2016 LPRT Sweet Caroline Open - Preview

The third event of the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) season begins Friday in Greenville, South Carolina, which is the site of the 2016 Sweet Caroline Open. Top seed and LPRT’s #1, Paola Longoria will look to continue her winning streak, and she might not face a stiff challenger until the final.

We’ll be interested to see if LPRT #3 Frédérique Lambert can continue her streak of three straight appearances in the final. She’ll likely to go through former USA Team member Sharon Jackson, LPRT #6 Samantha Salas and #2 Rhonda Rajsich to get there.

Other matches of interest include 5th seed Alexandra Herrera against 12th seed Gabriela Martinez, although Martinez needs to defeat Robin Whitmire to make that happen. Similarly, 4th seed Jessica Parrilla could face 13th seed Jordan Cooperrider in the Round of 16, providing Cooperrider defeats Jennifer Dering in the Round of 32.

We’re also interested to see how Kelani Bailey does in her bracket. She’ll first play veteran Adrienne Haynes, and if Bailey wins that she’ll play 7th seed Cristina Amaya with the winner likely facing Rajsich in the quarterfinals.

Doubles

The doubles should also provide some great matches, as there are some intriguing teams. Perhaps the most intriguing is Alexandra Herrera and Frédérique Lambert, who are seeded 2nd. Lambert usually plays with Michelle Key, but Key isn’t in Greenville, so she’s teamed up with the young left-hander who was a US Open finalist last year. They could do some damage on the bottom of the draw, and perhaps challenge top seeds Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas in the final.

We’re also intrigued by the match up of Sheryl Lotts and Rhonda Rajsich, who’ve played together in the past, including finishing second at this year’s USA Racquetball Doubles Championships, versus a team of two elite junior players in Jordan Cooperrider and Gabriela Martinez, who were finalists at last year’s World Junior Championships in Girl’s U16, which Martinez won.

You can watch this weekend’s action live via the LPRT LiveStream channel. The Round of 16 begins at 3 PM on Friday, with the quarterfinals on Saturday at 10 and 11 AM and the semi-finals at 4 and 5 PM. The singles final will be 1 PM Sunday with the doubles final to follow.

2016 Sweet Caroline Open, September 9-11, 2016
Greenville, South Carolina

Round of 32 - Singles

1) Paola Longoria - BYE
16) Regina Franco v. 17) Arrisa Hanson

9) Adriana Riveros v. 24) Kelly Gremley
8) Carla Muñoz - BYE

5) Alexandra Herrera - BYE
12) Gabriela Martinez v. 21) Robin Whitmire

13) Jordan Cooperrider v. 20) Jennifer Dering
4) Jessica Parrilla - BYE

3) Frédérique Lambert - BYE
14) Sharon Jackson v. 19) Natalia Mendez

11) Sheryl Lotts v. 22) Samantha Simmons
6) Samantha Salas - BYE

7) Cristina Amaya - BYE
10) Adrienne Haynes v. 23) Kelani Bailey

15) Laura Brandt v. 18) Maritza Franco
2) Rhonda Rajsich - BYE

Quarterfinals - Doubles

1) Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas - BYE
8) Maritza Franco & Regina Franco v. 9) Jennifer Dering & Samantha Simmons

5) Cristina Amaya & Carla Muñoz - BYE
4) Sharon Jackson & Jessica Parrilla - BYE

3) Sheryl Lotts & Rhonda Rajsich - BYE
6) Jordan Cooperrider & Gabriela Martinez - BYE

7) Kelani Bailey & Adrienne Haynes - BYE
2) Alexandra Herrera & Frédérique Lambert - BYE

Follow the bouncing ball….