Quarterfinals at the World Doubles Open Championships

The 6th seeds have done well in Men’s and Women’s Doubles at the World Doubles Open Championships in Denver, as both teams are through to the semi-finals in the Men’s International Racquetball Tour (IRT) and the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) draws.

Of course, we aren’t surprised by the 6th seeds doing well in the IRT draw, because that’s the team of IRT #1 Kane Waselenchuk and Ben Croft, who as a team are almost undefeated. Their 6th seeding is clearly too low, but reflects Croft’s relative inactivity in singles. To get to the semis, they beat 3rd seeds Jake Bredenbeck and Jose Diaz by the “thanks for coming out” scores of 15-1, 15-3. Waselechuk and Croft will play 2nd seeds Sebastian Franco and Mario Mercado, who needed three games to get past the young team of Adam Manilla and Nicholas Riffel, 15-6, 7-15, 11-4.

The LPRT 6th seeds are more of a surprise, but Michelle De La Rosa and Carla Muñoz played well to come back and defeat 3rd seeds Frédérique Lambert and Jessica Parrilla, 10-15, 15-12, 11-4, in the quarterfinals. They’ll play 2nd seeds Alexandra Herrera and Monserrat Mejia in the semis, as Herrera and Mejia beat Gabriela Martinez and Maria Renee Rodriguez, 15-7, 15-4, in the quarters.

In Mixed Doubles, six of the eight Round of 16 matches went breaker. Then two of the four quarterfinals also went breaker. This is perhaps not surprising, as several of the teams are likely playing together for the first time. But that’s not the case for Daniel and Michelle De La Rosa, who were seeded 11th, but are through to the semi-finals after beating 6th seeds Jake Bredenbeck and Mejia, 15-7, 12-15, 11-7, in the 16 and eking out a victory over 3rd seeds Lambert and Samuel Murray, 13-15, 15-1, 11-10, in the quarters.

In fact, only one of the top four seeds in Mixed Doubles is in the semi-finals, and that’s top seeds Mario Mercado and Adriana Riveros, who won both their matches on Friday in two straight games, including a win over Adam Manilla and Rhonda Rajsich, 15-6, 15-14, in the quarterfinals.

In the semi-finals, they’ll play 5th seeds Alvaro Beltran and Natalia Mendez, who looked like they would win their quarterfinal match with Cristina Amaya and Sebastian Franco in straight games, as they led 8-1 in game two after winning game one. But Amaya and Franco ran 14 unanswered points - many of which started with Amaya hitting a drive Z serve to Mendez on the right side - to force a third game. However, Amaya and Franco couldn’t keep the momentum going, so Beltran and Mendez won, 15-9, 8-15, 11-5.

Paola Longoria was hard on her current or recent Women’s Doubles players, as she and Montoya beat Samantha Salas - Longoria’s doubles partner in Denver and Mar, 15-8, 15-10, in the 16s, and then they defeated Alexandra Herrera, who Longoria won gold with in Women’s Doubles in March at the Pan American Championships, and Jansen Allen, 15-12, 15-6. Longoria and Montoya will play the De La Rosas in the semis Saturday.

All the semi-final action begins Saturday afternoon. Check out the LPRT and IRT Facebook pages for the action, as well as the LPRT Livestream channel and the IRT Network. The finals will be Sunday beginning at with the Women’s final at 11:15 AM, Mixed at 12:30 PM, and Men’s at 1:45 PM. All times Mountain.

World Doubles Open Championships
May 3-6, 2018 - Denver, Colorado

Men’s Doubles - Quarterfinals - Friday

1) Alvaro Beltran & Daniel De La Rosa d. 8) Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya, 15-7, 14-15, 11-5
4) Jansen Allen & Felipe Camacho d. 12) Alejandro Cardona & Gerardo Franco, 15-5, 15-5

6) Ben Croft & Kane Waselenchuk d. 3) Jake Bredenbeck & Jose Diaz, 15-1, 15-3
2) Sebastian Franco & Mario Mercado d. 7) Adam Manilla & Nicholas RIffel, 15-6, 7-15, 11-4

Men’s Doubles - Semi-finals - Saturday

1) Alvaro Beltran & Daniel De La Rosa v. 4) Jansen Allen & Felipe Camacho - 7:30 PM
2) Sebastian Franco & Mario Mercado v. 6) Ben Croft & Kane Waselenchuk - 6:15 PM

Women’s Doubles - Quarterfinals - Friday

1) Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas d. 9) Daniela Molina & Masiel Rivera
4) Cristina Amaya & Adriana Riveros d. 5) Natalia Mendez & Maria Jose Vargas, 15-13, 15-9

6) Michelle De La Rosa & Carla Muñoz d. 3) Frédérique Lambert & Jessica Parrilla, 10-15, 15-12, 11-4
2) Alexandra Herrera & Monserrat Mejia d. 7) Gabriela Martinez Maria Renee Rodriguez, 15-7, 15-4

Women’s Doubles - Semi-finals - Saturday

1) Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas v. 4) Cristina Amaya & Adriana Riveros - 5:00 PM
2) Alexandra Herrera & Monserrat Mejia v. 6) Michelle De La Rosa & Carla Muñoz - 1:15 PM

Mixed Doubles - Round of 16 - Friday

1) Mario Mercado & Adriana Riveros d. 16) Daniela Molina & Mauro Rojas, 15-7, 15-11
9) Adam Manilla & Rhonda Rajsich d. 8) David Horn & Jessica Parrilla, 3-15, 15-13, 11-6

5) Alvaro Beltran & Natalia Mendez d. 12) Alejandro Landa & Maria Jose Vargas, 8-15, 15-8, 11-5
4) Cristina Amaya & Sebastian Franco d. 13) Felipe Camacho & Masiel Rivera, 14-15, 15-7, 11-9

3) Frédérique Lambert & Samuel Murray d. 14) Erik Garcia & Carla Muñoz, 15-1, 5-15, 11-3
11) Daniel De La Rosa & Michelle De La Rosa d. 6) Jake Bredenbeck & Monserrat Mejia, 15-7, 12-15, 11-7

7) Paola Longoria & Rodrigo Montoya d. 10) Javier Mar & Samantha Salas, 15-8, 15-10
2) Jansen Allen & Alexandra Herrera d. 15) Gerardo Franco & Gabriela Martinez, 11-15, 15-13, 11-2

Mixed Doubles - Quarterfinals - Friday

1) Mario Mercado & Adriana Riveros d. 9) Adam Manilla & Rhonda Rajsich - 15-6, 15-14
5) Alvaro Beltran & Natalia Mendez d. 4) Cristina Amaya & Sebastian Franco - 15-9, 8-15, 11-5

11) Daniel De La Rosa & Michelle De La Rosa d. 3) Frédérique Lambert & Samuel Murray, 13-15, 15-1, 11-10
7) Paola Longoria & Rodrigo Montoya d. 2) Jansen Allen & Alexandra Herrera, 15-12 15-6

Mixed Doubles - Semi-finals - Saturday

1) Mario Mercado & Adriana Riveros v. 5) Alvaro Beltran & Natalia Mendez - 2:30 PM
7) Paola Longoria & Rodrigo Montoya v. 11) Daniel De La Rosa & Michelle De La Rosa - 3:45 PM

Follow the bouncing ball….