday
1) Kane Waselenchuk v. Q8
8) Jansen Allen v. Q1
5) Marco Rojas v. Q4
4) Daniel De La Rosa v. Q5
3) Alvaro Beltran v. Q6
6) Charlie Pratt v. Q3
7) Jose Rojas v. Q2
2) Rocky Carson v. Q7
Follow the bouncing ball….
Wednesday, November 18, 2015
Ten years of IRF World Juniors: 2006-2015
The International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Junior Championships World Cup competition has players compete in three age divisions: 18 and under, or U18, U16, and U14. World Juniors does have competitions for younger ages, but those are a different competition (the Esprit Cup). Thus, a junior racquetball player has six years of World Cup eligibility, although sometimes a player will play in the U14 division even though they are younger than 13.
The Racquetball Blog staff combed through its records of World Junior World Cup results, and has compiled a list of how players have done over the last 10 years, which is the period for which we have complete records.
To make comparisons, we assigned points for bronze, silver and gold medal finishes. We gave 1 point for a bronze medal, 2 pts for silver and 4 pts for gold. Given that point system here’s the top 10 players over the last decade of World Juniors.
IRF World Juniors Performances 2006-2015
Boys
1. Marco Rojas (USA) - 29 points = 6 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze
2. Cristian Longoria (Mexico) - 24 pts = 6, 0, 0
3. Jose Rojas (USA) - 24 pts = 5, 2, 0
4. Carlos Keller (Bolivia) - 24 pts = 4, 3, 2
5. Rodrigo Montoya (Mexico) - 22 pts = 5, 1, 0
6. Jose Diaz (USA) - 20 pts = 4, 2, 0
7. Alejandro Cardona (Mexico) - 18 pts = 3, 3, 0
8. Erik Garcia (Mexico) - 17 pts = 4, 0, 1
9. Javier Mar (Mexico) - 16 pts = 4, 0, 0
10. Taylor Knoth (USA) - 15 pts = 2, 2, 3
Girls
1. Maria Jose Vargas (Bolivia) - 30 points = 6, 2, 2
2. Diana Aguilar (Mexico) - 28 pts = 6, 2, 0
3. Aubrey O’brien (USA) - 26 pts = 5, 2, 2
4. Natalia Mendez (Bolivia) - 24 pts = 3, 5, 2
5. Alexandra Herrera (Mexico) - 23 pts = 5, 1, 1
6. Gabriela Martinez (Guatemala) - 22 pts = 4, 2, 2
7. Paola Longoria (Mexico) - 20 pts = 4, 2, 0
8. Ximena Gonzalez (Mexico) - 20 pts = 3, 4, 0
9. Danielle Key (USA) - 19 pts = 4, 0, 3
10. Melania Sauma (Costa Rica) - 17 pts = 3, 1, 3
Over the last decade Maria Jose Vargas has had the best record at World Juniors, followed by Marco Rojas. Cristian Longoria and Diana Aguilar still have junior eligibility left. Longoria has two years, and Aguilar one. Aguilar’s total might have been higher, but she was absent from this year’s World Juniors due to injury. Similarly, Rojas missed World Juniors in 2011 due to injury.
Longoria has been perfect the last three years, winning singles and doubles in U14 once and U16 twice, but as he wasn’t on the team in his first year of U14 eligibility, so he won’t have a perfect record of World Cup outcomes.
Has any junior been perfect?
The data we have prior to 2006 is only for gold medalists, but if we include that data back to 2000, then the highest points are for Longoria’s older sister Paola, who had 48 points on the strength of 11 gold medals and 2 silver medals in seven years of World Cup competition (Longoria won gold in Girl’s U14 Doubles at age 12). But again that’s not a perfect gold medal record. Does anyone have a perfect record in World Cup competition at World Juniors?
Perhaps the player who came closest is Mexican David Ortega, who won gold in boy’s doubles with Ruben Estrada six straight years, and also won gold in his first five years of singles play. But in his last year of juniors, Ortega lost to Jose Rojas in the quarterfinals of Boy's U18, and Rojas was playing two singles divisions that year, as he also played Boy’s U16 Singles that year (2007), and won that title.
In perhaps a bit of irony (or revenge), Estrada defeated Rojas in the U18 final in 2007, which was Estrada only singles title.
Bringing it back to current players, Natalia Mendez also has a year of junior eligibility left, and Gabriela Martinez has three years left, although to maximize her points, she’ll need to make sure she has a doubles partner for all of those years.
Kudos to Erik Garcia of Mexico, who won gold in doubles his last three years of juniors (and 4 of last 5), and he not a left handed player. Also, Costa Ricans Melania Sauma and Sofia Soley have won gold in girl’s doubles three of the last four years. The year they didn’t - 2013 - Soley didn’t compete at World Juniors due to injury.
Does this mean anything?
There is much discussion of kids being the future of the sport, and people projecting junior stars as superstars of the future. But that’s tricky business. Junior sports performances don’t predict adult sports performances very well.
Kane Waselenchuk never won a World Cup division at World Juniors. In fact, he didn’t play many times at World Juniors. But Paola Longoria played a lot, did well, and continues to do so as an adult.
Of the other top International Racquetball Tour (IRT) and Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) players, some did well as juniors, like Vargas, and Rocky Carson, who won Boy’s U18 three times. But other weren’t especially great as juniors. Alvaro Beltran and Daniel De La Rosa never won gold in the World Cup divisions. Michelle Key only won one gold medal at World Juniors, and Rhonda Rajsich three.
Yet some who did well as juniors fade away. There are 270 players in the database from the last decade (plus the gold medalists back to 2000). Many of those players you’ve never heard of or have forgotten about, because they stopped playing after their junior years even if they won multiple championships. We’re not sure if Ortega is still playing, for example. Going back a bit further, Canadian Lisa Kerr won Girl’s U18 twice - in 1997 and 1998 - but she stopped playing a year or two later. Currently, Kerr has taken up an appointment as a law professor at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, proving life can be good after racquetball.
Nonetheless it’s interesting to reflect on recent junior performances. It’s fun that there are five countries represented in the top 10 girl’s of the last decade. The boy’s is a split between Mexicans and Americans with one Bolivian, Carlos Keller, which somewhat supports our point last week about how Bolivians will show up at World Juniors who you’ve never heard of, yet they will still win.
Consider that Mario Mercado arrived at World Juniors last year having never won a World Cup medal, and proceeded to win gold in Boy’s U18, beating Canadian Coby Iwaasa in the semi-finals, and defending champion and fellow Bolivian Conrado Moscoso in the final. Holy coming out of nowhere, Batman!
Surprises of that sort are what makes sport fun, and why people want to keep playing for as long as they can.
Follow the bouncing ball….
Monday, November 16, 2015
2015 IRF World Juniors - Summary
Ten countries won medals last week at the 2015 International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Junior Racquetball Championships in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. That's two more than last year. But the top two countries were the same, as Mexico finished as the top team in both Boy's and Girl's competitions earning 16 medals overall followed by Bolivia with 8 medals overall.
The USA medal count was up one from last year going from 7 to 8, but the Costa Rica team only had three medals in Santo Domingo compared to seven last year, although one of them was gold in Girl's U18 Doubles.
Guatemala also had a gold medal, as they did last year, and Gabriela Martinez won it for them, though this year she won Girl's U16 Singles while she won Girl's U14 Singles.
Ecuador had one more medal this year, and Canada one fewer. Ecuador's additional medal was a silver in Boy's U14 Doubles.
"What a shot!"
The shot of the week was by South Korean Yoon Jun Ha in their Boy's U16 Doubles match against Costa Rica during the preliminary round. It came in game one. South Korea was up 13-6, and a long rally ends when the ball comes through the middle. Jun Ha, a right handed player playing the right side, hits the ball behind his back, and it goes off the left wall to the front wall, and when it gets to the right wall, it cracks out. Unreturnable.
Jun Ha followed that up with flat roll out for the game point on the next rally. A shot so flat the Costa Ricans thought it skipped.
Honorable mention for shot of the week came from the racquet of American Elena Dent, another right handed player playing the right side in Girl's U14 Doubles. In their last match versus Canada, Dent reached up for a ball that was going through the middle. But it was behind her, so she was facing the back wall, and had to hit the ball over her shoulder.
The ball went right to the front right corner, and rolled out. A sure winner every time.
Future events
Plans are to have the 2016 World Junior Championships in Guatemala, although that is pending construction of new courts, so there's some uncertainty to that location.
The next major international events are the 2016 Pan American Championships in Temuco, Chile March 19-26. The Asian Championships will take place in Seoul, South Korea in March also. Then the 2016 IRF World Championships will be held in Cali, Colombia July 16-23.
27th IRF World Junior Racquetball Championships
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
MEDAL SUMMARY
Girl's U18 Singles
GOLD - Natalia Mendez (Bolivia)
SILVER - Maria Cespedes (Dominican Republic)
BRONZE - Monserrat Perez (Mexico) & Lexi York (USA)
Boy's U18 Singles
GOLD - Rodrigo Montoya (Mexico)
SILVER - Andree Parrilla (Mexico)
BRONZE - Nicolas Bousquet (Canada) & Daniel Rojas (USA)
Girl's U16 Singles
GOLD - Ana Gabriela Martinez (Guatemala)
SILVER - Jordan Cooperrider (USA)
BRONZE - Wanda Carvajal (Bolivia) & Monserrat Mejia (Mexico)
Boy's U16 Singles
GOLD - Cristian Longoria (Mexico)
SILVER - Juan Loreto (Mexico)
BRONZE - Trevor Webb (Canada) & Set Cubillos (Colombia)
Girl's U14 Singles
GOLD - Romina Rivero (Bolivia)
SILVER - Angelica Barrios (Bolivia)
BRONZE - Ana Laura Flores (Mexico) & Delia Aguiar (Mexico)
Boy's U14 Singles
GOLD - Diego Garcia (Bolivia)
SILVER - Gerson Miranda (Bolivia)
BRONZE - Jose Ramos (Mexico) & Mario Ruiz (Mexico)
Girl's U18 Doubles
GOLD - Melania Sauma & Sofia Soley (Costa Rica)
SILVER - Gabriela Martinez & Andrea Martinez (Guatemala)
BRONZE - Natalia Mendez & Wanda Carvajal (Bolivia) & Mariel Morales & Montserrat Perez (Mexico)
Boy's U18 Doubles
GOLD - Erik Garcia & Andree Parrilla (Mexico)
SILVER - Sam Bredenbeck & Jake Birnel (USA)
BRONZE - Nicolas Bousquet & Tanner Prentice (Canada) & Alexander Pirie & Jose Ubilla (Costa Rica)
Girl's U16 Doubles
GOLD - Jordan Cooperrider & Erika Manilla (USA)
SILVER - Monserrat Mejia & Andrea Ramirez (Mexico)
BRONZE - Angelica Barrios & Flavia Meneses (Bolivia) & Maria Jose Munoz & Ivana Sempertegui (Ecuador)
Boy's U16 Doubles
GOLD - Gerardo Franco & Cristian Longoria (Mexico)
SILVER - Wayne Antone & Kevin Vazquez (USA)
BRONZE - Sergio Acuña & Andres Montero (Costa Rica) & Juan Cueva & Jorge Ochoa (Ecuador)
Girl's U14 Doubles
GOLD - Ana Laura Flores & Ana Cristina Rivera (Mexico)
SILVER - Alejandra Jimenez Castillo & Rodaliza Perdomo (Dominican Rep.)
BRONZE - Ana Lucia Sarmiento & Nathalia Pinero (Ecuador) & Mary Ellen Phelan & Leanne Ryan (Ireland)
Boy's U14 Doubles
GOLD - Sebastian Fernandez & Mario Ruiz (Mexico)
SILVER - Juan Flores & Esteban Jano (Ecuador)
BRONZE - Diego Garcia & Gerson Miranda (Bolivia) & Julian Singh & Mitchell Turner (USA)
MEDAL COUNTS BY COUNTRY
Mexico - 6 Gold, 3 Silver, 7 Bronze = 16 Overall
Bolivia - 3 G, 1 S, 4 B = 8
USA - 1 G, 4 S, 3 B = 8
Costa Rica - 1 G, 0 S, 2 B = 3
Guatemala - 1 G, 1 S, 0 B = 2
Ecuador - 0 G, 1 S, 3 B = 4
Canada - 0 G, 0 S, 3 B = 3
Dominican Republic - 0 G, 2 S, 0 B = 2
Ireland - 0 G, 0 S, 1 B = 1
Colombia - 0 G, 0 S, 1 B = 1
World Cup Team Points
Girl's
GOLD - Mexico - 888
SILVER - Bolivia - 812
BRONZE - USA - 688
4th - Dominicana - 444
5th - Canada - 360
6th - Guatemala - 340
7th - Ecuador - 296
7th - Costa Rica - 296
9th - Ireland - 146
10th - Honduras - 124
11th - Colombia - 48
11th - Puerto Rico - 48
13th - Chile - 20
13th - South Korea - 20
Boy's
GOLD - Mexico - 1416
SILVER - Bolivia - 752
BRONZE - USA - 672
4th - Costa Rica - 572
5th - Canada - 486
6th - Ecuador - 476
7th - Guatemala - 276
8th - Colombia - 178
9th - Chile - 132
10th - South Korea - 82
11th - Honduras - 78
12th - Dominicana - 28
12th - Ireland - 28
14th - Puerto Rico - 10
Overall
GOLD - Mexico - 2304
SILVER - Bolivia - 1564
BRONZE - USA - 1360
4th - Costa Rica - 868
5th - Canada - 846
6th - Ecuador - 772
7th - Guatemala - 616
8th - Dominicana - 472
9th - Colombia - 226
10th - Honduras - 202
11th - Ireland - 174
12th - Chile - 152
13th - South Korea - 102
14th - Puerto Rico - 58
Follow the bouncing ball....
The USA medal count was up one from last year going from 7 to 8, but the Costa Rica team only had three medals in Santo Domingo compared to seven last year, although one of them was gold in Girl's U18 Doubles.
Guatemala also had a gold medal, as they did last year, and Gabriela Martinez won it for them, though this year she won Girl's U16 Singles while she won Girl's U14 Singles.
Ecuador had one more medal this year, and Canada one fewer. Ecuador's additional medal was a silver in Boy's U14 Doubles.
"What a shot!"
The shot of the week was by South Korean Yoon Jun Ha in their Boy's U16 Doubles match against Costa Rica during the preliminary round. It came in game one. South Korea was up 13-6, and a long rally ends when the ball comes through the middle. Jun Ha, a right handed player playing the right side, hits the ball behind his back, and it goes off the left wall to the front wall, and when it gets to the right wall, it cracks out. Unreturnable.
Jun Ha followed that up with flat roll out for the game point on the next rally. A shot so flat the Costa Ricans thought it skipped.
Honorable mention for shot of the week came from the racquet of American Elena Dent, another right handed player playing the right side in Girl's U14 Doubles. In their last match versus Canada, Dent reached up for a ball that was going through the middle. But it was behind her, so she was facing the back wall, and had to hit the ball over her shoulder.
The ball went right to the front right corner, and rolled out. A sure winner every time.
Future events
Plans are to have the 2016 World Junior Championships in Guatemala, although that is pending construction of new courts, so there's some uncertainty to that location.
The next major international events are the 2016 Pan American Championships in Temuco, Chile March 19-26. The Asian Championships will take place in Seoul, South Korea in March also. Then the 2016 IRF World Championships will be held in Cali, Colombia July 16-23.
27th IRF World Junior Racquetball Championships
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
MEDAL SUMMARY
Girl's U18 Singles
GOLD - Natalia Mendez (Bolivia)
SILVER - Maria Cespedes (Dominican Republic)
BRONZE - Monserrat Perez (Mexico) & Lexi York (USA)
Boy's U18 Singles
GOLD - Rodrigo Montoya (Mexico)
SILVER - Andree Parrilla (Mexico)
BRONZE - Nicolas Bousquet (Canada) & Daniel Rojas (USA)
Girl's U16 Singles
GOLD - Ana Gabriela Martinez (Guatemala)
SILVER - Jordan Cooperrider (USA)
BRONZE - Wanda Carvajal (Bolivia) & Monserrat Mejia (Mexico)
Boy's U16 Singles
GOLD - Cristian Longoria (Mexico)
SILVER - Juan Loreto (Mexico)
BRONZE - Trevor Webb (Canada) & Set Cubillos (Colombia)
Girl's U14 Singles
GOLD - Romina Rivero (Bolivia)
SILVER - Angelica Barrios (Bolivia)
BRONZE - Ana Laura Flores (Mexico) & Delia Aguiar (Mexico)
Boy's U14 Singles
GOLD - Diego Garcia (Bolivia)
SILVER - Gerson Miranda (Bolivia)
BRONZE - Jose Ramos (Mexico) & Mario Ruiz (Mexico)
Girl's U18 Doubles
GOLD - Melania Sauma & Sofia Soley (Costa Rica)
SILVER - Gabriela Martinez & Andrea Martinez (Guatemala)
BRONZE - Natalia Mendez & Wanda Carvajal (Bolivia) & Mariel Morales & Montserrat Perez (Mexico)
Boy's U18 Doubles
GOLD - Erik Garcia & Andree Parrilla (Mexico)
SILVER - Sam Bredenbeck & Jake Birnel (USA)
BRONZE - Nicolas Bousquet & Tanner Prentice (Canada) & Alexander Pirie & Jose Ubilla (Costa Rica)
Girl's U16 Doubles
GOLD - Jordan Cooperrider & Erika Manilla (USA)
SILVER - Monserrat Mejia & Andrea Ramirez (Mexico)
BRONZE - Angelica Barrios & Flavia Meneses (Bolivia) & Maria Jose Munoz & Ivana Sempertegui (Ecuador)
Boy's U16 Doubles
GOLD - Gerardo Franco & Cristian Longoria (Mexico)
SILVER - Wayne Antone & Kevin Vazquez (USA)
BRONZE - Sergio Acuña & Andres Montero (Costa Rica) & Juan Cueva & Jorge Ochoa (Ecuador)
Girl's U14 Doubles
GOLD - Ana Laura Flores & Ana Cristina Rivera (Mexico)
SILVER - Alejandra Jimenez Castillo & Rodaliza Perdomo (Dominican Rep.)
BRONZE - Ana Lucia Sarmiento & Nathalia Pinero (Ecuador) & Mary Ellen Phelan & Leanne Ryan (Ireland)
Boy's U14 Doubles
GOLD - Sebastian Fernandez & Mario Ruiz (Mexico)
SILVER - Juan Flores & Esteban Jano (Ecuador)
BRONZE - Diego Garcia & Gerson Miranda (Bolivia) & Julian Singh & Mitchell Turner (USA)
MEDAL COUNTS BY COUNTRY
Mexico - 6 Gold, 3 Silver, 7 Bronze = 16 Overall
Bolivia - 3 G, 1 S, 4 B = 8
USA - 1 G, 4 S, 3 B = 8
Costa Rica - 1 G, 0 S, 2 B = 3
Guatemala - 1 G, 1 S, 0 B = 2
Ecuador - 0 G, 1 S, 3 B = 4
Canada - 0 G, 0 S, 3 B = 3
Dominican Republic - 0 G, 2 S, 0 B = 2
Ireland - 0 G, 0 S, 1 B = 1
Colombia - 0 G, 0 S, 1 B = 1
World Cup Team Points
Girl's
GOLD - Mexico - 888
SILVER - Bolivia - 812
BRONZE - USA - 688
4th - Dominicana - 444
5th - Canada - 360
6th - Guatemala - 340
7th - Ecuador - 296
7th - Costa Rica - 296
9th - Ireland - 146
10th - Honduras - 124
11th - Colombia - 48
11th - Puerto Rico - 48
13th - Chile - 20
13th - South Korea - 20
Boy's
GOLD - Mexico - 1416
SILVER - Bolivia - 752
BRONZE - USA - 672
4th - Costa Rica - 572
5th - Canada - 486
6th - Ecuador - 476
7th - Guatemala - 276
8th - Colombia - 178
9th - Chile - 132
10th - South Korea - 82
11th - Honduras - 78
12th - Dominicana - 28
12th - Ireland - 28
14th - Puerto Rico - 10
Overall
GOLD - Mexico - 2304
SILVER - Bolivia - 1564
BRONZE - USA - 1360
4th - Costa Rica - 868
5th - Canada - 846
6th - Ecuador - 772
7th - Guatemala - 616
8th - Dominicana - 472
9th - Colombia - 226
10th - Honduras - 202
11th - Ireland - 174
12th - Chile - 152
13th - South Korea - 102
14th - Puerto Rico - 58
Follow the bouncing ball....
Waselenchuk wins 25th Annual Turkey Shootout
Kane Waselenchuk completed a successful return to the International Racquetball Tour (IRT), as the IRT #1 player defeated Rocky Carson, 11-3, 11-3, 11-8, to win the 25th Annual Turkey Shootout in Garden City, Kansas. Waselenchuk had missed the last two IRT events for personal reasons, but didn’t drop a game in his run to the Garden City title.
The IRT completes its run of five Tier 1 events on consecutive weekends this coming weekend with the St. Louis Pro Racquetball Winter Rollout in St. Louis, Missouri.
25th Annual Turkey Shootout, November 12-15
Garden City, Kansas
Final - Sunday
1) Kane Waselenchuk d. 2) Rocky Carson, 11-3, 11-3, 11-8
Follow the bouncing ball….
The IRT completes its run of five Tier 1 events on consecutive weekends this coming weekend with the St. Louis Pro Racquetball Winter Rollout in St. Louis, Missouri.
25th Annual Turkey Shootout, November 12-15
Garden City, Kansas
Final - Sunday
1) Kane Waselenchuk d. 2) Rocky Carson, 11-3, 11-3, 11-8
Follow the bouncing ball….
Longoria wins singles, Lotts & Rajsich doubles at 2015 LPRT Paola Longoria Invitational
Paola Longoria defeated Rhonda Rajsich, 9-11, 11-8, 11-1, 11-2, to win the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) Paola Longoria Invitational in Monterrey, Mexico Sunday for her fourth win in four LPRT events this season.
They were close early in game one, and tied at 3-3 and 5-5. But then Longoria edged ahead, going up 8-5. Rajsich called a timeout, and then proceeded to outscore Longoria 6-1 down the stretch, ending the game with a soft backhand rekill.
Game two was streaky, as Rajsich carried the momentum from game one to a 3-0 lead in game two. Then Longoria scored eight unanswered points to make it 8-3. They went back and forth with Rajsich scoring two more to make it 8-5 in Longoria’s favour.
Longoria got the next two points to make it 10-5. But on her first game point, she double faulted. That led to three Rajsich points, and a 10-8 score line. Longoria got the serve back at that point, and on the next rally forced Rajsich into skipping the ball.
In game three, Longoria turned up the pressure on Rajsich with her serve. She hit two service winners and got two return skips from Rajsich early in going out to a 7-1 lead. Four sideouts later, Longoria again had the serve, and hit a drive serve ace to the left side, and followed that with two service winners and another ace to close out game three 10-1.
Of her 11 points in game three, 8 were directly related to Longoria’s serve or a serve return error by Rajsich.
Game four again started out back and forth early, as they were tied at 2-2. But as in game three Longoria then hit two aces to make it 4-2, and didn’t allow Rajsich to score another point from there. The match winner came from a drive Z serve to the right side that Rajsich returned down the line, and then Longoria rekilled it.
However, Longoria didn’t win the doubles title with partner Samantha Salas, as they were defeated in the semi-finals by Rajsich and Sheryl Lotts, 15-9, 15-14. The reigning three time International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Champions, Longoria and Salas were previously undefeated in doubles this season.
Rajsich and Lotts followed up the big semi-final upset by winning the final against 2nd seeds Michelle Key & Frédérique Lambert, 15-11, 15-14.
Rajsich and Lotts had previous doubles experience together, as they were the USA team in Women’s Doubles at the Pan American Championships earlier this year in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, where they lost in the quarterfinals to Maria Jose Vargas and Véronique Guillemette of Argentina.
LPRT will be back in action next month with the 24th Annual NES Associates Christmas Pro-Am in Arlington, Virginia. In the meantime, you can get your fix of LPRT action by watching matches on the LPRT LiveStream channel.
2015 LPRT Paola Longoria Invitational
Monterrey, Mexico
Final
1) Paola Longoria d. 3) Rhonda Rajsich, 9-11, 11-8, 11-1, 11-2
Doubles - Semi-finals
4) Sheryl Lotts & Rhonda Rajsich d. 1) Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas, 15-9, 15-14
2) Michelle Key & Frédérique Lambert v. 3) Susana Acosta & Jessica Parrilla, 15-10, 15-12
Doubles - Final
4) Sheryl Lotts & Rhonda Rajsich d. 2) Michelle Key & Frédérique Lambert, 15-11, 15-14
Follow the bouncing ball….
They were close early in game one, and tied at 3-3 and 5-5. But then Longoria edged ahead, going up 8-5. Rajsich called a timeout, and then proceeded to outscore Longoria 6-1 down the stretch, ending the game with a soft backhand rekill.
Game two was streaky, as Rajsich carried the momentum from game one to a 3-0 lead in game two. Then Longoria scored eight unanswered points to make it 8-3. They went back and forth with Rajsich scoring two more to make it 8-5 in Longoria’s favour.
Longoria got the next two points to make it 10-5. But on her first game point, she double faulted. That led to three Rajsich points, and a 10-8 score line. Longoria got the serve back at that point, and on the next rally forced Rajsich into skipping the ball.
In game three, Longoria turned up the pressure on Rajsich with her serve. She hit two service winners and got two return skips from Rajsich early in going out to a 7-1 lead. Four sideouts later, Longoria again had the serve, and hit a drive serve ace to the left side, and followed that with two service winners and another ace to close out game three 10-1.
Of her 11 points in game three, 8 were directly related to Longoria’s serve or a serve return error by Rajsich.
Game four again started out back and forth early, as they were tied at 2-2. But as in game three Longoria then hit two aces to make it 4-2, and didn’t allow Rajsich to score another point from there. The match winner came from a drive Z serve to the right side that Rajsich returned down the line, and then Longoria rekilled it.
However, Longoria didn’t win the doubles title with partner Samantha Salas, as they were defeated in the semi-finals by Rajsich and Sheryl Lotts, 15-9, 15-14. The reigning three time International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Champions, Longoria and Salas were previously undefeated in doubles this season.
Rajsich and Lotts followed up the big semi-final upset by winning the final against 2nd seeds Michelle Key & Frédérique Lambert, 15-11, 15-14.
Rajsich and Lotts had previous doubles experience together, as they were the USA team in Women’s Doubles at the Pan American Championships earlier this year in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, where they lost in the quarterfinals to Maria Jose Vargas and Véronique Guillemette of Argentina.
LPRT will be back in action next month with the 24th Annual NES Associates Christmas Pro-Am in Arlington, Virginia. In the meantime, you can get your fix of LPRT action by watching matches on the LPRT LiveStream channel.
2015 LPRT Paola Longoria Invitational
Monterrey, Mexico
Final
1) Paola Longoria d. 3) Rhonda Rajsich, 9-11, 11-8, 11-1, 11-2
Doubles - Semi-finals
4) Sheryl Lotts & Rhonda Rajsich d. 1) Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas, 15-9, 15-14
2) Michelle Key & Frédérique Lambert v. 3) Susana Acosta & Jessica Parrilla, 15-10, 15-12
Doubles - Final
4) Sheryl Lotts & Rhonda Rajsich d. 2) Michelle Key & Frédérique Lambert, 15-11, 15-14
Follow the bouncing ball….
Saturday, November 14, 2015
Longoria & Rajsich compete for title at 2015 LPRT Paola Longoria Invitational
Paola Longoria will have a chance to win her invitational tournament, as she defeated Samantha Salas, 11-3, 11-2, 11-5, in the semi-finals of the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) Paola Longoria Invitational in Monterrey, Mexico Saturday. But there was an upset in the other semi-final, as LPRT #3 Rhonda Rajsich defeated #2 Maria Jose Vargas, 8-11, 11-4, 11-0, 11-3.
Longoria and Rajsich also met last month in the US Open final, which Longoria won in four games.
The final is scheduled for Sunday at 1 PM, and can be viewed live from Monterrey via the LPRT LiveStream channel.
2015 LPRT Paola Longoria Invitational
Monterrey, Mexico
Semi-finals
1) Paola Longoria d. 4) Samantha Salas, 11-3, 11-2, 11-5
3) Rhonda Rajsich d. 2) Maria Jose Vargas, 8-11, 11-4, 11-0, 11-3
Final
1) Paola Longoria v. 3) Rhonda Rajsich - 1 PM CST
Doubles - Semi-finals
1) Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas v. 4) Sheryl Lotts & Rhonda Rajsich
2) Michelle Key & Frédérique Lambert v. 3) Susana Acosta & Jessica Parrilla
Follow the bouncing ball….
Longoria and Rajsich also met last month in the US Open final, which Longoria won in four games.
The final is scheduled for Sunday at 1 PM, and can be viewed live from Monterrey via the LPRT LiveStream channel.
2015 LPRT Paola Longoria Invitational
Monterrey, Mexico
Semi-finals
1) Paola Longoria d. 4) Samantha Salas, 11-3, 11-2, 11-5
3) Rhonda Rajsich d. 2) Maria Jose Vargas, 8-11, 11-4, 11-0, 11-3
Final
1) Paola Longoria v. 3) Rhonda Rajsich - 1 PM CST
Doubles - Semi-finals
1) Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas v. 4) Sheryl Lotts & Rhonda Rajsich
2) Michelle Key & Frédérique Lambert v. 3) Susana Acosta & Jessica Parrilla
Follow the bouncing ball….
Waselenchuk v. Carson in final of 2015 IRT 25th Annual Turkey Shootout
It'll be #1 versus #2 once again on Sunday in the final of the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) 25th Annual Turkey Shootout in Garden City, Kansas, as Kane Waselenchuk - the IRT"s #1 player - will face off with the #2 IRT player Rocky Carson.
Both Waselenchuk and Carson won their respective semi-final matches in three straight games, although Waselenchuk's performance was more dominant, but his opponent was 12th seed Sebastian Franco, while Carson was up against IRT #3 Alvaro Beltran.
Nonetheless, Carson beat Beltran 11-4, 11-7, 11-5, while Waselenchuk dominated Franco, 11-2, 11-2, 11-0.
You can see the final live Sunday at 11 AM via the IRT Network.
25th Annual Turkey Shootout, November 12-15
Garden City, Kansas
Semi-finals - Saturday
1) Kane Waselenchuk d. Sebastian Franco, 11-2, 11-2, 11-0
2) Rocky Carson d. 3) Alvaro Beltran, 11-4, 11-7, 11-5
Final - Sunday
1) Kane Waselenchuk v. 2) Rocky Carson - 11 AM CST
Follow the bouncing ball….
Both Waselenchuk and Carson won their respective semi-final matches in three straight games, although Waselenchuk's performance was more dominant, but his opponent was 12th seed Sebastian Franco, while Carson was up against IRT #3 Alvaro Beltran.
Nonetheless, Carson beat Beltran 11-4, 11-7, 11-5, while Waselenchuk dominated Franco, 11-2, 11-2, 11-0.
You can see the final live Sunday at 11 AM via the IRT Network.
25th Annual Turkey Shootout, November 12-15
Garden City, Kansas
Semi-finals - Saturday
1) Kane Waselenchuk d. Sebastian Franco, 11-2, 11-2, 11-0
2) Rocky Carson d. 3) Alvaro Beltran, 11-4, 11-7, 11-5
Final - Sunday
1) Kane Waselenchuk v. 2) Rocky Carson - 11 AM CST
Follow the bouncing ball….
Mexico takes 5 of 6 gold medals in Boy's divisions at 2015 IRF World Juniors
Mexico won five of the six boys divisions Saturday at the International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Junior Racquetball Championships in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and the one they didn't win was a final between two Bolivian boys.
Rodrigo Montoya won the Boy's U18 title by defeating fellow Mexican Andree Parrilla, 15-7, 15-11, in what was a rematch of the 2013 Boy's U16 final that Parrilla won.
Montoya led the whole way in game one, as he went up 4-1. Parrilla did get within one at 4-3, but Montoya scored seven unanswered points from there to win the first game going away at 15-7.
In the match, Montoya drove serve primarily while Parrilla started out with Z serves to the left, Montoya's backhand, and later in the match drove serve.
Both players dove to keep the ball in play multiple times.
Game two was close early, as they went back and forth. Parrilla edged ahead at 6-4 and 7-5, but Montoya tied the game at 8-8. Montoya then took the lead, and didn't give it up, outscoring Parrilla 7-3 down the stretch. Montoya won it with a backhand down the line.
Cristian Longoria of Mexico was a double gold medalist in Boy's U16, as he defeated team-mate Juan Loreto for the singles title, 15-6, 15-4, and teamed up with Gerardo Franco to beat Americans Wayne Antone and Kevin Vazquez, 15-7, 15-9.
The only boy's final to go three games was in Boy's U14, which featured two Bolivians players. Diego Garcia came back from a game down to defeat Gerson Miranda, 4-15, 15-8, 11-6. In Boy's U14 Doubles, Mexicans Sebastian Fernandez and Mario Ruiz defeated Juan Flores and Esteban Jano of Ecuador, 15-10, 15-9.
27th IRF World Junior Racquetball Championships
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Boy's U18 Singles - Final
Rodrigo Montoya (Mexico) d. Andree Parrilla (Mexico), 15-7, 15-11
Boy's U16 Singles - Final
Cristian Longoria (Mexico) d. Juan Loreto (Mexico), 15-6, 15-4
Boy's U14 Singles - Final
Diego Garcia (Bolivia) d. Gerson Miranda (Bolivia), 4-15, 15-8, 11-6
Boy's U18 Doubles - Final
Erik Garcia & Andree Parrilla (Mexico) v. Sam Bredenbeck & Jake Birnel (USA), 15-8, 15-6
Boy's U16 Doubles - Final
Gerardo Franco & Cristian Longoria (Mexico) v. Wayne Antone & Kevin Vazquez (USA), 15-7, 15-9
Boy's U14 Doubles - Final
Sebastian Fernandez & Mario Ruiz (Mexico) d. Juan Flores & Esteban Jano (Ecuador), 15-10, 15-9
Follow the bouncing ball....
Rodrigo Montoya won the Boy's U18 title by defeating fellow Mexican Andree Parrilla, 15-7, 15-11, in what was a rematch of the 2013 Boy's U16 final that Parrilla won.
Montoya led the whole way in game one, as he went up 4-1. Parrilla did get within one at 4-3, but Montoya scored seven unanswered points from there to win the first game going away at 15-7.
In the match, Montoya drove serve primarily while Parrilla started out with Z serves to the left, Montoya's backhand, and later in the match drove serve.
Both players dove to keep the ball in play multiple times.
Game two was close early, as they went back and forth. Parrilla edged ahead at 6-4 and 7-5, but Montoya tied the game at 8-8. Montoya then took the lead, and didn't give it up, outscoring Parrilla 7-3 down the stretch. Montoya won it with a backhand down the line.
Cristian Longoria of Mexico was a double gold medalist in Boy's U16, as he defeated team-mate Juan Loreto for the singles title, 15-6, 15-4, and teamed up with Gerardo Franco to beat Americans Wayne Antone and Kevin Vazquez, 15-7, 15-9.
The only boy's final to go three games was in Boy's U14, which featured two Bolivians players. Diego Garcia came back from a game down to defeat Gerson Miranda, 4-15, 15-8, 11-6. In Boy's U14 Doubles, Mexicans Sebastian Fernandez and Mario Ruiz defeated Juan Flores and Esteban Jano of Ecuador, 15-10, 15-9.
27th IRF World Junior Racquetball Championships
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Boy's U18 Singles - Final
Rodrigo Montoya (Mexico) d. Andree Parrilla (Mexico), 15-7, 15-11
Boy's U16 Singles - Final
Cristian Longoria (Mexico) d. Juan Loreto (Mexico), 15-6, 15-4
Boy's U14 Singles - Final
Diego Garcia (Bolivia) d. Gerson Miranda (Bolivia), 4-15, 15-8, 11-6
Boy's U18 Doubles - Final
Erik Garcia & Andree Parrilla (Mexico) v. Sam Bredenbeck & Jake Birnel (USA), 15-8, 15-6
Boy's U16 Doubles - Final
Gerardo Franco & Cristian Longoria (Mexico) v. Wayne Antone & Kevin Vazquez (USA), 15-7, 15-9
Boy's U14 Doubles - Final
Sebastian Fernandez & Mario Ruiz (Mexico) d. Juan Flores & Esteban Jano (Ecuador), 15-10, 15-9
Follow the bouncing ball....
Gold for Bolivia, Guatemala & Costa Rica in Girl's divisions at 2015 IRF World Juniors
The Girl's finals Saturday at the 27th International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Junior Racquetball Championships in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic were won by two Bolivians, a Guatemalan and team from Costa Rica. The USA and Mexico did win gold, but in doubles divisions that were round robin format, and both ended on Friday.
Bolivian Natalia Mendez defeated Dominican Maria Cespedes, 15-9, 15-3. Cespedes was making a bid to win the first U18 title for the Dominican Republic in over 20 years, as Claudine Garcia won Girl's U18 in 1994.
The match was telling from the start, as Mendez hit two drive serve aces to the right side. Those were two of 10 aces or service winners Mendez scored in the match.
However, after Mendez went up 5-0, Cespedes called a timeout and staged a comeback, which included two aces of her own, and she actually took the lead at 6-5.
Then it was Mendez's turn to call time out. That led to six unanswered points and a 12-6 lead. From there they traded points, as Mendez won game one 15-9 with the game winner coming on a forehand to the right side.
In game two, Mendez was up early again, hitting three aces as part of a 5-1 lead. This time Cespedes timeout at that point did not lead to a big comeback, as she never got closer than four points from Mendez who went on to win comfortably, 15-3, hitting a forehand pinch shot for the Championship winning point.
The win is Mendez's third in the World Cup divisions at World Juniors. She won gold in Girl's U14 in 2010 and gold in U16 in 2012. He was a semi-finalist last year in U18.
Gabriela Martinez of Guatemala also won her third gold medal at World Juniors, as she defeated American Jordan Cooperrider, 15-6, 15-8, in the final of Girl's U16. Martinez was the gold medalist in Girl's U14 the last two years.
This year's Girl's U14 winner was Bolivian Romina Rivero, who defeated team-mate Angelica Barrios, 15-11, 15-11, in the final.
In Girl's U18 Doubles, Costa Ricans Melania Sauma and Sofia Soley defeated Guatemalans Gabriela Martinez and Andrea Martinez, 14-15, 15-7, 11-4, to claim what we believe is the first U18 doubles gold medal for Costa Rica in either girls or boys divisions.
The Costa Ricans double served to Andrea Martinez, who was playing the right side with a right side glass wall. The strategy got Costa Rica a lead in game one at 12-6, but the Guatemalans came back to win it after Andrea Martinez tied it at 14-14 with a forehand cross court, and then Sauma skipped a backhand pinch shot for Guatemala's 15th point.
Game two was close early with the teams tied at 7-7. But Costa Rica held Guatemala at 7 while scoring 8 unanswered points to level the match at a game each.
In game three, Costa Rica got up 6-0, as Gabriela Martinez skipped a few shots, some of which she took on the right side for her partner. The Costa Ricans used high, straight lobs serves on the right side.
The Guatemalans did cut the lead to two at 6-4, but never got another point after that. The last rally was Sauma hitting a high lob that Andrea Martinez returned cross court, and Soley hit a backhand down the line shot for the championship point.
27th IRF World Junior Racquetball Championships
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Girl's U18 Singles - Final
Natalia Mendez (Bolivia) d. Maria Cespedes (Dominican Republic), 15-9, 15-3
Girl's U16 Singles - Final
Gabriela Martinez (Guatemala) d. Jordan Cooperrider (USA), 15-6, 15-8
Girl's U14 Singles - Final
Romina Rivero (Bolivia) d. Angelica Barrios (Bolivia), 15-11, 15-11
Girl's U18 Doubles - Final
Melania Sauma & Sofia Soley (Costa Rica) d. Gabriela Martinez & Andrea Martinez (Guatemala), 14-15, 15-7, 11-4
Girl's U16 Doubles - Round Robin (wins & losses)
Jordan Cooperrider & Erika Manilla (USA) - 4 & 0
Monserrat Mejia & Andrea Ramirez (Mexico) - 3 & 1
Angelica Barrios & Flavia Meneses (Bolivia) - 1 & 2
Maria Jose Munoz & Ivana Sempertegui (Ecuador) - 1 & 2
Alexis Iwaasa & Marjolaine Parent (Canada) - 0 & 4
Girl's U14 Doubles - Round Robin (wins & losses)
Ana Laura Flores & Ana Cristina Rivera (Mexico) - 5 & 0
Alejandra Jimenez Castillo & Rodaliza Perdomo (Dominican Rep.) - 4 & 1
Ana Lucia Sarmiento & Nathalia Pinero (Ecuador) - 3 & 2
Mary Ellen Phelan & Leanne Ryan (Ireland) - 1 & 4
Elena Dent & Graciana Wargo (USA) - 1 & 4
Juliette Parent & Cassie Prentice (Canada) - 1 & 4
Follow the bouncing ball....
Bolivian Natalia Mendez defeated Dominican Maria Cespedes, 15-9, 15-3. Cespedes was making a bid to win the first U18 title for the Dominican Republic in over 20 years, as Claudine Garcia won Girl's U18 in 1994.
The match was telling from the start, as Mendez hit two drive serve aces to the right side. Those were two of 10 aces or service winners Mendez scored in the match.
However, after Mendez went up 5-0, Cespedes called a timeout and staged a comeback, which included two aces of her own, and she actually took the lead at 6-5.
Then it was Mendez's turn to call time out. That led to six unanswered points and a 12-6 lead. From there they traded points, as Mendez won game one 15-9 with the game winner coming on a forehand to the right side.
In game two, Mendez was up early again, hitting three aces as part of a 5-1 lead. This time Cespedes timeout at that point did not lead to a big comeback, as she never got closer than four points from Mendez who went on to win comfortably, 15-3, hitting a forehand pinch shot for the Championship winning point.
The win is Mendez's third in the World Cup divisions at World Juniors. She won gold in Girl's U14 in 2010 and gold in U16 in 2012. He was a semi-finalist last year in U18.
Gabriela Martinez of Guatemala also won her third gold medal at World Juniors, as she defeated American Jordan Cooperrider, 15-6, 15-8, in the final of Girl's U16. Martinez was the gold medalist in Girl's U14 the last two years.
This year's Girl's U14 winner was Bolivian Romina Rivero, who defeated team-mate Angelica Barrios, 15-11, 15-11, in the final.
In Girl's U18 Doubles, Costa Ricans Melania Sauma and Sofia Soley defeated Guatemalans Gabriela Martinez and Andrea Martinez, 14-15, 15-7, 11-4, to claim what we believe is the first U18 doubles gold medal for Costa Rica in either girls or boys divisions.
The Costa Ricans double served to Andrea Martinez, who was playing the right side with a right side glass wall. The strategy got Costa Rica a lead in game one at 12-6, but the Guatemalans came back to win it after Andrea Martinez tied it at 14-14 with a forehand cross court, and then Sauma skipped a backhand pinch shot for Guatemala's 15th point.
Game two was close early with the teams tied at 7-7. But Costa Rica held Guatemala at 7 while scoring 8 unanswered points to level the match at a game each.
In game three, Costa Rica got up 6-0, as Gabriela Martinez skipped a few shots, some of which she took on the right side for her partner. The Costa Ricans used high, straight lobs serves on the right side.
The Guatemalans did cut the lead to two at 6-4, but never got another point after that. The last rally was Sauma hitting a high lob that Andrea Martinez returned cross court, and Soley hit a backhand down the line shot for the championship point.
27th IRF World Junior Racquetball Championships
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Girl's U18 Singles - Final
Natalia Mendez (Bolivia) d. Maria Cespedes (Dominican Republic), 15-9, 15-3
Girl's U16 Singles - Final
Gabriela Martinez (Guatemala) d. Jordan Cooperrider (USA), 15-6, 15-8
Girl's U14 Singles - Final
Romina Rivero (Bolivia) d. Angelica Barrios (Bolivia), 15-11, 15-11
Girl's U18 Doubles - Final
Melania Sauma & Sofia Soley (Costa Rica) d. Gabriela Martinez & Andrea Martinez (Guatemala), 14-15, 15-7, 11-4
Girl's U16 Doubles - Round Robin (wins & losses)
Jordan Cooperrider & Erika Manilla (USA) - 4 & 0
Monserrat Mejia & Andrea Ramirez (Mexico) - 3 & 1
Angelica Barrios & Flavia Meneses (Bolivia) - 1 & 2
Maria Jose Munoz & Ivana Sempertegui (Ecuador) - 1 & 2
Alexis Iwaasa & Marjolaine Parent (Canada) - 0 & 4
Girl's U14 Doubles - Round Robin (wins & losses)
Ana Laura Flores & Ana Cristina Rivera (Mexico) - 5 & 0
Alejandra Jimenez Castillo & Rodaliza Perdomo (Dominican Rep.) - 4 & 1
Ana Lucia Sarmiento & Nathalia Pinero (Ecuador) - 3 & 2
Mary Ellen Phelan & Leanne Ryan (Ireland) - 1 & 4
Elena Dent & Graciana Wargo (USA) - 1 & 4
Juliette Parent & Cassie Prentice (Canada) - 1 & 4
Follow the bouncing ball....
Top 4 seeds into semi-finals at 2015 LPRT Paola Longoria Invitational
The top four seeds have reached the semi-finals of the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) Paola Longoria Invitational in Monterrey, Mexico Saturday, and all four won their quarterfinal matches in three straight games, including LPRT #1 Paola Longoria, who defeated Sofia Rascon, 11-3, 11-4, 11-8.
Longoria will face doubles partner Samantha Salas in the semis, as 4th seed Salas beat 5th seed Frédérique Lambert, 11-8, 11-1, 11-5.
On the bottom of the draw, 2nd seed Maria Jose Vargas defeated Cristina Amaya, 11-7, 11-5, 11-4, and 3rd seed Rhonda Rajsich beat Alexandra Herrera, 11-7, 11-2, 11-3.
The semi-finals begin Saturday at 5 PM CST with the final scheduled for Sunday at 1 PM. For live streaming of the matches from Monterrey, check out the LPRT LiveStream channel.
2015 LPRT Paola Longoria Invitational
Monterrey, Mexico
Quarterfinals
1) Paola Longoria d. 9) Sofia Rascon, 11-3, 11-4, 11-8
4) Samantha Salas d. 5) Frédérique Lambert, 11-8, 11-1, 11-5
3) Rhonda Rajsich d. 11) Alexandra Herrera, 11-7, 11-2, 11-3
2) Maria Jose Vargas d. 7) Cristina Amaya, 11-7, 11-5, 11-4
Semi-finals
1) Paola Longoria v. 4) Samantha Salas - 6 PM CST
2) Maria Jose Vargas v. 3) Rhonda Rajsich - 5 PM CST
Doubles - Quarterfinals
1) Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas - BYE
4) Sheryl Lotts & Rhonda Rajsich d. 5) Cristina Amaya & Sofia Rascon, 15-7, 5-15, 11-6
3) Susana Acosta & Jessica Parrilla d. 6) Alexandra Herrera & Carla Muñoz, 15-14, 15-7
2) Michelle Key & Frédérique Lambert d. 7) Carolina Luque & Maria Renee Rodriguez, 15-3, 15-7
Semi-finals
1) Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas v. 4) Sheryl Lotts & Rhonda Rajsich
2) Michelle Key & Frédérique Lambert v. 3) Susana Acosta & Jessica Parrilla
Follow the bouncing ball….
Longoria will face doubles partner Samantha Salas in the semis, as 4th seed Salas beat 5th seed Frédérique Lambert, 11-8, 11-1, 11-5.
On the bottom of the draw, 2nd seed Maria Jose Vargas defeated Cristina Amaya, 11-7, 11-5, 11-4, and 3rd seed Rhonda Rajsich beat Alexandra Herrera, 11-7, 11-2, 11-3.
The semi-finals begin Saturday at 5 PM CST with the final scheduled for Sunday at 1 PM. For live streaming of the matches from Monterrey, check out the LPRT LiveStream channel.
2015 LPRT Paola Longoria Invitational
Monterrey, Mexico
Quarterfinals
1) Paola Longoria d. 9) Sofia Rascon, 11-3, 11-4, 11-8
4) Samantha Salas d. 5) Frédérique Lambert, 11-8, 11-1, 11-5
3) Rhonda Rajsich d. 11) Alexandra Herrera, 11-7, 11-2, 11-3
2) Maria Jose Vargas d. 7) Cristina Amaya, 11-7, 11-5, 11-4
Semi-finals
1) Paola Longoria v. 4) Samantha Salas - 6 PM CST
2) Maria Jose Vargas v. 3) Rhonda Rajsich - 5 PM CST
Doubles - Quarterfinals
1) Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas - BYE
4) Sheryl Lotts & Rhonda Rajsich d. 5) Cristina Amaya & Sofia Rascon, 15-7, 5-15, 11-6
3) Susana Acosta & Jessica Parrilla d. 6) Alexandra Herrera & Carla Muñoz, 15-14, 15-7
2) Michelle Key & Frédérique Lambert d. 7) Carolina Luque & Maria Renee Rodriguez, 15-3, 15-7
Semi-finals
1) Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas v. 4) Sheryl Lotts & Rhonda Rajsich
2) Michelle Key & Frédérique Lambert v. 3) Susana Acosta & Jessica Parrilla
Follow the bouncing ball….
2015 IRT 25th Annual Turkey Shootout - Round of 16 and Quarterfinal Results
Kane Waselenchuk made a good start to claiming another title on the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) Friday, as he won his first two matches at the 25th Annual Turkey Shootout in Garden City, Kansas. Waselenchuk defeated Troy Warigon, 11-4, 11-1, 12-10 in the Round of 16, then beat Jose Rojas, 11-1, 11-7, 12-10.
The upsets of the day happened in the 4th and 5th seed matches, as Sebastian Franco defeated 5th seed Jansen Allen, 9-11, 11-9, 11-5, 11-1, and Scott McClellan was a default winner against 4th seed Daniel De La Rosa.
The semi-finals are scheduled for 5 PM and 6 PM Saturday with the final at 11 AM Sunday morning. All times central.
You can follow the action from the Round of 16 on via the IRT Network.
25th Annual Turkey Shootout, November 12-15
Garden City, Kansas
Round of 16 - Friday
1) Kane Waselenchuk d. Troy Warigon, 11-4, 11-1, 12-10
8) Jose Rojas d. Robert Collins, 11-1, 11-7, 11-8
Sebastian Franco d. 5) Jansen Allen, 9-11, 11-9, 11-5, 11-1
Scott McClellan d. 4) Daniel De La Rosa, forfeit
3) Alvaro Beltran d. Mario Mercado, 11-4, 11-5, 11-7
6) Marco Rojas d. Mauricio Zelada, 9-11, 11-2, 11-8, 11-2
7) Charlie Pratt d. Felipe Camacho, 11-1, 9-11, 11-2, 11-9
2) Rocky Carson d. Brad Schopieray, 1-11, 11-0, 11-1, 11-1
Quaarterfinals - Friday
1) Kane Waselenchuk d. 8) Jose Rojas, 11-2, 12-10, 11-9
Sebastian Franco d. Scott McClellan, 12-10, 11-3, 11-7
3) Alvaro Beltran d. 6) Marco Rojas, 11-6, 6-11, 11-3, 4-11, 11-9
2) Rocky Carson d. 7) Charlie Pratt, 11-7, 11-7, 11-3
Semi-finals - Saturday
1) Kane Waselenchuk v. Sebastian Franco
2) Rocky Carson v. 3) Alvaro Beltran
Follow the bouncing ball….
The upsets of the day happened in the 4th and 5th seed matches, as Sebastian Franco defeated 5th seed Jansen Allen, 9-11, 11-9, 11-5, 11-1, and Scott McClellan was a default winner against 4th seed Daniel De La Rosa.
The semi-finals are scheduled for 5 PM and 6 PM Saturday with the final at 11 AM Sunday morning. All times central.
You can follow the action from the Round of 16 on via the IRT Network.
25th Annual Turkey Shootout, November 12-15
Garden City, Kansas
Round of 16 - Friday
1) Kane Waselenchuk d. Troy Warigon, 11-4, 11-1, 12-10
8) Jose Rojas d. Robert Collins, 11-1, 11-7, 11-8
Sebastian Franco d. 5) Jansen Allen, 9-11, 11-9, 11-5, 11-1
Scott McClellan d. 4) Daniel De La Rosa, forfeit
3) Alvaro Beltran d. Mario Mercado, 11-4, 11-5, 11-7
6) Marco Rojas d. Mauricio Zelada, 9-11, 11-2, 11-8, 11-2
7) Charlie Pratt d. Felipe Camacho, 11-1, 9-11, 11-2, 11-9
2) Rocky Carson d. Brad Schopieray, 1-11, 11-0, 11-1, 11-1
Quaarterfinals - Friday
1) Kane Waselenchuk d. 8) Jose Rojas, 11-2, 12-10, 11-9
Sebastian Franco d. Scott McClellan, 12-10, 11-3, 11-7
3) Alvaro Beltran d. 6) Marco Rojas, 11-6, 6-11, 11-3, 4-11, 11-9
2) Rocky Carson d. 7) Charlie Pratt, 11-7, 11-7, 11-3
Semi-finals - Saturday
1) Kane Waselenchuk v. Sebastian Franco
2) Rocky Carson v. 3) Alvaro Beltran
Follow the bouncing ball….
Friday, November 13, 2015
2015 Paola Longoria Invitational - Rounds of 32 and 16
Some surprising results from the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) Paola Longoria Invitational in Monterrey, Mexico Friday with the biggest upset coming from Alexandra Herrera who knocked off 6th seed Michelle Key, 10-12, 11-7, 7-11, 11-9, 11-8, in the Round of 16.
Jessica Parrilla almost had a bigger upset, but fell just short of defeating 5th seed Frédérique Lambert, who won their match, 2-11, 5-11, 11-9, 11-3, 12-10.
Of the eight matches in the Round of 16, only two were settled in straight games. But one of the straight game winners was the tournament namesake and LPRT #1 player, Paola Longoria, who defeated 16th seed Maria Renee Rodriguez, 11-6, 11-2, 11-2.
Samantha Salas also won in straight games, as she beat Sheryl Lotts, 11-1, 11-6, 11-7. Salas and Lambert will meet in the quarterfinals again this season.
For live streaming of the matches from Monterrey, check out the LPRT LiveStream channel.
2015 LPRT Paola Longoria Invitational
Monterrey, Mexico
Round of 32
1) Paola Longoria - BYE
16) Maria Renee Rodriguez d. 17) Carolina Luque, 11-1, 11-1, 11-3
9) Sofia Rascon - BYE
8) Da'monique Davis - BYE
5) Frédérique Lambert - BYE
12) Jessica Parrilla d. 21) Jessica Maldonado, 11-4, 11-7, 11-0
13) Sheryl Lotts d. 20) Youngock Lee, 11-1, 11-1, 11-6
4) Samantha Salas - BYE
3) Rhonda Rajsich - BYE
19) Adriana Riveros d. 14) Adrienne Haynes, 11-3, 11-1, 11-8
11) Alexandra Herrera d. 22) Daniela Molina, 11-1, 11-3, 11-2
6) Michelle Key - BYE
7) Cristina Amaya - BYE
10) Susana Acosta d. 23) Denisse Maldonado, 13-11, 11-4, 11-4
18) Masiel Rivera d. 15) Carla Muñoz, 7-11, 11-5, 11-9, 7-11, 11-8
2) Maria Jose Vargas - BYE
Round of 16
1) Paola Longoria d. 16) Maria Renee Rodriguez, 11-6, 11-2, 11-2
9) Sofia Rascon d. 8) Da'monique Davis, 3-11, 11-2, 11-6, 12-10
5) Frédérique Lambert d. 12) Jessica Parrilla, 2-11, 5-11, 11-9, 11-3, 12-10
4) Samantha Salas d. 13) Sheryl Lotts, 11-1, 11-6, 11-7
3) Rhonda Rajsich d. 19) Adriana Riveros, 12-10, 11-7, 6-11, 11-7
11) Alexandra Herrera d. 6) Michelle Key, 10-12, 11-7, 7-11, 11-9, 11-8
7) Cristina Amaya d. 10) Susana Acosta, 15-13, 1-11, 11-6, 11-9
2) Maria Jose Vargas d. 18) Masiel Rivera, 11-8, 6-11, 11-9, 11-5
Quarterfinals
1) Paola Longoria v. 9) Sofia Rascon
4) Samantha Salas v. 5) Frédérique Lambert
3) Rhonda Rajsich v. 11) Alexandra Herrera
2) Maria Jose Vargas v. 7) Cristina Amaya
Follow the bouncing ball….
Jessica Parrilla almost had a bigger upset, but fell just short of defeating 5th seed Frédérique Lambert, who won their match, 2-11, 5-11, 11-9, 11-3, 12-10.
Of the eight matches in the Round of 16, only two were settled in straight games. But one of the straight game winners was the tournament namesake and LPRT #1 player, Paola Longoria, who defeated 16th seed Maria Renee Rodriguez, 11-6, 11-2, 11-2.
Samantha Salas also won in straight games, as she beat Sheryl Lotts, 11-1, 11-6, 11-7. Salas and Lambert will meet in the quarterfinals again this season.
For live streaming of the matches from Monterrey, check out the LPRT LiveStream channel.
2015 LPRT Paola Longoria Invitational
Monterrey, Mexico
Round of 32
1) Paola Longoria - BYE
16) Maria Renee Rodriguez d. 17) Carolina Luque, 11-1, 11-1, 11-3
9) Sofia Rascon - BYE
8) Da'monique Davis - BYE
5) Frédérique Lambert - BYE
12) Jessica Parrilla d. 21) Jessica Maldonado, 11-4, 11-7, 11-0
13) Sheryl Lotts d. 20) Youngock Lee, 11-1, 11-1, 11-6
4) Samantha Salas - BYE
3) Rhonda Rajsich - BYE
19) Adriana Riveros d. 14) Adrienne Haynes, 11-3, 11-1, 11-8
11) Alexandra Herrera d. 22) Daniela Molina, 11-1, 11-3, 11-2
6) Michelle Key - BYE
7) Cristina Amaya - BYE
10) Susana Acosta d. 23) Denisse Maldonado, 13-11, 11-4, 11-4
18) Masiel Rivera d. 15) Carla Muñoz, 7-11, 11-5, 11-9, 7-11, 11-8
2) Maria Jose Vargas - BYE
Round of 16
1) Paola Longoria d. 16) Maria Renee Rodriguez, 11-6, 11-2, 11-2
9) Sofia Rascon d. 8) Da'monique Davis, 3-11, 11-2, 11-6, 12-10
5) Frédérique Lambert d. 12) Jessica Parrilla, 2-11, 5-11, 11-9, 11-3, 12-10
4) Samantha Salas d. 13) Sheryl Lotts, 11-1, 11-6, 11-7
3) Rhonda Rajsich d. 19) Adriana Riveros, 12-10, 11-7, 6-11, 11-7
11) Alexandra Herrera d. 6) Michelle Key, 10-12, 11-7, 7-11, 11-9, 11-8
7) Cristina Amaya d. 10) Susana Acosta, 15-13, 1-11, 11-6, 11-9
2) Maria Jose Vargas d. 18) Masiel Rivera, 11-8, 6-11, 11-9, 11-5
Quarterfinals
1) Paola Longoria v. 9) Sofia Rascon
4) Samantha Salas v. 5) Frédérique Lambert
3) Rhonda Rajsich v. 11) Alexandra Herrera
2) Maria Jose Vargas v. 7) Cristina Amaya
Follow the bouncing ball….
2015 World Juniors - Boy's Semi-finals
Mexico will sweep gold and silver in two of the boys divisions at the International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Junior Racquetball Championships in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, but the other it will be Bolivians doing the sweeping.
In Boy's U18, Andree Parrilla of Mexica defeated American Daniel Rojas, 15-11, 15-5, and will play team-mate Rodrigo Montoya, as Montoya won the other semi-final against Nicolas Bousquet (Canada), 15-9, 15-3.
In Boy's U16, it will be Cristian Longoria of Mexico, a winner over Canadian Trevor Webb, 15-7, 15-13, against country man Juan Loreto (Mexico) defeated Set Cubilos in the semi-finals.
In Boy's U14, Gerson Miranda of Bolivia defeated Jose Ramos, 15-9, 15-1, and Diego Garcia of Bolivia beat Mexican Mario Ruiz, 15-7, 15-7.
Mexico could sweep gold in the boy's doubles events, as they have teams in each final. Mexico will play the USA in two of those finals: the U18 and U16, while Ecuador will face Mexico in the U14 final.
For a link to live streaming of some of the matches from Santo Domingo beginning Thursday go to the IRF website.
27th IRF World Junior Racquetball Championships
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Boy's U18 Singles - Semi-finals
Andree Parrilla (Mexico) d. Daniel Rojas (USA), 15-11, 15-5
Rodrigo Montoya (Mexico) d. Nicolas Bousquet (Canada), 15-9, 15-3
Boy's U18 Singles - Final
Andree Parrilla (Mexico) v. Rodrigo Montoya (Mexico) - Noon Saturday
Boy's U16 Singles - Semi-finals
Cristian Longoria (Mexico) d. Trevor Webb (Canada), 15-7, 15-13
Juan Loreto (Mexico) d. Set Cubillos (Colombia), 15-8, 15-0
Boy's U16 Singles - Final
Cristian Longoria (Mexico) v. Juan Loreto (Mexico) - Noon Saturday
Boy's U14 Singles - Semi-finals
Gerson Miranda (Bolivia) d. Jose Ramos (Mexico), 15-9, 15-1
Diego Garcia (Bolivia) d. Mario Ruiz (Mexico), 15-7, 15-7
Boy's U14 Singles - Final
Gerson Miranda (Bolivia) v. Diego Garcia (Bolivia)
Boy's U18 Doubles - Semi-finals - Friday
Erik Garcia & Andree Parrilla (Mexico) d. Nicolas Bousquet & Tanner Prentice (Canada), 15-13, 15-13
Sam Bredenbeck & Jake Birnel (USA) d. Alexander Pirie & Jose Ubilla (Costa Rica), 15-5, 15-10
Boy's U18 Doubles - Final
Erik Garcia & Andree Parrilla (Mexico) v. Sam Bredenbeck & Jake Birnel (USA) - Saturday 2 PM
Boy's U16 Doubles - Semi-finals - Friday
Gerardo Franco & Cristian Longoria (Mexico) d. Sergio Acuña & Andres Montero (Costa Rica), 15-8, 8-15, 11-3
Wayne Antone & Kevin Vazquez (USA) d. Juan Cueva & Jorge Ochoa (Ecuador), 15-10, 3-15, 11-6
Boy's U16 Doubles - Final
Gerardo Franco & Cristian Longoria (Mexico) v. Wayne Antone & Kevin Vazquez (USA) - Saturday 2 PM
Boy's U14 Doubles - Semi-finals - Friday
Sebastian Fernandez & Mario Ruiz (Mexico) d. Diego Garcia & Gerson Miranda (Bolivia), 15-9, 15-14
Juan Flores & Esteban Jano (Ecuador) d. Julian Singh & Mitchell Turner (USA), 15-7, 15-14
Boy's U14 Doubles - Final
Sebastian Fernandez & Mario Ruiz (Mexico) v. Juan Flores & Esteban Jano (Ecuador) - Saturday 2 PM
Follow the bouncing ball....
In Boy's U18, Andree Parrilla of Mexica defeated American Daniel Rojas, 15-11, 15-5, and will play team-mate Rodrigo Montoya, as Montoya won the other semi-final against Nicolas Bousquet (Canada), 15-9, 15-3.
In Boy's U16, it will be Cristian Longoria of Mexico, a winner over Canadian Trevor Webb, 15-7, 15-13, against country man Juan Loreto (Mexico) defeated Set Cubilos in the semi-finals.
In Boy's U14, Gerson Miranda of Bolivia defeated Jose Ramos, 15-9, 15-1, and Diego Garcia of Bolivia beat Mexican Mario Ruiz, 15-7, 15-7.
Mexico could sweep gold in the boy's doubles events, as they have teams in each final. Mexico will play the USA in two of those finals: the U18 and U16, while Ecuador will face Mexico in the U14 final.
For a link to live streaming of some of the matches from Santo Domingo beginning Thursday go to the IRF website.
27th IRF World Junior Racquetball Championships
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Boy's U18 Singles - Semi-finals
Andree Parrilla (Mexico) d. Daniel Rojas (USA), 15-11, 15-5
Rodrigo Montoya (Mexico) d. Nicolas Bousquet (Canada), 15-9, 15-3
Boy's U18 Singles - Final
Andree Parrilla (Mexico) v. Rodrigo Montoya (Mexico) - Noon Saturday
Boy's U16 Singles - Semi-finals
Cristian Longoria (Mexico) d. Trevor Webb (Canada), 15-7, 15-13
Juan Loreto (Mexico) d. Set Cubillos (Colombia), 15-8, 15-0
Boy's U16 Singles - Final
Cristian Longoria (Mexico) v. Juan Loreto (Mexico) - Noon Saturday
Boy's U14 Singles - Semi-finals
Gerson Miranda (Bolivia) d. Jose Ramos (Mexico), 15-9, 15-1
Diego Garcia (Bolivia) d. Mario Ruiz (Mexico), 15-7, 15-7
Boy's U14 Singles - Final
Gerson Miranda (Bolivia) v. Diego Garcia (Bolivia)
Boy's U18 Doubles - Semi-finals - Friday
Erik Garcia & Andree Parrilla (Mexico) d. Nicolas Bousquet & Tanner Prentice (Canada), 15-13, 15-13
Sam Bredenbeck & Jake Birnel (USA) d. Alexander Pirie & Jose Ubilla (Costa Rica), 15-5, 15-10
Boy's U18 Doubles - Final
Erik Garcia & Andree Parrilla (Mexico) v. Sam Bredenbeck & Jake Birnel (USA) - Saturday 2 PM
Boy's U16 Doubles - Semi-finals - Friday
Gerardo Franco & Cristian Longoria (Mexico) d. Sergio Acuña & Andres Montero (Costa Rica), 15-8, 8-15, 11-3
Wayne Antone & Kevin Vazquez (USA) d. Juan Cueva & Jorge Ochoa (Ecuador), 15-10, 3-15, 11-6
Boy's U16 Doubles - Final
Gerardo Franco & Cristian Longoria (Mexico) v. Wayne Antone & Kevin Vazquez (USA) - Saturday 2 PM
Boy's U14 Doubles - Semi-finals - Friday
Sebastian Fernandez & Mario Ruiz (Mexico) d. Diego Garcia & Gerson Miranda (Bolivia), 15-9, 15-14
Juan Flores & Esteban Jano (Ecuador) d. Julian Singh & Mitchell Turner (USA), 15-7, 15-14
Boy's U14 Doubles - Final
Sebastian Fernandez & Mario Ruiz (Mexico) v. Juan Flores & Esteban Jano (Ecuador) - Saturday 2 PM
Follow the bouncing ball....
2015 IRF World Juniors - Girl's Semi-finals
A Dominican Republic girl has made the final of Girl's U18 for the first time since 1994, as Maria Cespedes defeated American Lexi York in the semi-finals, 11-15, 15-7, 11-2, at the 27th International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Junior Racquetball Championships in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, so she did it at home, making the victory extra special. In 1994, Claudine Garcia won Girl's U18 at World Juniors.
In the final, Cespedes will face Bolivian Natalia Mendez, who won the other semi-final against Monserrat Perez of Mexico, 15-0, 15-6.
Cespedes was up in game one against York at 8-2, but the American came back and took the lead, as she got to game point at 14-9. York closed out game one with a Z serve to the right side - a glass wall - which resulted in a weak return into the back wall, and then York hit a forehand kill shot down the line.
In game two, they were close all the way to 7-7. But from there Cespedes took over, as she scored eight unanswered points to level the match at a game apiece.
In the breaker, Cespedes jumped out to the early lead, going up 5-0 quickly. York took a timeout, and got on the board, when she made it 6-1. But despite scoring a second point immediately after her first, the writing was on the wall for York, as Cespedes went on to close it out at 11-2.
York served well in her quarterfinal match against Canadian Danielle Drury, but in the semis, Cespedes outserved York, and that made the difference.
But Americans are not shut out of girl's finals, as in somewhat of a surprise result, American Jordan Cooperrider defeated Mexican Monserrat Meija, 15-5, 15-11, in the semi-finals of Girl's U16. Cooperrider will face Gabriela Martinez of Guatemala in the final, as Martinez took out Bolivian Wanda Carvajal in the other semi, 15-11, 15-9.
Mexican girls were in both Girl's U14 semi-finals, but neither won, as they were defeated the two Bolivian girls. Romina Rivero of Bolivia defeated Ana Laura Flores of Mexico, 15-11, 15-10, and Angelica Barrios of Bolivia beat Delia Aguiar of Mexico, 15-7, 15-5.
It was an unfortunate day for Mexico in the Girl's divisions, as Mexicans could have been in all three singles finals, but no Mexican won her semi-final match.
Perhaps for the first time ever, the Girl's U18 Doubles final will not involve Bolivia, Mexico or the USA. Instead, Costa Rica and Guatemala will playoff for the title on Saturday.
Costa Ricans Melania Sauma and Sofia Soley defeated Bolivians Natalia Mendez and Wanda Carvajal, 15-8, 7-15, 11-3, while Guatemalans Gabriela Martinez and Andrea Martinez advanced after two close games with Mexicans Mariel Morales and Montserrat Perez, 15-13, 15-13.
In what was effectively the final of Girl's U16 Doubles, although it was a round robin format, the two undefeated teams met on Friday, and the Americans Cooperrider and Erika Manilla came back from a game down to defeat the Mexicans Meija and Andrea Ramirez, 13-15, 15-5, 11-5, and claim the title.
The finals will be Saturday, and you watch some of them live via the IRF website.
27th IRF World Junior Racquetball Championships
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Girl's U18 Singles - Semi-finals
Maria Cespedes (Dominican Republic) d. Lexi York (USA), 11-15, 15-7, 11-2
Natalia Mendez (Bolivia) d. Monserrat Perez (Mexico), 15-0, 15-6
Girl's U18 Singles - Final
Maria Cespedes (Dominican Republic) v. Natalia Mendez (Bolivia) - Saturday 11 AM
Girl's U16 Singles - Semi-finals
Jordan Cooperrider (USA) d. Monserrat Mejia (Mexico), 15-5, 15-11
Ana Gabriela Martinez (Guatemala) d. Wanda Carvajal (Bolivia), 15-11, 15-9
Girl's U16 Singles - Final
Jordan Cooperrider (USA) v. Ana Gabriela Martinez (Guatemala) - Saturday 11 AM
Girl's U14 Singles - Semi-finals
Romina Rivero (Bolivia) d. Ana Laura Flores (Mexico), 15-11, 15-10
Angelica Barrios (Bolivia) d. Delia Aguiar (Mexico), 15-7, 15-5
Girl's U14 Singles - Final
Angelica Barrios (Bolivia) v. Romina Rivero (Bolivia) - Saturday 11 AM
Girl's U18 Doubles - Semi-finals
Melania Sauma & Sofia Soley (Costa Rica) d. Natalia Mendez & Wanda Carvajal (Bolivia), 15-8, 7-15, 11-3
Gabriela Martinez & Andrea Martinez (Guatemala) d. Mariel Morales & Montserrat Perez (Mexico), 15-13, 15-13
Girl's U18 Doubles - Final
Melania Sauma & Sofia Soley (Costa Rica) v. Gabriela Martinez & Andrea Martinez (Guatemala) - Saturday 1 PM
Girl's U16 Doubles - Round Robin (wins & losses)
Jordan Cooperrider & Erika Manilla (USA) - 4 & 0
Monserrat Mejia & Andrea Ramirez (Mexico) - 3 & 1
Angelica Barrios & Flavia Meneses (Bolivia) - 1 & 2
Maria Jose Munoz & Ivana Sempertegui (Ecuador) - 1 & 2
Alexis Iwaasa & Marjolaine Parent (Canada) - 0 & 4
Girl's U14 Doubles - Round Robin (wins & losses)
Ana Laura Flores & Ana Cristina Rivera (Mexico) - 5 & 0
Alejandra Jimenez Castillo & Rodaliza Perdomo (Dominican Rep.) - 4 & 1
Ana Lucia Sarmiento & Nathalia Pinero (Ecuador) - 3 & 2
Mary Ellen Phelan & Leanne Ryan (Ireland) - 1 & 4
Elena Dent & Graciana Wargo (USA) - 1 & 4
Juliette Parent & Cassie Prentice (Canada) - 1 & 4
Follow the bouncing ball....
In the final, Cespedes will face Bolivian Natalia Mendez, who won the other semi-final against Monserrat Perez of Mexico, 15-0, 15-6.
Cespedes was up in game one against York at 8-2, but the American came back and took the lead, as she got to game point at 14-9. York closed out game one with a Z serve to the right side - a glass wall - which resulted in a weak return into the back wall, and then York hit a forehand kill shot down the line.
In game two, they were close all the way to 7-7. But from there Cespedes took over, as she scored eight unanswered points to level the match at a game apiece.
In the breaker, Cespedes jumped out to the early lead, going up 5-0 quickly. York took a timeout, and got on the board, when she made it 6-1. But despite scoring a second point immediately after her first, the writing was on the wall for York, as Cespedes went on to close it out at 11-2.
York served well in her quarterfinal match against Canadian Danielle Drury, but in the semis, Cespedes outserved York, and that made the difference.
But Americans are not shut out of girl's finals, as in somewhat of a surprise result, American Jordan Cooperrider defeated Mexican Monserrat Meija, 15-5, 15-11, in the semi-finals of Girl's U16. Cooperrider will face Gabriela Martinez of Guatemala in the final, as Martinez took out Bolivian Wanda Carvajal in the other semi, 15-11, 15-9.
Mexican girls were in both Girl's U14 semi-finals, but neither won, as they were defeated the two Bolivian girls. Romina Rivero of Bolivia defeated Ana Laura Flores of Mexico, 15-11, 15-10, and Angelica Barrios of Bolivia beat Delia Aguiar of Mexico, 15-7, 15-5.
It was an unfortunate day for Mexico in the Girl's divisions, as Mexicans could have been in all three singles finals, but no Mexican won her semi-final match.
Perhaps for the first time ever, the Girl's U18 Doubles final will not involve Bolivia, Mexico or the USA. Instead, Costa Rica and Guatemala will playoff for the title on Saturday.
Costa Ricans Melania Sauma and Sofia Soley defeated Bolivians Natalia Mendez and Wanda Carvajal, 15-8, 7-15, 11-3, while Guatemalans Gabriela Martinez and Andrea Martinez advanced after two close games with Mexicans Mariel Morales and Montserrat Perez, 15-13, 15-13.
In what was effectively the final of Girl's U16 Doubles, although it was a round robin format, the two undefeated teams met on Friday, and the Americans Cooperrider and Erika Manilla came back from a game down to defeat the Mexicans Meija and Andrea Ramirez, 13-15, 15-5, 11-5, and claim the title.
The finals will be Saturday, and you watch some of them live via the IRF website.
27th IRF World Junior Racquetball Championships
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Girl's U18 Singles - Semi-finals
Maria Cespedes (Dominican Republic) d. Lexi York (USA), 11-15, 15-7, 11-2
Natalia Mendez (Bolivia) d. Monserrat Perez (Mexico), 15-0, 15-6
Girl's U18 Singles - Final
Maria Cespedes (Dominican Republic) v. Natalia Mendez (Bolivia) - Saturday 11 AM
Girl's U16 Singles - Semi-finals
Jordan Cooperrider (USA) d. Monserrat Mejia (Mexico), 15-5, 15-11
Ana Gabriela Martinez (Guatemala) d. Wanda Carvajal (Bolivia), 15-11, 15-9
Girl's U16 Singles - Final
Jordan Cooperrider (USA) v. Ana Gabriela Martinez (Guatemala) - Saturday 11 AM
Girl's U14 Singles - Semi-finals
Romina Rivero (Bolivia) d. Ana Laura Flores (Mexico), 15-11, 15-10
Angelica Barrios (Bolivia) d. Delia Aguiar (Mexico), 15-7, 15-5
Girl's U14 Singles - Final
Angelica Barrios (Bolivia) v. Romina Rivero (Bolivia) - Saturday 11 AM
Girl's U18 Doubles - Semi-finals
Melania Sauma & Sofia Soley (Costa Rica) d. Natalia Mendez & Wanda Carvajal (Bolivia), 15-8, 7-15, 11-3
Gabriela Martinez & Andrea Martinez (Guatemala) d. Mariel Morales & Montserrat Perez (Mexico), 15-13, 15-13
Girl's U18 Doubles - Final
Melania Sauma & Sofia Soley (Costa Rica) v. Gabriela Martinez & Andrea Martinez (Guatemala) - Saturday 1 PM
Girl's U16 Doubles - Round Robin (wins & losses)
Jordan Cooperrider & Erika Manilla (USA) - 4 & 0
Monserrat Mejia & Andrea Ramirez (Mexico) - 3 & 1
Angelica Barrios & Flavia Meneses (Bolivia) - 1 & 2
Maria Jose Munoz & Ivana Sempertegui (Ecuador) - 1 & 2
Alexis Iwaasa & Marjolaine Parent (Canada) - 0 & 4
Girl's U14 Doubles - Round Robin (wins & losses)
Ana Laura Flores & Ana Cristina Rivera (Mexico) - 5 & 0
Alejandra Jimenez Castillo & Rodaliza Perdomo (Dominican Rep.) - 4 & 1
Ana Lucia Sarmiento & Nathalia Pinero (Ecuador) - 3 & 2
Mary Ellen Phelan & Leanne Ryan (Ireland) - 1 & 4
Elena Dent & Graciana Wargo (USA) - 1 & 4
Juliette Parent & Cassie Prentice (Canada) - 1 & 4
Follow the bouncing ball....
2015 IRT 25th Annual Turkey Shootout Qualifying Results
Troy Warigon needed a tie-breaker to get past Nicholas Riffel, winning 11-7, 6-11, 4-11, 11-7, 11-9, at the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) 25th Annual Turkey Shootout taking place this weekend in Garden City, Kansas. The win puts Warigon in the Round of 16 against IRT #1 Kane Waselenchuk Friday.
Also winning in qualifying were Brad Schopieray, who beat Brian Pineda, 11-4, 11-0, 11-0, and Mario Mercado, who got a default win over Logan Reese. In the 16s, Schopieray will face IRT #2 Rocky Carson and Mercado will play IRT #3 Alvaro Beltran.
The Round of 16 starts Friday morning followed by the quarterfinals Friday afternoon and evening. The semi-finals are scheduled for 5 PM and 6 PM Saturday with the final at 11 AM Sunday morning. All times mountain.
You can follow the action from the Round of 16 on via the IRT Network.
25th Annual Turkey Shootout, November 12-15
Garden City, Kansas
Qualifying
Q8: Troy Warigon d. Nicholas Riffel, 11-7, 6-11, 4-11, 11-7, 11-9
Q1: Robert Collins - BYE
Q4: Sebastian Franco - BYE
Q5: Scott McClellan - BYE
Q6: Mario Mercado d. Logan Reese, forfeit
Q3: Mauricio Zelada - BYE
Q2: Felipe Camacho - BYE
Q7: Brad Schopieray d. Brian Pineda, 11-4, 11-0, 11-0
Round of 16 - Friday
1) Kane Waselenchuk v. Troy Warigon
8) Jose Rojas v. Robert Collins
5) Jansen Allen v. Sebastian Franco
4) Daniel De La Rosa v. Scott McClellan
3) Alvaro Beltran v. Mario Mercado
6) Marco Rojas v. Mauricio Zelada
7) Charlie Pratt v. Felipe Camacho
2) Rocky Carson v. Brad Schopieray
Follow the bouncing ball….
Also winning in qualifying were Brad Schopieray, who beat Brian Pineda, 11-4, 11-0, 11-0, and Mario Mercado, who got a default win over Logan Reese. In the 16s, Schopieray will face IRT #2 Rocky Carson and Mercado will play IRT #3 Alvaro Beltran.
The Round of 16 starts Friday morning followed by the quarterfinals Friday afternoon and evening. The semi-finals are scheduled for 5 PM and 6 PM Saturday with the final at 11 AM Sunday morning. All times mountain.
You can follow the action from the Round of 16 on via the IRT Network.
25th Annual Turkey Shootout, November 12-15
Garden City, Kansas
Qualifying
Q8: Troy Warigon d. Nicholas Riffel, 11-7, 6-11, 4-11, 11-7, 11-9
Q1: Robert Collins - BYE
Q4: Sebastian Franco - BYE
Q5: Scott McClellan - BYE
Q6: Mario Mercado d. Logan Reese, forfeit
Q3: Mauricio Zelada - BYE
Q2: Felipe Camacho - BYE
Q7: Brad Schopieray d. Brian Pineda, 11-4, 11-0, 11-0
Round of 16 - Friday
1) Kane Waselenchuk v. Troy Warigon
8) Jose Rojas v. Robert Collins
5) Jansen Allen v. Sebastian Franco
4) Daniel De La Rosa v. Scott McClellan
3) Alvaro Beltran v. Mario Mercado
6) Marco Rojas v. Mauricio Zelada
7) Charlie Pratt v. Felipe Camacho
2) Rocky Carson v. Brad Schopieray
Follow the bouncing ball….
2015 Paola Longoria Invitational - Preview
The Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) is back in Monterrey, Mexico for the Paola Longoria Invitational this weekend. Twenty three players are in Monterrey competing for the title.
The favourite in the draw will be the tournament namesake and LPRT #1 player, Paola Longoria. Her main opposition will come from LPRT #2 Maria Jose Vargas and LPRT #3 Rhonda Rajsich, who have both been runners-up to Longoria at the last two LPRT events.
For live streaming of the matches from Monterrey, check out the LPRT LiveStream channel.
2015 LPRT Paola Longoria Invitational
Monterrey, Mexico
Round of 32
1) Paola Longoria - BYE
16) Maria Renee Rodriguez v. 17) Carolina Luque
9) Sofia Rascon - BYE
8) Da'monique Davis - BYE
5) Frédérique Lambert - BYE
12) Jessica Parrilla v. 21) Jessica Maldonado
13) Sheryl Lotts v. 20) Youngock Lee
4) Samantha Salas - BYE
3) Rhonda Rajsich - BYE
14) Adrienne Haynes v. 19) Adriana Riveros
11) Alexandra Herrera v. 22) Daniela Molina
6) Michelle Key - BYE
7) Cristina Amaya - BYE
10) Susana Acosta v. 23) Denisse Maldonado
15) Carla Muñoz v. 18) Masiel Rivera
2) Maria Jose Vargas - BYE
Follow the bouncing ball….
The favourite in the draw will be the tournament namesake and LPRT #1 player, Paola Longoria. Her main opposition will come from LPRT #2 Maria Jose Vargas and LPRT #3 Rhonda Rajsich, who have both been runners-up to Longoria at the last two LPRT events.
For live streaming of the matches from Monterrey, check out the LPRT LiveStream channel.
2015 LPRT Paola Longoria Invitational
Monterrey, Mexico
Round of 32
1) Paola Longoria - BYE
16) Maria Renee Rodriguez v. 17) Carolina Luque
9) Sofia Rascon - BYE
8) Da'monique Davis - BYE
5) Frédérique Lambert - BYE
12) Jessica Parrilla v. 21) Jessica Maldonado
13) Sheryl Lotts v. 20) Youngock Lee
4) Samantha Salas - BYE
3) Rhonda Rajsich - BYE
14) Adrienne Haynes v. 19) Adriana Riveros
11) Alexandra Herrera v. 22) Daniela Molina
6) Michelle Key - BYE
7) Cristina Amaya - BYE
10) Susana Acosta v. 23) Denisse Maldonado
15) Carla Muñoz v. 18) Masiel Rivera
2) Maria Jose Vargas - BYE
Follow the bouncing ball….
2015 IRF World Junior Girl's Quarterfinals
There were three tie-breakers in the quarterfinals of Girl's U18 at the 27th International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Junior Racquetball Championships in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and after it was all done the four remaining players represent four different countries.
We believe one of those countries - the Dominican Republic - has not had a girl in the U18 semi-finals ever before, but Maria Cespedes has made that breakthrough for the Dominican, as she defeated Melania Sauma of Costa Rica, 5-15, 15-7, 11-6, in the quarterfinals Thursday.
Her opponent in the semis will be American Lexi York, who defeated Canadian Danielle Drury, 12-15, 15-5, 11-7, on the strength of some great drive serving.
On the other side other draw, Monserrat Perez won a Mexican standoff with Maritza Franco Gonzalez, 15-5, 13-15, 11-7, and will play Bolivian Natalia Mendez in the semis, as Mendez defeated Sofia Soley, 15-2, 15-9.
Four different countries are also represented in the Girl's U16 semis. As anticipated Monserrat Mejia of Mexico, Jordan Cooperrider of the USA, and Ana Gabriela Martinez of Guatemala, all reached the semis, as did Wanda Carvajal of Bolivia.
It will be Mexico versus Bolivia in both Girl's U14 semi-finals, as Ana Laura Flores of Mexico faces Romina Rivero of Bolivia, and Angelica Barrios of Bolivia will take on Delia Aguilar of Mexico.
When one side wins game one by a big score, and other side wins game two by a big score, you have to expect that the tie-breaker will be close, and so it was in Girl's U18 Doubles quarterfinal match between Mexico and the USA. Surprisingly, the Mexican team hadn't won a match during the preliminary stage, but when it counted Mariel Morales and Montserrat Perez managed to come through and narrowly defeated Americans Lexi York and Holly Scott, 15-4, 4-15, 11-10.
The Mexicans will face Guatemalans Gabriela Martinez and Andrea Martinez in the semi-finals, they defeated Dominicans Merinanllely Delgado and Maria Cespedes, 15-11, 14-15, 11-4.
On the top side of the draw, Melania Sauma and Sofia Soley of Costa Rica beat Paula Padilla and Lissel Padilla of Honduras, 15-5, 15-7, and Bolivians Natalia Mendez and Wanda Carvajal defeated Canadians Danielle Drury and Michele Morissette, 15-6, 15-6.
Friday is semi-final day in Santo Domingo with the finals on Saturday. For a link to live streaming of some of the matches from Santo Domingo go to the IRF website.
27th IRF World Junior Racquetball Championships
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Girl's U18 Singles - Quarterfinals
Maria Cespedes (Dominican Republic) d. Melania Sauma (Costa Rica), 5-15, 15-7, 11-6
Lexi York (USA) d. Danielle Drury (Canada), 12-15, 15-5, 11-7
Monserrat Perez (Mexico) d. Maritza Franco Gonzalez (Mexico), 15-5, 13-15, 11-7
Natalia Mendez (Bolivia) d. Sofia Soley (Costa Rica), 15-2, 15-9
Girl's U18 Singles - Semi-finals
Maria Cespedes (Dominican Republic) v. Lexi York (USA)
Natalia Mendez (Bolivia) v. Monserrat Perez (Mexico)
Girl's U16 Singles - Quarterfinals
Monserrat Mejia (Mexico) d. Paula Padilla (Honduras), 15-0, 15-5
Jordan Cooperrider (USA) d. Jennifer Gomez (Mexico), 15-11, 15-4
Wanda Carvajal (Bolivia) d. Alexis Iwaasa (Canada), 15-7, 15-8
Ana Gabriela Martinez (Guatemala) d. Erika Manilla (USA), 15-11, 15-9
Girl's U16 Singles - Semi-finals
Monserrat Mejia (Mexico) v. Jordan Cooperrider (USA)
Wanda Carvajal (Bolivia) v. Ana Gabriela Martinez (Guatemala)
Girl's U14 Singles - Quarterfinals
Ana Laura Flores (Mexico) d. Rodaliza Perdomo (Dominican Republic), 15-8, 15-10
Romina Rivero (Bolivia) d. Briana Jacquet (USA), 15-11, 15-14
Delia Aguiar (Mexico) d. Mary Ellen Phelan (Ireland), 15-4, 15-5
Angelica Barrios (Bolivia) d. Alejandra Jimenez (Dominican Republic), 15-3, 15-2
Girl's U14 Singles - Semi-finals
Ana Laura Flores (Mexico) v. Romina Rivero (Bolivia)
Angelica Barrios (Bolivia) v. Delia Aguiar (Mexico)
Girl's U18 Doubles - Quarterfinals
Melania Sauma & Sofia Soley (Costa Rica) d. Paula Padilla & Lissel Padilla (Honduras), 15-5, 15-7
Natalia Mendez & Wanda Carvajal (Bolivia) d. Danielle Drury & Michele Morissette (Canada), 15-6, 15-6
Gabriela Martinez & Andrea Martinez (Guatemala) d. Merinanllely Delgado & Maria Cespedes (Dominican Rep.), 15-11, 14-15, 11-4
Mariel Morales & Montserrat Perez (Mexico) d. Lexi York & Holly Scott (USA), 15-4, 4-15, 11-10
Girl's U18 Doubles - Semi-finals
Melania Sauma & Sofia Soley (Costa Rica) v. Natalia Mendez & Wanda Carvajal (Bolivia)
Gabriela Martinez & Andrea Martinez (Guatemala) v. Mariel Morales & Montserrat Perez (Mexico)
Girl's U16 Doubles - Round Robin (wins & losses)
Monserrat Mejia & Andrea Ramirez (Mexico) - 2 & 0
Jordan Cooperrider & Erika Manilla (USA) - 2 & 0
Angelica Barrios & Flavia Meneses (Bolivia) - 1 & 1
Maria Jose Munoz & Ivana Sempertegui (Ecuador) - 1 & 2
Alexis Iwaasa & Marjolaine Parent (Canada) - 0 & 4
Girl's U14 Doubles - Round Robin (wins & losses)
Alejandra Jimenez Castillo & Rodaliza Perdomo (Dominican Rep.) - 3 & 0
Ana Laura Flores & Ana Cristina Rivera (Mexico) - 3 & 0
Ana Lucia Sarmiento & Nathalia Pinero (Ecuador) - 2 & 1
Mary Ellen Phelan & Leanne Ryan (Ireland) - 1 & 2
Elena Dent & Graciana Wargo (USA) - 0 & 3
Juliette Parent & Cassie Prentice (Canada) - 0 & 3
Follow the bouncing ball....
We believe one of those countries - the Dominican Republic - has not had a girl in the U18 semi-finals ever before, but Maria Cespedes has made that breakthrough for the Dominican, as she defeated Melania Sauma of Costa Rica, 5-15, 15-7, 11-6, in the quarterfinals Thursday.
Her opponent in the semis will be American Lexi York, who defeated Canadian Danielle Drury, 12-15, 15-5, 11-7, on the strength of some great drive serving.
On the other side other draw, Monserrat Perez won a Mexican standoff with Maritza Franco Gonzalez, 15-5, 13-15, 11-7, and will play Bolivian Natalia Mendez in the semis, as Mendez defeated Sofia Soley, 15-2, 15-9.
Four different countries are also represented in the Girl's U16 semis. As anticipated Monserrat Mejia of Mexico, Jordan Cooperrider of the USA, and Ana Gabriela Martinez of Guatemala, all reached the semis, as did Wanda Carvajal of Bolivia.
It will be Mexico versus Bolivia in both Girl's U14 semi-finals, as Ana Laura Flores of Mexico faces Romina Rivero of Bolivia, and Angelica Barrios of Bolivia will take on Delia Aguilar of Mexico.
When one side wins game one by a big score, and other side wins game two by a big score, you have to expect that the tie-breaker will be close, and so it was in Girl's U18 Doubles quarterfinal match between Mexico and the USA. Surprisingly, the Mexican team hadn't won a match during the preliminary stage, but when it counted Mariel Morales and Montserrat Perez managed to come through and narrowly defeated Americans Lexi York and Holly Scott, 15-4, 4-15, 11-10.
The Mexicans will face Guatemalans Gabriela Martinez and Andrea Martinez in the semi-finals, they defeated Dominicans Merinanllely Delgado and Maria Cespedes, 15-11, 14-15, 11-4.
On the top side of the draw, Melania Sauma and Sofia Soley of Costa Rica beat Paula Padilla and Lissel Padilla of Honduras, 15-5, 15-7, and Bolivians Natalia Mendez and Wanda Carvajal defeated Canadians Danielle Drury and Michele Morissette, 15-6, 15-6.
Friday is semi-final day in Santo Domingo with the finals on Saturday. For a link to live streaming of some of the matches from Santo Domingo go to the IRF website.
27th IRF World Junior Racquetball Championships
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Girl's U18 Singles - Quarterfinals
Maria Cespedes (Dominican Republic) d. Melania Sauma (Costa Rica), 5-15, 15-7, 11-6
Lexi York (USA) d. Danielle Drury (Canada), 12-15, 15-5, 11-7
Monserrat Perez (Mexico) d. Maritza Franco Gonzalez (Mexico), 15-5, 13-15, 11-7
Natalia Mendez (Bolivia) d. Sofia Soley (Costa Rica), 15-2, 15-9
Girl's U18 Singles - Semi-finals
Maria Cespedes (Dominican Republic) v. Lexi York (USA)
Natalia Mendez (Bolivia) v. Monserrat Perez (Mexico)
Girl's U16 Singles - Quarterfinals
Monserrat Mejia (Mexico) d. Paula Padilla (Honduras), 15-0, 15-5
Jordan Cooperrider (USA) d. Jennifer Gomez (Mexico), 15-11, 15-4
Wanda Carvajal (Bolivia) d. Alexis Iwaasa (Canada), 15-7, 15-8
Ana Gabriela Martinez (Guatemala) d. Erika Manilla (USA), 15-11, 15-9
Girl's U16 Singles - Semi-finals
Monserrat Mejia (Mexico) v. Jordan Cooperrider (USA)
Wanda Carvajal (Bolivia) v. Ana Gabriela Martinez (Guatemala)
Girl's U14 Singles - Quarterfinals
Ana Laura Flores (Mexico) d. Rodaliza Perdomo (Dominican Republic), 15-8, 15-10
Romina Rivero (Bolivia) d. Briana Jacquet (USA), 15-11, 15-14
Delia Aguiar (Mexico) d. Mary Ellen Phelan (Ireland), 15-4, 15-5
Angelica Barrios (Bolivia) d. Alejandra Jimenez (Dominican Republic), 15-3, 15-2
Girl's U14 Singles - Semi-finals
Ana Laura Flores (Mexico) v. Romina Rivero (Bolivia)
Angelica Barrios (Bolivia) v. Delia Aguiar (Mexico)
Girl's U18 Doubles - Quarterfinals
Melania Sauma & Sofia Soley (Costa Rica) d. Paula Padilla & Lissel Padilla (Honduras), 15-5, 15-7
Natalia Mendez & Wanda Carvajal (Bolivia) d. Danielle Drury & Michele Morissette (Canada), 15-6, 15-6
Gabriela Martinez & Andrea Martinez (Guatemala) d. Merinanllely Delgado & Maria Cespedes (Dominican Rep.), 15-11, 14-15, 11-4
Mariel Morales & Montserrat Perez (Mexico) d. Lexi York & Holly Scott (USA), 15-4, 4-15, 11-10
Girl's U18 Doubles - Semi-finals
Melania Sauma & Sofia Soley (Costa Rica) v. Natalia Mendez & Wanda Carvajal (Bolivia)
Gabriela Martinez & Andrea Martinez (Guatemala) v. Mariel Morales & Montserrat Perez (Mexico)
Girl's U16 Doubles - Round Robin (wins & losses)
Monserrat Mejia & Andrea Ramirez (Mexico) - 2 & 0
Jordan Cooperrider & Erika Manilla (USA) - 2 & 0
Angelica Barrios & Flavia Meneses (Bolivia) - 1 & 1
Maria Jose Munoz & Ivana Sempertegui (Ecuador) - 1 & 2
Alexis Iwaasa & Marjolaine Parent (Canada) - 0 & 4
Girl's U14 Doubles - Round Robin (wins & losses)
Alejandra Jimenez Castillo & Rodaliza Perdomo (Dominican Rep.) - 3 & 0
Ana Laura Flores & Ana Cristina Rivera (Mexico) - 3 & 0
Ana Lucia Sarmiento & Nathalia Pinero (Ecuador) - 2 & 1
Mary Ellen Phelan & Leanne Ryan (Ireland) - 1 & 2
Elena Dent & Graciana Wargo (USA) - 0 & 3
Juliette Parent & Cassie Prentice (Canada) - 0 & 3
Follow the bouncing ball....
2015 IRF World Juniors Boy's Quarterfinals
Mexico could sweep gold and silver in the boys divisions at the International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Junior Racquetball Championships in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, as all six of the Mexicans in the quarterfinals on Thursday won their matches in Boy's U14, U16 and U18.
All three Mexican doubles teams are also in the semi-finals in those three divisions.
One of the closest matches of the day involved Canadian Trevor Webb in Boy's U16, as he needed a tie-breaker to defeat Andres Avendaño of Bolivia, 15-3, 10-15, 11-10. Webb almost let the match slip through his hands, as he was up 10-4 in the tiebreaker. Webb failed to score on three match points, and then Avendaño came back and scored six straight points to earn match point of his own.
But Webb hit a winner to end a long rally, and get the serve back. Then another long scramble of a rally ended with Avendaño skipping a shot that gave Webb the victory.
Webb will play top seed a defending champion Cristian Longoria of Mexico in the semi-finals, as Longoria defeated Andres Montero of Costa Rica, 15-2, 15-8.
Daniel Rojas of the USA, the top seed in U18, also won Thursday against Christian Chavez of Ecuador, 15-6, 15-9, and will face Andree Parrilla of Mexico in the semi-finals, as Parrilla defeated Noe Rivera of Bolivia, 15-8, 15-10, in the quarters.
In Boy's U14, the top seed was involved in the closest quarterfinal match, as Gerson Miranda of Bolivia needed a tie-breaker to beat Ari Weissbrot of Chile, 15-14, 9-15, 11-4. He'll be up against Jose Ramos of Mexico in the semis, as Ramos defeated Pablo Freer of Costa Rica, 15-13, 15-5, in the quarters.
In doubles, there were two tie-breakers in Boy's U18, as Canadians Nicolas Bousquet and Tanner Prentice fended off Hanzel Martinez and Juan Salvatierra of Guatemala, 15-10, 5-15, 11-8, and Costa Ricans Alexander Pirie and Jose Ubilla came back against Freddy Godoy & Christian Chavez of Ecuador to win, 14-15, 15-4, 11-3.
Also, in U14, Americans Julian Singh and Mitchell Turner won a close breaker with Julian Homberger and Pablo Freer of Costa Rica, 15-14, 1-15, 11-9.
For a link to live streaming of some of the matches from Santo Domingo beginning Thursday go to the IRF website.
27th IRF World Junior Racquetball Championships
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Boy's U18 Singles - Quarterfinals
Daniel Rojas (USA) d. Christian Chavez (Ecuador), 15-6, 15-9
Andree Parrilla (Mexico) d. Noe Rivera (Bolivia), 15-8, 15-10
Rodrigo Montoya (Mexico) d. Alexander Pirie (Costa Rica), 15-1, 15-0
Nicolas Bousquet (Canada) d. Miguel Orihuela (Bolivia), 15-9, 15-3
Boy's U18 Singles - Semi-finals
Daniel Rojas (USA) v. Andree Parrilla (Mexico)
Rodrigo Montoya (Mexico) v. Nicolas Bousquet (Canada)
Boy's U16 Singles - Quarterfinals
Cristian Longoria (Mexico) d. Andres Montero (Costa Rica), 15-2, 15-8
Trevor Webb (Canada) d. Andres Avendaño (Bolivia), 15-3, 10-15, 11-10
Juan Loreto (Mexico) d. Sergio Acuña (Costa Rica), 15-5, 15-11
Set Cubillos (Colombia) d. Luis Sugundo (Bolivia), 15-10, 15-9
Boy's U16 Singles - Semi-finals
Cristian Longoria (Mexico) v. Trevor Webb (Canada)
Juan Loreto (Mexico) v. Set Cubillos (Colombia)
Boy's U14 Singles - Quarterfinals
Gerson Miranda (Bolivia) d. Ari Weissbrot (Chile), 15-14, 9-15, 11-4
Jose Ramos (Mexico) d. Pablo Freer (Costa Rica), 15-13, 15-5
Diego Garcia (Bolivia) d. Akul Ramayani (USA), 15-8, 15-11
Mario Ruiz (Mexico) d. Julian Homberger (Costa Rica), 15-2, 15-9
Boy's U14 Singles - Semi-finals
Gerson Miranda (Bolivia) v. Jose Ramos (Mexico)
Mario Ruiz (Mexico) v. Diego Garcia (Bolivia)
Boy's U18 Doubles - Quarterfinals - Thursday
Erik Garcia & Andree Parrilla (Mexico) - BYE
Nicolas Bousquet & Tanner Prentice (Canada) d. Hanzel Martinez & Juan Salvatierra (Guatemala), 15-10, 5-15, 11-8
Alexander Pirie & Jose Ubilla (Costa Rica) d. Freddy Godoy & Christian Chavez (Ecuador), 14-15, 15-4, 11-3
Sam Bredenbeck & Jake Birnel (USA) d. Rodrigo Carrasco & Gonzalo Paco (Bolivia), 15-3, 15-8
Boy's U18 Doubles - Semi-finals - Friday
Erik Garcia & Andree Parrilla (Mexico) v. Nicolas Bousquet & Tanner Prentice (Canada)
Sam Bredenbeck & Jake Birnel (USA) v. Alexander Pirie & Jose Ubilla (Costa Rica)
Boy's U16 Doubles - Quarterfinals - Thursday
Gerardo Franco & Cristian Longoria (Mexico) d. Sergio Ortega & Marco Sarmiento (Honduras), 15-2, 15-2
Sergio Acuña & Andres Montero (Costa Rica) d. Andres Avendaño & Luis Sugundo (Bolivia), 15-13, 15-8
Juan Cueva & Jorge Ochoa (Ecuador) d. Graham Frattinger & Trevor Webb (Canada), 15-10, 15-6
Wayne Antone & Kevin Vazquez (USA) d. Julian Cruz & Geovani Mendoza (Guatemala), 15-3, 15-2
Boy's U16 Doubles - Semi-finals - Friday
Gerardo Franco & Cristian Longoria (Mexico) v. Sergio Acuña & Andres Montero (Costa Rica)
Wayne Antone & Kevin Vazquez (USA) v. Juan Cueva & Jorge Ochoa (Ecuador)
Boy's U14 Doubles - Quarterfinals - Thursday
Sebastian Fernandez & Mario Ruiz (Mexico) d. Jose Cardona & Luis Perez (Guatemala), 15-2, 15-0
Diego Garcia & Gerson Miranda (Bolivia) d. Ian Frattinger & Sean Sauvé (Canada), 15-3, 15-1
Juan Flores & Esteban Jano (Ecuador) d. Johan Adasme & Ari Weissbrot (Chile), 11-15, 15-13, 11-3
Julian Singh & Mitchell Turner (USA) d. Julian Homberger & Pablo Freer (Costa Rica), 15-14, 1-15, 11-9
Boy's U14 Doubles - Semi-finals - Friday
Sebastian Fernandez & Mario Ruiz (Mexico) v. Diego Garcia & Gerson Miranda (Bolivia)
Juan Flores & Esteban Jano (Ecuador) v. Julian Singh & Mitchell Turner (USA)
Follow the bouncing ball....
All three Mexican doubles teams are also in the semi-finals in those three divisions.
One of the closest matches of the day involved Canadian Trevor Webb in Boy's U16, as he needed a tie-breaker to defeat Andres Avendaño of Bolivia, 15-3, 10-15, 11-10. Webb almost let the match slip through his hands, as he was up 10-4 in the tiebreaker. Webb failed to score on three match points, and then Avendaño came back and scored six straight points to earn match point of his own.
But Webb hit a winner to end a long rally, and get the serve back. Then another long scramble of a rally ended with Avendaño skipping a shot that gave Webb the victory.
Webb will play top seed a defending champion Cristian Longoria of Mexico in the semi-finals, as Longoria defeated Andres Montero of Costa Rica, 15-2, 15-8.
Daniel Rojas of the USA, the top seed in U18, also won Thursday against Christian Chavez of Ecuador, 15-6, 15-9, and will face Andree Parrilla of Mexico in the semi-finals, as Parrilla defeated Noe Rivera of Bolivia, 15-8, 15-10, in the quarters.
In Boy's U14, the top seed was involved in the closest quarterfinal match, as Gerson Miranda of Bolivia needed a tie-breaker to beat Ari Weissbrot of Chile, 15-14, 9-15, 11-4. He'll be up against Jose Ramos of Mexico in the semis, as Ramos defeated Pablo Freer of Costa Rica, 15-13, 15-5, in the quarters.
In doubles, there were two tie-breakers in Boy's U18, as Canadians Nicolas Bousquet and Tanner Prentice fended off Hanzel Martinez and Juan Salvatierra of Guatemala, 15-10, 5-15, 11-8, and Costa Ricans Alexander Pirie and Jose Ubilla came back against Freddy Godoy & Christian Chavez of Ecuador to win, 14-15, 15-4, 11-3.
Also, in U14, Americans Julian Singh and Mitchell Turner won a close breaker with Julian Homberger and Pablo Freer of Costa Rica, 15-14, 1-15, 11-9.
For a link to live streaming of some of the matches from Santo Domingo beginning Thursday go to the IRF website.
27th IRF World Junior Racquetball Championships
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Boy's U18 Singles - Quarterfinals
Daniel Rojas (USA) d. Christian Chavez (Ecuador), 15-6, 15-9
Andree Parrilla (Mexico) d. Noe Rivera (Bolivia), 15-8, 15-10
Rodrigo Montoya (Mexico) d. Alexander Pirie (Costa Rica), 15-1, 15-0
Nicolas Bousquet (Canada) d. Miguel Orihuela (Bolivia), 15-9, 15-3
Boy's U18 Singles - Semi-finals
Daniel Rojas (USA) v. Andree Parrilla (Mexico)
Rodrigo Montoya (Mexico) v. Nicolas Bousquet (Canada)
Boy's U16 Singles - Quarterfinals
Cristian Longoria (Mexico) d. Andres Montero (Costa Rica), 15-2, 15-8
Trevor Webb (Canada) d. Andres Avendaño (Bolivia), 15-3, 10-15, 11-10
Juan Loreto (Mexico) d. Sergio Acuña (Costa Rica), 15-5, 15-11
Set Cubillos (Colombia) d. Luis Sugundo (Bolivia), 15-10, 15-9
Boy's U16 Singles - Semi-finals
Cristian Longoria (Mexico) v. Trevor Webb (Canada)
Juan Loreto (Mexico) v. Set Cubillos (Colombia)
Boy's U14 Singles - Quarterfinals
Gerson Miranda (Bolivia) d. Ari Weissbrot (Chile), 15-14, 9-15, 11-4
Jose Ramos (Mexico) d. Pablo Freer (Costa Rica), 15-13, 15-5
Diego Garcia (Bolivia) d. Akul Ramayani (USA), 15-8, 15-11
Mario Ruiz (Mexico) d. Julian Homberger (Costa Rica), 15-2, 15-9
Boy's U14 Singles - Semi-finals
Gerson Miranda (Bolivia) v. Jose Ramos (Mexico)
Mario Ruiz (Mexico) v. Diego Garcia (Bolivia)
Boy's U18 Doubles - Quarterfinals - Thursday
Erik Garcia & Andree Parrilla (Mexico) - BYE
Nicolas Bousquet & Tanner Prentice (Canada) d. Hanzel Martinez & Juan Salvatierra (Guatemala), 15-10, 5-15, 11-8
Alexander Pirie & Jose Ubilla (Costa Rica) d. Freddy Godoy & Christian Chavez (Ecuador), 14-15, 15-4, 11-3
Sam Bredenbeck & Jake Birnel (USA) d. Rodrigo Carrasco & Gonzalo Paco (Bolivia), 15-3, 15-8
Boy's U18 Doubles - Semi-finals - Friday
Erik Garcia & Andree Parrilla (Mexico) v. Nicolas Bousquet & Tanner Prentice (Canada)
Sam Bredenbeck & Jake Birnel (USA) v. Alexander Pirie & Jose Ubilla (Costa Rica)
Boy's U16 Doubles - Quarterfinals - Thursday
Gerardo Franco & Cristian Longoria (Mexico) d. Sergio Ortega & Marco Sarmiento (Honduras), 15-2, 15-2
Sergio Acuña & Andres Montero (Costa Rica) d. Andres Avendaño & Luis Sugundo (Bolivia), 15-13, 15-8
Juan Cueva & Jorge Ochoa (Ecuador) d. Graham Frattinger & Trevor Webb (Canada), 15-10, 15-6
Wayne Antone & Kevin Vazquez (USA) d. Julian Cruz & Geovani Mendoza (Guatemala), 15-3, 15-2
Boy's U16 Doubles - Semi-finals - Friday
Gerardo Franco & Cristian Longoria (Mexico) v. Sergio Acuña & Andres Montero (Costa Rica)
Wayne Antone & Kevin Vazquez (USA) v. Juan Cueva & Jorge Ochoa (Ecuador)
Boy's U14 Doubles - Quarterfinals - Thursday
Sebastian Fernandez & Mario Ruiz (Mexico) d. Jose Cardona & Luis Perez (Guatemala), 15-2, 15-0
Diego Garcia & Gerson Miranda (Bolivia) d. Ian Frattinger & Sean Sauvé (Canada), 15-3, 15-1
Juan Flores & Esteban Jano (Ecuador) d. Johan Adasme & Ari Weissbrot (Chile), 11-15, 15-13, 11-3
Julian Singh & Mitchell Turner (USA) d. Julian Homberger & Pablo Freer (Costa Rica), 15-14, 1-15, 11-9
Boy's U14 Doubles - Semi-finals - Friday
Sebastian Fernandez & Mario Ruiz (Mexico) v. Diego Garcia & Gerson Miranda (Bolivia)
Juan Flores & Esteban Jano (Ecuador) v. Julian Singh & Mitchell Turner (USA)
Follow the bouncing ball....
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