2019 USA Racquetball National Doubles Championships - Preview

The USA Racquetball National Doubles Championships begin today at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona. Rocky Carson and Sudsy Monchik are the defending Men’s Doubles Champions, but Monchik isn’t competing this year, so Carson has teamed up with Charlie Pratt, and they are the top seeds. The 2nd seeds are last year’s surprise finalists David Horn and Mauro Rojas.

Both Carson and Monchik and Horn and Rojas advanced to the finals last year by winning their respective semi-finals in tie-breakers, coincidentally both finished 11-8, and the teams they beat are both back this year. Jake Bredenbeck and Jose Diaz are seeded 3rd, and Adam Manilla and Nicholas Riffel are the 4th seeds. So, it should be another exciting championship.

The women's draw should also produce exciting matches, because all the teams are strong, although there are only five of them. Kelani Bailey Lawrence and Sharon Jackson are the defending Women’s Doubles Champions, so are the #1 seeds with Sheryl Lotts and Rhonda Rajsich seeded #2. Multiple US Doubles Champions Aimee Ruiz and Janel Tisinger-Ledkins are the 3rd seeds. They’ve won four times together, and Ruiz has won seven more times with other partners.

The young team of Erika Manilla and Hollie Scott are the 4th seeds, but the dark horse team of the event could be 5th seeds Michelle De La Rosa and Danielle Maddux. De La Rosa and Maddux were runners up - to Ruiz and Tisinger-Ledkins - in this competition back in 2013, when the sisters were still playing under their maiden name of Key.

The big prize for all these teams to play for - in addition to being the US National Champions - is a berth on the US Team that will play at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru this August. The Pan Am Games is biggest multi-sport event racquetball is a part of, so it’s a special event.

When the Pan Am Games were in Toronto in 2015, the US Men’s Doubles team was Jansen Allen and Jose Rojas and the Women’s Team was Rajsich and Kim Russell-Waselenchuk. Of those competing this week in Tempe, only Rajsich (in 2011 & 2015) and Ruiz (2011) have played doubles at the Pan Am Games (De La Rosa did play singles at the 2015 Pan Am Games). None of the men have, although Jake Bredenback (2015) and Carson (2003, 2011, 2015) have played singles at the Pan Am Games.

Singles Play

The top players are also playing singles in Tempe, as part of qualifying for the team that will represent the USA at the Pan Am Games in August. Carson and Pratt are the #1 and #2 men’s seeds, respectively. Horn is 3rd seed and Manilla is 4th.

Rajsich is #1 seed on the women’s side with Jackson as #2 seed. The 3rd seed is Bailey-Lawrence and Lotts is the 4th seed.

You can watch some of the action live from Tempe via the USA Racquetball website. The Men’s and Women’s Doubles finals will be Saturday afternoon with the Singles finals on Sunday. Note the match times below are Mountain time.

2019 USA Racquetball National Doubles Championships
Tempe, Arizona
US National Team Divisions

Men's Doubles

Round of 16 - Thursday

1) Rocky Carson & Charlie Pratt - BYE
8) Luis Avila & Sebastian Fernandez v. 9) Justus Benson & Erik Garcia

5) Thomas Carter & Fernando Rivera - BYE
4) Adam Manilla & Nicholas Riffel - BYE

3) Jake Bredenbeck & Jose Diaz - BYE
6) Tim Herman & Michael Myers - BYE

7) Sam Bredenbeck & Robert Collins - BYE
2) David Horn & Mauro Rojas - BYE

Quarterfinals - Thursday

1) Rocky Carson & Charlie Pratt v. 8) Luis Avila & Sebastian Fernandez or 9) Justus Benson & Erik Garcia - 5:45 PM
4) Adam Manilla & Nicholas Riffel v. 5) Thomas Carter & Fernando Rivera

3) Jake Bredenbeck & Jose Diaz v. 6) Tim Herman & Michael Myers - 12:20 PM
2) David Horn & Mauro Rojas v. 7) Sam Bredenbeck & Robert Collins - 1:25 PM

Women's Doubles

Quarterfinals - Thursday

1) Kelani Bailey Lawrence & Sharon Jackson - BYE
4) Erika Manilla & Hollie Scott v. 5) Michelle De La Rosa & Danielle Maddux - 4:40 PM

3) Aimee Ruiz & Janel Tisinger-Ledkins - BYE
2) Rhonda Rajsich & Sheryl Lotts - BYE

Men’s Singles

Round of 16 - Thursday

1) Rocky Carson - BYE
8) Erik Garcia v. 9) Robert Collins - 3:35 PM

5) Jose Diaz v. 12) Nicholas Riffel - 6:50 PM
4) Adam Manilla v. 13) Justus Benson - 2:30 PM

3) David Horn v. 14) Ryan Patterson - 11:15 AM
6) Jake Bredenbeck v. 11) Sam Bredenbeck - 4:40 PM

7) Mauro Rojas v. 10) Thomas Carter - 6:50 PM
2) Charlie Pratt - BYE

Women's Singles

Round of 16 - Thursday

1) Rhonda Rajsich - BYE
8) Erika Manilla v. 9) Erin Boadway - 7:55 PM

5) Hollie Scott - BYE
4) Sheryl Lotts - BYE

3) Kelani Bailey Lawrence - BYE
6) Adrienne Haynes - BYE

7) Janel Tisinger-Ledkins - BYE
2) Sharon Jackson - BYE

Follow the bouncing ball....