Round of 32 & 16 in Men's & Women's Singles at 2018 IRF World Championships

The Round of 32 in the medal round in Men’s and Women’s Singles is done at the 19th International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Championships in San José, Costa Rica with no real surprises. Perhaps the biggest upset is Canadian veteran Jen Saunders defeating the USA’s Sheryl Lotts, 15-10, 15-1, as they were seeded 22nd and 11th, respectively, and the margin of victory is surprisingly large. But Saunders is a wily veteran, while Lotts was playing at Worlds for the first time, so the outcome is not too surprising.

In the Men’s Singles Round of 16, the higher seeds won in all match but one. Tenth seed Sebastian Franco of Colombia won a narrow two game match over Carlos Keller of Bolivia, 15-14, 15-13. The only tie-breaker was in the 8/9 game, which was a rematch of a Group Stage match between 8th seed Mario Mercado of Colombia and 9th seed Coby Iwaasa of Canada that also went three game with Mercado winning 11-10. Wednesday, Mercado again came out on top, and by a wider margin: two points, not one, as the final score line was 15-13, 10-15, 11-9.

The Women’s Singles Round of 16 had three tie-breakers, although the most surprising result may have been Argentina’s Natalia Mendez’s straight game win over Canadian Frédérique Lambert, 15-8, 15-8, as Lambert finished 2nd on the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) this season, while Mendez was 7th. However, Mendez had played Lambert tough, including a five game match at last year’s US Open, which Lambert won.

In the three game matches, 5th seed Yasmine Sabja of Bolivia came back from a game down to defeat 12th seed Carla Muñoz of Chile, 7-15, 15-4, 11-6. Similarly, Maria Jose Vargas (Argentina) fought from behind to beat Maria Renee Rodriguez (Guatemala), 14-15, 15-1, 11-5, and in an all Colombian match, Adriana Riveros narrowly defeated team-mate Cristina Amaya, 15-6, 11-15, 11-9.

The live streaming of matches is said to take a step up in production on Thursday, when they’ll play the quarterfinals of singles as well as the opening rounds of doubles, so check it out at the IRF Facebook page.

18th IRF World Championships
August 10-18, 2018
San José, Costa Rica

Men's Singles - Round of 64 - Wednesday

1) David Horn (USA) - BYE
32) Mark Murphy (Ireland) d. 33) Alberto Rojas (Switzerland), 15-8, 15-2

17) Shai Manuzi (Argentina) - BYE
16) Edwin Galicia (Guatemala) - BYE

9) Coby Iwaasa (Canada) - BYE
24) Daeyong Kwon (South Korea) - BYE

25) Luis Felipe Zea (Venezuela) - BYE
8) Mario Mercado (Colombia) - BYE

5) Conrado Moscoso (Bolivia) - BYE
28) Christian Wer (Guatemala) - BYE

21) Christian Chavez (Ecuador) - BYE
12) Felipe Camacho (Costa Rica) - BYE

13) Ramon De Leon (Dominican Republic) - BYE
20) Kono Michimune (Japan) - BYE

29) Yash Doshi (India) - BYE
4) Rodrigo Montoya (Mexico) - BYE

3) Charlie Pratt (USA) - BYE
30) Johan Igor (Chile) - BYE

19) Ricardo Gomez (Venezuela) - BYE
14) Fernando Kurzbard (Argentina) - BYE

11) Jose Daniel Ugalde (Ecuador) - BYE
22) Moon Gyun Kim (South Korea) - BYE

27) Aaron Booker (Puerto Rico) - BYE
6) Samuel Murray (Canada) - BYE

7) Carlos Keller (Bolivia) - BYE
26) Francisco Troncoso (Chile) - BYE

23) Ryoki Kamahara (Japan) - BYE
10) Sebastian Franco (Colombia) - BYE

15) Luis Perez (Dominican Republic) - BYE
18) Andres Acuña (Costa Rica) - BYE

34) Johnny O’keeney (Ireland) d. 31) Alok Mehta (India), 15-8, 12-15, 11-9
2) Daniel De La Rosa (Mexico) - BYE

Men's Singles - Round of 32 - Wednesday

1) David Horn (USA) d. 32) Mark Murphy (Ireland), 15-3, 15-1
16) Edwin Galicia (Guatemala) d. 17) Shai Manuzi (Argentina), 15-7, 15-12

9) Coby Iwaasa (Canada) d. 24) Daeyong Kwon (South Korea), 15-11, 15-2
8) Mario Mercado (Colombia) d. 25) Luis Felipe Zea (Venezuela), 15-1, 15-4

5) Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia) d. 28) Christian Wer (Guatemala), 15-1, 15-4
12) Felipe Camacho (Costa Rica) d. 21) Christian Chavez (Ecuador), 15-4, 15-12

13) Ramon De Leon (Dominican Republic) d. 20) Kono Michimune (Japan), 15-10, 15-9
4) Rodrigo Montoya (Mexico) d. 29) Yash Doshi (India), 15-0, 15-2

3) Charlie Pratt (USA) d. 30) Johan Igor (Chile), 15-5, 15-3
14) Fernando Kurzbard (Argentina) d. 19) Ricardo Gomez (Venezuela), 15-8, 15-5

11) Jose Daniel Ugalde (Ecuador) d. 22) Moon Gyun Kim (South Korea), 15-9, 15-4
6) Samuel Murray (Canada) d. 27) Aaron Booker (Puerto Rico), 15-0, 15-8

7) Carlos Keller (Bolivia) d. 26) Francisco Troncoso (Chile), 15-8, 15-1
10) Sebastian Franco (Colombia) d. 23) Ryoki Kamahara (Japan), 15-7, 15-4

18) Andres Acuña (Costa Rica) d. 15) Luis Perez (Dominican Republic), 15-3, 15-3
2) Daniel De La Rosa (Mexico) d. 34) Johnny O’keeney (Ireland), 15-0, 15-0

Men's Singles - Round of 16 - Wednesday

1) David Horn (USA) d. 16) Edwin Galicia (Guatemala), 15-14, 15-3
8) Mario Mercado (Colombia) d. 9) Coby Iwaasa (Canada), 15-13, 10-15, 11-9

5) Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia) d. 12) Felipe Camacho (Costa Rica), 15-1, 15-6
4) Rodrigo Montoya (Mexico) d. 13) Ramon De Leon (Dominican Republic), 15-1, 15-1

3) Charlie Pratt (USA) d. 14) Fernando Kurzbard (Argentina), forfeit
6) Samuel Murray (Canada) d. 11) Jose Daniel Ugalde (Ecuador), 15-10, 15-3

10) Sebastian Franco (Colombia) d. 7) Carlos Keller (Bolivia), 15-14, 15-13
2) Daniel De La Rosa (Mexico) d. 18) Andres Acuña (Costa Rica), 15-9, 15-12

Men's Singles - Quarterfinals - Thursday

1) David Horn (USA) v. 8) Mario Mercado (Colombia)
4) Rodrigo Montoya (Mexico) v. 5) Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia)

3) Charlie Pratt (USA) v. 6) Samuel Murray (Canada)
2) Daniel De La Rosa (Mexico) v. 10) Sebastian Franco (Colombia)

Women's Singles - Round of 32 - Wednesday

1) Paola Longoria (Mexico) - BYE
17) Jenny Daza (Bolivia) d. 16) Young Ock Lee (Korea), 15-0, 15-6

9) Adriana Riveros (Colombia) d. 24) Josefa Parada (Chile), 15-0, 15-4
8) Cristina Amaya (Colombia) d. 25) Lilian Zea (Venezuela), 15-1, 15-4

5) Yasmine Sabja (Bolivia) - BYE
12) Carla Muñoz (Chile) d. 21) Merynanyelly Delgado (Dominican Republic), 15-2, 15-7

20) Maria Jose Vargas (Argentina) d. 13) Naomi Wakimoto (Japan), 15-9, 15-4
4) Maria Renee Rodriguez (Guatemala) - BYE

3) Samantha Salas (Mexico) - BYE
14) Jin Seok (South Korea) d. 19) Alejandra Jiménez (Dominican Republic), 15-8, 15-9

22) Jen Saunders (Canada) d. 11) Sheryl Lotts (USA), 15-10, 15-1
6) Ana Gabriela Martinez (Guatemala) - BYE

7) Natalia Mendez (Argentina) d. 26) Donna Ryder (Ireland), 15-2, 15-2,
10) Frédérique Lambert (Canada) d. 23) Maricruz Ortiz (Costa Rica), 15-4, 15-5

15) Harumi Kajino (Japan) d. 18) Aisling Hickey (Ireland), 12-15, 15-11, 11-8
2) Rhonda Rajsich (USA) - BYE

Women's Singles - Round of 16 - Wednesday

1) Paola Longoria (Mexico) d. 17) Jenny Daza (Bolivia), 15-2, 15-11
9) Adriana Riveros (Colombia) d. 8) Cristina Amaya (Colombia), 15-6, 11-15, 11-9

5) Yasmine Sabja (Bolivia) d. 12) Carla Muñoz (Chile), 7-15, 15-4, 11-6
20) Maria Jose Vargas (Argentina) d. 4) Maria Renee Rodriguez (Guatemala), 14-15, 15-1, 11-5

3) Samantha Salas (Mexico) d. 14) Jin Seok (South Korea), 15-3, 15-3
6) Ana Gabriela Martinez (Guatemala) d. 22) Jen Saunders (Canada), 15-2, 15-5

7) Natalia Mendez (Argentina) d. 10) Frédérique Lambert (Canada), 15-8, 15-8
2) Rhonda Rajsich (USA) d. 15) Harumi Kajino (Japan), 15-7, 15-5

Women's Singles - Quarterfinals - Thursday

1) Paola Longoria (Mexico) v. 9) Adriana Riveros (Colombia)
5) Yasmine Sabja (Bolivia) v. 20) Maria Jose Vargas (Argentina)

3) Samantha Salas (Mexico) v. 6) Ana Gabriela Martinez (Guatemala)
2) Rhonda Rajsich (USA) v. 7) Natalia Mendez (Argentina)

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