The 2018 UnitedHeathcare US Open Racquetball Championships begin Wednesday, and once again the men’s and women’s fields are large. There 69 players in the men’s International Racquetball Tour (IRT) field, and 40 in the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) field. That should make it the most competitive racquetball event of the season.
But with Kane Waselenchuk and Paola Longoria in the IRT and LPRT draws, respectively, who are both multiple time defending champions, betting on anyone else could be considered a long shot. Waselenchuk has won 10 straight US Open titles, and 13 overall. He hasn’t lost a US Open match since 2002. Longoria’s US Open record is also impressive, as she’s won 7 straight titles, and 8 overall.
Yes, if Las Vegas had a line on this event, Waselenchuk and Longoria would be the prohibitive favourites.
Nonetheless, no one is going to roll over for Waselenchuk and Longoria. Twenty eight of the top 30 IRT players will be in Minneapolis and 14 of the top 15 LPRT players will be in the draw, so there will be no more difficult event for the defending champions than what they’ll face this week.
They’ll also be playing doubles in Minneapolis, and Waselenchuk will once again be partnering with Ben Croft, as they seek to defend their US Open IRT doubles title. Longoria will look to win the LPRT US Open doubles title for the fifth time, and she’ll be partnering with Samantha Salas this year.
There will be live streaming of matches from Minneapolis. For IRT action, check out the IRT Network, IRT Facebook page, or IRT YouTube channel. For the LPRT action, go to the LPRT Live link on their website.
The Racquetball Blog will also be in Minneapolis posting match reports for you. We'll also be tweeting during the US Open, so follow The Racquetball Blog on Twitter.
It's going to be a great week for racquetball.
Follow the bouncing ball….
Monday, October 1, 2018
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