18th International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Championships - Day 1

The 18th International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Championships began today in Cali, Colombia, where three days of group play started. The results of the group stage will be used to seed players for an elimination round that will determine this year's World Champions.

The current World Champions are in Cali to defend their respective titles: Paola Longoria of Mexico in Women's Singles and Doubles with Samantha Salas, as well as American Rocky Carson, who's looking to win a 5th consecutive Men's Singles World Championship, and the Colombian Men's Doubles Champions: Sebastian Franco and Alejandro Herrera.

Franco and Herrera defeated Canadians Mike Green and Vincent Gagnon two years ago, and they were up against Green and Tim Landeryou on Day 1 this year, so it was a chance to prove their championship wasn't a fluke, and they did so, defeating Canada, 10-15, 15-3, 11-2.

There weren't many matches that went tie-breaker on Day 1, unless you were American in which case tie-breakers seemed to be the rule. In Women's Doubles the 2014 silver medalists, Aimee Ruiz and Janel Tisinger of the USA needed three games to get by South Koreans Jin Seok and Jung Eun Ane, 6-15, 15-8 11-1. The American Men's Doubles team went breaker with Ecuador, as Jake Bredenbeck and Jose Diaz narrowly defeated Fernando Rios and Jose Daniel Ugalde, 15-7, 6-15, 11-10.

In Women's Singles, both former World Champion Rhonda Rajsich and Michelle Key played breakers with Rajsich winning against Jenny Daza of Bolivia, 12-15, 15-2, 11-10, but Key losing to Bolivian Adriana Riveros, 1-15, 15-6, 11-4.

Contrary to "the American way" of tie-breakers on Saturday, their Men's Singles players won their matches in two straight games. Carson won the first match of his title defence by defeating Luis Perez (Dominican Republic) in two straight games, 15-6, 15-10. And Chris Crowther, making his first appearance on Team USA since 2011, beat Franco Capandegui of Argentina, 15-6, 15-3.

Carson's title defence could be more difficult than usual, as Mexican Daniel De La Rosa is seeded 9th. The seedings are based on performances at the three recent Worlds, and Mexico's men's results have not been great. Hence, De La Rosa's low seed.

Thus, if De La Rosa and Carson win their groups, they may meet in the quarterfinals. However, from the group stage results players seedings outside of the top four are not assured. That is, a player seeded 9th may end up on the top of the draw, with Carson, or not.

A similar situation could happen in Women's Singles, as Maria Jose Vargas of Argentina could be the 5th seed coming out of the group stage, which may put her on the same side of the draw as Longoria. Thus, they would potentially meet prior to the final.

Closest match of the day goes to Maria Cespedes of the Dominican Republic and Colombian Carolina Gomez, as Cespedes won in a tie-breaker, 13-15, 15-14, 11-10.

There will be live streaming of some elimination round matches beginning on Thursday via the IRF website.

18th IRF World Championships
July 15-23, 2016
Cali, Colombia

Men's Singles

Group Ad

Rocky Carson (USA) d. Luis Perez (Dominican Republic), 15-6, 15-10
Jose Ubilla (Costa Rica) - BYE

Group B

Andres Acuña (Costa Rica) d. Alejandro Herrera (Colombia), 15-7, 15-13
Ramon De Leon (Dominican Republic) d. Djoko Boentaran (INA), 15-6, 15-0

Group C

Chris Crowther (USA) d. Franco Capandegui (Argentina), 15-6, 15-3
Casar Castillo (Venezuela) d. Timothy Baghurst (England), 15-4, 15-6

Group D

Set Cubillos (Colombia) d. Im Ji Soo (South Korea), 15-11, 15-7
Fernando Rios (Ecuador) d. Sergio Ortega (Honduras), 15-1, 15-2

Group E

Conrado Moscoso (Bolivia) d. Fernando Kurzbard (Argentina), 15-5, 15-2
Alejandro Santos (Venezuela) d. John Maisonet (Puerto Rico), 15-4, 15-0

Group F

Samuel Murray (Canada) d. Daeyong Kwon (South Korea), 15-10, 15-12
Jose Daniel Ugalde (Ecuador) d. Raul Banegas (Honduras), 15-8, 13-15, 11-2

Group G

Roland Keller (Bolivia) d. Hirotake Usami (Japan), 15-6, 15-10
Aaron Booker (Puerto Rico) d. Sriram Ravindran (India), 15-6, 15-8

Group H

Javier Mar (Mexico) d. Pedro Castro (Canada), 15-1, 15-12
Francisco Troncoso (Chile) d. Edwin Galicia (Guatemala), 15-14, 15-12

Group I

Daniel De La Rosa (Mexico) d. Yuki Nakano (Japan), 15-4, 15-5
Juan Salvatierra (Guatemala) d. Rajiv Varadhrajan (India), 15-10, 15-10

Women's Singles

Group A

Paola Longoria (Mexico) d. Ana Gabriela Martinez (Guatemala), 15-1, 15-4
Mariana Tobon (Venezuela)

Group B

Rhonda Rajsich (USA) d. Jenny Daza (Bolivia), 12-15, 15-2, 11-10
Maria Rene Rodriguez (Guatemala) - BYE

Group C

Samantha Salas (Mexico) d. Carla Muñoz (Chile), 15-2, 15-10
Mariana Paredes (Venezuela) - BYE

Group D

Adriana Riveros (Bolivia) d. Michelle Key (USA), 1-15, 15-6, 11-4
Pamela Sierra (Honduras) d. Naomi Sasso Kessler (Costa Rica), 15-4, 15-8

Group E

Michèle Morissette (Canada) d. Ivonne Carpio (Ecuador), 15-9, 15-12
Maria Jose Vargas (Argentina) d. Majella Haventry (Ireland), 15-4, 15-6

Group F

Jin Seok (South Korea) d. Harumi Kajino (Japan), 15-4, 15-13
Cristina Amaya (Colombia) d. Merynaanyelly Delgado Araujo (Dominican Republic), 15-6, 15-3

Group G

Veronica Sotomayor (Ecuador) d. Christine Richardson (Canada), 15-1, 15-5
Cecilia Cerquetti (Argentina) d. Donna Ryder (Ireland), 15-12, 12-15, 11-6

Group H

Maiko Sato (Japan) d. Jung Eun Ane (Korea), 15-13, 15-8
Maria Cespedes (Dominican Republic) d. Carolina Gomez (Columbia), 13-15, 15-14, 11-10

Men's Doubles

Group A

Jake Bredenbeck & Jose Diaz (USA) d. Fernando Rios & Jose Daniel Ugalde (Ecoador), 15-7, 6-15, 11-10
Juan Salvatierra & Hanzel Martinez (Guatemala) d. Raul Banegas & Sergio Ortega (Honduras), 15-12, 15-12

Group B

Alvaro Beltran & Javier Moreno (Mexico) d. Franco Capandegui & Fernando Kurzbard (Argentina), 15-2, 15-10
Felipe Camacho & Teobaldo Fumero (Costa Rica) d. Aaron Booker & John Maisonet (Puerto Rico), 15-2, 15-6

Group C

Alejandro Herrera & Sebastian Franco (Colombia) d. Mike Green & Tim Landeryou (Canada), 10-15, 15-3, 11-2
Luis Perez & Ramon De Leon (Dominican Republic) d. Alok Mehta & Thirumurugan Thiyagarajan (India), 15-9, 15-2

Group D

Carlos Keller & Kadim Carrasco (Bolivia) d. Luis Reveron & Alejandro Santos (Venezuela), 15-3, 15-7
Hiroshi Shimizu & Michimune Kono (Japan) d. Daeyong Kwon & Park Ju Yong (South Korea), 15-9, 15-6

Women's Doubles

Group A

Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas Solis (Mexico) d. Mariana Tobon & Lilian Zea (Venezuela), 15-2, 15-2
Cecilia Cerquetti & Pia Dati (Argentina) - BYE

Group B

Aimee Ruiz & Janel Tisinger (USA) d. Jin Seok & Jung Eun Ane (South Korea), 6-15, 15-8 11-1
Maria Renee Rodriguez & Gabriela Martinez (Guatemala) - BYE

Group C

Frédérique Lambert & Jennifer Saunders (Canada) d. Jenny Daza & Adriana Riveros (Bolivia), 15-11, 15-3
Cristina Amaya & Carolina Gomez (Colombia) - BYE

Group D

Maria Paz Muñoz & Veronica Sotomayor (Ecuador) d. Harumi Kajino & Toshiko Sakamoto (Japan), 15-12, 15-8
Maria Cespedes & Merynanyelly Delgado Araujo (Dominican Republic) d. Majella Haventry & Donna Ryder (Ireland), 15-5, 15-3

Follow the bouncing ball....