Conrrado Moscoso came back from a game down to defeat Rocky Carson, 6-15, 15-14, 11-2, in the final of the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) 2019 Bolivia American Iris Open in Cochabamba, Bolivia. It was a remarkable final. Moscoso is the 1st Bolivian - and 2nd South American (after Colombian Sebastian Franco) - to win an IRT event.
Moscoso came out firing in game one, as he took a 6-0 lead on consecutive rallies. That led to a Carson timeout.
If you ever needed an example of an effective timeout, this was it, as Carson got the serve back, and cut the lead in half to trail 6-3. But after an exchange of side outs, Carson continued to pile up the points. Eventually, he had 15, and had won game one, 15-6, although it seemed he didn’t know it, as it looked like he was going to serve after scoring his 15th.
Carson’s point streak ran to 17, when he took a 2-0 lead in game two. But Moscoso broke the streak at that point via a long pinch shot, and then tied it at 2-2 with a drive serve ace to the left side.
However, Carson put together another streak, as he ran the score up to 9-2 and 10-3. But this time Moscoso had an answer, as he began coming back, and caught up to Carson at 11-11. They were back and forth from there with ties at 12, 13, and 14. It took 19 rallies to get from 11-11 to 15-14.
A game involves multiple rallies, so we don’t like saying that any moment or play caused a loss. But Carson made a few errors late in game two. Moscoso served a lob Z to the right at 14-13 that Carson came up to hit early, and tanked it into the floor to give Moscoso his first game point at 14-14.
Carson denied that opportunity with a soft backhand shot. But on the next rally - Carson’s 3rd match point opportunity - he skipped what looked like an easy forehand shot near the front wall. Then on Moscoso’s second game point, Carson hit a backhand serve return that went out of the court. Oops.
The tie-breaker started slowly. Eighteen rallies and the score was only 3-2 for Moscoso. However, from there Moscoso scored eight points over 10 rallies, as Carson only served once in that stretch. Moscoso won it with a forehand kill shot on the right side.
In the breaker, Moscoso hit that lob Z to the right side a lot, and Carson never looked very comfortable with it. He often returned with an overhead forehand cross court shot, but Moscoso put a couple of those returns down the left side into the crack for winners.
Moscoso’s the first 1st time IRT champion this season, but the 5th over the last two seasons. Also, Moscoso was a double winner in Cochabamba, as he and Roland Keller won the IRT Doubles title last night over Carson and Felipe Camacho.
The atmosphere at the Bolivia Open looked incredible. If you didn’t see any of the action, check out the IRT media sources: the IRT Facebook page or the IRT YouTube channel. Reportedly, the tournament organizers are already planning on holding the event again next season.
The next IRT event will be the 2019 Florida IRT Pro-Am in Sarasota, Florida, April 26-28.
2019 Open Bolivia American Iris, March 27-31, 2019
Cochabamba, Bolivia
Final - Sunday
Conrrado Moscoso d. 1) Rocky Carson, 6-15, 15-14, 11-2
Follow the bouncing ball….
Sunday, March 31, 2019
Vargas wins 2019 LPRT Bolivia Open
Maria Jose Vargas, the 3rd seed, won the 2019 Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) American Iris Bolivia Open in Cochabamba, Bolivia by defeating the top seed Samantha Salas in a hard fought five game final, 11-8, 10-12, 11-13, 11-3, 11-9. The victory is Vargas’s 4th LPRT title, and first since March 2018, when she won the Peachtree Open.
Vargas won the first game, 11-8, but Salas stormed out to a 7-0 lead in game two helped by four ace drive serves: 3 to the right and 1 to the left. Yet Vargas slowly worked her way back into that game and tied it at 8-8. Salas called a timeout at that point, and got the serve back with a backhand winner. Salas went ahead 9-8 with a forehand to the right side, but Vargas got the serve back and tied the game 9-9 with an ace drive serve to the left side. A great forehand shot made it 10-9.
On the next rally, Vargas went to the floor beside the right wall to play a ball, and her shot came back to the right side, coming off the back wall for a set up for Salas, who held up. An avoidable was called, but it looked like Vargas may have been out of the way the time the ball came off the back wall, so she appealed the call. However, the referee’s call was upheld, and Salas got the serve back. She promptly tied the game at 10-10 with a forehand winner.
But the next rally was long, and Salas ended it with a forehand skip. Vargas called a timeout, and hit a drive serve to the right side when play resumed. Salas had the answer for that, as she hit a forehand wide angle pass return for a winner. A Salas backhand winner got her to game point, 11-10, and then she won it with a drive serve - appropriately - to the right that led to another winner, as Vargas skipped the return, ending it at 12-10.
In game three, Salas again had the early lead at 3-0. But that was the largest difference between the players in that game, as Vargas came back to tie it 3-3, and then they were never more than two points apart. They were tied at 4, 6, 8, 10 and 11, as they exchanged the lead four times.
Vargas had game point at 10-8. But Salas forced her into skipping a forehand shot. Salas then hit a drive serve to the right that came off the side wall, and Vargas crushed it cross court, except Salas was in the way, so it hit Salas hard, and it was called an avoidable hinder. She needed a couple of moments to compose herself, and didn’t protest the avoidable call.
How did Salas react to being hit? She hit a forehand winner to get the serve back - denying Vargas a second game point. Then she used a lob Z serve to the right to score to two points and tie the game 10-10.
It took 15 more rallies to reach the end of the game, as the players continued to battle back and forth. Vargas held off three game points by Salas: one at 11-10 and two at 12-11. But on her 4th game point, Salas won it, as she hit a backhand cross court that got caught in the back right corner, so Vargas was only able to try unsuccessfully to return it between her legs facing backwards.
Nonetheless, Vargas was undaunted in game four. They were back and forth early in the game, as they tied it at 3-3. But then Vargas scored seven points on 8 rallies (one hinder) to make it 10-3. Salas had called a time out at 3-3 and again at 8-3 but to no avail. There was an exchange of sideouts, as Salas stopped Vargas’s first game point, but couldn’t score herself. Vargas ended game four, 11-3, with a drive serve to the left side that Salas could get her racquet on, but couldn’t return.
Game five was like game three, as Salas went out to a lead early, 4-0, but Vargas tied it at 4-4. Salas called a timeout. Ten rallies later, and they were still tied but at 5-5. Vargas broke the tie to lead 6-5, but Salas responded with three points of her own to lead 8-6. Vargas called timeout.
When play resumed, Vargas got the serve back when Salas skipped a backhand pinch shot. She took advantage and scored three straight points to lead 9-8. But Salas tied it 9-9. Vargas regained the serve with a forehand cross court shot. She got her first match point when she ended a long rally with a backhand pinch shot to make it 10-9.
Salas hit a backhand winner to stop Vargas’s first match point. But she couldn’t tie the game, as Vargas hit a great forehand pinch shot to get the serve back. Vargas won it on her second match point, as Salas skipped a backhand shot. It was a sad end to a great match, and Salas seemed disappointed in herself as it looked like she wanted to get off the court as soon as possible, and almost left it without shaking hands with Vargas.
The next LPRT event will be the Battle at the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas, April 26-28. If missed the Bolivia final live, you can watch it - and believe us, you DO want to watch it - via the LPRT website, or the LPRT YouTube channel or its LiveStream channel.
2019 LPRT Open Bolivia American Iris
Cochabamba, Bolivia - March 27-31, 2019
LPRT Singles - Final - Sunday
3 Maria Jose Vargas d. 1 Samantha Salas, 11-8, 10-12, 11-13, 11-3, 11-9
Follow the bouncing ball….
Vargas won the first game, 11-8, but Salas stormed out to a 7-0 lead in game two helped by four ace drive serves: 3 to the right and 1 to the left. Yet Vargas slowly worked her way back into that game and tied it at 8-8. Salas called a timeout at that point, and got the serve back with a backhand winner. Salas went ahead 9-8 with a forehand to the right side, but Vargas got the serve back and tied the game 9-9 with an ace drive serve to the left side. A great forehand shot made it 10-9.
On the next rally, Vargas went to the floor beside the right wall to play a ball, and her shot came back to the right side, coming off the back wall for a set up for Salas, who held up. An avoidable was called, but it looked like Vargas may have been out of the way the time the ball came off the back wall, so she appealed the call. However, the referee’s call was upheld, and Salas got the serve back. She promptly tied the game at 10-10 with a forehand winner.
But the next rally was long, and Salas ended it with a forehand skip. Vargas called a timeout, and hit a drive serve to the right side when play resumed. Salas had the answer for that, as she hit a forehand wide angle pass return for a winner. A Salas backhand winner got her to game point, 11-10, and then she won it with a drive serve - appropriately - to the right that led to another winner, as Vargas skipped the return, ending it at 12-10.
In game three, Salas again had the early lead at 3-0. But that was the largest difference between the players in that game, as Vargas came back to tie it 3-3, and then they were never more than two points apart. They were tied at 4, 6, 8, 10 and 11, as they exchanged the lead four times.
Vargas had game point at 10-8. But Salas forced her into skipping a forehand shot. Salas then hit a drive serve to the right that came off the side wall, and Vargas crushed it cross court, except Salas was in the way, so it hit Salas hard, and it was called an avoidable hinder. She needed a couple of moments to compose herself, and didn’t protest the avoidable call.
How did Salas react to being hit? She hit a forehand winner to get the serve back - denying Vargas a second game point. Then she used a lob Z serve to the right to score to two points and tie the game 10-10.
It took 15 more rallies to reach the end of the game, as the players continued to battle back and forth. Vargas held off three game points by Salas: one at 11-10 and two at 12-11. But on her 4th game point, Salas won it, as she hit a backhand cross court that got caught in the back right corner, so Vargas was only able to try unsuccessfully to return it between her legs facing backwards.
Nonetheless, Vargas was undaunted in game four. They were back and forth early in the game, as they tied it at 3-3. But then Vargas scored seven points on 8 rallies (one hinder) to make it 10-3. Salas had called a time out at 3-3 and again at 8-3 but to no avail. There was an exchange of sideouts, as Salas stopped Vargas’s first game point, but couldn’t score herself. Vargas ended game four, 11-3, with a drive serve to the left side that Salas could get her racquet on, but couldn’t return.
Game five was like game three, as Salas went out to a lead early, 4-0, but Vargas tied it at 4-4. Salas called a timeout. Ten rallies later, and they were still tied but at 5-5. Vargas broke the tie to lead 6-5, but Salas responded with three points of her own to lead 8-6. Vargas called timeout.
When play resumed, Vargas got the serve back when Salas skipped a backhand pinch shot. She took advantage and scored three straight points to lead 9-8. But Salas tied it 9-9. Vargas regained the serve with a forehand cross court shot. She got her first match point when she ended a long rally with a backhand pinch shot to make it 10-9.
Salas hit a backhand winner to stop Vargas’s first match point. But she couldn’t tie the game, as Vargas hit a great forehand pinch shot to get the serve back. Vargas won it on her second match point, as Salas skipped a backhand shot. It was a sad end to a great match, and Salas seemed disappointed in herself as it looked like she wanted to get off the court as soon as possible, and almost left it without shaking hands with Vargas.
The next LPRT event will be the Battle at the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas, April 26-28. If missed the Bolivia final live, you can watch it - and believe us, you DO want to watch it - via the LPRT website, or the LPRT YouTube channel or its LiveStream channel.
2019 LPRT Open Bolivia American Iris
Cochabamba, Bolivia - March 27-31, 2019
LPRT Singles - Final - Sunday
3 Maria Jose Vargas d. 1 Samantha Salas, 11-8, 10-12, 11-13, 11-3, 11-9
Follow the bouncing ball….
Saturday, March 30, 2019
Carson & Moscoso to square off in IRT final, Keller & Moscoso win IRT doubles at 2019 American Iris Bolivia Open
Rocky Carson, the top seed at the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) 2019 Bolivia American Iris Open in Cochabamba, Bolivia, needed three games to win his semi-final match with Mario Mercado, coming out on top 15-8, 6-15, 11-6. Carson will play Conrrado Moscoso in the final, as Moscoso was an upset winner in the other semi-final over 3rd seed Alvero Beltran, 15-10, 15-6.
Moscoso is already a Boliva Open champion, as he and Roland Keller defeated Carson and Felipe Camacho, 15-9, 15-9, to win the IRT Doubles title. The first game was close early, but then Moscoso and Keller pulled away in the end game, leading 10-8. They were able to finish it out from there.
In game two, Moscoso and Keller got ahead early, and went out to a 12-3 lead. Camacho and Carson came back and made it close at 12-9, but that was as close as they could get. Moscoso and Keller got the final three points on as many rallies. Moscoso got their 13th point with a forehand cross court shot. A Keller down the line kill shot was point 14, and then Camacho skipped a forehand shot in the middle of the court, which ended it, 15-9.
In the Carson-Mercado semi, it seemed like it would go the other way, as Mercado led in game one 8-4. But the veteran Carson is the #2 IRT player for a reason, and he held his young opponent at 8 while scoring 11 unanswered points to take game one.
You’d be excused for thinking that Carson’s run would lead to an easy game two. But Mercado wasn't going to just roll over, and he again came out strong. He went up 4-1 and 9-2. Carson came back to 9-7, and it looked like game one all over again. But Mercado held firm this time, and went on to win 15-6. (Carson lost a point on a technical for leaving the court when he didn’t have a timeout when Mercado led 13-7).
The tie-breaker was close early. Mercado led 2-0 and 3-1, but then Carson tied it at 3-3. He then took a small lead at 5-3, only to see Mercado tie it, 5-5, with a great backhand winner. Another great backhand shot put Mercado ahead 6-5. But unfortunately for him that would be the last point he’d score.
Carson got the serve back with a forehand winner, and tied it 6-6 with another forehand winner. They exchanged two sideouts before Carson got three points on consecutive rallies to lead 9-6. Then there was another exchange of sideouts via forehand winners from each player.
Then Carson hit a forehand winner down the left side to reach match point, and then Mercado hit a poor backhand shot that skipped to end the game, and give the match to Carson. On the last two rallies, Carson hit an off speed Z serve, which is one of his typical serves, but not one he’d used much prior to that in the breaker.
Sunday’s final will be a repeat of the 2014 International Racquetball Federation World Championship Men’s Singles final that was won by Carson in two straight games. It was the 4th of Carson’s 5 Men’s Singles World Championships. But Moscoso was only 18 then. He’s got a lot more experience under his belt now, so Carson can’t expect he’ll face the same player on Sunday.
The singles final will be 1 PM Sunday. The time in Cochabamba is the same as Eastern time in North America. Look for the action via the usual IRT sources: the IRT Facebook page or the IRT YouTube channel. Matches are also archived there, so if you missed the action, you can watch it on replay.
2019 Open Bolivia American Iris, March 27-31, 2019
Cochabamba, Bolivia
Semi-finals - Saturday
1) Rocky Carson d. 5) Mario Mercado, 15-8, 6-15, 11-6
Conrrado Moscoso d. 3) Alvaro Beltran, 15-10, 15-6
Final - Sunday
1) Rocky Carson v. Conrrado Moscoso - 1 PM
IRT Doubles - Final - Saturday
6) Roland Keller & Conrrado Moscoso d. 5) Felipe Camacho & Rocky Carson, 15-9, 15-9
Follow the bouncing ball….
Moscoso is already a Boliva Open champion, as he and Roland Keller defeated Carson and Felipe Camacho, 15-9, 15-9, to win the IRT Doubles title. The first game was close early, but then Moscoso and Keller pulled away in the end game, leading 10-8. They were able to finish it out from there.
In game two, Moscoso and Keller got ahead early, and went out to a 12-3 lead. Camacho and Carson came back and made it close at 12-9, but that was as close as they could get. Moscoso and Keller got the final three points on as many rallies. Moscoso got their 13th point with a forehand cross court shot. A Keller down the line kill shot was point 14, and then Camacho skipped a forehand shot in the middle of the court, which ended it, 15-9.
In the Carson-Mercado semi, it seemed like it would go the other way, as Mercado led in game one 8-4. But the veteran Carson is the #2 IRT player for a reason, and he held his young opponent at 8 while scoring 11 unanswered points to take game one.
You’d be excused for thinking that Carson’s run would lead to an easy game two. But Mercado wasn't going to just roll over, and he again came out strong. He went up 4-1 and 9-2. Carson came back to 9-7, and it looked like game one all over again. But Mercado held firm this time, and went on to win 15-6. (Carson lost a point on a technical for leaving the court when he didn’t have a timeout when Mercado led 13-7).
The tie-breaker was close early. Mercado led 2-0 and 3-1, but then Carson tied it at 3-3. He then took a small lead at 5-3, only to see Mercado tie it, 5-5, with a great backhand winner. Another great backhand shot put Mercado ahead 6-5. But unfortunately for him that would be the last point he’d score.
Carson got the serve back with a forehand winner, and tied it 6-6 with another forehand winner. They exchanged two sideouts before Carson got three points on consecutive rallies to lead 9-6. Then there was another exchange of sideouts via forehand winners from each player.
Then Carson hit a forehand winner down the left side to reach match point, and then Mercado hit a poor backhand shot that skipped to end the game, and give the match to Carson. On the last two rallies, Carson hit an off speed Z serve, which is one of his typical serves, but not one he’d used much prior to that in the breaker.
Sunday’s final will be a repeat of the 2014 International Racquetball Federation World Championship Men’s Singles final that was won by Carson in two straight games. It was the 4th of Carson’s 5 Men’s Singles World Championships. But Moscoso was only 18 then. He’s got a lot more experience under his belt now, so Carson can’t expect he’ll face the same player on Sunday.
The singles final will be 1 PM Sunday. The time in Cochabamba is the same as Eastern time in North America. Look for the action via the usual IRT sources: the IRT Facebook page or the IRT YouTube channel. Matches are also archived there, so if you missed the action, you can watch it on replay.
2019 Open Bolivia American Iris, March 27-31, 2019
Cochabamba, Bolivia
Semi-finals - Saturday
1) Rocky Carson d. 5) Mario Mercado, 15-8, 6-15, 11-6
Conrrado Moscoso d. 3) Alvaro Beltran, 15-10, 15-6
Final - Sunday
1) Rocky Carson v. Conrrado Moscoso - 1 PM
IRT Doubles - Final - Saturday
6) Roland Keller & Conrrado Moscoso d. 5) Felipe Camacho & Rocky Carson, 15-9, 15-9
Follow the bouncing ball….
Salas & Vargas in LPRT singles final, Mendez & Vargas win doubles at 2019 American Iris Bolivia Open
Maria Jose Vargas, the 3rd seed, upset the 2nd seed Alexandra Herrera, 11-3, 11-6, 7-11, 5-11, 11-9, in the semi-finals of the 2019 Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) American Iris Bolivia Open in Cochabamba, Bolivia. She’ll play top seed Samantha Salas, who defeated surprise semi-finalist 12th seed Angelica Barrios, 11-3, 2-11, 11-6, 11-5.
In the LPRT Doubles final Saturday night, Vargas and Natalia Mendez won the title by defeating Salas and Rhonda Rajsich, 15-8, 15-11. The Bolivian natives who now play internationally for Argentina were in control throughout the final with leads of 10-2 and 14-6 in game one, and then 9-6 and 13-8 in game two.
The Vargas and Herrera semi was an odd one, as Vargas started the match well, winning the first two games, and then it was Herrera’s turn to carry the play, and win games three and four. Of those first four games, only game three was close, as they were tied at 7-7, but that was after Herrera led 6-0. Although Vargas caught up at 7-7, she didn’t get any more points that game.
But the tie-breaker was were close. After being tied at 2-2, Herrera eked ahead to lead 4-3 after 14 rallies. She got four more points on consecutive rallies to lead 8-3, even though Vargas took a timeout in the middle of those rallies. Herrera's 8th point came off an ace drive serve to the right.
Vargas got the serve back when Herrera skipped a forehand shot on the next rally. Vargas changed her position in the service box slightly from the right side of the service box to just right of center. Not a big change, but it seemed to make her drive serves more effective, as she scored three straight points on consecutive rallies to trail 8-6. Herrera then called a timeout.
When play resumed, Vargas got one more point with a forehand winner that got her within one of Herrera at 8-7. But she was called for an avoidable hinder on the next rally, so Herrera got the serve back. A Vargas forehand winner denied Herrera scoring, and she then tied the score at 8-8 with backhand winner.
A patented Herrera backhand pinch got the left-hander a sideout. She scored a 9th point with a drive Z serve to the left side that popped out of the corner. Herrera hit that serve again, and Vargas hit a winning backhand return. It would be the last Herrera serve.
Vargas tied the score again at 9-9 with a forehand wide angle pass. Herrera called a timeout, which often leads to a winning rally, but not in this case, as Vargas hit a forehand winner when play resumed to put her on match point at 10-9. The next rally was a long one with both players making good gets. Indeed, Herrera - uncharacteristically - went to the floor to make a shot, and then was able to make a shot while still on the floor! But Vargas was able to win the rally with a forehand down the left side, and take the game, 11-9, and match, 3-2.
The singles final will be Sunday at 1 PM. You can watch the action live via the LPRT website, or the LPRT YouTube channel or its LiveStream channel.
2019 LPRT Open Bolivia American Iris
Cochabamba, Bolivia - March 27-31, 2019
LPRT Singles - Semi-finals - Saturday
1 Samantha Salas d. 12 Angelica Barrios, 11-3, 2-11, 11-6, 11-5
3 Maria Jose Vargas d. 2 Alexandra Herrera, 11-3, 11-6, 7-11, 5-11, 11-9
LPRT Singles - Final - Sunday
1 Samantha Salas v. 3 Maria Jose Vargas - 11 AM
LPRT Doubles - Final - Saturday
3 Natalia Mendez & Maria Jose Vargas v. 1 Rhonda Rajsich & Samantha Salas, 15-8, 15-11
Follow the bouncing ball….
In the LPRT Doubles final Saturday night, Vargas and Natalia Mendez won the title by defeating Salas and Rhonda Rajsich, 15-8, 15-11. The Bolivian natives who now play internationally for Argentina were in control throughout the final with leads of 10-2 and 14-6 in game one, and then 9-6 and 13-8 in game two.
The Vargas and Herrera semi was an odd one, as Vargas started the match well, winning the first two games, and then it was Herrera’s turn to carry the play, and win games three and four. Of those first four games, only game three was close, as they were tied at 7-7, but that was after Herrera led 6-0. Although Vargas caught up at 7-7, she didn’t get any more points that game.
But the tie-breaker was were close. After being tied at 2-2, Herrera eked ahead to lead 4-3 after 14 rallies. She got four more points on consecutive rallies to lead 8-3, even though Vargas took a timeout in the middle of those rallies. Herrera's 8th point came off an ace drive serve to the right.
Vargas got the serve back when Herrera skipped a forehand shot on the next rally. Vargas changed her position in the service box slightly from the right side of the service box to just right of center. Not a big change, but it seemed to make her drive serves more effective, as she scored three straight points on consecutive rallies to trail 8-6. Herrera then called a timeout.
When play resumed, Vargas got one more point with a forehand winner that got her within one of Herrera at 8-7. But she was called for an avoidable hinder on the next rally, so Herrera got the serve back. A Vargas forehand winner denied Herrera scoring, and she then tied the score at 8-8 with backhand winner.
A patented Herrera backhand pinch got the left-hander a sideout. She scored a 9th point with a drive Z serve to the left side that popped out of the corner. Herrera hit that serve again, and Vargas hit a winning backhand return. It would be the last Herrera serve.
Vargas tied the score again at 9-9 with a forehand wide angle pass. Herrera called a timeout, which often leads to a winning rally, but not in this case, as Vargas hit a forehand winner when play resumed to put her on match point at 10-9. The next rally was a long one with both players making good gets. Indeed, Herrera - uncharacteristically - went to the floor to make a shot, and then was able to make a shot while still on the floor! But Vargas was able to win the rally with a forehand down the left side, and take the game, 11-9, and match, 3-2.
The singles final will be Sunday at 1 PM. You can watch the action live via the LPRT website, or the LPRT YouTube channel or its LiveStream channel.
2019 LPRT Open Bolivia American Iris
Cochabamba, Bolivia - March 27-31, 2019
LPRT Singles - Semi-finals - Saturday
1 Samantha Salas d. 12 Angelica Barrios, 11-3, 2-11, 11-6, 11-5
3 Maria Jose Vargas d. 2 Alexandra Herrera, 11-3, 11-6, 7-11, 5-11, 11-9
LPRT Singles - Final - Sunday
1 Samantha Salas v. 3 Maria Jose Vargas - 11 AM
LPRT Doubles - Final - Saturday
3 Natalia Mendez & Maria Jose Vargas v. 1 Rhonda Rajsich & Samantha Salas, 15-8, 15-11
Follow the bouncing ball….
Friday, March 29, 2019
Carson & Moscoso in both IRT singles semi-finals and doubles final at 2019 Bolivia American Iris Open
Rocky Carson, the top seed at the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) 2019 Bolivia American Iris Open in Cochabamba, Bolivia, won his quarterfinal match against Carlos Keller, 15-8, 15-11. He’ll play a surprise surprise semi-finalist on Saturday, as 5th seed Mario Mercado beat 4th seed Andree Parrilla, 15-7, 15-11.
Carson will also play in the IRT Doubles final, as he and Felipe Camacho beat Alvaro Beltran and Alejandro Landa, 4-15, 15-6, 11-7. Carson and Camacho had never played together, and were seeded 5th so reaching the finals is an achievement in itself.
Their opponents in the final will be Bolivians Roland Keller and Conrrado Moscoso, who beat 2nd seeds Rodrigo Montoya and Andree Parrilla, 15-3, 15-11. Keller and Moscoso are a regular team. In fact, they were bronze medalists in Men’s Doubles at last year’s International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Championships.
Like Carson, Moscoso is also in the semi-finals of singles as well as the doubles final. He beat 2nd seed Landa in the quarterfinals, 15-9, 11-15, 11-0. Moscoso led for much of the first game of that match, as well as 5-0 in the second game. But Landa scored 10 of the next 11 points to lead 10-6, and went on to win game two 15-11, and force a tie-breaker.
You might have thought Landa had the momentum going into the breaker. But on the first rally, Moscoso had to hit a second serve, which was a half lob to the left side. Landa stepped up to take it early with this backhand, and hit it into the floor almost directly at his feet. It was bad mistake, and an omen of what was to come, as Moscoso rolled through the breaker with Landa only serving four times. Moscoso winners kept Landa off the board on those four occasions.
In the semis, Moscoso will face Mexican veteran Alvaro Beltran, who got the best of a young Mexican in Gerardo Franco, winning 15-11, 15-5.
Look for the action via the usual IRT sources: the IRT Facebook page or the IRT YouTube channel. The semi-finals will be Saturday at noon and 2 PM with the singles final at 1 PM Sunday. The doubles final will be Saturday at 7 PM. The time in Cochabamba is the same as Eastern time in North America.
2019 Open Bolivia American Iris, March 27-31, 2019
Cochabamba, Bolivia
Quarterfinals - Friday
1) Rocky Carson d. Carlos Keller, 15-8, 15-11
5) Mario Mercado d. 4) Andree Parrilla, 15-7, 15-11
3) Alvaro Beltran d. Gerardo Franco, 15-11, 15-5
Conrrado Moscoso d. 2) Alejandro Landa, 15-9, 11-15, 11-0
Semi-finals - Saturday
1) Rocky Carson v. 5) Mario Mercado - Noon
3) Alvaro Beltran v. Conrrado Moscoso - 2 PM
IRT Doubles - Quarterfinals - Friday
1) Alvaro Beltran & Alejandro Landa d. 8) Kadim Carrasco & Carlos Keller, 15-12, 15-8
5) Felipe Camacho & Rocky Carson d. 4) Eduardo Garay & Mario Mercado, 15-12, 15-14
6) Roland Keller & Conrrado Moscoso d. 3) Jake Bredenbeck & David Horn, 13-15, 15-10, 11-4
2) Rodrigo Montoya & Andree Parrilla d. 7) Gerardo Franco & Eduardo Portillo, 15-8, 15-6
IRT Doubles - Semi-finals - Friday
5) Felipe Camacho & Rocky Carson d. 1) Alvaro Beltran & Alejandro Landa, 4-15, 15-6, 11-7
6) Roland Keller & Conrrado Moscoso d. 2) Rodrigo Montoya & Andree Parrilla, 15-3, 15-11
IRT Doubles - Final - Saturday
5) Felipe Camacho & Rocky Carson v. 6) Roland Keller & Conrrado Moscoso - 7 PM
Follow the bouncing ball….
Carson will also play in the IRT Doubles final, as he and Felipe Camacho beat Alvaro Beltran and Alejandro Landa, 4-15, 15-6, 11-7. Carson and Camacho had never played together, and were seeded 5th so reaching the finals is an achievement in itself.
Their opponents in the final will be Bolivians Roland Keller and Conrrado Moscoso, who beat 2nd seeds Rodrigo Montoya and Andree Parrilla, 15-3, 15-11. Keller and Moscoso are a regular team. In fact, they were bronze medalists in Men’s Doubles at last year’s International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Championships.
Like Carson, Moscoso is also in the semi-finals of singles as well as the doubles final. He beat 2nd seed Landa in the quarterfinals, 15-9, 11-15, 11-0. Moscoso led for much of the first game of that match, as well as 5-0 in the second game. But Landa scored 10 of the next 11 points to lead 10-6, and went on to win game two 15-11, and force a tie-breaker.
You might have thought Landa had the momentum going into the breaker. But on the first rally, Moscoso had to hit a second serve, which was a half lob to the left side. Landa stepped up to take it early with this backhand, and hit it into the floor almost directly at his feet. It was bad mistake, and an omen of what was to come, as Moscoso rolled through the breaker with Landa only serving four times. Moscoso winners kept Landa off the board on those four occasions.
In the semis, Moscoso will face Mexican veteran Alvaro Beltran, who got the best of a young Mexican in Gerardo Franco, winning 15-11, 15-5.
Look for the action via the usual IRT sources: the IRT Facebook page or the IRT YouTube channel. The semi-finals will be Saturday at noon and 2 PM with the singles final at 1 PM Sunday. The doubles final will be Saturday at 7 PM. The time in Cochabamba is the same as Eastern time in North America.
2019 Open Bolivia American Iris, March 27-31, 2019
Cochabamba, Bolivia
Quarterfinals - Friday
1) Rocky Carson d. Carlos Keller, 15-8, 15-11
5) Mario Mercado d. 4) Andree Parrilla, 15-7, 15-11
3) Alvaro Beltran d. Gerardo Franco, 15-11, 15-5
Conrrado Moscoso d. 2) Alejandro Landa, 15-9, 11-15, 11-0
Semi-finals - Saturday
1) Rocky Carson v. 5) Mario Mercado - Noon
3) Alvaro Beltran v. Conrrado Moscoso - 2 PM
IRT Doubles - Quarterfinals - Friday
1) Alvaro Beltran & Alejandro Landa d. 8) Kadim Carrasco & Carlos Keller, 15-12, 15-8
5) Felipe Camacho & Rocky Carson d. 4) Eduardo Garay & Mario Mercado, 15-12, 15-14
6) Roland Keller & Conrrado Moscoso d. 3) Jake Bredenbeck & David Horn, 13-15, 15-10, 11-4
2) Rodrigo Montoya & Andree Parrilla d. 7) Gerardo Franco & Eduardo Portillo, 15-8, 15-6
IRT Doubles - Semi-finals - Friday
5) Felipe Camacho & Rocky Carson d. 1) Alvaro Beltran & Alejandro Landa, 4-15, 15-6, 11-7
6) Roland Keller & Conrrado Moscoso d. 2) Rodrigo Montoya & Andree Parrilla, 15-3, 15-11
IRT Doubles - Final - Saturday
5) Felipe Camacho & Rocky Carson v. 6) Roland Keller & Conrrado Moscoso - 7 PM
Follow the bouncing ball….
2019 LPRT Bolivia American Iris Open - Quarterfinals
Angelica Barrios did it again! She knocked off another top 5 seed at the 2019 Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) Bolivia American Iris Open in Cochabamba, Bolivia. This time Barrios came back from a game down to beat 4th seed Rhonda Rajsich, 5-11, 13-11, 11-8, 11-6, in the quarterfinals. Barrios was playing in her first LPRT quarterfinal, and will play her first semi-final Saturday against top seed Samantha Salas.
Salas had as close a match as possible yet won in three straight games over 9th seed Yazmine Sabja, 12-10, 12-10, 13-11. Sabja fought off three game points in game one. They went back and forth six times at 9-9 in game two. Sabja finally had a game point of her own in game three, when she had three of them leading 11-10. But Salas fought all of those off, and then on her second match point, won the game and match with a forehand on the left side of the court.
The bottom of the draw has gone to form, as 2nd seed Alexandra Herrera will face 3rd seed Maria Jose Vargas in the semi-finals. In the quarters, Herrera defeated Maisel Rivera, 2-11, 11-6, 11-2, 11-2, and Vargas beat her doubles partner Natalia Mendez, 11-6, 11-5, 11-4.
Doubles
Reportedly, Rajsich hurt her knee is singles. They had medical staff at the tournament, and she went to an MRI, but the initial diagnosis was not good. In fact, she was advised not to play doubles. However, Rajsich hasn’t defaulted a match ever, and she wasn’t going to let this be the first one. So, she played with Salas, and they defeated Brenda Laime and Masiel Rivera, 15-10, 15-11.
The young team of Laime and Rivera had the lead early in game one at 6-2. But the veterans Rajsich and Salas caught up, and they were back and forth in the middle of the game with ties at 7-7 and 9-9. Then the vets eked ahead at 13-9, and were able to close it out when Salas hit a forehand cross court winner to make it 15-10.
In game two, Rajsich and Salas took an early lead at 4-1 and then ran it up to 14-2. Rajsich skipped a backhand shot to give up the serve, but the writing was on the wall. However, it took awhile to be read, as Laime and Rivera dug in, and came back to 14-11. But the vets took the serve back, and Salas was able to finish it with a forehand winner from center court over to the right side.
That’s a great win for Rajsich and Salas, but we have to be concerned about Rajsich’s health, especially with the Pan American Championships coming up next month. She is the 2 time defending Pan Am Champion in Women’s Singles.
In the final, they’ll face 3rd seeds Natalia Mendez and Maria Jose Vargas, who were upset winners over 2nd seeds Nancy Enriquez and Alexandra Herrera, 15-7, 12-15, 11-5. After a 2-2 tie early in game one, Mendez and Vargas led the rest of the game winning it with a Vargas forehand to the left side that cracked out.
The converse happened in game two, as Enriquez and Herrera led from 2-2 on. An Enriquez forehand shot ended the game, and forced the tie-breaker.
In the breaker, Enriquez and Herrera had the early lead at 4-2, but Mendez and Vargas caught up at 4-4. They then took the lead at 9-4 with a Vargas service winner from a drive Z serve to the back left corner that Herrera couldn’t return successfully. A backhand pinch by Enriquez got her side the serve back, and they scored a point to make it 9-5.
However, Herrera skipped a forehand shot to surrender the serve. Mendez hit a forehand winner to the right side that cracked out to put her team on match point. Then she hit another forehand winner to the right side from a front court position that won her and Vargas the game, 11-5, and match two games to one.
The singles semi-finals will Saturday at 11 AM and 1 PM. The singles final will be Sunday at 1 PM with the doubles final scheduled for 6 PM Saturday. You can watch the action live via the LPRT website, or the LPRT YouTube channel or its LiveStream channel.
2019 LPRT Open Bolivia American Iris
Cochabamba, Bolivia - March 27-31, 2019
LPRT Singles - Quarterfinals - Friday
1 Samantha Salas d. 9 Yazmine Sabja, 12-10, 12-10, 13-11
12 Angelica Barrios d. 4 Rhonda Rajsich, 5-11, 13-11, 11-8, 11-6
3 Maria Jose Vargas d. 6 Natalia Mendez, 11-6, 11-5, 11-4
2 Alexandra Herrera v. 10 Masiel Rivera, 2-11, 11-6, 11-2, 11-2
LPRT Singles - Semi-finals - Saturday
1 Samantha Salas v. 12 Angelica Barrios - 1 PM
2 Alexandra Herrera v. 3 Maria Jose Vargas - 11 AM
LPRT Doubles - Semi-finals - Friday
1 Rhonda Rajsich & Samantha Salas d. 5 Brenda Laime & Masiel Rivera, 15-10, 15-11
3 Natalia Mendez & Maria Jose Vargas d. 2 Nancy Enriquez & Alexandra Herrera, 15-7, 12-15, 11-5
LPRT Doubles - Semi-finals - Friday
1 Rhonda Rajsich & Samantha Salas v. 3 Natalia Mendez & Maria Jose Vargas - 7 PM
Follow the bouncing ball….
Salas had as close a match as possible yet won in three straight games over 9th seed Yazmine Sabja, 12-10, 12-10, 13-11. Sabja fought off three game points in game one. They went back and forth six times at 9-9 in game two. Sabja finally had a game point of her own in game three, when she had three of them leading 11-10. But Salas fought all of those off, and then on her second match point, won the game and match with a forehand on the left side of the court.
The bottom of the draw has gone to form, as 2nd seed Alexandra Herrera will face 3rd seed Maria Jose Vargas in the semi-finals. In the quarters, Herrera defeated Maisel Rivera, 2-11, 11-6, 11-2, 11-2, and Vargas beat her doubles partner Natalia Mendez, 11-6, 11-5, 11-4.
Doubles
Reportedly, Rajsich hurt her knee is singles. They had medical staff at the tournament, and she went to an MRI, but the initial diagnosis was not good. In fact, she was advised not to play doubles. However, Rajsich hasn’t defaulted a match ever, and she wasn’t going to let this be the first one. So, she played with Salas, and they defeated Brenda Laime and Masiel Rivera, 15-10, 15-11.
The young team of Laime and Rivera had the lead early in game one at 6-2. But the veterans Rajsich and Salas caught up, and they were back and forth in the middle of the game with ties at 7-7 and 9-9. Then the vets eked ahead at 13-9, and were able to close it out when Salas hit a forehand cross court winner to make it 15-10.
In game two, Rajsich and Salas took an early lead at 4-1 and then ran it up to 14-2. Rajsich skipped a backhand shot to give up the serve, but the writing was on the wall. However, it took awhile to be read, as Laime and Rivera dug in, and came back to 14-11. But the vets took the serve back, and Salas was able to finish it with a forehand winner from center court over to the right side.
That’s a great win for Rajsich and Salas, but we have to be concerned about Rajsich’s health, especially with the Pan American Championships coming up next month. She is the 2 time defending Pan Am Champion in Women’s Singles.
In the final, they’ll face 3rd seeds Natalia Mendez and Maria Jose Vargas, who were upset winners over 2nd seeds Nancy Enriquez and Alexandra Herrera, 15-7, 12-15, 11-5. After a 2-2 tie early in game one, Mendez and Vargas led the rest of the game winning it with a Vargas forehand to the left side that cracked out.
The converse happened in game two, as Enriquez and Herrera led from 2-2 on. An Enriquez forehand shot ended the game, and forced the tie-breaker.
In the breaker, Enriquez and Herrera had the early lead at 4-2, but Mendez and Vargas caught up at 4-4. They then took the lead at 9-4 with a Vargas service winner from a drive Z serve to the back left corner that Herrera couldn’t return successfully. A backhand pinch by Enriquez got her side the serve back, and they scored a point to make it 9-5.
However, Herrera skipped a forehand shot to surrender the serve. Mendez hit a forehand winner to the right side that cracked out to put her team on match point. Then she hit another forehand winner to the right side from a front court position that won her and Vargas the game, 11-5, and match two games to one.
The singles semi-finals will Saturday at 11 AM and 1 PM. The singles final will be Sunday at 1 PM with the doubles final scheduled for 6 PM Saturday. You can watch the action live via the LPRT website, or the LPRT YouTube channel or its LiveStream channel.
2019 LPRT Open Bolivia American Iris
Cochabamba, Bolivia - March 27-31, 2019
LPRT Singles - Quarterfinals - Friday
1 Samantha Salas d. 9 Yazmine Sabja, 12-10, 12-10, 13-11
12 Angelica Barrios d. 4 Rhonda Rajsich, 5-11, 13-11, 11-8, 11-6
3 Maria Jose Vargas d. 6 Natalia Mendez, 11-6, 11-5, 11-4
2 Alexandra Herrera v. 10 Masiel Rivera, 2-11, 11-6, 11-2, 11-2
LPRT Singles - Semi-finals - Saturday
1 Samantha Salas v. 12 Angelica Barrios - 1 PM
2 Alexandra Herrera v. 3 Maria Jose Vargas - 11 AM
LPRT Doubles - Semi-finals - Friday
1 Rhonda Rajsich & Samantha Salas d. 5 Brenda Laime & Masiel Rivera, 15-10, 15-11
3 Natalia Mendez & Maria Jose Vargas d. 2 Nancy Enriquez & Alexandra Herrera, 15-7, 12-15, 11-5
LPRT Doubles - Semi-finals - Friday
1 Rhonda Rajsich & Samantha Salas v. 3 Natalia Mendez & Maria Jose Vargas - 7 PM
Follow the bouncing ball….
Thursday, March 28, 2019
2019 LPRT Bolivia American Iris Open - Round of 16
Angelica Barrios - seeded 12th - knocked off the 5th seed Nancy Enriquez in convincing fashion in the Round of 16 at the 2019 Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) Bolivia American Iris Open in Cochabamba, Bolivia, winning 11-5, 11-3, 11-6. The win puts Barrios into the quarterfinals against veteran Rhonda Rajsich, who also had an impressive win in the 16s over Jenny Daza, 11-9, 11-2, 11-1.
Young Micaela Meneses almost caused the upset of the tournament, as she won game one against top seed Samantha Salas. The favourite came back to win the next three games, and take the match 12-14, 11-2, 11-7, 11-2. Salas will play 9th seed Yazmine Sabja in the quarterfinals, as Sabja was an upset winner over 8th seed Cristina Amaya, 11-6, 11-8, 11-9.
But the match of the Round of 16 was between 3rd seed Maria Jose Vargas and 14th seed Valeria Centellas, which went the distance, as Vargas came out on top, 12-10, 11-4, 10-12, 9-11, 11-9. Centellas fought off eight match points: 4 in game three, 3 in game four and 1 in game five. Vargas ended it in style, as she hit a drive serve to the left side for an ace.
It seemed the match would be over in three games, as Vargas led 10-7 in game three. But Centellas is a feisty player, and wasn’t going to go quietly. Yet part of what changed that game and almost the match was a non-hinder call, as Vargas signalled for a hinder, only half hitting the shot. But the referee made no call, so the rally continued for a few more shots before Centellas won it. Vargas protested but the play stood, and she seemed put out by it.
Centellas continued to push forward, and managed to eke out game three, Then she jumped out to a lead in game four. However, Vargas seemed to right ship, as she came back and got to 10 first with a 10-9 lead. But after failing to convert three more match points, Vargas called a time out when she didn’t have any timeouts left. The result was a technical, which made the score 9-9.
Centellas scored the next point to make it 10-9, and it was Vargas’s turn to fight off game points. She did it twice before Centellas was able to end it, and force a fifth game tie-breaker.
In game five, Vargas had control early, as she took a 6-0 lead. But once again Centellas didn’t roll over, as she came back to tie the score at 9-9. Vargas took a timeout at that point, and did have one. When play resumed, Vargas got the serve back, and scored a point to make the score 10-9. On the next rally, Centellas made a get that Vargas thought bounced twice before her opponent got to it, so she stopped playing. However, referee didn’t call two bounces, so Centellas got the side out. It was shades of game three all over again.
But when Centellas hit a lob serve to the right side, Vargas stepped up and hit a winning forehand cross court pass to regain the serve. Then on her 8th match point, Vargas hit a drive serve to the left side that Centellas couldn’t get a racquet on, so Vargas won the match on an ace serve.
There was another tie-breaker with a similar score line, although the result was an upset, as 10th seed Masiel Rivera held on to defeat 7th seed Adriana Riveros, 11-9, 11-8, 9-11, 4-11, 11-9. Rivera will play 2nd seed Alexandra Herrera in the quarters, as Herrera beat 18th seed Romina Rivero, 11-2, 11-7, 11-7.
In doubles, the top seeds Rajsich and Salas faced the reigning International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Champion Women’s Doubles team in Centellas and Sabja, and managed to survive the encounter, winning 15-9, 2-15, 11-8. Rajsich and Salas had a 8-0 lead in the tie-breaker, and it almost wasn’t enough, as Centellas and Sabja got within two at 10-8. The Bolivians held off five match points by the top seeds, three of which were skips by Rajsich, who had set ups on two of those chances.
The end was anticlimatic. Sabja had just hit a forehand winner to fend off another match point on the previous rally, when Salas hit a forehand cross court shot that came off the left wall and Sabja swung at it with her backhand and got nothing but air. She quickly turned to try to hit it somehow to keep the rally going but to no avail.
And with that the match was over, and the World Champs lost.
Rajsich and Salas will play 5th seeds Brenda Laime and Masiel Rivera, who were upset winners over 4th seeds Cristina Amaya and Adriana Riveros, 15-12, 15-9. It was not a good day for either Amaya or Riveros, as both lost in singles as well.
The Round of 16 continues Thursday with the doubles quarterfinals Thursday night. On Friday, the singles quarterfinals will begin at noon with the semi-finals Saturday at 11 AM and 1 PM. The singles final will be Sunday at 1 PM with the doubles final scheduled for 6 PM Saturday. You can watch the action live via the LPRT website, or the LPRT YouTube channel or its LiveStream channel.
2019 LPRT Open Bolivia American Iris
Cochabamba, Bolivia - March 27-31, 2019
LPRT Singles - Round of 16 - Thursday
1 Samantha Salas d. 16 Micaela Meneses, 12-14, 11-2, 11-7, 11-2
9 Yazmine Sabja d. 8 Cristina Amaya, 11-6, 11-8, 11-9
12 Angelica Barrios d. 5 Nancy Enriquez, 11-5, 11-3, 11-6
4 Rhonda Rajsich d. 13 Jenny Daza, 11-9, 11-3, 11-0
3 Maria Jose Vargas d. 14 Valeria Centellas, 12-10, 11-4, 10-12, 9-11, 11-9
6 Natalia Mendez v. 11 Brenda Laime, 11-9, 11-2, 11-1
10 Masiel Rivera d. 7 Adriana Riveros, 11-9, 11-8, 9-11, 4-11, 11-9
2 Alexandra Herrera d. 18 Romina Rivero, 11-2, 11-7, 11-7
LPRT Singles - Quarterfinals - Friday
1 Samantha Salas v. 9 Yazmine Sabja - 3 PM
4 Rhonda Rajsich v. 12 Angelica Barrios - Noon
3 Maria Jose Vargas v. 6 Natalia Mendez - 1 PM
2 Alexandra Herrera v. 10 Masiel Rivera - 2 PM
LPRT Doubles - Quarterfinals - Thursday
1 Rhonda Rajsich & Samantha Salas d. 8 Valeria Centellas & Yazmine Sabja, 15-9, 3-15, 11-8
5 Brenda Laime & Masiel Rivera d. 4 Cristina Amaya & Adriana Riveros, 15-12, 15-9
3 Natalia Mendez & Maria Jose Vargas d. 6 Angelica Barrios & Jenny Daza, 15-5, 15-9
2 Nancy Enriquez & Alexandra Herrera d. 7 Daniela Molina & Andrea Garcia, 15-8, 15-7
LPRT Doubles - Semi-finals - Friday
1 Rhonda Rajsich & Samantha Salas v. 5 Brenda Laime & Masiel Rivera - 8 PM
2 Nancy Enriquez & Alexandra Herrera v. 3 Natalia Mendez & Maria Jose Vargas - 7 PM
Follow the bouncing ball….
Young Micaela Meneses almost caused the upset of the tournament, as she won game one against top seed Samantha Salas. The favourite came back to win the next three games, and take the match 12-14, 11-2, 11-7, 11-2. Salas will play 9th seed Yazmine Sabja in the quarterfinals, as Sabja was an upset winner over 8th seed Cristina Amaya, 11-6, 11-8, 11-9.
But the match of the Round of 16 was between 3rd seed Maria Jose Vargas and 14th seed Valeria Centellas, which went the distance, as Vargas came out on top, 12-10, 11-4, 10-12, 9-11, 11-9. Centellas fought off eight match points: 4 in game three, 3 in game four and 1 in game five. Vargas ended it in style, as she hit a drive serve to the left side for an ace.
It seemed the match would be over in three games, as Vargas led 10-7 in game three. But Centellas is a feisty player, and wasn’t going to go quietly. Yet part of what changed that game and almost the match was a non-hinder call, as Vargas signalled for a hinder, only half hitting the shot. But the referee made no call, so the rally continued for a few more shots before Centellas won it. Vargas protested but the play stood, and she seemed put out by it.
Centellas continued to push forward, and managed to eke out game three, Then she jumped out to a lead in game four. However, Vargas seemed to right ship, as she came back and got to 10 first with a 10-9 lead. But after failing to convert three more match points, Vargas called a time out when she didn’t have any timeouts left. The result was a technical, which made the score 9-9.
Centellas scored the next point to make it 10-9, and it was Vargas’s turn to fight off game points. She did it twice before Centellas was able to end it, and force a fifth game tie-breaker.
In game five, Vargas had control early, as she took a 6-0 lead. But once again Centellas didn’t roll over, as she came back to tie the score at 9-9. Vargas took a timeout at that point, and did have one. When play resumed, Vargas got the serve back, and scored a point to make the score 10-9. On the next rally, Centellas made a get that Vargas thought bounced twice before her opponent got to it, so she stopped playing. However, referee didn’t call two bounces, so Centellas got the side out. It was shades of game three all over again.
But when Centellas hit a lob serve to the right side, Vargas stepped up and hit a winning forehand cross court pass to regain the serve. Then on her 8th match point, Vargas hit a drive serve to the left side that Centellas couldn’t get a racquet on, so Vargas won the match on an ace serve.
There was another tie-breaker with a similar score line, although the result was an upset, as 10th seed Masiel Rivera held on to defeat 7th seed Adriana Riveros, 11-9, 11-8, 9-11, 4-11, 11-9. Rivera will play 2nd seed Alexandra Herrera in the quarters, as Herrera beat 18th seed Romina Rivero, 11-2, 11-7, 11-7.
In doubles, the top seeds Rajsich and Salas faced the reigning International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Champion Women’s Doubles team in Centellas and Sabja, and managed to survive the encounter, winning 15-9, 2-15, 11-8. Rajsich and Salas had a 8-0 lead in the tie-breaker, and it almost wasn’t enough, as Centellas and Sabja got within two at 10-8. The Bolivians held off five match points by the top seeds, three of which were skips by Rajsich, who had set ups on two of those chances.
The end was anticlimatic. Sabja had just hit a forehand winner to fend off another match point on the previous rally, when Salas hit a forehand cross court shot that came off the left wall and Sabja swung at it with her backhand and got nothing but air. She quickly turned to try to hit it somehow to keep the rally going but to no avail.
And with that the match was over, and the World Champs lost.
Rajsich and Salas will play 5th seeds Brenda Laime and Masiel Rivera, who were upset winners over 4th seeds Cristina Amaya and Adriana Riveros, 15-12, 15-9. It was not a good day for either Amaya or Riveros, as both lost in singles as well.
The Round of 16 continues Thursday with the doubles quarterfinals Thursday night. On Friday, the singles quarterfinals will begin at noon with the semi-finals Saturday at 11 AM and 1 PM. The singles final will be Sunday at 1 PM with the doubles final scheduled for 6 PM Saturday. You can watch the action live via the LPRT website, or the LPRT YouTube channel or its LiveStream channel.
2019 LPRT Open Bolivia American Iris
Cochabamba, Bolivia - March 27-31, 2019
LPRT Singles - Round of 16 - Thursday
1 Samantha Salas d. 16 Micaela Meneses, 12-14, 11-2, 11-7, 11-2
9 Yazmine Sabja d. 8 Cristina Amaya, 11-6, 11-8, 11-9
12 Angelica Barrios d. 5 Nancy Enriquez, 11-5, 11-3, 11-6
4 Rhonda Rajsich d. 13 Jenny Daza, 11-9, 11-3, 11-0
3 Maria Jose Vargas d. 14 Valeria Centellas, 12-10, 11-4, 10-12, 9-11, 11-9
6 Natalia Mendez v. 11 Brenda Laime, 11-9, 11-2, 11-1
10 Masiel Rivera d. 7 Adriana Riveros, 11-9, 11-8, 9-11, 4-11, 11-9
2 Alexandra Herrera d. 18 Romina Rivero, 11-2, 11-7, 11-7
LPRT Singles - Quarterfinals - Friday
1 Samantha Salas v. 9 Yazmine Sabja - 3 PM
4 Rhonda Rajsich v. 12 Angelica Barrios - Noon
3 Maria Jose Vargas v. 6 Natalia Mendez - 1 PM
2 Alexandra Herrera v. 10 Masiel Rivera - 2 PM
LPRT Doubles - Quarterfinals - Thursday
1 Rhonda Rajsich & Samantha Salas d. 8 Valeria Centellas & Yazmine Sabja, 15-9, 3-15, 11-8
5 Brenda Laime & Masiel Rivera d. 4 Cristina Amaya & Adriana Riveros, 15-12, 15-9
3 Natalia Mendez & Maria Jose Vargas d. 6 Angelica Barrios & Jenny Daza, 15-5, 15-9
2 Nancy Enriquez & Alexandra Herrera d. 7 Daniela Molina & Andrea Garcia, 15-8, 15-7
LPRT Doubles - Semi-finals - Friday
1 Rhonda Rajsich & Samantha Salas v. 5 Brenda Laime & Masiel Rivera - 8 PM
2 Nancy Enriquez & Alexandra Herrera v. 3 Natalia Mendez & Maria Jose Vargas - 7 PM
Follow the bouncing ball….
2019 IRT Bolivia American Iris Open - Round of 16
There were wins by the home country players in the Round of 16 at the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) 2019 Bolivia American Iris Open in Cochabamba, Bolivia, as Conrrado Moscoso and Carlos Keller knocked off the 7th and 8th seeds, respectively. Moscoso got the better of 7th seed David Horn, 15-5, 15-6, and Keller defeated 8th seed Jake Bredenbeck, 15-14, 15-6. Thomas Carter went the distance with Keller coming out on top, 15-5, 12-15, 11-7.
Those wins put the Bolivians into the quarterfinals against the top two seeds. Keller will play top seed Rocky Carson, who defeated Kadim Carrasco, 15-2, 15-4, in the 16s. Moscoso will face 2nd seed Alejandro Landa, who defeated Diego Garcia, 15-13, 15-2.
But the biggest upset came from Gerardo Franco, who defeated 6th seed Rodrigo Montoya, 13-15, 15-5, 11-10. Franco and Montoya, who is also the current International Racquetball Federation (IRF) Men’s Singles World Champion, were close in the tie-breaker, and they tied at 6-6. From there it was Montoya who went out to a 9-6 lead. However, Franco tied the score again at 9-9, and then got to 10 first, leading 10-9. But Montoya fought off match point, and then got one of his own. However, he couldn’t convert it, and that gave Franco another chance, which he took advantage of.
Also in one of our matches to watch, 4th seed Andree Parrilla pulled out a close match against Eduardo Portillo, 15-14, 15-9. Portillo, the current International Racquetball Federation (IRF) Boy’s U18 World Junior Champion, was up 14-7 in game one, but Parrilla, who not much older than Portillo, managed to prevent Portillo from getting that last as he came all the way back to win game one. In game two, they were neck and neck until 9-9, when Parrilla put together a run of six points to win the match in two straight games.
They have been having some issues with getting the live streaming to work in Cochabamba, but look for the action via the usual IRT sources: the IRT Facebook page or the IRT YouTube channel. The Round of 16 continues Thursday with the quarterfinals Friday afternoon from 1 PM on. The semi-finals will be Saturday at noon and 2 PM with the singles final at 1 PM Sunday. For doubles, the Round of 16 will be Thursday at 5 and 6 PM with the quarterfinals Friday morning at 10 and 11 AM. The doubles semi-finals will be Friday night at 7 and 8 PM with the final Saturday at 7 PM. The time in Cochabamba is the same as Eastern time in North America.
2019 Open Bolivia American Iris, March 27-31, 2019
Cochabamba, Bolivia
Round of 16 - Thursday
1) Rocky Carson d. Kadim Carrasco, 15-2, 15-4
Carlos Keller d. 8) Jake Bredenbeck, 15-14, 15-6
5) Mario Mercado d. Robert Collins, 15-10, 15-11
4) Andree Parrilla d. Eduardo Portillo, 15-14, 15-9
3) Alvaro Beltran d. Eduardo Garay, 15-10, 15-13
Gerardo Franco d. 6) Rodrigo Montoya, 13-15, 15-5, 11-10
Conrrado Moscoso d. 7) David Horn, 15-5, 15-6
2) Alejandro Landa d. Diego Garcia, 15-13, 15-2
Quarterfinals - Friday
1) Rocky Carson v. Carlos Keller - 1 PM
4) Andree Parrilla v. 5) Mario Mercado - 2 PM
3) Alvaro Beltran v. Gerardo Franco - 3 PM
2) Alejandro Landa v. Conrrado Moscoso - 4 PM
IRT Doubles - Round of 16 - Thursday
1) Alvaro Beltran & Alejandro Landa - BYE
8) Kadim Carrasco & Carlos Keller d. 9) Robert Collins & Mauricio Zelada, 15-14, 15-11
5) Felipe Camacho & Rocky Carson d. 12) Fernando Ruiz & Hans Mendez, 15-10, 15-11
4) Eduardo Garay & Mario Mercado d. 13) Rafael Gatica & Johan Igor, 15-5, 15-5
3) Jake Bredenbeck & David Horn d. 14) Jose Subieta & Roger Subieta, 15-5, 15-4
6) Roland Keller & Conrrado Moscoso d. 11) Hanzel Martinez & Juan Salvatierra, 15-8, 15-4
7) Gerardo Franco & Eduardo Portillo d. 10) Edwin Galicia & Christian Wer, 15-10, 15-4
2) Rodrigo Montoya & Andree Parrilla - BYE
IRT Doubles - Quarterfinals - Friday
1) Alvaro Beltran & Alejandro Landa v. 8) Kadim Carrasco & Carlos Keller - 10 AM
5) Felipe Camacho & Rocky Carson v. 4) Eduardo Garay & Mario Mercado - 10 AM
3) Jake Bredenbeck & David Horn v. 6) Roland Keller & Conrrado Moscoso - 11 AM
2) Rodrigo Montoya & Andree Parrilla v. 7) Gerardo Franco & Eduardo Portillo - 11 AM
Follow the bouncing ball….
Those wins put the Bolivians into the quarterfinals against the top two seeds. Keller will play top seed Rocky Carson, who defeated Kadim Carrasco, 15-2, 15-4, in the 16s. Moscoso will face 2nd seed Alejandro Landa, who defeated Diego Garcia, 15-13, 15-2.
But the biggest upset came from Gerardo Franco, who defeated 6th seed Rodrigo Montoya, 13-15, 15-5, 11-10. Franco and Montoya, who is also the current International Racquetball Federation (IRF) Men’s Singles World Champion, were close in the tie-breaker, and they tied at 6-6. From there it was Montoya who went out to a 9-6 lead. However, Franco tied the score again at 9-9, and then got to 10 first, leading 10-9. But Montoya fought off match point, and then got one of his own. However, he couldn’t convert it, and that gave Franco another chance, which he took advantage of.
Also in one of our matches to watch, 4th seed Andree Parrilla pulled out a close match against Eduardo Portillo, 15-14, 15-9. Portillo, the current International Racquetball Federation (IRF) Boy’s U18 World Junior Champion, was up 14-7 in game one, but Parrilla, who not much older than Portillo, managed to prevent Portillo from getting that last as he came all the way back to win game one. In game two, they were neck and neck until 9-9, when Parrilla put together a run of six points to win the match in two straight games.
They have been having some issues with getting the live streaming to work in Cochabamba, but look for the action via the usual IRT sources: the IRT Facebook page or the IRT YouTube channel. The Round of 16 continues Thursday with the quarterfinals Friday afternoon from 1 PM on. The semi-finals will be Saturday at noon and 2 PM with the singles final at 1 PM Sunday. For doubles, the Round of 16 will be Thursday at 5 and 6 PM with the quarterfinals Friday morning at 10 and 11 AM. The doubles semi-finals will be Friday night at 7 and 8 PM with the final Saturday at 7 PM. The time in Cochabamba is the same as Eastern time in North America.
2019 Open Bolivia American Iris, March 27-31, 2019
Cochabamba, Bolivia
Round of 16 - Thursday
1) Rocky Carson d. Kadim Carrasco, 15-2, 15-4
Carlos Keller d. 8) Jake Bredenbeck, 15-14, 15-6
5) Mario Mercado d. Robert Collins, 15-10, 15-11
4) Andree Parrilla d. Eduardo Portillo, 15-14, 15-9
3) Alvaro Beltran d. Eduardo Garay, 15-10, 15-13
Gerardo Franco d. 6) Rodrigo Montoya, 13-15, 15-5, 11-10
Conrrado Moscoso d. 7) David Horn, 15-5, 15-6
2) Alejandro Landa d. Diego Garcia, 15-13, 15-2
Quarterfinals - Friday
1) Rocky Carson v. Carlos Keller - 1 PM
4) Andree Parrilla v. 5) Mario Mercado - 2 PM
3) Alvaro Beltran v. Gerardo Franco - 3 PM
2) Alejandro Landa v. Conrrado Moscoso - 4 PM
IRT Doubles - Round of 16 - Thursday
1) Alvaro Beltran & Alejandro Landa - BYE
8) Kadim Carrasco & Carlos Keller d. 9) Robert Collins & Mauricio Zelada, 15-14, 15-11
5) Felipe Camacho & Rocky Carson d. 12) Fernando Ruiz & Hans Mendez, 15-10, 15-11
4) Eduardo Garay & Mario Mercado d. 13) Rafael Gatica & Johan Igor, 15-5, 15-5
3) Jake Bredenbeck & David Horn d. 14) Jose Subieta & Roger Subieta, 15-5, 15-4
6) Roland Keller & Conrrado Moscoso d. 11) Hanzel Martinez & Juan Salvatierra, 15-8, 15-4
7) Gerardo Franco & Eduardo Portillo d. 10) Edwin Galicia & Christian Wer, 15-10, 15-4
2) Rodrigo Montoya & Andree Parrilla - BYE
IRT Doubles - Quarterfinals - Friday
1) Alvaro Beltran & Alejandro Landa v. 8) Kadim Carrasco & Carlos Keller - 10 AM
5) Felipe Camacho & Rocky Carson v. 4) Eduardo Garay & Mario Mercado - 10 AM
3) Jake Bredenbeck & David Horn v. 6) Roland Keller & Conrrado Moscoso - 11 AM
2) Rodrigo Montoya & Andree Parrilla v. 7) Gerardo Franco & Eduardo Portillo - 11 AM
Follow the bouncing ball….
2019 LPRT Bolivia American Iris Open - Round of 32
There was only one upset in the first round of play in the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) division at the Bolivia American Iris Open Thursday in Cochabamba, Bolivia, and it happened in the last match of the Round of 16, as 18th Romina Rivero defeated 15th seed Daniela Molina, 11-5, 11-6, 11-0. Other highlights of round one were the wins by veteran Jenny Daza over Gabriela Del Granado, 12-10, 11-5, 11-5, and International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Junior Champion Valeria Centellas, who defeated Andrea Garcia, 11-6, 11-0, 11-4.
The Round of 16 will be Thursday afternoon and evening. The quarterfinals will be Friday afternoon and semi-finals Saturday at 11 AM and 1 PM. The singles final will be Sunday at 1 PM with the doubles final scheduled for 6 PM Saturday. You can watch the action live via the LPRT website, or the LPRT YouTube channel or its LiveStream channel.
2019 LPRT Open Bolivia American Iris
Cochabamba, Bolivia - March 27-31, 2019
LPRT Singles - Round of 32 - Thursday
1 Samantha Salas - BYE
16 Micaela Meneses d. 17 Andrea Michelle Quiroga Aparacio, 11-6, 11-3, 3-11 [sic]
9 Yazmine Sabja - BYE
8 Cristina Amaya - BYE
5 Nancy Enriquez - BYE
12 Angelica Barrios d. 21 Nineth Rodriguez, 11-5, 11-4, 11-3
13 Jenny Daza d. 20 Gabriela Del Granado, 12-10, 11-5, 11-5
4 Rhonda Rajsich - BYE
3 Maria Jose Vargas - BYE
14 Valeria Centellas d. 19 Andrea Garcia, 11-6, 11-0, 11-4
11 Brenda Laime d. 22 Camila Rivero, 11-2, 11-5, 11-5
6 Natalia Mendez - BYE
7 Adriana Riveros - BYE
10 Masiel Rivera d. 23 Melissa Edith Mazuelos Saavedra, 11-5, 11-0, 11-2
18 Romina Rivero d. 15 Daniela Molina, 11-5, 11-6, 11-0
2 Alexandra Herrera - BYE
LPRT Singles - Round of 16 - Thursday
1 Samantha Salas v. 16 Micaela Meneses - 6 PM
8 Cristina Amaya v. 9 Yazmine Sabja - 6 PM
5 Nancy Enriquez v. 12 Angelica Barrios - 3 PM
4 Rhonda Rajsich v. 13 Jenny Daza - 3 PM
3 Maria Jose Vargas v. 14 Valeria Centellas - 4 PM
6 Natalia Mendez v. 11 Brenda Laime - 4 PM
7 Adriana Riveros v. 10 Masiel Rivera - 5 PM
2 Alexandra Herrera v. 18 Romina Rivero - 5 PM
LPRT Doubles - Quarterfinals - Thursday
1 Rhonda Rajsich & Samantha Salas v. 8 Valeria Centellas & Yazmine Sabja - 8 PM
4 Cristina Amaya & Adriana Riveros v. 5 Brenda Laime & Masiel Rivera - 8 PM
3 Natalia Mendez & Maria Jose Vargas v. 6 Angelica Barrios & Jenny Daza - 7 PM
2 Nancy Enriquez & Alexandra Herrera v. 7 Nancy Enriquez & Andrea Garcãa - 7 PM
Follow the bouncing ball….
The Round of 16 will be Thursday afternoon and evening. The quarterfinals will be Friday afternoon and semi-finals Saturday at 11 AM and 1 PM. The singles final will be Sunday at 1 PM with the doubles final scheduled for 6 PM Saturday. You can watch the action live via the LPRT website, or the LPRT YouTube channel or its LiveStream channel.
2019 LPRT Open Bolivia American Iris
Cochabamba, Bolivia - March 27-31, 2019
LPRT Singles - Round of 32 - Thursday
1 Samantha Salas - BYE
16 Micaela Meneses d. 17 Andrea Michelle Quiroga Aparacio, 11-6, 11-3, 3-11 [sic]
9 Yazmine Sabja - BYE
8 Cristina Amaya - BYE
5 Nancy Enriquez - BYE
12 Angelica Barrios d. 21 Nineth Rodriguez, 11-5, 11-4, 11-3
13 Jenny Daza d. 20 Gabriela Del Granado, 12-10, 11-5, 11-5
4 Rhonda Rajsich - BYE
3 Maria Jose Vargas - BYE
14 Valeria Centellas d. 19 Andrea Garcia, 11-6, 11-0, 11-4
11 Brenda Laime d. 22 Camila Rivero, 11-2, 11-5, 11-5
6 Natalia Mendez - BYE
7 Adriana Riveros - BYE
10 Masiel Rivera d. 23 Melissa Edith Mazuelos Saavedra, 11-5, 11-0, 11-2
18 Romina Rivero d. 15 Daniela Molina, 11-5, 11-6, 11-0
2 Alexandra Herrera - BYE
LPRT Singles - Round of 16 - Thursday
1 Samantha Salas v. 16 Micaela Meneses - 6 PM
8 Cristina Amaya v. 9 Yazmine Sabja - 6 PM
5 Nancy Enriquez v. 12 Angelica Barrios - 3 PM
4 Rhonda Rajsich v. 13 Jenny Daza - 3 PM
3 Maria Jose Vargas v. 14 Valeria Centellas - 4 PM
6 Natalia Mendez v. 11 Brenda Laime - 4 PM
7 Adriana Riveros v. 10 Masiel Rivera - 5 PM
2 Alexandra Herrera v. 18 Romina Rivero - 5 PM
LPRT Doubles - Quarterfinals - Thursday
1 Rhonda Rajsich & Samantha Salas v. 8 Valeria Centellas & Yazmine Sabja - 8 PM
4 Cristina Amaya & Adriana Riveros v. 5 Brenda Laime & Masiel Rivera - 8 PM
3 Natalia Mendez & Maria Jose Vargas v. 6 Angelica Barrios & Jenny Daza - 7 PM
2 Nancy Enriquez & Alexandra Herrera v. 7 Nancy Enriquez & Andrea Garcãa - 7 PM
Follow the bouncing ball….
Wednesday, March 27, 2019
2019 IRT Bolivia American Iris Open - Second Round
There was one tie-breaker in the second round of play at the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) 2019 Bolivia American Iris Open in Cochabamba, Bolivia, as Carlos Keller and Thomas Carter went the distance with Keller coming out on top, 15-5, 12-15, 11-7. The win puts Keller in the Round of 16 on Thursday against 8th seed Jake Bredenbeck, which should be a great match. They have only played once before, when Bredenbeck won at the 2015 Pan American Championships in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
Keller’s doubles partner, Kadim Carrasco also advanced by beating Mauricio Zelada, 15-1, 15-9. Carrasco will play top seed Rocky Carson in the Round of 16. Across the last 8 seasons - 88 events - Carson has only lost in the Round of 16 twice: once to Bredenbeck in Lombard, Illinois in March 2016, and in November of that year to Alejandro Landa in Atlanta. Both losses were five games tie-breakers. If Carrasco wins Thursday, it would be a major upset.
Other matches to look for in the 16s Thursday are 4th seed Andree Parrilla against Eduardo Portillo, the current International Racquetball Federation (IRF) Boy’s U18 World Junior Champion, and 7th seed David Horn against Conrrado Moscoso, who was runner up to Carson in Men’s Singles at the 2014 IRF World Championships, as well as being a former IRF Boy’s U18 World Junior Champion.
To see the action from Bolivia, go to the IRT Facebook page or the IRT YouTube channel. The preliminary rounds in singles are Wednesday with the Round of 16 on Thursday morning beginning at 10 AM with the quarterfinals Friday afternoon from 1 PM on. The semi-finals will be Saturday at noon and 2 PM with the singles final at 1 PM Sunday. For doubles, the semi-finals will be Friday night at 7 and 8 PM with the final Saturday at 7 PM. The time in Cochabamba is the same as Eastern time in North America.
2019 Open Bolivia American Iris, March 27-31, 2019
Cochabamba, Bolivia
Qualifying Round 2 - Wednesday
Q8) Kadim Carrasco d. Mauricio Zelada, 15-1, 15-9
Q1) Carlos Keller d. Thomas Carter, 15-5, 12-15, 11-7
Q4) Robert Collins d. Franco Gutierrez, 15—4, 15-9
Q5) Eduardo Portillo d. Jairo Perez, 15-2, 15-2
Q6) Eduardo Garay d. Fabian Gutierrez, 15-2, 15-7
Q3) Gerardo Franco d. Sebastian Oãta, 15-7, 15-7
Q2) Conrrado Moscoso d. Felipe Camacho, 15-3, 15-4
Q7) Diego Garcia d. Juan Salvatierra, 15-10, 15-10
Round of 16 - Thursday
1) Rocky Carson v. Kadim Carrasco - 11 AM
8) Jake Bredenbeck v. Carlos Keller - 11 AM
5) Mario Mercado v. Robert Collins - Noon
4) Andree Parrilla v. Eduardo Portillo - Noon
3) Alvaro Beltran v. Eduardo Garay - 1 PM
6) Rodrigo Montoya v. Gerardo Franco - 1 PM
7) David Horn v. Conrrado Moscoso - 10 AM
2) Alejandro Landa v. Diego Garcia - 10 AM
IRT Doubles - Round of 16 - Thursday
1) Alvaro Beltran & Alejandro Landa - BYE
Q8) Kadim Carrasco & Carlos Keller v. 9) Robert Collins & Mauricio Zelada - 5 PM
5) Felipe Camacho & Rocky Carson v. 12) Fernando Ruiz & Hans Mendez - 5 PM
4) Eduardo Garay & Mario Mercado v. 13) Rafael Gatica & Johan Igor - 6 PM
3) Jake Bredenbeck & David Horn v. 14) Jose Subieta & Roger Subieta - 6 PM
6) Roland Keller & Conrrado Moscoso v. 11) Hanzel Martinez & Juan Salvatierra - 6 PM
7) Gerardo Franco & Eduardo Portillo v. 10) Edwin Galicia & Christian Wer - 5 PM
2) Rodrigo Montoya & Andree Parrilla - BYE
Follow the bouncing ball….
Keller’s doubles partner, Kadim Carrasco also advanced by beating Mauricio Zelada, 15-1, 15-9. Carrasco will play top seed Rocky Carson in the Round of 16. Across the last 8 seasons - 88 events - Carson has only lost in the Round of 16 twice: once to Bredenbeck in Lombard, Illinois in March 2016, and in November of that year to Alejandro Landa in Atlanta. Both losses were five games tie-breakers. If Carrasco wins Thursday, it would be a major upset.
Other matches to look for in the 16s Thursday are 4th seed Andree Parrilla against Eduardo Portillo, the current International Racquetball Federation (IRF) Boy’s U18 World Junior Champion, and 7th seed David Horn against Conrrado Moscoso, who was runner up to Carson in Men’s Singles at the 2014 IRF World Championships, as well as being a former IRF Boy’s U18 World Junior Champion.
To see the action from Bolivia, go to the IRT Facebook page or the IRT YouTube channel. The preliminary rounds in singles are Wednesday with the Round of 16 on Thursday morning beginning at 10 AM with the quarterfinals Friday afternoon from 1 PM on. The semi-finals will be Saturday at noon and 2 PM with the singles final at 1 PM Sunday. For doubles, the semi-finals will be Friday night at 7 and 8 PM with the final Saturday at 7 PM. The time in Cochabamba is the same as Eastern time in North America.
2019 Open Bolivia American Iris, March 27-31, 2019
Cochabamba, Bolivia
Qualifying Round 2 - Wednesday
Q8) Kadim Carrasco d. Mauricio Zelada, 15-1, 15-9
Q1) Carlos Keller d. Thomas Carter, 15-5, 12-15, 11-7
Q4) Robert Collins d. Franco Gutierrez, 15—4, 15-9
Q5) Eduardo Portillo d. Jairo Perez, 15-2, 15-2
Q6) Eduardo Garay d. Fabian Gutierrez, 15-2, 15-7
Q3) Gerardo Franco d. Sebastian Oãta, 15-7, 15-7
Q2) Conrrado Moscoso d. Felipe Camacho, 15-3, 15-4
Q7) Diego Garcia d. Juan Salvatierra, 15-10, 15-10
Round of 16 - Thursday
1) Rocky Carson v. Kadim Carrasco - 11 AM
8) Jake Bredenbeck v. Carlos Keller - 11 AM
5) Mario Mercado v. Robert Collins - Noon
4) Andree Parrilla v. Eduardo Portillo - Noon
3) Alvaro Beltran v. Eduardo Garay - 1 PM
6) Rodrigo Montoya v. Gerardo Franco - 1 PM
7) David Horn v. Conrrado Moscoso - 10 AM
2) Alejandro Landa v. Diego Garcia - 10 AM
IRT Doubles - Round of 16 - Thursday
1) Alvaro Beltran & Alejandro Landa - BYE
Q8) Kadim Carrasco & Carlos Keller v. 9) Robert Collins & Mauricio Zelada - 5 PM
5) Felipe Camacho & Rocky Carson v. 12) Fernando Ruiz & Hans Mendez - 5 PM
4) Eduardo Garay & Mario Mercado v. 13) Rafael Gatica & Johan Igor - 6 PM
3) Jake Bredenbeck & David Horn v. 14) Jose Subieta & Roger Subieta - 6 PM
6) Roland Keller & Conrrado Moscoso v. 11) Hanzel Martinez & Juan Salvatierra - 6 PM
7) Gerardo Franco & Eduardo Portillo v. 10) Edwin Galicia & Christian Wer - 5 PM
2) Rodrigo Montoya & Andree Parrilla - BYE
Follow the bouncing ball….
2019 IRT Bolivia American Iris Open - First round
In the first round of play at the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) 2019 Bolivia American Iris Open in Cochabamba, Bolivia, there were few surprises, although some upsets did occur. In general, it was Guatemala players who came out on the short end, as three of them suffered first round losses.
Twentieth seed Hanzel Martinez lost to Jairo Perez, 15-6, 6-15, 11-3. Edwin Galicia, 21st seed, lost to Franco Gutierrez and Christian Wer, the 22nd seed, lost to Sebastian Oãa, 15-6, 15-14. However, their Guatemalan compatriot - 18th seed Juan Salvatierra won his match over Hans Mendez, 15-12, 15-14, and will play Diego Garcia in the next round.
The second round of matches begins at 5 PM Wendesday.
To see the action from Bolivia, go to the IRT Facebook page or the IRT YouTube channel. The preliminary rounds in singles are Wednesday with the Round of 16 on Thursday morning beginning at 10 AM with the quarterfinals Friday afternoon from 1 PM on. The semi-finals will be Saturday at noon and 2 PM with the singles final at 1 PM Sunday. For doubles, the semi-finals will be Friday night at 7 and 8 PM with the final Saturday at 7 PM. The time in Cochabamba is the same as Eastern time in North America.
2019 Open Bolivia American Iris, March 27-31, 2019
Cochabamba, Bolivia
Qualifying Round 1 - Wednesday
Kadim Carrasco d. Sergio Victor Delgadillo Galván, 15-4, 15-10
Mauricio Zelada d. Erick Ramiro Echalar Orihuela, 15-5, 15-7
Thomas Carter d. Gustavo Medrano Michel, 15-4, 15-11
Carlos Keller d. Gerson Miranda Martinez, 15-9, 15-0
Franco Gutierrez d. Edwin Galicia, 15-11, 15-5
Robert Collins d. Diego Gatica, 15-1, 15-4
Eduardo Portillo d. Johan Igor, 15-0, 15-5
Jairo Perez d. Hanzel Martinez, 15-6, 6-15, 11-3
Eduardo Garay d. Esteban Reque, 15-0, 15-1
Fabian Gutierrez d. Set Cubillos, 15-6, 15-7
Gerardo Franco d. Miguel Angel Arteage Guzman, 15-4, 15-6
Sebastian Oãta d. Christian Wer, 15-6, 15-14
Conrrado Moscoso d. Fernando Ruiz, 15-6, 15-2
Felipe Camacho d. Roger Subieta, 15-2, 15-4
Diego Garcia d. Francisco Cherroni, 15-0, 15-3
Juan Salvatierra d. Hans Mendez, 15-12, 15-14
Qualifying Round 2 - Wednesday
Q8) Kadim Carrasco v. Mauricio Zelada - 5 PM
Q1) Thomas Carter v. Carlos Keller - 5 PM
Q4) Edwin Galicia v. Robert Collins - 6 PM
Q5) Eduardo Portillo v. Jairo Perez - 6 PM
Q6) Eduardo Garay v. Fabian Gutierrez - 6 PM
Q3) Gerardo Franco v. Sebastian Oãta - 5 PM
Q2) Conrrado Moscoso v. Felipe Camacho - 5 PM
Q7) Diego Garcia v. Juan Salvatierra - 6 PM
Round of 16 - Thursday
1) Rocky Carson v. Q8 - 11 AM
8) Jake Bredenbeck v. Q1 - 11 AM
5) Mario Mercado v. Q4 - Noon
4) Andree Parrilla v. Q5 - Noon
3) Alvaro Beltran v. Q6 - 1 PM
6) Rodrigo Montoya v. Q3 - 1 PM
7) David Horn v. Q2 - 10 AM
2) Alejandro Landa v. Q7 - 10 AM
IRT Doubles - Round of 16 - Thursday
1) Alvaro Beltran & Alejandro Landa - BYE
Q8) Kadim Carrasco & Carlos Keller v. 9) Robert Collins & Mauricio Zelada - 5 PM
5) Felipe Camacho & Rocky Carson v. 12) Fernando Ruiz & Hans Mendez - 5 PM
4) Eduardo Garay & Mario Mercado v. 13) Rafael Gatica & Johan Igor - 6 PM
3) Jake Bredenbeck & David Horn v. 14) Jose Subieta & Roger Subieta - 6 PM
6) Roland Keller & Conrrado Moscoso v. 11) Hanzel Martinez & Juan Salvatierra - 6 PM
7) Gerardo Franco & Eduardo Portillo v. 10) Edwin Galicia & Christian Wer - 5 PM
2) Rodrigo Montoya & Andree Parrilla - BYE
Follow the bouncing ball….
Twentieth seed Hanzel Martinez lost to Jairo Perez, 15-6, 6-15, 11-3. Edwin Galicia, 21st seed, lost to Franco Gutierrez and Christian Wer, the 22nd seed, lost to Sebastian Oãa, 15-6, 15-14. However, their Guatemalan compatriot - 18th seed Juan Salvatierra won his match over Hans Mendez, 15-12, 15-14, and will play Diego Garcia in the next round.
The second round of matches begins at 5 PM Wendesday.
To see the action from Bolivia, go to the IRT Facebook page or the IRT YouTube channel. The preliminary rounds in singles are Wednesday with the Round of 16 on Thursday morning beginning at 10 AM with the quarterfinals Friday afternoon from 1 PM on. The semi-finals will be Saturday at noon and 2 PM with the singles final at 1 PM Sunday. For doubles, the semi-finals will be Friday night at 7 and 8 PM with the final Saturday at 7 PM. The time in Cochabamba is the same as Eastern time in North America.
2019 Open Bolivia American Iris, March 27-31, 2019
Cochabamba, Bolivia
Qualifying Round 1 - Wednesday
Kadim Carrasco d. Sergio Victor Delgadillo Galván, 15-4, 15-10
Mauricio Zelada d. Erick Ramiro Echalar Orihuela, 15-5, 15-7
Thomas Carter d. Gustavo Medrano Michel, 15-4, 15-11
Carlos Keller d. Gerson Miranda Martinez, 15-9, 15-0
Franco Gutierrez d. Edwin Galicia, 15-11, 15-5
Robert Collins d. Diego Gatica, 15-1, 15-4
Eduardo Portillo d. Johan Igor, 15-0, 15-5
Jairo Perez d. Hanzel Martinez, 15-6, 6-15, 11-3
Eduardo Garay d. Esteban Reque, 15-0, 15-1
Fabian Gutierrez d. Set Cubillos, 15-6, 15-7
Gerardo Franco d. Miguel Angel Arteage Guzman, 15-4, 15-6
Sebastian Oãta d. Christian Wer, 15-6, 15-14
Conrrado Moscoso d. Fernando Ruiz, 15-6, 15-2
Felipe Camacho d. Roger Subieta, 15-2, 15-4
Diego Garcia d. Francisco Cherroni, 15-0, 15-3
Juan Salvatierra d. Hans Mendez, 15-12, 15-14
Qualifying Round 2 - Wednesday
Q8) Kadim Carrasco v. Mauricio Zelada - 5 PM
Q1) Thomas Carter v. Carlos Keller - 5 PM
Q4) Edwin Galicia v. Robert Collins - 6 PM
Q5) Eduardo Portillo v. Jairo Perez - 6 PM
Q6) Eduardo Garay v. Fabian Gutierrez - 6 PM
Q3) Gerardo Franco v. Sebastian Oãta - 5 PM
Q2) Conrrado Moscoso v. Felipe Camacho - 5 PM
Q7) Diego Garcia v. Juan Salvatierra - 6 PM
Round of 16 - Thursday
1) Rocky Carson v. Q8 - 11 AM
8) Jake Bredenbeck v. Q1 - 11 AM
5) Mario Mercado v. Q4 - Noon
4) Andree Parrilla v. Q5 - Noon
3) Alvaro Beltran v. Q6 - 1 PM
6) Rodrigo Montoya v. Q3 - 1 PM
7) David Horn v. Q2 - 10 AM
2) Alejandro Landa v. Q7 - 10 AM
IRT Doubles - Round of 16 - Thursday
1) Alvaro Beltran & Alejandro Landa - BYE
Q8) Kadim Carrasco & Carlos Keller v. 9) Robert Collins & Mauricio Zelada - 5 PM
5) Felipe Camacho & Rocky Carson v. 12) Fernando Ruiz & Hans Mendez - 5 PM
4) Eduardo Garay & Mario Mercado v. 13) Rafael Gatica & Johan Igor - 6 PM
3) Jake Bredenbeck & David Horn v. 14) Jose Subieta & Roger Subieta - 6 PM
6) Roland Keller & Conrrado Moscoso v. 11) Hanzel Martinez & Juan Salvatierra - 6 PM
7) Gerardo Franco & Eduardo Portillo v. 10) Edwin Galicia & Christian Wer - 5 PM
2) Rodrigo Montoya & Andree Parrilla - BYE
Follow the bouncing ball….
2019 IRT Bolivia American Iris Open - Preview
The International Racquetball Tour (IRT) division of the Bolivia American Iris Open begins Wedneday in Cochabamba, Bolivia. That’s today!, so it’s time for our preview. The Bolivia Open is both an IRT and a Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) event, so it’s a true Grand Slam, which is great. There are also 357 players in the event as a whole, which must make it one of the biggest racquetball events in the world. Also great.
Rocky Carson is the top seed in the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) draw, as IRT #1 Kane Waselenchuk didn’t make the trip to Bolivia. Also missing are top 10 players Daniel De La Rosa (#4), Samuel Murray (#7), Sebastian Franco (#8) and Jose Diaz (#9). But six of the IRT #11-20 are in Bolivia, so over half of the top 20 are in Cochabamba. This gives an opportunity for others to claim an IRT title.
The Bolivians to watch for are Carlos Keller, the current Pan American Champion in Men’s Singles, and Conrrado Moscoso, who has been on the podium at the International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Championships in both singles and doubles. They are also playing doubles in Cochabamaba, and the teams of Keller and Kadim Carrasco and Moscoso and Roland Keller will both be teams to reckon with.
The top seeds in doubles are Alvaro Beltran and Alejandro Landa with Rodrigo Montoya and Andree Parrilla 2nd seeds, Jake Bredenbeck and David Horn 3rd seeds, and Eduardo Garay and Mario Mercado 4th seeds. The 5th seeded team is the curious combination of Felipe Camacho and Rocky Carson.
To see the action from Bolivia, go to the IRT Facebook page or the IRT YouTube channel. The preliminary rounds in singles are Wednesday with the Round of 16 on Thursday morning beginning at 10 AM with the quarterfinals Friday afternoon from 1 PM on. The semi-finals will be Saturday at noon and 2 PM with the singles final at 1 PM Sunday. For doubles, the semi-finals will be Friday night at 7 and 8 PM with the final Saturday at 7 PM. The time in Cochabamba is the same as Eastern time in North America.
2019 Open Bolivia American Iris, March 27-31, 2019
Cochabamba, Bolivia
Qualifying Round 1 - Wednesday
Kadim Carrasco v. Sergio Victor Delgadillo Galván
Mauricio Zelada v. Erick Ramiro Echalar Orihuela
Thomas Carter v. Gustavo Medrano Michel
Carlos Keller v. Gerson Miranda Martinez
Edwin Galicia v. Franco Gutierrez
Robert Collins v. Diego Gatica
Eduardo Portillo v. Johan Igor
Hanzel Martinez v. Jairo Perez
Eduardo Garay v. Esteban Reque
Set Cubillos v. Fabian Gutierrez
Gerardo Franco v. Miguel Angel Arteage Guzman
Christian Wer v. Sebastian Oãta
Conrrado Moscoso v. Fernando Ruiz
Felipe Camacho v. Roger Subieta
Diego Garcia v. Francisco Cherroni
Juan Salvatierra v. Hans Mendez
Qualifying Round 2 - Wednesday
Q8) Kadim Carrasco or Sergio Victor Delgadillo Galván v. Mauricio Zelada or Erick Ramiro Echalar Orihuela
Q1) Thomas Carter or Gustavo Medrano Michel v. Carlos Keller or Gerson Miranda Martinez
Q4) Edwin Galicia or Franco Gutierrez v. Robert Collins or Diego Gatica
Q5) Eduardo Portillo or Johan Igor v. Hanzel Martinez or Jairo Perez
Q6) Eduardo Garay or Esteban Reque v. Set Cubillos or Fabian Gutierrez
Q3) Gerardo Franco or Miguel Angel Arteage Guzman v. Christian Wer or Sebastian Oãta
Q2) Conrrado Moscoso or Fernando Ruiz v. Felipe Camacho or Roger Subieta
Q7) Diego Garcia or Francisco Cherroni v. Juan Salvatierra or Hans Mendez
Round of 16 - Thursday
1) Rocky Carson v. Q8 - 11 AM
8) Jake Bredenbeck v. Q1 - 11 AM
5) Mario Mercado v. Q4 - Noon
4) Andree Parrilla v. Q5 - Noon
3) Alvaro Beltran v. Q6 - 1 PM
6) Rodrigo Montoya v. Q3 - 1 PM
7) David Horn v. Q2 - 10 AM
2) Alejandro Landa v. Q7 - 10 AM
IRT Doubles - Round of 16 - Thursday
1) Alvaro Beltran & Alejandro Landa - BYE
Q8) Kadim Carrasco & Carlos Keller v. 9) Robert Collins & Mauricio Zelada - 5 PM
5) Felipe Camacho & Rocky Carson v. 12) Fernando Ruiz & Hans Mendez - 5 PM
4) Eduardo Garay & Mario Mercado v. 13) Rafael Gatica & Johan Igor - 6 PM
3) Jake Bredenbeck & David Horn v. 14) Jose Subieta & Roger Subieta - 6 PM
6) Roland Keller & Conrrado Moscoso v. 11) Hanzel Martinez & Juan Salvatierra - 6 PM
7) Gerardo Franco & Eduardo Portillo v. 10) Edwin Galicia & Christian Wer - 5 PM
2) Rodrigo Montoya & Andree Parrilla - BYE
Follow the bouncing ball….
Rocky Carson is the top seed in the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) draw, as IRT #1 Kane Waselenchuk didn’t make the trip to Bolivia. Also missing are top 10 players Daniel De La Rosa (#4), Samuel Murray (#7), Sebastian Franco (#8) and Jose Diaz (#9). But six of the IRT #11-20 are in Bolivia, so over half of the top 20 are in Cochabamba. This gives an opportunity for others to claim an IRT title.
The Bolivians to watch for are Carlos Keller, the current Pan American Champion in Men’s Singles, and Conrrado Moscoso, who has been on the podium at the International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Championships in both singles and doubles. They are also playing doubles in Cochabamaba, and the teams of Keller and Kadim Carrasco and Moscoso and Roland Keller will both be teams to reckon with.
The top seeds in doubles are Alvaro Beltran and Alejandro Landa with Rodrigo Montoya and Andree Parrilla 2nd seeds, Jake Bredenbeck and David Horn 3rd seeds, and Eduardo Garay and Mario Mercado 4th seeds. The 5th seeded team is the curious combination of Felipe Camacho and Rocky Carson.
To see the action from Bolivia, go to the IRT Facebook page or the IRT YouTube channel. The preliminary rounds in singles are Wednesday with the Round of 16 on Thursday morning beginning at 10 AM with the quarterfinals Friday afternoon from 1 PM on. The semi-finals will be Saturday at noon and 2 PM with the singles final at 1 PM Sunday. For doubles, the semi-finals will be Friday night at 7 and 8 PM with the final Saturday at 7 PM. The time in Cochabamba is the same as Eastern time in North America.
2019 Open Bolivia American Iris, March 27-31, 2019
Cochabamba, Bolivia
Qualifying Round 1 - Wednesday
Kadim Carrasco v. Sergio Victor Delgadillo Galván
Mauricio Zelada v. Erick Ramiro Echalar Orihuela
Thomas Carter v. Gustavo Medrano Michel
Carlos Keller v. Gerson Miranda Martinez
Edwin Galicia v. Franco Gutierrez
Robert Collins v. Diego Gatica
Eduardo Portillo v. Johan Igor
Hanzel Martinez v. Jairo Perez
Eduardo Garay v. Esteban Reque
Set Cubillos v. Fabian Gutierrez
Gerardo Franco v. Miguel Angel Arteage Guzman
Christian Wer v. Sebastian Oãta
Conrrado Moscoso v. Fernando Ruiz
Felipe Camacho v. Roger Subieta
Diego Garcia v. Francisco Cherroni
Juan Salvatierra v. Hans Mendez
Qualifying Round 2 - Wednesday
Q8) Kadim Carrasco or Sergio Victor Delgadillo Galván v. Mauricio Zelada or Erick Ramiro Echalar Orihuela
Q1) Thomas Carter or Gustavo Medrano Michel v. Carlos Keller or Gerson Miranda Martinez
Q4) Edwin Galicia or Franco Gutierrez v. Robert Collins or Diego Gatica
Q5) Eduardo Portillo or Johan Igor v. Hanzel Martinez or Jairo Perez
Q6) Eduardo Garay or Esteban Reque v. Set Cubillos or Fabian Gutierrez
Q3) Gerardo Franco or Miguel Angel Arteage Guzman v. Christian Wer or Sebastian Oãta
Q2) Conrrado Moscoso or Fernando Ruiz v. Felipe Camacho or Roger Subieta
Q7) Diego Garcia or Francisco Cherroni v. Juan Salvatierra or Hans Mendez
Round of 16 - Thursday
1) Rocky Carson v. Q8 - 11 AM
8) Jake Bredenbeck v. Q1 - 11 AM
5) Mario Mercado v. Q4 - Noon
4) Andree Parrilla v. Q5 - Noon
3) Alvaro Beltran v. Q6 - 1 PM
6) Rodrigo Montoya v. Q3 - 1 PM
7) David Horn v. Q2 - 10 AM
2) Alejandro Landa v. Q7 - 10 AM
IRT Doubles - Round of 16 - Thursday
1) Alvaro Beltran & Alejandro Landa - BYE
Q8) Kadim Carrasco & Carlos Keller v. 9) Robert Collins & Mauricio Zelada - 5 PM
5) Felipe Camacho & Rocky Carson v. 12) Fernando Ruiz & Hans Mendez - 5 PM
4) Eduardo Garay & Mario Mercado v. 13) Rafael Gatica & Johan Igor - 6 PM
3) Jake Bredenbeck & David Horn v. 14) Jose Subieta & Roger Subieta - 6 PM
6) Roland Keller & Conrrado Moscoso v. 11) Hanzel Martinez & Juan Salvatierra - 6 PM
7) Gerardo Franco & Eduardo Portillo v. 10) Edwin Galicia & Christian Wer - 5 PM
2) Rodrigo Montoya & Andree Parrilla - BYE
Follow the bouncing ball….
Tuesday, March 26, 2019
2019 LPRT Boliva American Iris Open - Preview
The Bolivia American Iris Open begins Thursday in Cochabamba, Bolivia, and it’s both a Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) and an International Racquetball Tour (IRT) event, so it’s a true Grand Slam. The LPRT draws are out now, and surprisingly, LPRT #1 Paola Longoria is not in the draw. We understand that Longoria has a shoulder injury, and her doctor has advised her to pass on this event so that she is ready to play at the Pan American Championships next month as well as the LPRT Battle at the Alamo in late April.
Thus, LPRT #2 Samantha Salas is the top seed in a draw that is now without the player who has won the last seven LPRT events. Salas is the last player to win on tour not named Longoria, when she defeated Longoria in San Antonio last April. That sound every LPRT player is hearing is opportunity knocking.
Eight of the top 11 LPRT players are in Bolivia, and each will be hoping that she can answer opportunity’s knock. Along with Salas, Vargas won an event last season, when she captured the Peachtree Open in March. Vargas is the 3rd seed this weekend, with Alexandra Herrera 2nd seed and veteran Rhonda Rajsich 4th seed.
As per usual the LPRT will be playing doubles in Bolivia, and the best match of the tournament might happen right off the bat as the top seeds Rajsich and Salas will play the current Women’s Doubles World Champions Valeria Centellas and Yazmine Sabja in the quarterfinals. The International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Champs are the lowest seeds in the event, because they don’t play the LPRT much; both are Bolivians, and Centellas is still a junior, so they have not played many LPRT events, though Sabja played the US Open last year - losing in a tie-breaker to Frédérique Lambert in the quarterfinals and reaching the semi-finals in doubles with Nancy Enriquez.
That should be a great match, and the winner of it could be the favourite to win the title, although the other top seeds - 2nd seeds Nancy Enriquez and Alexandra Herrera, 3rd seeds Natalia Mendez and Maria Jose Vargas, and 4th seeds Cristina Amaya and Adriana Riveros - will have something to say about that.
The tournament starts Thursday morning with the Round of 32. The Round of 16 will be Thursday afternoon and evening. The quarterfinals will be Friday afternoon and semi-finals Saturday at 11 AM and 1 PM. The singles final will be Sunday at 1 PM with the doubles final scheduled for 6 PM Saturday. You can watch the action live via the LPRT website, or the LPRT YouTube channel or its LiveStream channel.
2019 LPRT Open Bolivia American Iris
Cochabamba, Bolivia - March 27-31, 2019
LPRT Singles - Round of 32 - Thursday
1 Samantha Salas - BYE
16 Micaela Meneses v. 17 Andrea Michelle Quiroga Aparacio - 11 AM
9 Yazmine Sabja - BYE
8 Cristina Amaya - BYE
5 Nancy Enriquez - BYE
12 Angelica Barrios v. 21 Nineth Rodriguez - 10 AM
13 Jenny Daza v. 20 Gabriela Del Granado - 10 AM
4 Rhonda Rajsich - BYE
3 Maria Jose Vargas - BYE
14 Valeria Centellas v. 19 Andrea Garcãa - 10 AM
11 Brenda Laime v. 22 Camila Rivero - 10 AM
6 Natalia Mendez - BYE
7 Adriana Riveros - BYE
10 Masiel Rivera v. 23 Melissa Edith Mazuelos Saavedra - 11 AM
15 Daniela Molina v. 18 Romina Rivero - 11 AM
2 Alexandra Herrera - BYE
LPRT Doubles - Quarterfinals - Thursday
1 Rhonda Rajsich & Samantha Salas v. 8 Valeria Centellas & Yazmine Sabja - 8 PM
4 Cristina Amaya & Adriana Riveros v. 5 Brenda Laime & Masiel Rivera - 8 PM
3 Natalia Mendez & Maria Jose Vargas v. 6 Angelica Barrios & Jenny Daza - 7 PM
2 Nancy Enriquez & Alexandra Herrera v. 7 Nancy Enriquez & Andrea Garcãa - 7 PM
Follow the bouncing ball….
Thus, LPRT #2 Samantha Salas is the top seed in a draw that is now without the player who has won the last seven LPRT events. Salas is the last player to win on tour not named Longoria, when she defeated Longoria in San Antonio last April. That sound every LPRT player is hearing is opportunity knocking.
Eight of the top 11 LPRT players are in Bolivia, and each will be hoping that she can answer opportunity’s knock. Along with Salas, Vargas won an event last season, when she captured the Peachtree Open in March. Vargas is the 3rd seed this weekend, with Alexandra Herrera 2nd seed and veteran Rhonda Rajsich 4th seed.
As per usual the LPRT will be playing doubles in Bolivia, and the best match of the tournament might happen right off the bat as the top seeds Rajsich and Salas will play the current Women’s Doubles World Champions Valeria Centellas and Yazmine Sabja in the quarterfinals. The International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Champs are the lowest seeds in the event, because they don’t play the LPRT much; both are Bolivians, and Centellas is still a junior, so they have not played many LPRT events, though Sabja played the US Open last year - losing in a tie-breaker to Frédérique Lambert in the quarterfinals and reaching the semi-finals in doubles with Nancy Enriquez.
That should be a great match, and the winner of it could be the favourite to win the title, although the other top seeds - 2nd seeds Nancy Enriquez and Alexandra Herrera, 3rd seeds Natalia Mendez and Maria Jose Vargas, and 4th seeds Cristina Amaya and Adriana Riveros - will have something to say about that.
The tournament starts Thursday morning with the Round of 32. The Round of 16 will be Thursday afternoon and evening. The quarterfinals will be Friday afternoon and semi-finals Saturday at 11 AM and 1 PM. The singles final will be Sunday at 1 PM with the doubles final scheduled for 6 PM Saturday. You can watch the action live via the LPRT website, or the LPRT YouTube channel or its LiveStream channel.
2019 LPRT Open Bolivia American Iris
Cochabamba, Bolivia - March 27-31, 2019
LPRT Singles - Round of 32 - Thursday
1 Samantha Salas - BYE
16 Micaela Meneses v. 17 Andrea Michelle Quiroga Aparacio - 11 AM
9 Yazmine Sabja - BYE
8 Cristina Amaya - BYE
5 Nancy Enriquez - BYE
12 Angelica Barrios v. 21 Nineth Rodriguez - 10 AM
13 Jenny Daza v. 20 Gabriela Del Granado - 10 AM
4 Rhonda Rajsich - BYE
3 Maria Jose Vargas - BYE
14 Valeria Centellas v. 19 Andrea Garcãa - 10 AM
11 Brenda Laime v. 22 Camila Rivero - 10 AM
6 Natalia Mendez - BYE
7 Adriana Riveros - BYE
10 Masiel Rivera v. 23 Melissa Edith Mazuelos Saavedra - 11 AM
15 Daniela Molina v. 18 Romina Rivero - 11 AM
2 Alexandra Herrera - BYE
LPRT Doubles - Quarterfinals - Thursday
1 Rhonda Rajsich & Samantha Salas v. 8 Valeria Centellas & Yazmine Sabja - 8 PM
4 Cristina Amaya & Adriana Riveros v. 5 Brenda Laime & Masiel Rivera - 8 PM
3 Natalia Mendez & Maria Jose Vargas v. 6 Angelica Barrios & Jenny Daza - 7 PM
2 Nancy Enriquez & Alexandra Herrera v. 7 Nancy Enriquez & Andrea Garcãa - 7 PM
Follow the bouncing ball….
Wednesday, March 20, 2019
IRT & LPRT Rankings & Martinez announcement
Kane Waselenchuk’s win in Lombard, Illinois on the weekend solidified him at the top of the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) rankings. Rocky Carson - runner up on the weekend - remains the #2 IRT player. But Alejandro Landa has moved up a spot, as he’s now #3 with Daniel De La Rosa dropping to #4. Alvaro Beltran rounds out the top 5.
Andree Parrilla, who was the defending champion in Lombard, sits at 6th. Samuel Murray is 7th with Sebastian Franco 8th, Jose Diaz 9th and Mario Mercado 10th.
Over the top 10 there are four Mexicans, two Canadians, two Colombians and two USA players. In the next 10, the USA dominates with 7 players (Jansen Allen, 12th, David Horn, 13th, Jake Bredenbeck 14th, Adam Manilla 15th, Charles Pratt 16th, Thomas Carter 17th, Robert Collins 20th), as well as two Mexicans (Rodrigo Montoya - 11th; Gerardo Franco - 19th) and one Costa Rican (Felipe Camacho - 18th).
The IRT is living up to its name.
Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour
Paola Longoria leads the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) rankings with her Mexican compatriots Samantha Salas 2nd and Alexandra Herrera 3rd. Those are the only three players who have been in a final this season with Longoria winning each one: four times against Salas and twice versus Herrera.
The other seven players in the top 10 come from six different countries. Maria Jose Vargas of Argentina is 4th and her team-mate Natalia Mendez is 7th. The USA’s Rhonda Rajsich is 5th, and Mexico’s Nancy Enriquez 6th. Canadian Frédérique Lambert is 8th, Guatemalan Gabriela Martinez is 9th and Colombia Adriana Riveros is 10th.
Shocker!
But the big news on the women’s racquetball front is that Gabriela Martinez, who is the current International Racquetball Federation (IRF) Women’s Singles World Champion, announced her retirement via Facebook on Tuesday. .
Martinez, 19, indicated that she is going to be concentrating on her studies for now, although she seems to leave the door open to playing more in the future. Regardless, it’s an astonishing announcement from one of the most promising young athletes in racquetball.
This isn’t without precedent, as Christie Huczek - then Christie Van Hees - also retired early in her career, and after having won the IRF World Championship. But Huczek came back after a couple of years to compete again, and won another World Championship as well as two more US Open titles; she won one prior to retiring.
So, let’s hope something similar happens with Martinez. That this is merely a sabbatical, not a retirement.
Coming up
The next big event on the racquetball calendar is the Bolivia American Iris Open in Cochabamba, Bolivia, March 27-31. The Bolivia Open is a true Grand Slam event, as it’s both an IRT and an LPRT event.
International Racquetball Tour Rankings - Monday March 18, 2019
Rank - Player - Points
1) Kane Waselenchuk (Canada) - 2,860.98
2) Rocky Carson (USA) - 2,328.19
3) Alejandro Landa (Mexico) - 1,756.17
4) Daniel De La Rosa (Mexico) - 1,592.00
5) Alvaro Beltran (Mexico) - 1,406.00
6) Andree Parrilla (Mexico) - 1,302.02
7) Samuel Murray (Canada) - 1,264.00
8) Sebastian Franco (Colombia) - 1,214.01
9) Jose Diaz (USA) - 1,114.00
10) Mario Mercado (Colombia) - 953.02
11) Rodrigo Montoya (Mexico) - 834.02
12) Jansen Allen (USA) - 784.01
13) David Horn (USA) - 775.03
14) Jake Bredenbeck (USA) - 696.02
15) Adam Manilla (USA) - 605.02
16) Charles Pratt (USA) - 583.02
17) Thomas Carter (USA) - 528.03
18) Felipe Camacho (Costa Rica) - 521.05
19) Gerardo Franco (Mexico) - 486.03
20) Robert Collins (USA) - 401.06
Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour Rankings - Monday Mar 18, 2019
Rank - Player - Points
1) Paola Longoria (Mexico) - 1,870.00
2) Samantha Salas (Mexico) - 1,186.00
3) Alexandra Herrera (Mexico) - 600.00
4) Maria Jose Vargas (Argentina) - 522.25
5) Rhonda Rajsich (USA) - 483.00
6) Nancy Enriquez (Mexico) - 427.25
7) Natalia Mendez (Argentina) - 421.50
8) Frédérique Lambert (Canada) - 415.50
9) Gabriella Martinez (Guatemala) - 386.50
10) Adriana Riveros (Colombia) - 284.50
11) Cristina Amaya (Colombia) - 263.50
12) Adrienne Fisher (USA) - 181.25
13) Casandra Lee (USA) - 176.25
14) Carla Muñoz (Chile) - 169.75
15) Ana Laura Flores (Mexico) - 167.50
16) Yazmine Sabja (Bolivia) - 162.00
17) Masiel Rivera (Colombia) - 161.25
17) Sheryl Lotts (USA) - 161.25
19) Michelle De La Rosa (USA) - 133.25
20) Monserrat Mejia (Mexico) - 131.75
Follow the bouncing ball….
Andree Parrilla, who was the defending champion in Lombard, sits at 6th. Samuel Murray is 7th with Sebastian Franco 8th, Jose Diaz 9th and Mario Mercado 10th.
Over the top 10 there are four Mexicans, two Canadians, two Colombians and two USA players. In the next 10, the USA dominates with 7 players (Jansen Allen, 12th, David Horn, 13th, Jake Bredenbeck 14th, Adam Manilla 15th, Charles Pratt 16th, Thomas Carter 17th, Robert Collins 20th), as well as two Mexicans (Rodrigo Montoya - 11th; Gerardo Franco - 19th) and one Costa Rican (Felipe Camacho - 18th).
The IRT is living up to its name.
Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour
Paola Longoria leads the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) rankings with her Mexican compatriots Samantha Salas 2nd and Alexandra Herrera 3rd. Those are the only three players who have been in a final this season with Longoria winning each one: four times against Salas and twice versus Herrera.
The other seven players in the top 10 come from six different countries. Maria Jose Vargas of Argentina is 4th and her team-mate Natalia Mendez is 7th. The USA’s Rhonda Rajsich is 5th, and Mexico’s Nancy Enriquez 6th. Canadian Frédérique Lambert is 8th, Guatemalan Gabriela Martinez is 9th and Colombia Adriana Riveros is 10th.
Shocker!
But the big news on the women’s racquetball front is that Gabriela Martinez, who is the current International Racquetball Federation (IRF) Women’s Singles World Champion, announced her retirement via Facebook on Tuesday. .
Martinez, 19, indicated that she is going to be concentrating on her studies for now, although she seems to leave the door open to playing more in the future. Regardless, it’s an astonishing announcement from one of the most promising young athletes in racquetball.
This isn’t without precedent, as Christie Huczek - then Christie Van Hees - also retired early in her career, and after having won the IRF World Championship. But Huczek came back after a couple of years to compete again, and won another World Championship as well as two more US Open titles; she won one prior to retiring.
So, let’s hope something similar happens with Martinez. That this is merely a sabbatical, not a retirement.
Coming up
The next big event on the racquetball calendar is the Bolivia American Iris Open in Cochabamba, Bolivia, March 27-31. The Bolivia Open is a true Grand Slam event, as it’s both an IRT and an LPRT event.
International Racquetball Tour Rankings - Monday March 18, 2019
Rank - Player - Points
1) Kane Waselenchuk (Canada) - 2,860.98
2) Rocky Carson (USA) - 2,328.19
3) Alejandro Landa (Mexico) - 1,756.17
4) Daniel De La Rosa (Mexico) - 1,592.00
5) Alvaro Beltran (Mexico) - 1,406.00
6) Andree Parrilla (Mexico) - 1,302.02
7) Samuel Murray (Canada) - 1,264.00
8) Sebastian Franco (Colombia) - 1,214.01
9) Jose Diaz (USA) - 1,114.00
10) Mario Mercado (Colombia) - 953.02
11) Rodrigo Montoya (Mexico) - 834.02
12) Jansen Allen (USA) - 784.01
13) David Horn (USA) - 775.03
14) Jake Bredenbeck (USA) - 696.02
15) Adam Manilla (USA) - 605.02
16) Charles Pratt (USA) - 583.02
17) Thomas Carter (USA) - 528.03
18) Felipe Camacho (Costa Rica) - 521.05
19) Gerardo Franco (Mexico) - 486.03
20) Robert Collins (USA) - 401.06
Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour Rankings - Monday Mar 18, 2019
Rank - Player - Points
1) Paola Longoria (Mexico) - 1,870.00
2) Samantha Salas (Mexico) - 1,186.00
3) Alexandra Herrera (Mexico) - 600.00
4) Maria Jose Vargas (Argentina) - 522.25
5) Rhonda Rajsich (USA) - 483.00
6) Nancy Enriquez (Mexico) - 427.25
7) Natalia Mendez (Argentina) - 421.50
8) Frédérique Lambert (Canada) - 415.50
9) Gabriella Martinez (Guatemala) - 386.50
10) Adriana Riveros (Colombia) - 284.50
11) Cristina Amaya (Colombia) - 263.50
12) Adrienne Fisher (USA) - 181.25
13) Casandra Lee (USA) - 176.25
14) Carla Muñoz (Chile) - 169.75
15) Ana Laura Flores (Mexico) - 167.50
16) Yazmine Sabja (Bolivia) - 162.00
17) Masiel Rivera (Colombia) - 161.25
17) Sheryl Lotts (USA) - 161.25
19) Michelle De La Rosa (USA) - 133.25
20) Monserrat Mejia (Mexico) - 131.75
Follow the bouncing ball….
Monday, March 18, 2019
Weekend Round Up - Wins for Manilla & Portillo
Erika Manilla and Eduardo Portillo won the Women’s and Men’s Open divisions, respectively, on Sunday at the 34th Annual Shamrock Shootout in Lombard, Illinois. In the Women’s Open final, Manilla beat Masiel Rivera, 15-14, 15-6, while Portillo need a tie-breaker to defeat surprise finalist Maurice Miller, 15-11, 13-15, 11-3.
In the women’s semi-finals, Manilla beat top seed Brenda Laime, 15-11, 15-11, while Rivera defeated veteran Adrienne Haynes, 15-7, 15-3.
In the men’s semi-finals, Portillo defeated Eduardo Garay, 15-9, 15-7, while Miller, the 6th seed, upset 2nd seed Gerardo Franco, 15-11, 15-9. In the quarterfinals, Miller knocked off Mario Mercado in two straight games, 15-11, 15-13. So, although Miller didn’t win the event, he had a very good tournament.
Coming up on the racquetball schedule is the Bolivia Grand Slam in Cochabamba, Bolivia, March 27-31, which is both an International Racquetball Tour (IRT) event and a Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) event, so, like the US Open, it will be a true pro Grand Slam event. Following that, the focus remains in South America, as the 2019 Pan American Championships will be in Barranquilla, Colombia, April 12-20. The defending Pan American Champions in are Carlos Keller of Bolivia and Rhonda Rajsich of the USA in Men’s and Women’s Singles.
34th Annual Shamrock Shootout, March 14-17, 2019
Lombard, Illinois
Women’s Open Final
Erika Manilla d. Masiel Rivera, 15-14, 15-6
Semi-finals
Erika Manilla d. Brenda Laime, 15-11, 15-11
Masiel Rivera d. Adrienne Haynes, 15-7, 15-3
Men’s Open Final
Eduardo Portillo d. Maurice Miller, 15-11, 13-15, 11-3
Semi-finals
Eduardo Portillo d. Eduardo Garay, 15-9, 15-7
Maurice Miller d. Gerardo Franco, 15-11, 15-9
Quarterfinals
Eduardo Portillo d. Edwin Galicia, 15-10, 15-2
Eduardo Garay d. Felipe Camacho, 15-8, 15-8
Maurice Miller d. Mario Mercado, 15-11, 15-13
Gerardo Franco d. Kyle Ulliman, 15-4, 15-3
Follow the bouncing ball….
In the women’s semi-finals, Manilla beat top seed Brenda Laime, 15-11, 15-11, while Rivera defeated veteran Adrienne Haynes, 15-7, 15-3.
In the men’s semi-finals, Portillo defeated Eduardo Garay, 15-9, 15-7, while Miller, the 6th seed, upset 2nd seed Gerardo Franco, 15-11, 15-9. In the quarterfinals, Miller knocked off Mario Mercado in two straight games, 15-11, 15-13. So, although Miller didn’t win the event, he had a very good tournament.
Coming up on the racquetball schedule is the Bolivia Grand Slam in Cochabamba, Bolivia, March 27-31, which is both an International Racquetball Tour (IRT) event and a Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) event, so, like the US Open, it will be a true pro Grand Slam event. Following that, the focus remains in South America, as the 2019 Pan American Championships will be in Barranquilla, Colombia, April 12-20. The defending Pan American Champions in are Carlos Keller of Bolivia and Rhonda Rajsich of the USA in Men’s and Women’s Singles.
34th Annual Shamrock Shootout, March 14-17, 2019
Lombard, Illinois
Women’s Open Final
Erika Manilla d. Masiel Rivera, 15-14, 15-6
Semi-finals
Erika Manilla d. Brenda Laime, 15-11, 15-11
Masiel Rivera d. Adrienne Haynes, 15-7, 15-3
Men’s Open Final
Eduardo Portillo d. Maurice Miller, 15-11, 13-15, 11-3
Semi-finals
Eduardo Portillo d. Eduardo Garay, 15-9, 15-7
Maurice Miller d. Gerardo Franco, 15-11, 15-9
Quarterfinals
Eduardo Portillo d. Edwin Galicia, 15-10, 15-2
Eduardo Garay d. Felipe Camacho, 15-8, 15-8
Maurice Miller d. Mario Mercado, 15-11, 15-13
Gerardo Franco d. Kyle Ulliman, 15-4, 15-3
Follow the bouncing ball….
Sunday, March 17, 2019
Waselenchuk defeats Carson to win 2019 IRT Shamrock Shootout
Kane Waselenchuk gave another demonstration of why he is the #1 player on the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) on Sunday, as he defeated IRT #2 Rocky Carson, 15-10, 15-10, to win the 34th Annual IRT Shamrock Shootout in Lombard, Illinois. Waselenchuk is undefeated this season, and also won the IRT Doubles title in Lombard on Saturday night with partner Ben Croft.
In game one, Waselenchuk got out to a 5-1 lead, which Carson cut to 5-3. But Waselenchuk won the next four points to lead 9-3, so Carson called a timeout. When play resumed, Carson got a side out, and scored three points on consecutive rallies to trail 9-6. Then the game stalled, as they exchanged sideouts. Over the next 11 rallies only one point was scored, and that by Waselenchuk, making it 10-6.
Carson broke the stalemate with a run of four points on consecutive rallies and tie the score at 10-10 with a drive serve ace to the right side, which is the lefthander Waselenchuk’s backhand side. Thus, there was a slight hope that Carson might win game one. Waselenchuk has not lost a game since the IRT changed its match format to two games to 15 and tie-breaker to 11 in January 2018. Waselenchuk’s never played a tie-breaker in this format.
But Waselenchuk dashed any hopes Carson had by getting the serve back with a forehand reverse pinch, and then scoring the next three points to make it 13-10. Carson got the serve back courtesy a Waselenchuk backhand skipped shot, but that was a short lived opportunity, as Waselenchuk hit a backhand winner off a Carson Z serve to the right side that Waselenchuk took early. Carson used that Z serve - a moderate speed, 1/2 lob type serve - often on second serve in the match, but it never seemed that effective against Waselenchuk. Two forehand winners later, and Waselenchuk had won game one, 15-10.
Game two started a bit slower, but had a similar story line. They were separated by a point with Waselenchuk up 4-3, but he won the next five rallies to make it 9-3, and then 12-3, to put the writing on the wall. Credit Carson for not giving up, as he got within four at 12-8, and again at 14-10. He fought off two match points with good forehand cross court shots, but Waselenchuk hit a forehand winner on his third match point to end the game, 15-10, and the match in two straight games.
Something surprising in this match was that Waselenchuk lob served a lot of the time. In fact, he may have lob served over 50% of the time. That’s unusual for him, because often Waselenchuk will lob serve on less than 10% of his serves. Generally, Waselenchuk hits drive Z serves on second serves, rather than lob serving. But he did play both singles and doubles in this event, so perhaps Waselenchuk didn’t want to hit too many drive serves, which take a considerable amount of energy, much more than a lob serve.
If you missed any of the action, check out the IRT Facebook page, where the matches are archived. The next IRT event will be the Bolivia Grand Slam in Cochabamba, Bolivia, March 27-31. That will also be a Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) event, so, like the US Open, it will be a true Grand Slam event.
The last two events of the 2018-19 IRT season will be the Florida IRT Pro-Am in Sarasota, Florida, April 26-28, and The New York Unity Championships in Syosset, New York, May 1-5.
2019 IRT Shamrock Shootout, March 14-17, 2019
Lombard, Illinois
Final - Sunday
1) Kane Waselenchuk d. 2) Rocky Carson, 15-10, 15-10
Follow the bouncing ball….
In game one, Waselenchuk got out to a 5-1 lead, which Carson cut to 5-3. But Waselenchuk won the next four points to lead 9-3, so Carson called a timeout. When play resumed, Carson got a side out, and scored three points on consecutive rallies to trail 9-6. Then the game stalled, as they exchanged sideouts. Over the next 11 rallies only one point was scored, and that by Waselenchuk, making it 10-6.
Carson broke the stalemate with a run of four points on consecutive rallies and tie the score at 10-10 with a drive serve ace to the right side, which is the lefthander Waselenchuk’s backhand side. Thus, there was a slight hope that Carson might win game one. Waselenchuk has not lost a game since the IRT changed its match format to two games to 15 and tie-breaker to 11 in January 2018. Waselenchuk’s never played a tie-breaker in this format.
But Waselenchuk dashed any hopes Carson had by getting the serve back with a forehand reverse pinch, and then scoring the next three points to make it 13-10. Carson got the serve back courtesy a Waselenchuk backhand skipped shot, but that was a short lived opportunity, as Waselenchuk hit a backhand winner off a Carson Z serve to the right side that Waselenchuk took early. Carson used that Z serve - a moderate speed, 1/2 lob type serve - often on second serve in the match, but it never seemed that effective against Waselenchuk. Two forehand winners later, and Waselenchuk had won game one, 15-10.
Game two started a bit slower, but had a similar story line. They were separated by a point with Waselenchuk up 4-3, but he won the next five rallies to make it 9-3, and then 12-3, to put the writing on the wall. Credit Carson for not giving up, as he got within four at 12-8, and again at 14-10. He fought off two match points with good forehand cross court shots, but Waselenchuk hit a forehand winner on his third match point to end the game, 15-10, and the match in two straight games.
Something surprising in this match was that Waselenchuk lob served a lot of the time. In fact, he may have lob served over 50% of the time. That’s unusual for him, because often Waselenchuk will lob serve on less than 10% of his serves. Generally, Waselenchuk hits drive Z serves on second serves, rather than lob serving. But he did play both singles and doubles in this event, so perhaps Waselenchuk didn’t want to hit too many drive serves, which take a considerable amount of energy, much more than a lob serve.
If you missed any of the action, check out the IRT Facebook page, where the matches are archived. The next IRT event will be the Bolivia Grand Slam in Cochabamba, Bolivia, March 27-31. That will also be a Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) event, so, like the US Open, it will be a true Grand Slam event.
The last two events of the 2018-19 IRT season will be the Florida IRT Pro-Am in Sarasota, Florida, April 26-28, and The New York Unity Championships in Syosset, New York, May 1-5.
2019 IRT Shamrock Shootout, March 14-17, 2019
Lombard, Illinois
Final - Sunday
1) Kane Waselenchuk d. 2) Rocky Carson, 15-10, 15-10
Follow the bouncing ball….
Saturday, March 16, 2019
Waselenchuk to play Carson in final of 2019 IRT Shamrock Shootout
Once again on a Sunday, International Racquetball Tour (IRT) #1 Kane Waselenchuk and IRT #2 Rocky Carson will face off in an IRT final, as they won their respective semi-finals at the 34th Annual Shamrock Shootout in Lombard, Illinois. Waselenchuk beat 5th seed Andree Parrilla, who is the defending Shamrock Shootout champion, 15-5, 15-2, and Carson defeated Rodrigo Montoya, 15-12, 15-2.
Both semi-finals had similar story-lines, as the players were close early in the first games, but then the higher seed cruised through game two. Waselenchuk actually found himself down 5-2 against Parrilla, but turned the ship around, as he got 13 unanswered points to win 15-5. Parrilla only served three times during that run.
Montoya also led in game one against Carson at 9-7. But Carson got the next five points to lead 12-9, and though Montoya closed the gap to one point at 12-11, Carson never gave up the lead, winning 15-12.
Doubles Final
Ben Croft and Waselenchuk came back from a game down to defeat Alvaro Beltran and Daniel De La Rosa, 11-15, 15-9, 11-5. It was the third time these teams have faced off, as they met in the finals of the last two US Opens. Croft and Waselenchuk won in 2017, and Beltran and De La Rosa won in 2018. With today’s win Croft and Waselenchuk are up 2-1.
But early in game one, it looked like Beltran and De La Rosa would carry the day, as they took a 9-1 lead. But Croft and Waselenchuk came back and closed the difference to two at 13-11. There was a sense that Beltran and De La Rosa needed to win game one to win the match, as momentum had shifted. A De La Rosa backhand pinch shot get them back the serve, and they managed to get the two points they needed with the second coming off another De La Rosa backhand pinch winner.
In game two, they were close early with a tie at 2-2, but then Croft and Waselenchuk scored five points on as many rallies to lead 7-2. They stayed ahead by multiple points, although Beltran and De La Rosa made a push near the end that cut the deficit to two at 11-9. A Croft forehand pinch shot got his side the serve back, and they closed it out with four straight points. That forced a third game tie-breaker.
They were again close early in the breaker with ties at 2, 4, and 5. Croft hit a winner to break the 5-5 tie, and then Beltran made an unforced error by skipping a shot near the front wall that made it 7-5. Beltran redeemed himself with a pinch winner on the next rally that got his side the serve back, but they were unable to score as Waselenchuk hit a winner and then De La Rosa was assessed a penalty hinder.
When Waselenchuk made it 8-5 with a pinch winner, Beltran and De La Rosa called a timeout. Coming out of the timeout, Croft extended his side’s advantage with a pinch shot from the deep court, 9-5. De La Rosa skipped a forehand reverse pinch to give his opponents match point at 10-5. The first match point wasn’t converted, as De La Rosa hit Waselenchuk’s racquet as he was going for a ball, so Waselenchuk was assessed a penalty hinder. But Waselenchuk still was to serve, and he got the match winning point by hitting a drive serve to the left side that De La Rosa could only get his racquet on as it cracked off the left side wall.
The matches have been streamed on the IRT Facebook page, so look for the singles final there at 1 PM Central Time on Sunday. And if you missed any of the action, you can see the matches on Facebook also.
2019 IRT Shamrock Shootout, March 14-17, 2019
Lombard, Illinois
Semi-finals - Saturday
1) Kane Waselenchuk v. 5) Andree Parrilla, 15-5, 15-2
2) Rocky Carson d. Rodrigo Montoya, 15-12, 15-2
Final - Sunday
1) Kane Waselenchuk v. 2) Rocky Carson - 1 PM
IRT Doubles - Final - Saturday
6) Ben Croft & Kane Waselenchuk d. 1) Alvaro Beltran & Daniel De La Rosa, 11-15, 15-9, 11-5
Follow the bouncing ball….
Both semi-finals had similar story-lines, as the players were close early in the first games, but then the higher seed cruised through game two. Waselenchuk actually found himself down 5-2 against Parrilla, but turned the ship around, as he got 13 unanswered points to win 15-5. Parrilla only served three times during that run.
Montoya also led in game one against Carson at 9-7. But Carson got the next five points to lead 12-9, and though Montoya closed the gap to one point at 12-11, Carson never gave up the lead, winning 15-12.
Doubles Final
Ben Croft and Waselenchuk came back from a game down to defeat Alvaro Beltran and Daniel De La Rosa, 11-15, 15-9, 11-5. It was the third time these teams have faced off, as they met in the finals of the last two US Opens. Croft and Waselenchuk won in 2017, and Beltran and De La Rosa won in 2018. With today’s win Croft and Waselenchuk are up 2-1.
But early in game one, it looked like Beltran and De La Rosa would carry the day, as they took a 9-1 lead. But Croft and Waselenchuk came back and closed the difference to two at 13-11. There was a sense that Beltran and De La Rosa needed to win game one to win the match, as momentum had shifted. A De La Rosa backhand pinch shot get them back the serve, and they managed to get the two points they needed with the second coming off another De La Rosa backhand pinch winner.
In game two, they were close early with a tie at 2-2, but then Croft and Waselenchuk scored five points on as many rallies to lead 7-2. They stayed ahead by multiple points, although Beltran and De La Rosa made a push near the end that cut the deficit to two at 11-9. A Croft forehand pinch shot got his side the serve back, and they closed it out with four straight points. That forced a third game tie-breaker.
They were again close early in the breaker with ties at 2, 4, and 5. Croft hit a winner to break the 5-5 tie, and then Beltran made an unforced error by skipping a shot near the front wall that made it 7-5. Beltran redeemed himself with a pinch winner on the next rally that got his side the serve back, but they were unable to score as Waselenchuk hit a winner and then De La Rosa was assessed a penalty hinder.
When Waselenchuk made it 8-5 with a pinch winner, Beltran and De La Rosa called a timeout. Coming out of the timeout, Croft extended his side’s advantage with a pinch shot from the deep court, 9-5. De La Rosa skipped a forehand reverse pinch to give his opponents match point at 10-5. The first match point wasn’t converted, as De La Rosa hit Waselenchuk’s racquet as he was going for a ball, so Waselenchuk was assessed a penalty hinder. But Waselenchuk still was to serve, and he got the match winning point by hitting a drive serve to the left side that De La Rosa could only get his racquet on as it cracked off the left side wall.
The matches have been streamed on the IRT Facebook page, so look for the singles final there at 1 PM Central Time on Sunday. And if you missed any of the action, you can see the matches on Facebook also.
2019 IRT Shamrock Shootout, March 14-17, 2019
Lombard, Illinois
Semi-finals - Saturday
1) Kane Waselenchuk v. 5) Andree Parrilla, 15-5, 15-2
2) Rocky Carson d. Rodrigo Montoya, 15-12, 15-2
Final - Sunday
1) Kane Waselenchuk v. 2) Rocky Carson - 1 PM
IRT Doubles - Final - Saturday
6) Ben Croft & Kane Waselenchuk d. 1) Alvaro Beltran & Daniel De La Rosa, 11-15, 15-9, 11-5
Follow the bouncing ball….
Top seeds advance at 2019 IRT Shamrock Shootout
The top two seeds are through to the semi-finals at the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) 34th Annual Shamrock Shootout in Lombard, Illinois. IRT #1 Kane Waselenchuk beat 8th seed Sebastian Franco, 15-7, 15-0, and IRT #2 Rocky Carson needed three games to defeat 7th seed Samuel Murray, 15-7, 13-15, 11-2.
But the other two semi-finalists were upset winners in the quarters. Rodrigo Montoya defeated Mexican veteran Alvaro Beltran, 15-8, 15-9, and will play Carson in the semis, while 5th seed Andree Parrilla beat 4th seed Alejandro Landa, 15-8, 15-9, to set up a showdown with Waselenchuk. Parrilla is the defending champion at this event, and was runner up to Waselenchuk two years ago, so he’s trying to make it three finals in a row in Lombard.
In the Carson-Murray match, Carson led throughout game one, winning 15-7, and then Murray led throughout game two. But Carson did tie Murray in game two at 5-5 and 6-6. Murray then went up 13-8, only to see Carson come back and tie it again at 13-13.
It looked like last year’s #1 player would pull it out in two games, but Murray held firm. After an exchange of sideouts, Murray called a timeout prior to sering at 13-13. He got a point when Carson made an unforced error by skipping a forehand shot. However, Carson did fight off two game points, but couldn’t score himself. On Murray’s third game point he finished it with a forehand kill shot.
Unfortunately for Murray that momentum didn’t carry over into the tie-breaker, as Carson went up 6-0. At 8-1, Murray called a timeout, but all he managed was one more point from there, as Carson won it 11-2.
In doubles, top seeds Alvaro Beltran and Daniel De La Rosa defeated 4th seeds Jake Bredenbeck and Jose Diaz, 15-9, 15-12, in the semi-finals. They led throughout both games, and had big leads - 14-4 in game one and 11-1 in game two, but credit Bredenbeck and Diaz for not giving up, and making it close late in the games. But it wasn’t enough.
Beltran and De La Rosa will play Ben Croft and Waselenchuk in the final tonight at 8:30. Croft and Waselenchuk were to play 2nd seeds Landa and Murray, but Landa picked up an arm injury - likely in his singles match versus Parrilla, so they defaulted. The final will be a repeat of the 2018 US Open final, which was won by Beltran and De La Rosa.
The usual IRT media outlets will have the action from Lombard: The IRT Network or the IRT Facebook page. The semi-finals will be at 5:30 PM and 6:30 PM Saturday with the final at noon Sunday. The doubles semis will be 1 and 2 PM with the final at 8:30 PM Saturday. All times central.
2019 IRT Shamrock Shootout, March 14-17, 2019
Lombard, Illinois
Quarterfinals - Saturday
1) Kane Waselenchuk d. 8) Sebastian Franco, 15-7, 15-0
5) Andree Parrilla d. 4) Alejandro Landa, 15-8, 15-9
Rodrigo Montoya d. 6) Alvaro Beltran, 15-8, 15-9
2) Rocky Carson d. 7) Samuel Murray, 15-7, 13-15, 11-2
Semi-finals - Saturday
1) Kane Waselenchuk v. 5) Andree Parrilla - 6:30 PM
2) Rocky Carson v. Rodrigo Montoya - 5:30 PM
IRT Doubles - Semi-finals - Saturday
1) Alvaro Beltran & Daniel De La Rosa d. 4) Jake Bredenbeck & Jose Diaz, 15-8, 15-12
6) Ben Croft & Kane Waselenchuk d. 2) Alejandro Landa & Samuel Murray, injury default
IRT Doubles - Final - Saturday
1) Alvaro Beltran & Daniel De La Rosa v. 6) Ben Croft & Kane Waselenchuk - 8:30 PM
Follow the bouncing ball….
But the other two semi-finalists were upset winners in the quarters. Rodrigo Montoya defeated Mexican veteran Alvaro Beltran, 15-8, 15-9, and will play Carson in the semis, while 5th seed Andree Parrilla beat 4th seed Alejandro Landa, 15-8, 15-9, to set up a showdown with Waselenchuk. Parrilla is the defending champion at this event, and was runner up to Waselenchuk two years ago, so he’s trying to make it three finals in a row in Lombard.
In the Carson-Murray match, Carson led throughout game one, winning 15-7, and then Murray led throughout game two. But Carson did tie Murray in game two at 5-5 and 6-6. Murray then went up 13-8, only to see Carson come back and tie it again at 13-13.
It looked like last year’s #1 player would pull it out in two games, but Murray held firm. After an exchange of sideouts, Murray called a timeout prior to sering at 13-13. He got a point when Carson made an unforced error by skipping a forehand shot. However, Carson did fight off two game points, but couldn’t score himself. On Murray’s third game point he finished it with a forehand kill shot.
Unfortunately for Murray that momentum didn’t carry over into the tie-breaker, as Carson went up 6-0. At 8-1, Murray called a timeout, but all he managed was one more point from there, as Carson won it 11-2.
In doubles, top seeds Alvaro Beltran and Daniel De La Rosa defeated 4th seeds Jake Bredenbeck and Jose Diaz, 15-9, 15-12, in the semi-finals. They led throughout both games, and had big leads - 14-4 in game one and 11-1 in game two, but credit Bredenbeck and Diaz for not giving up, and making it close late in the games. But it wasn’t enough.
Beltran and De La Rosa will play Ben Croft and Waselenchuk in the final tonight at 8:30. Croft and Waselenchuk were to play 2nd seeds Landa and Murray, but Landa picked up an arm injury - likely in his singles match versus Parrilla, so they defaulted. The final will be a repeat of the 2018 US Open final, which was won by Beltran and De La Rosa.
The usual IRT media outlets will have the action from Lombard: The IRT Network or the IRT Facebook page. The semi-finals will be at 5:30 PM and 6:30 PM Saturday with the final at noon Sunday. The doubles semis will be 1 and 2 PM with the final at 8:30 PM Saturday. All times central.
2019 IRT Shamrock Shootout, March 14-17, 2019
Lombard, Illinois
Quarterfinals - Saturday
1) Kane Waselenchuk d. 8) Sebastian Franco, 15-7, 15-0
5) Andree Parrilla d. 4) Alejandro Landa, 15-8, 15-9
Rodrigo Montoya d. 6) Alvaro Beltran, 15-8, 15-9
2) Rocky Carson d. 7) Samuel Murray, 15-7, 13-15, 11-2
Semi-finals - Saturday
1) Kane Waselenchuk v. 5) Andree Parrilla - 6:30 PM
2) Rocky Carson v. Rodrigo Montoya - 5:30 PM
IRT Doubles - Semi-finals - Saturday
1) Alvaro Beltran & Daniel De La Rosa d. 4) Jake Bredenbeck & Jose Diaz, 15-8, 15-12
6) Ben Croft & Kane Waselenchuk d. 2) Alejandro Landa & Samuel Murray, injury default
IRT Doubles - Final - Saturday
1) Alvaro Beltran & Daniel De La Rosa v. 6) Ben Croft & Kane Waselenchuk - 8:30 PM
Follow the bouncing ball….
Friday, March 15, 2019
Montoya defeats De La Rosa in Round of 16 at 2019 IRT Shamrock Shootout
There were no upsets or even tie-breakers in the Round of 16 at the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) 34th Annual Shamrock Shootout in Lombard, Illinois, until the last match between 3rd seed Daniel De La Rosa and Rodrigo Montoya. Montoya - seeded 14th but the current International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Champion upset De La Rosa in two straight games, 15-3, 15-9, to book a place in the quarterfinals. In the quarters, Montoya will play Mexican veteran Alvaro Beltran, who is a former IRF World Champion, as Beltran defeated Mario Mercado, 15-7, 15-4, in the Round of 16.
In other action, IRT #1 Kane Waselenchuk was a straight game winner over Felipe Camacho, 15-4, 15-0, and will play 8th seed Sebastian Franco who defeated Jose Diaz in two close games, 15-12, 15-12. IRT #2 Rocky Carson also put on a dominant performance as he beat Adam Manilla, 15-10, 15-1.
Carson will face 7th seed Samuel Murray in the quarterfinals on Saturday. Murray played David Horn in the 16, and we thought that match would be close, but it wasn’t as Murray won two straight by a decisive scoreline of 15-3, 15-7.
Look for all the action via the usual IRT media outlets: The IRT Network, the IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page. The quarterfinals will be 10 and 11 AM Saturday morning. The semi-finals will be at 5:30 PM and 6:30 PM Saturday with the final at noon Sunday. The doubles semis will be 1 and 2 PM with the final at 8:30 PM Saturday. All times central.
2019 IRT Shamrock Shootout, March 14-17, 2019
Lombard, Illinois
Round of 16 - Friday
1) Kane Waselenchuk d. Felipe Camacho, 15-4, 15-0
8) Sebastian Franco d. Jose Diaz, 15-12, 15-12
5) Andree Parrilla d. Jansen Allen, 15-14, 15-0
4) Alejandro Landa d. Eduardo Portillo, 15-5, 15-12
Rodrigo Montoya d. 3) Daniel De La Rosa, 15-3, 15-9
6) Alvaro Beltran d. Mario Mercado, 15-7, 15-4
7) Samuel Murray d. David Horn, 15-3, 15-7
2) Rocky Carson d. Adam Manilla, 15-10, 15-1
Quarterfinals - Saturday
1) Kane Waselenchuk v. 8) Sebastian Franco - 11 AM
4) Alejandro Landa v. 5) Andree Parrilla - 11 AM
6) Alvaro Beltran v. Rodrigo Montoya v. - 10 AM
2) Rocky Carson v. 7) Samuel Murray - 10 AM
IRT Doubles - Quarterfinals - Friday
1) Alvaro Beltran & Daniel De La Rosa d. 9) Robert Collins & David Horn, 15-7, 15-12
4) Jake Bredenbeck & Jose Diaz d. 5) Rodrigo Montoya & Andree Parrilla, 15-10, 15-13
6) Ben Croft & Kane Waselenchuk d. 3) Sebastian Franco & Mario Mercado, 15-7, 15-3
2) Alejandro Landa & Samuel Murray d. 7) Rocky Carson & Adam Manilla, 15-12, 15-11
IRT Doubles - Semi-finals - Saturday
1) Alvaro Beltran & Daniel De La Rosa v. 4) Jake Bredenbeck & Jose Diaz - 1 PM
2) Alejandro Landa & Samuel Murray v. 6) Ben Croft & Kane Waselenchuk - 2 PM
Follow the bouncing ball….
In other action, IRT #1 Kane Waselenchuk was a straight game winner over Felipe Camacho, 15-4, 15-0, and will play 8th seed Sebastian Franco who defeated Jose Diaz in two close games, 15-12, 15-12. IRT #2 Rocky Carson also put on a dominant performance as he beat Adam Manilla, 15-10, 15-1.
Carson will face 7th seed Samuel Murray in the quarterfinals on Saturday. Murray played David Horn in the 16, and we thought that match would be close, but it wasn’t as Murray won two straight by a decisive scoreline of 15-3, 15-7.
Look for all the action via the usual IRT media outlets: The IRT Network, the IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page. The quarterfinals will be 10 and 11 AM Saturday morning. The semi-finals will be at 5:30 PM and 6:30 PM Saturday with the final at noon Sunday. The doubles semis will be 1 and 2 PM with the final at 8:30 PM Saturday. All times central.
2019 IRT Shamrock Shootout, March 14-17, 2019
Lombard, Illinois
Round of 16 - Friday
1) Kane Waselenchuk d. Felipe Camacho, 15-4, 15-0
8) Sebastian Franco d. Jose Diaz, 15-12, 15-12
5) Andree Parrilla d. Jansen Allen, 15-14, 15-0
4) Alejandro Landa d. Eduardo Portillo, 15-5, 15-12
Rodrigo Montoya d. 3) Daniel De La Rosa, 15-3, 15-9
6) Alvaro Beltran d. Mario Mercado, 15-7, 15-4
7) Samuel Murray d. David Horn, 15-3, 15-7
2) Rocky Carson d. Adam Manilla, 15-10, 15-1
Quarterfinals - Saturday
1) Kane Waselenchuk v. 8) Sebastian Franco - 11 AM
4) Alejandro Landa v. 5) Andree Parrilla - 11 AM
6) Alvaro Beltran v. Rodrigo Montoya v. - 10 AM
2) Rocky Carson v. 7) Samuel Murray - 10 AM
IRT Doubles - Quarterfinals - Friday
1) Alvaro Beltran & Daniel De La Rosa d. 9) Robert Collins & David Horn, 15-7, 15-12
4) Jake Bredenbeck & Jose Diaz d. 5) Rodrigo Montoya & Andree Parrilla, 15-10, 15-13
6) Ben Croft & Kane Waselenchuk d. 3) Sebastian Franco & Mario Mercado, 15-7, 15-3
2) Alejandro Landa & Samuel Murray d. 7) Rocky Carson & Adam Manilla, 15-12, 15-11
IRT Doubles - Semi-finals - Saturday
1) Alvaro Beltran & Daniel De La Rosa v. 4) Jake Bredenbeck & Jose Diaz - 1 PM
2) Alejandro Landa & Samuel Murray v. 6) Ben Croft & Kane Waselenchuk - 2 PM
Follow the bouncing ball….
Round of 32 results from 2019 IRT Shamrock Shootout
Eduardo Portillo upset Jake Bredenbeck on Friday in the Round of 32 at the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) 34th Annual Shamrock Shootout in Lombard, Illinois, winning 15-5, 15-8. Portillo’s win books him a place in the Round of 16 versus 4th seed Alejandro Landa.
There were a few tie-breakers in the 32s, but only one upset by the seeding, and it was in the 16/17 seed match, as 17th seed Felipe Camacho got the better of 16th seed Thomas Carter, 15-13, 12-15, 11-8. Camacho’s reward is a match against IRT #1 Kane Waselenchuk in the 16s. Also, Jose Diaz needed three games to defeat Japanese veteran Hiroshi Shimizu, 13-15, 15-10, 11-3. Diaz will be up against 8th seed Sebastian Franco in the Round of 16.
The other match that went breaker was one of those we’d highlighted, as the International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Champion Rodrigo Montoya needed three games to beat Gerardo Franco, 15-1, 10-15, 11-3. Montoya will play 3rd seed Daniel De La Rosa in the 16s.
They’ve played one round of doubles, and there was only one upset, which was a small one, as 9th seeds Robert Collins and David Horn defeated 8th seeds Felipe Camacho and Eduardo Garay, 15-8, 15-14, so they will play #1 seeds Alvaro Beltran and De La Rosa. Beltran and De La Rosa beat 16th seeds Javier Martinez and Jeovany Mendoza, 15-9, 15-3, in the Round of 16.
Look for all the action via the usual IRT media outlets: The IRT Network, the IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page. The Round of 16 begins 5 PM Friday afternoon. The quarterfinals will be 10 and 11 AM Saturday morning. The semi-finals will be at 5:30 PM and 6:30 PM Saturday with the final at noon Sunday. All times central.
2019 IRT Shamrock Shootout, March 14-17, 2019
Lombard, Illinois
Qualifying Round 3 - Friday morning
Q8 - Felipe Camacho d. Thomas Carter, 15-13, 12-15, 11-8
Q1 - Jose Diaz d. Hiroshi Shimizu, 13-15, 15-10, 11-3
Q4 - Jansen Allen d. Troy Warigon, 15-6, 15-10
Q5 - Eduardo Portillo d. Jake Bredenbeck, 15-5, 15-8
Q6 - Rodrigo Montoya d. Gerardo Franco, 15-1, 10-15, 11-3
Q3 - Mario Mercado d. Mauricio Zelada, 15-7, 15-13
Q2 - David Horn d. Scott McClellan, 15-8, 15-1
Q7 - Adam Manilla d. Robert Collins, 15-13, 15-11
Round of 16 - Friday
1) Kane Waselenchuk v. Felipe Camacho - 5 PM
8) Sebastian Franco v. Jose Diaz - 5 PM
5) Andree Parrilla v. Jansen Allen - 5 PM
4) Alejandro Landa v. Eduardo Portillo - 5 PM
3) Daniel De La Rosa v. Rodrigo Montoya - 6 PM
6) Alvaro Beltran v. Mario Mercado - 6 PM
7) Samuel Murray v. David Horn - 6 PM
2) Rocky Carson v. Adam Manilla - 6 PM
IRT Doubles - Round of 16 - Friday
1) Alvaro Beltran & Daniel De La Rosa d. 16) Javier Martinez & Jeovany Mendoza, 15-9, 15-3
9) Robert Collins & David Horn d. 8) Felipe Camacho & Eduardo Garay, 15-8, 15-14
5) Rodrigo Montoya & Andree Parrilla d. 12) Rom Dresbach & Juan Martinez, 15-10, 15-10
4) Jake Bredenbeck & Jose Diaz d. 13) Edwin Galicia & Christian Wer, 14-15, 15-11, 11-9
3) Sebastian Franco & Mario Mercado d. 14) Hanzel Martinez & Juan Salvatierra, 15-10, 15-6
6) Ben Croft & Kane Waselenchuk d. 11) Maurice Miller & Troy Warigon, 15-6, 15-3
7) Rocky Carson & Adam Manilla d. 10) Thomas Carter & Kyle Ulliman, 15-4, 15-11
2) Alejandro Landa & Samuel Murray d. 15) Timothy Holder & Thomas Moretz, 15-3, 15-0
IRT Doubles - Quarterfinals - Friday
1) Alvaro Beltran & Daniel De La Rosa v. 9) Robert Collins & David Horn - 8 PM
5) Rodrigo Montoya & Andree Parrilla v. 4) Jake Bredenbeck & Jose Diaz - 9 PM
3) Sebastian Franco & Mario Mercado v. 6) Ben Croft & Kane Waselenchuk - 9 PM
2) Alejandro Landa & Samuel Murray v. 7) Rocky Carson & Adam Manilla - 8 PM
Follow the bouncing ball….
There were a few tie-breakers in the 32s, but only one upset by the seeding, and it was in the 16/17 seed match, as 17th seed Felipe Camacho got the better of 16th seed Thomas Carter, 15-13, 12-15, 11-8. Camacho’s reward is a match against IRT #1 Kane Waselenchuk in the 16s. Also, Jose Diaz needed three games to defeat Japanese veteran Hiroshi Shimizu, 13-15, 15-10, 11-3. Diaz will be up against 8th seed Sebastian Franco in the Round of 16.
The other match that went breaker was one of those we’d highlighted, as the International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Champion Rodrigo Montoya needed three games to beat Gerardo Franco, 15-1, 10-15, 11-3. Montoya will play 3rd seed Daniel De La Rosa in the 16s.
They’ve played one round of doubles, and there was only one upset, which was a small one, as 9th seeds Robert Collins and David Horn defeated 8th seeds Felipe Camacho and Eduardo Garay, 15-8, 15-14, so they will play #1 seeds Alvaro Beltran and De La Rosa. Beltran and De La Rosa beat 16th seeds Javier Martinez and Jeovany Mendoza, 15-9, 15-3, in the Round of 16.
Look for all the action via the usual IRT media outlets: The IRT Network, the IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page. The Round of 16 begins 5 PM Friday afternoon. The quarterfinals will be 10 and 11 AM Saturday morning. The semi-finals will be at 5:30 PM and 6:30 PM Saturday with the final at noon Sunday. All times central.
2019 IRT Shamrock Shootout, March 14-17, 2019
Lombard, Illinois
Qualifying Round 3 - Friday morning
Q8 - Felipe Camacho d. Thomas Carter, 15-13, 12-15, 11-8
Q1 - Jose Diaz d. Hiroshi Shimizu, 13-15, 15-10, 11-3
Q4 - Jansen Allen d. Troy Warigon, 15-6, 15-10
Q5 - Eduardo Portillo d. Jake Bredenbeck, 15-5, 15-8
Q6 - Rodrigo Montoya d. Gerardo Franco, 15-1, 10-15, 11-3
Q3 - Mario Mercado d. Mauricio Zelada, 15-7, 15-13
Q2 - David Horn d. Scott McClellan, 15-8, 15-1
Q7 - Adam Manilla d. Robert Collins, 15-13, 15-11
Round of 16 - Friday
1) Kane Waselenchuk v. Felipe Camacho - 5 PM
8) Sebastian Franco v. Jose Diaz - 5 PM
5) Andree Parrilla v. Jansen Allen - 5 PM
4) Alejandro Landa v. Eduardo Portillo - 5 PM
3) Daniel De La Rosa v. Rodrigo Montoya - 6 PM
6) Alvaro Beltran v. Mario Mercado - 6 PM
7) Samuel Murray v. David Horn - 6 PM
2) Rocky Carson v. Adam Manilla - 6 PM
IRT Doubles - Round of 16 - Friday
1) Alvaro Beltran & Daniel De La Rosa d. 16) Javier Martinez & Jeovany Mendoza, 15-9, 15-3
9) Robert Collins & David Horn d. 8) Felipe Camacho & Eduardo Garay, 15-8, 15-14
5) Rodrigo Montoya & Andree Parrilla d. 12) Rom Dresbach & Juan Martinez, 15-10, 15-10
4) Jake Bredenbeck & Jose Diaz d. 13) Edwin Galicia & Christian Wer, 14-15, 15-11, 11-9
3) Sebastian Franco & Mario Mercado d. 14) Hanzel Martinez & Juan Salvatierra, 15-10, 15-6
6) Ben Croft & Kane Waselenchuk d. 11) Maurice Miller & Troy Warigon, 15-6, 15-3
7) Rocky Carson & Adam Manilla d. 10) Thomas Carter & Kyle Ulliman, 15-4, 15-11
2) Alejandro Landa & Samuel Murray d. 15) Timothy Holder & Thomas Moretz, 15-3, 15-0
IRT Doubles - Quarterfinals - Friday
1) Alvaro Beltran & Daniel De La Rosa v. 9) Robert Collins & David Horn - 8 PM
5) Rodrigo Montoya & Andree Parrilla v. 4) Jake Bredenbeck & Jose Diaz - 9 PM
3) Sebastian Franco & Mario Mercado v. 6) Ben Croft & Kane Waselenchuk - 9 PM
2) Alejandro Landa & Samuel Murray v. 7) Rocky Carson & Adam Manilla - 8 PM
Follow the bouncing ball….
Thursday, March 14, 2019
2019 IRT Shamrock Shootout - Qualifying Round 1 & 2
Two rounds of qualifying are done at the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) 34th Annual Shamrock Shootout in Lombard, Illinois, and there really haven’t been any surprises, and only three tie-breakers out of 19 matches. Two of the three happened as veteran players got off to Japanese veteran Hiroshi Shimizu, who may have been dealing with a bit of jet lag, as he narrowly lost game one to Alok Mehta before coming back to win in three games, 14-15, 15-6, 11-3. Also, recent top 10 player Jansen Allen was beaten by Juan Salvatierra in game one of their match, but rebounded to win in in a tie-breaker, 6-15, 15-3, 11-7.
What we thought were potentially the most interesting matches in qualifying will happen on Friday morning, when Jake Bredenbeck plays Eduardo Portillo, and Rodrigo Montoya goes against Gerardo Franco, and Thomas Carter takes on Felipe Camacho.
Look for all the action via the usual IRT media outlets: The IRT Network, the IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page. The final round of Qualifying goes Friday morning at 10 and 11 AM with the Round of 16 from 5 PM Friday afternoon. The quarterfinals will be 10 and 11 AM Saturday morning. The semi-finals will be at 5:30 PM and 6:30 PM Saturday with the final at noon Sunday. All times central.
2019 IRT Shamrock Shootout, March 14-17, 2019
Lombard, Illinois
Qualifying Round 1 - Thursday
John Wolfe d. Kalyan Kosetty, 15-4, 15-8
Javier Martinez d. Jeovany Mendoza, 10-15, 15-10, 11-5
Eduardo Garay d. Hanzel Martinez, 15-2, 15-10
Qualifying Round 2 - Thursday
Jose Diaz d. Javier Martinez, 15-2, 15-4
Hiroshi Shimizu d. Alok Mehta, 14-15, 15-6, 11-3
Thomas Carter d. Geoff Goldblatt, 15-4, 15-2
Felipe Camacho d. Kyle Ulliman, 15-10, 15-10
Jake Bredenbeck d. Juan Martinez, 15-10, 15-4
Eduardo Portillo d. Edwin Galicia, 15-7, 15-10
Adam Manilla d. Jordy Alonso, 15-12, 15-10
Robert Collins d. Christian Wer, 15-3, 15-6
Rodrigo Montoya d. Justus Benson, 15-7, 15-11
Gerardo Franco d. Nadeem Sharifuddin, 15-6, 15-6
Jansen Allen d. Juan Salvatierra, 6-15, 15-3, 11-7
Troy Warigon d. Ferd Samson, 15-11, 15-13
Mario Mercado d. John Wolfe, 15-6, 15-4
Mauricio Zelada d. Maurice Miller, 15-11, 15-10
David Horn d. Eduardo Garay, 15-10, 15-11
Scott McClellan d. Michael Arterburn, 15-0, 15-2
Qualifying Round 3 - Friday morning
Q8 - Thomas Carter v. Felipe Camacho - 10 AM
Q1 - Jose Diaz v. Hiroshi Shimizu - 10 AM
Q4 - Jansen Allen v. Troy Warigon - 10 AM
Q5 - Jake Bredenbeck v. Eduardo Portillo - 10 AM
Q6 - Rodrigo Montoya v. Gerardo Franco - 11 AM
Q3 - Mario Mercado v. Mauricio Zelada - 11 AM
Q2 - David Horn v. Scott McClellan - 11 AM
Q7 - Adam Manilla v. Robert Collins - 11 AM
Round of 16 - Friday
Kane Waselenchuk v. Q8 - 5 PM
Sebastian Franco v. Q1 - 5 PM
Andree Parrilla v. Q4 - 5 PM
Alejandro Landa v. Q5 - 5 PM
Daniel De La Rosa v. Q6 - 6 PM
Alvaro Beltran v.. Q3 - 6 PM
Samuel Murray v. Q2 - 6 PM
Rocky Carson v. Q7 - 6 PM
IRT Doubles - Round of 16 - Friday
1) Alvaro Beltran & Daniel De La Rosa v. 16) Javier Martinez & Jeovany Mendoza - 3 PM
8) Felipe Camacho & Eduardo Garay v. 9) Robert Collins & David Horn - 3 PM
5) Rodrigo Montoya & Andree Parrilla v. 12) Rom Dresbach & Juan Martinez - 2 PM
4) Jake Bredenbeck & Jose Diaz v. 13) Edwin Galicia & Christian Wer - 3 PM
3) Sebastian Franco & Mario Mercado v. 14) Hanzel Martinez & Juan Salvatierra - 2 PM
6) Ben Croft & Kane Waselenchuk v. 11) Maurice Miller & Troy Warigon - 2 PM
7) Rocky Carson & Adam Manilla v. 10) Thomas Carter & Kyle Ulliman - 3 PM
2) Alejandro Landa & Samuel Murray v. 15) Timothy Holder & Thomas Moretz - 2 PM
Follow the bouncing ball….
What we thought were potentially the most interesting matches in qualifying will happen on Friday morning, when Jake Bredenbeck plays Eduardo Portillo, and Rodrigo Montoya goes against Gerardo Franco, and Thomas Carter takes on Felipe Camacho.
Look for all the action via the usual IRT media outlets: The IRT Network, the IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page. The final round of Qualifying goes Friday morning at 10 and 11 AM with the Round of 16 from 5 PM Friday afternoon. The quarterfinals will be 10 and 11 AM Saturday morning. The semi-finals will be at 5:30 PM and 6:30 PM Saturday with the final at noon Sunday. All times central.
2019 IRT Shamrock Shootout, March 14-17, 2019
Lombard, Illinois
Qualifying Round 1 - Thursday
John Wolfe d. Kalyan Kosetty, 15-4, 15-8
Javier Martinez d. Jeovany Mendoza, 10-15, 15-10, 11-5
Eduardo Garay d. Hanzel Martinez, 15-2, 15-10
Qualifying Round 2 - Thursday
Jose Diaz d. Javier Martinez, 15-2, 15-4
Hiroshi Shimizu d. Alok Mehta, 14-15, 15-6, 11-3
Thomas Carter d. Geoff Goldblatt, 15-4, 15-2
Felipe Camacho d. Kyle Ulliman, 15-10, 15-10
Jake Bredenbeck d. Juan Martinez, 15-10, 15-4
Eduardo Portillo d. Edwin Galicia, 15-7, 15-10
Adam Manilla d. Jordy Alonso, 15-12, 15-10
Robert Collins d. Christian Wer, 15-3, 15-6
Rodrigo Montoya d. Justus Benson, 15-7, 15-11
Gerardo Franco d. Nadeem Sharifuddin, 15-6, 15-6
Jansen Allen d. Juan Salvatierra, 6-15, 15-3, 11-7
Troy Warigon d. Ferd Samson, 15-11, 15-13
Mario Mercado d. John Wolfe, 15-6, 15-4
Mauricio Zelada d. Maurice Miller, 15-11, 15-10
David Horn d. Eduardo Garay, 15-10, 15-11
Scott McClellan d. Michael Arterburn, 15-0, 15-2
Qualifying Round 3 - Friday morning
Q8 - Thomas Carter v. Felipe Camacho - 10 AM
Q1 - Jose Diaz v. Hiroshi Shimizu - 10 AM
Q4 - Jansen Allen v. Troy Warigon - 10 AM
Q5 - Jake Bredenbeck v. Eduardo Portillo - 10 AM
Q6 - Rodrigo Montoya v. Gerardo Franco - 11 AM
Q3 - Mario Mercado v. Mauricio Zelada - 11 AM
Q2 - David Horn v. Scott McClellan - 11 AM
Q7 - Adam Manilla v. Robert Collins - 11 AM
Round of 16 - Friday
Kane Waselenchuk v. Q8 - 5 PM
Sebastian Franco v. Q1 - 5 PM
Andree Parrilla v. Q4 - 5 PM
Alejandro Landa v. Q5 - 5 PM
Daniel De La Rosa v. Q6 - 6 PM
Alvaro Beltran v.. Q3 - 6 PM
Samuel Murray v. Q2 - 6 PM
Rocky Carson v. Q7 - 6 PM
IRT Doubles - Round of 16 - Friday
1) Alvaro Beltran & Daniel De La Rosa v. 16) Javier Martinez & Jeovany Mendoza - 3 PM
8) Felipe Camacho & Eduardo Garay v. 9) Robert Collins & David Horn - 3 PM
5) Rodrigo Montoya & Andree Parrilla v. 12) Rom Dresbach & Juan Martinez - 2 PM
4) Jake Bredenbeck & Jose Diaz v. 13) Edwin Galicia & Christian Wer - 3 PM
3) Sebastian Franco & Mario Mercado v. 14) Hanzel Martinez & Juan Salvatierra - 2 PM
6) Ben Croft & Kane Waselenchuk v. 11) Maurice Miller & Troy Warigon - 2 PM
7) Rocky Carson & Adam Manilla v. 10) Thomas Carter & Kyle Ulliman - 3 PM
2) Alejandro Landa & Samuel Murray v. 15) Timothy Holder & Thomas Moretz - 2 PM
Follow the bouncing ball….
Wednesday, March 13, 2019
2019 IRT Shamrock Shootout - Preview
The International Racquetball Tour (IRT) returns to Lombard, Illinois for the 34th Annual Shamrock Shootout this weekend. Play begins Thursday with one of the largest fields of the season at 43 players in singles and 32 in doubles. That means three rounds of qualifying for spots in the Round of 16, which will be on Friday afternoon. There will be two rounds of qualifying on Thursday, and then another Friday morning.
With all those players there are sure to be some great matches. In qualifying, the potential matches that strike us as most interesting are Jake Bredenbeck versus Eduardo Portillo, and Rodrigo Montoya versus Gerardo Franco, as well as perhaps Thomas Carter versus Felipe Camacho. Those are potential matches, because all of the players will have to win an earlier round match to make those matches happen.
If the higher seeds make it through qualifying, then the Round of 16 matches with the most potential are 7th seed Samuel Murray versus David Horn, 3rd seed Daniel De La Rosa versus Montoya, and 4th seed Alejandro Landa versus Bredenbeck, which will be a battle of power players; we’ll put the over/under on number of broken balls in that match at 4 and half.
Of course, if you were going to make a bet on this event, we’d suggest putting your money on IRT #1 Kane Waselenchuk, who is enjoying another undefeated season. He’ll also be playing doubles in Lombard with the only person he ever plays doubles with: Ben Croft, who is an Illinois native.
Look for all the action via the usual IRT media outlets: The IRT Network, the IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page. Qualifying begins Thursday afternoon with the 2nd Round on Thursday eventing. The 3rd Round of Qualifying goes Friday morning at 10 and 11 AM with the Round of 16 from 5 PM Friday afternoon. The quarterfinals will be 10 and 11 AM Saturday morning. The semi-finals will be at 5:30 PM and 6:30 PM Saturday with the final at noon Sunday. All times central.
2019 IRT Shamrock Shootout, March 14-17, 2019
Lombard, Illinois
Qualifying Round 1 - Thursday
John Wolfe v. Kalyan Kosetty
Jeovany Mendoza v. Javier Martinez
Eduardo Garay v. Hanzel Martinez
Qualifying Round 2 - Thursday
Jose Diaz v. Jeovany Mendoza or Javier Martinez
Hiroshi Shimizu or Alok Mehta
Thomas Carter v. Geoff Goldblatt
Felipe Camacho v. Kyle Ulliman
Jake Bredenbeck v. Juan Martinez
Eduardo Portillo v. Edwin Galicia
Adam Manilla v. Jordy Alonso
Robert Collins v. Christian Wer
Rodrigo Montoya v. Justus Benson
Gerardo Franco v. Nadeem Sharifuddin
Jansen Allen v. Juan Salvatierra
Troy Warigon v. Ferd Samson
Mario Mercado v. John Wolfe or Kalyan Kosetty
Maurice Miller v. Mauricio Zelada
David Horn v. Eduardo Garay or Hanzel Martinez
Scott McClellan v. Michael Arterburn
Qualifying Round 3 - Friday morning
Q8 - Thomas Carter or Geoff Goldblatt v. Felipe Camacho or Kyle Ulliman - 10 AM
Q1 - Jose Diaz or Jeovany Mendoza or Javier Martinez v. Hiroshi Shimizu or Alok Mehta - 10 AM
Q4 - Jansen Allen or Juan Salvatierra v. Troy Warigon or Ferd Samson - 10 AM
Q5 - Jake Bredenbeck or Juan Martinez v. Eduardo Portillo or Edwin Galicia - 10 AM
Q6 - Rodrigo Montoya or Justus Benson v. Gerardo Franco or Nadeem Sharifuddin - 11 AM
Q3 - Mario Mercado or John Wolfe or Kalyan Kosetty v. Maurice Miller or Mauricio Zelada - 11 AM
Q2 - David Horn or Eduardo Garay or Hanzel Martinez v. Scott McClellan or Michael Arterburn - 11 AM
Q7 - Adam Manilla or Jordy Alonso v. Robert Collins or Christian Wer - 11 AM
Round of 16 - Friday
Kane Waselenchuk v. Q8 - 5 PM
Sebastian Franco v. Q1 - 5 PM
Andree Parrilla v. Q4 - 5 PM
Alejandro Landa v. Q5 - 5 PM
Daniel De La Rosa v. Q6 - 6 PM
Alvaro Beltran v. Q3 - 6 PM
Samuel Murray v. Q2 - 6 PM
Rocky Carson v. Q7 - 6 PM
IRT Doubles - Round of 16 - Friday
1) Alvaro Beltran & Daniel De La Rosa v. 16) Javier Martinez & Jeovany Mendoza - 3 PM
8) Felipe Camacho & Eduardo Garay v. 9) Robert Collins & David Horn - 3 PM
5) Rodrigo Montoya & Andree Parrilla v. 12) Rom Dresbach & Juan Martinez - 2 PM
4) Sebastian Franco & Mario Mercado v. 13) Edwin Galicia & Christian Wer - 3 PM
3) Jake Bredenbeck & Jose Diaz v. 14) Hanzel Martinez & Juan Salvatierra - 2 PM
6) Ben Croft & Kane Waselenchuk v. 11) Maurice Miller & Troy Warigon - 2 PM
7) Rocky Carson & Adam Manilla v. 10) Thomas Carter & Kyle Ulliman - 3 PM
2) Alejandro Landa & Samuel Murray v. 15) Timothy Holder & Thomas Moretz - 2 PM
Follow the bouncing ball….
With all those players there are sure to be some great matches. In qualifying, the potential matches that strike us as most interesting are Jake Bredenbeck versus Eduardo Portillo, and Rodrigo Montoya versus Gerardo Franco, as well as perhaps Thomas Carter versus Felipe Camacho. Those are potential matches, because all of the players will have to win an earlier round match to make those matches happen.
If the higher seeds make it through qualifying, then the Round of 16 matches with the most potential are 7th seed Samuel Murray versus David Horn, 3rd seed Daniel De La Rosa versus Montoya, and 4th seed Alejandro Landa versus Bredenbeck, which will be a battle of power players; we’ll put the over/under on number of broken balls in that match at 4 and half.
Of course, if you were going to make a bet on this event, we’d suggest putting your money on IRT #1 Kane Waselenchuk, who is enjoying another undefeated season. He’ll also be playing doubles in Lombard with the only person he ever plays doubles with: Ben Croft, who is an Illinois native.
Look for all the action via the usual IRT media outlets: The IRT Network, the IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page. Qualifying begins Thursday afternoon with the 2nd Round on Thursday eventing. The 3rd Round of Qualifying goes Friday morning at 10 and 11 AM with the Round of 16 from 5 PM Friday afternoon. The quarterfinals will be 10 and 11 AM Saturday morning. The semi-finals will be at 5:30 PM and 6:30 PM Saturday with the final at noon Sunday. All times central.
2019 IRT Shamrock Shootout, March 14-17, 2019
Lombard, Illinois
Qualifying Round 1 - Thursday
John Wolfe v. Kalyan Kosetty
Jeovany Mendoza v. Javier Martinez
Eduardo Garay v. Hanzel Martinez
Qualifying Round 2 - Thursday
Jose Diaz v. Jeovany Mendoza or Javier Martinez
Hiroshi Shimizu or Alok Mehta
Thomas Carter v. Geoff Goldblatt
Felipe Camacho v. Kyle Ulliman
Jake Bredenbeck v. Juan Martinez
Eduardo Portillo v. Edwin Galicia
Adam Manilla v. Jordy Alonso
Robert Collins v. Christian Wer
Rodrigo Montoya v. Justus Benson
Gerardo Franco v. Nadeem Sharifuddin
Jansen Allen v. Juan Salvatierra
Troy Warigon v. Ferd Samson
Mario Mercado v. John Wolfe or Kalyan Kosetty
Maurice Miller v. Mauricio Zelada
David Horn v. Eduardo Garay or Hanzel Martinez
Scott McClellan v. Michael Arterburn
Qualifying Round 3 - Friday morning
Q8 - Thomas Carter or Geoff Goldblatt v. Felipe Camacho or Kyle Ulliman - 10 AM
Q1 - Jose Diaz or Jeovany Mendoza or Javier Martinez v. Hiroshi Shimizu or Alok Mehta - 10 AM
Q4 - Jansen Allen or Juan Salvatierra v. Troy Warigon or Ferd Samson - 10 AM
Q5 - Jake Bredenbeck or Juan Martinez v. Eduardo Portillo or Edwin Galicia - 10 AM
Q6 - Rodrigo Montoya or Justus Benson v. Gerardo Franco or Nadeem Sharifuddin - 11 AM
Q3 - Mario Mercado or John Wolfe or Kalyan Kosetty v. Maurice Miller or Mauricio Zelada - 11 AM
Q2 - David Horn or Eduardo Garay or Hanzel Martinez v. Scott McClellan or Michael Arterburn - 11 AM
Q7 - Adam Manilla or Jordy Alonso v. Robert Collins or Christian Wer - 11 AM
Round of 16 - Friday
Kane Waselenchuk v. Q8 - 5 PM
Sebastian Franco v. Q1 - 5 PM
Andree Parrilla v. Q4 - 5 PM
Alejandro Landa v. Q5 - 5 PM
Daniel De La Rosa v. Q6 - 6 PM
Alvaro Beltran v. Q3 - 6 PM
Samuel Murray v. Q2 - 6 PM
Rocky Carson v. Q7 - 6 PM
IRT Doubles - Round of 16 - Friday
1) Alvaro Beltran & Daniel De La Rosa v. 16) Javier Martinez & Jeovany Mendoza - 3 PM
8) Felipe Camacho & Eduardo Garay v. 9) Robert Collins & David Horn - 3 PM
5) Rodrigo Montoya & Andree Parrilla v. 12) Rom Dresbach & Juan Martinez - 2 PM
4) Sebastian Franco & Mario Mercado v. 13) Edwin Galicia & Christian Wer - 3 PM
3) Jake Bredenbeck & Jose Diaz v. 14) Hanzel Martinez & Juan Salvatierra - 2 PM
6) Ben Croft & Kane Waselenchuk v. 11) Maurice Miller & Troy Warigon - 2 PM
7) Rocky Carson & Adam Manilla v. 10) Thomas Carter & Kyle Ulliman - 3 PM
2) Alejandro Landa & Samuel Murray v. 15) Timothy Holder & Thomas Moretz - 2 PM
Follow the bouncing ball….
Monday, March 4, 2019
Upsets at 2019 Mexican National Team Selection Event
There were big upsets at the 2019 Mexican National Team Selection Event in Chihuahua on the weekend, as no #1 seed won any of the four top divisions: Men's or Women's Singles or Doubles. Perhaps the biggest upset was in Women's Singles, as 6th seed Monserrat Mejia defeated 1st seed Paola Longoria in the Women’s Open final, 15-8, 15-14. Then in Men's Singles, 12th seed Alejandro Landa beat 14th seed Alvaro Beltran, 15-10, 15-8, in the Men’s Open final.
Landa and Beltran are top seeds on the International Racquebtall Tour (IRT), so it wasn't surprising they were in the final, but it's notable that the top 2 seeds lost before the final. Top seed Daniel De La Rosa lost to Landa in the semi-finals, 15-11, 15-10, and 2nd seed Rodrigo Montoya - who is also the International Racquetball Federation (IRF) Men's Singles World Champion - lost to 10th seed Alan Natera, 15-9, 15-9, in the quarterfinals.
In doubles, Mejia and Alexandra Herrera were the top seeds, as they won this event last year, but this year 2nd seeds Longoria and Samantha Salas Solis defeated them, 15-13, 15-5, in the Women’s Open Doubles final. In Men’s Open Doubles, 2nd seeds Javiar Mar and Rodrigo Montoya needed three games to win the title over 4th seeds Landa and Alejandro Cardona, 14-15, 15-8, 11-0. De La Rosa amd Beltran were the top seeds, but lost in the semi-finals to Cardona and Landa, 15-7, 15-10.
Thus, De La Rosa didn’t reach the final in either singles or doubles, and that could rule him out of the Mexican team for Pan American Championships next month in Colombia, and perhaps Pan American Games in Lima, Peru in August.
Of significance in women’s play, Jessica Parrilla made her return to competition for the first time in almost a year, as she’d been out with a leg injury. She lost in singles to Alexandra Herrera, 15-13, 11-15, 11-0, and teamed with Nancy Enriquez in doubles, where they lost in the semi-finals to Herrera and Mejia, 15-11, 15-12.
Campeonato Nacional Selectivo FMR
Chihuahua, Mexico - February 27-March 3, 2019
Women's Open - Round of 32
1) Paola Longoria - BYE
17) Denisse Maldonado d. 16) Alejandra Zuniga, 15-7, 15-5
9) Ana Laura Flores - BYE
8) Erin Rivera - BYE
5) Jessica Parrilla - BYE
12) Alexandra Herrera - BYE
13) Montserrat Perez - BYE
4) Diana Aguilar - BYE
3) Nancy Enriquez - BYE
19) Abril Sacristán d. 14) Beatriz Hernandez, 15-10, 15-7
11) Maria Gutierrez - BYE
6) Monserrat Mejia - BYE
7) Susana Acosta - BYE
10) Daniela Rico - BYE
18) Ximena Martinez d. 15) Andrea Ibarra, 3-15, 15-7, 11-7
2) Samantha Salas Solis - BYE
Round of 16
1) Paola Longoria d. 17) Denisse Maldonado, 15-2, 15-2
9) Ana Laura Flores d. 8) Erin Rivera, 15-11, 15-3
12) Alexandra Herrera d. 5) Jessica Parrilla, 15-13, 11-15, 11-0
13) Montserrat Perez d. 4) Diana Aguilar, 15-10, 15-3
3) Nancy Enriquez d. 19) Abril Sacristán, 15-7, 15-12
6) Monserrat Mejia d. 11) Maria Gutierrez, 15-1, 15-2
7) Susana Acosta d. 10) Daniela Rico, 15-5, 15-3
2) Samantha Salas Solis d. 18) Ximena Martinez, 15-4, 15-4
Quarterfinals
1) Paola Longoria d. 9) Ana Laura Flores, 15-7, 15-2
12) Alexandra Herrera d. 13) Montserrat Perez, 15-11, 15-5
6) Monserrat Mejia d. 3) Nancy Enriquez, 10-15, 15-4, 11-6
2) Samantha Salas Solis d. 7) Susana Acosta, 15-7, 15-2
Semi-finals
1) Paola Longoria d. 12) Alexandra Herrera, 15-4, 15-3
6) Monserrat Mejia d. 2) Samantha Salas Solis, 15-11, 15-4
Final
6) Monserrat Mejia d. 1) Paola Longoria, 15-8, 15-14
3rd Place
2) Samantha Salas Solis d. 12) Alexandra Herrera, 15-4, 5-15, 11–5
Women's Open Doubles - Quarterfinals
1) Alexandra Herrera & Monserrat Mejia - BYE
4) Nancy Enriquez & Jessica Parrilla d. 5) Diana Aguilar & Denisse Maldonado, 15-1, 15-13
3) Montserrat Perez & Erin Rivera d. 6) Andrea Ibarra & Daniela Rico, 15-14, 15-8
2) Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas Solis d. 7) Susana Acosta & Abril Sacristán, 15-6, 15-10
Semi-finals
1) Alexandra Herrera & Monserrat Mejia d. 4) Nancy Enriquez & Jessica Parrilla, 15-11, 15-12
2) Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas Solis d. 3) Montserrat Perez & Erin Rivera, 15-5, 11-15, 11-1
Final
2) Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas Solis d. 1) Alexandra Herrera & Monserrat Mejia, 15-13, 15-5
3rd place
4) Nancy Enriquez & Jessica Parrilla d. 3) Montserrat Perez & Erin Rivera, 15-10, 15-9
Men's Open Singles
Round of 64
1) Daniel De La Rosa - BYE
32) Juan Loreto d. 33) Diego Gastelum, 15-4, 15-8
17) Rodolfo Esparza - BYE
16) Rogelio Castillo - BYE
9) Alejandro Cardona - BYE
24) Alan Palomino - BYE
25) Alejandro Prieto - BYE
8) Sebastian Fernandez - BYE
5) Christian Longoria - BYE
28) Sebastian Hernandez - BYE
21) Jose Ramos - BYE
12) Alejandro Landa - BYE
13) Eduardo Portillo - BYE
20) Jaime Martell - BYE
29) Alejandro Mendoza - BYE
4) Javier Mar - BYE
3) Andree Parrilla - BYE
30) Humberto Natera - BYE
19) Polo Gutierrez - BYE
14) Alvaro Beltran - BYE
11) Ernesto Ochoa - BYE
22) Gerardo Franco - BYE
27) Elias Nieto - BYE
6) Javier Estrada - BYE
7) Edson Martinez - BYE
26) Omar Garay - BYE
23) Erick Trujillo - BYE
10) Alan Natera - BYE
15) Erick Cuevas Fernandez - BYE
18) Javier Moreno - BYE
34) Daniel Mariñelarena d. 31) Homar Prieto, 10-15, 15-6, 11-3
2) Rodrigo Montoya - BYE
Round of 32
1) Daniel De La Rosa d. 32) Juan Loreto, 15-3, 15-13
17) Rodolfo Esparza d. 16) Rogelio Castillo, 15-9, 15-11
9) Alejandro Cardona d. 24) Alan Palomino, 15-11, 15-10
8) Sebastian Fernandez d. 25) Alejandro Prieto, 15-0, 15-3
5) Christian Longoria d. 28) Sebastian Hernandez, forfeit
12) Alejandro Landa d. 21) Jose Ramos, 15-10, 15-7
20) Jaime Martell d. 13) Eduardo Portillo, 15-10, 15-7
4) Javier Mar d. 29) Alejandro Mendoza, 15-5, 15-3
3) Andree Parrilla d. 30) Humberto Natera, 15-7, 15-9
14) Alvaro Beltran d. 19) Polo Gutierrez, 15-4, 15-13
22) Gerardo Franco d. 11) Ernesto Ochoa, 15-13, 15-10
6) Javier Estrada d. 27) Elias Nieto, 15-11, 15-9
7) Edson Martinez d. 26) Omar Garay, 15-2, 15-3
10) Alan Natera d. 23) Erick Trujillo, 15-4, 15-3
18) Javier Moreno d. 15) Erick Cuevas Fernandez, 15-4, 15-10
2) Rodrigo Montoya d. 34) Daniel Mariñelarena. 15-3, 15-4
Round of 16
1) Daniel De La Rosa d. 17) Rodolfo Esparza, 15-12, 15-8
9) Alejandro Cardona d. 8) Sebastian Fernandez, 15-6, 15-4
12) Alejandro Landa d. 5) Christian Longoria, 15-9, 15-6
4) Javier Mar d. 20) Jaime Martell, 15-2, 14-15, 11-7
14) Alvaro Beltran d. 3) Andree Parrilla, 15-8, 15-13
22) Gerardo Franco d. 6) Javier Estrada, 15-12, 7-15, 11-10
10) Alan Natera d. 7) Edson Martinez, 9-15, 15-14, 11-6
2) Rodrigo Montoya d. 18) Javier Moreno, 15-3, 15-4
Quarterfinals
1) Daniel De La Rosa d. 9) Alejandro Cardona, 15-12, 13-15, 11-3
12) Alejandro Landa d. 4) Javier Mar, 15-8, 15-12
14) Alvaro Beltran d. 22) Gerardo Franco, 15-8, 15-13
10) Alan Natera d. 2) Rodrigo Montoya, 15-9, 15-9
Semi-finals
12) Alejandro Landa d. 1) Daniel De La Rosa, 15-11, 15-10
14) Alvaro Beltran d. 10) Alan Natera, 15-4, 15-11
Final
12) Alejandro Landa d. 14) Alvaro Beltran, 15-10, 15-8
3rd Place
1) Daniel De La Rosa d. 10) Alan Natera, 15-12, 15-6
Men's Open Doubles
Round of 16
1) Alvaro Beltran & Daniel De La Rosa - BYE
8) Sebastian Longoria & Erick Trujillo d. 9) Cesar Barragan & Alan Palomino, 15-8, 15-13
5) Jaime Martell & Alan Natera d. 12) Mauricio Delgadillo & Erick Cuevas Fernandez, 15-6, 15-13
4) Alejandro Cardona & Alejandro Landa d. 13) Sebastian Fernandez & Gerardo Franco, 15-12, 10-15, 11-8
3) Edson Martinez & Andree Parrilla d. 14) Carlos Esparza & Rodolfo Esparza, 15-0, 15-9
11) Elias Nieto & Eduardo Portillo d. 6) Rogelio Castillo, 15-14, 15-13
10) Javier Estrada & Ernesto Ochoa d. 7) Alejandro Mendoza & Ivan Sanchez, 15-5, 15-4
2) Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya d. 15) Manuel Hernandez & Sebastian Hernandez, 15-2, 15-4
Quarterfinals
1) Alvaro Beltran & Daniel De La Rosa d. 8) Sebastian Longoria & Erick Trujillo, 15-11, 15-5
4) Alejandro Cardona & Alejandro Landa d. 5) Jaime Martell & Alan Natera, 15-13, 15-4
3) Edson Martinez & Andree Parrilla d. 11) Elias Nieto & Eduardo Portillo, 10-15, 15-13, 11-10
2) Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya d. 10) Javier Estrada & Ernesto Ochoa, 15-10, 15-13
Semi-finals
4) Alejandro Cardona & Alejandro Landa d. 1) Alvaro Beltran & Daniel De La Rosa, 15-7, 15-10
2) Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya d. 3) Edson Martinez & Andree Parrilla, 15-10, 15-13
Final
2) Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya d. 4) Alejandro Cardona & Alejandro Landa, 14-15, 15-8, 11-0
3rd place
1) Alvaro Beltran & Daniel De La Rosa d. 3) Edson Martinez & Andree Parrilla, forfeit
Follow the bouncing ball….
Landa and Beltran are top seeds on the International Racquebtall Tour (IRT), so it wasn't surprising they were in the final, but it's notable that the top 2 seeds lost before the final. Top seed Daniel De La Rosa lost to Landa in the semi-finals, 15-11, 15-10, and 2nd seed Rodrigo Montoya - who is also the International Racquetball Federation (IRF) Men's Singles World Champion - lost to 10th seed Alan Natera, 15-9, 15-9, in the quarterfinals.
In doubles, Mejia and Alexandra Herrera were the top seeds, as they won this event last year, but this year 2nd seeds Longoria and Samantha Salas Solis defeated them, 15-13, 15-5, in the Women’s Open Doubles final. In Men’s Open Doubles, 2nd seeds Javiar Mar and Rodrigo Montoya needed three games to win the title over 4th seeds Landa and Alejandro Cardona, 14-15, 15-8, 11-0. De La Rosa amd Beltran were the top seeds, but lost in the semi-finals to Cardona and Landa, 15-7, 15-10.
Thus, De La Rosa didn’t reach the final in either singles or doubles, and that could rule him out of the Mexican team for Pan American Championships next month in Colombia, and perhaps Pan American Games in Lima, Peru in August.
Of significance in women’s play, Jessica Parrilla made her return to competition for the first time in almost a year, as she’d been out with a leg injury. She lost in singles to Alexandra Herrera, 15-13, 11-15, 11-0, and teamed with Nancy Enriquez in doubles, where they lost in the semi-finals to Herrera and Mejia, 15-11, 15-12.
Campeonato Nacional Selectivo FMR
Chihuahua, Mexico - February 27-March 3, 2019
Women's Open - Round of 32
1) Paola Longoria - BYE
17) Denisse Maldonado d. 16) Alejandra Zuniga, 15-7, 15-5
9) Ana Laura Flores - BYE
8) Erin Rivera - BYE
5) Jessica Parrilla - BYE
12) Alexandra Herrera - BYE
13) Montserrat Perez - BYE
4) Diana Aguilar - BYE
3) Nancy Enriquez - BYE
19) Abril Sacristán d. 14) Beatriz Hernandez, 15-10, 15-7
11) Maria Gutierrez - BYE
6) Monserrat Mejia - BYE
7) Susana Acosta - BYE
10) Daniela Rico - BYE
18) Ximena Martinez d. 15) Andrea Ibarra, 3-15, 15-7, 11-7
2) Samantha Salas Solis - BYE
Round of 16
1) Paola Longoria d. 17) Denisse Maldonado, 15-2, 15-2
9) Ana Laura Flores d. 8) Erin Rivera, 15-11, 15-3
12) Alexandra Herrera d. 5) Jessica Parrilla, 15-13, 11-15, 11-0
13) Montserrat Perez d. 4) Diana Aguilar, 15-10, 15-3
3) Nancy Enriquez d. 19) Abril Sacristán, 15-7, 15-12
6) Monserrat Mejia d. 11) Maria Gutierrez, 15-1, 15-2
7) Susana Acosta d. 10) Daniela Rico, 15-5, 15-3
2) Samantha Salas Solis d. 18) Ximena Martinez, 15-4, 15-4
Quarterfinals
1) Paola Longoria d. 9) Ana Laura Flores, 15-7, 15-2
12) Alexandra Herrera d. 13) Montserrat Perez, 15-11, 15-5
6) Monserrat Mejia d. 3) Nancy Enriquez, 10-15, 15-4, 11-6
2) Samantha Salas Solis d. 7) Susana Acosta, 15-7, 15-2
Semi-finals
1) Paola Longoria d. 12) Alexandra Herrera, 15-4, 15-3
6) Monserrat Mejia d. 2) Samantha Salas Solis, 15-11, 15-4
Final
6) Monserrat Mejia d. 1) Paola Longoria, 15-8, 15-14
3rd Place
2) Samantha Salas Solis d. 12) Alexandra Herrera, 15-4, 5-15, 11–5
Women's Open Doubles - Quarterfinals
1) Alexandra Herrera & Monserrat Mejia - BYE
4) Nancy Enriquez & Jessica Parrilla d. 5) Diana Aguilar & Denisse Maldonado, 15-1, 15-13
3) Montserrat Perez & Erin Rivera d. 6) Andrea Ibarra & Daniela Rico, 15-14, 15-8
2) Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas Solis d. 7) Susana Acosta & Abril Sacristán, 15-6, 15-10
Semi-finals
1) Alexandra Herrera & Monserrat Mejia d. 4) Nancy Enriquez & Jessica Parrilla, 15-11, 15-12
2) Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas Solis d. 3) Montserrat Perez & Erin Rivera, 15-5, 11-15, 11-1
Final
2) Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas Solis d. 1) Alexandra Herrera & Monserrat Mejia, 15-13, 15-5
3rd place
4) Nancy Enriquez & Jessica Parrilla d. 3) Montserrat Perez & Erin Rivera, 15-10, 15-9
Men's Open Singles
Round of 64
1) Daniel De La Rosa - BYE
32) Juan Loreto d. 33) Diego Gastelum, 15-4, 15-8
17) Rodolfo Esparza - BYE
16) Rogelio Castillo - BYE
9) Alejandro Cardona - BYE
24) Alan Palomino - BYE
25) Alejandro Prieto - BYE
8) Sebastian Fernandez - BYE
5) Christian Longoria - BYE
28) Sebastian Hernandez - BYE
21) Jose Ramos - BYE
12) Alejandro Landa - BYE
13) Eduardo Portillo - BYE
20) Jaime Martell - BYE
29) Alejandro Mendoza - BYE
4) Javier Mar - BYE
3) Andree Parrilla - BYE
30) Humberto Natera - BYE
19) Polo Gutierrez - BYE
14) Alvaro Beltran - BYE
11) Ernesto Ochoa - BYE
22) Gerardo Franco - BYE
27) Elias Nieto - BYE
6) Javier Estrada - BYE
7) Edson Martinez - BYE
26) Omar Garay - BYE
23) Erick Trujillo - BYE
10) Alan Natera - BYE
15) Erick Cuevas Fernandez - BYE
18) Javier Moreno - BYE
34) Daniel Mariñelarena d. 31) Homar Prieto, 10-15, 15-6, 11-3
2) Rodrigo Montoya - BYE
Round of 32
1) Daniel De La Rosa d. 32) Juan Loreto, 15-3, 15-13
17) Rodolfo Esparza d. 16) Rogelio Castillo, 15-9, 15-11
9) Alejandro Cardona d. 24) Alan Palomino, 15-11, 15-10
8) Sebastian Fernandez d. 25) Alejandro Prieto, 15-0, 15-3
5) Christian Longoria d. 28) Sebastian Hernandez, forfeit
12) Alejandro Landa d. 21) Jose Ramos, 15-10, 15-7
20) Jaime Martell d. 13) Eduardo Portillo, 15-10, 15-7
4) Javier Mar d. 29) Alejandro Mendoza, 15-5, 15-3
3) Andree Parrilla d. 30) Humberto Natera, 15-7, 15-9
14) Alvaro Beltran d. 19) Polo Gutierrez, 15-4, 15-13
22) Gerardo Franco d. 11) Ernesto Ochoa, 15-13, 15-10
6) Javier Estrada d. 27) Elias Nieto, 15-11, 15-9
7) Edson Martinez d. 26) Omar Garay, 15-2, 15-3
10) Alan Natera d. 23) Erick Trujillo, 15-4, 15-3
18) Javier Moreno d. 15) Erick Cuevas Fernandez, 15-4, 15-10
2) Rodrigo Montoya d. 34) Daniel Mariñelarena. 15-3, 15-4
Round of 16
1) Daniel De La Rosa d. 17) Rodolfo Esparza, 15-12, 15-8
9) Alejandro Cardona d. 8) Sebastian Fernandez, 15-6, 15-4
12) Alejandro Landa d. 5) Christian Longoria, 15-9, 15-6
4) Javier Mar d. 20) Jaime Martell, 15-2, 14-15, 11-7
14) Alvaro Beltran d. 3) Andree Parrilla, 15-8, 15-13
22) Gerardo Franco d. 6) Javier Estrada, 15-12, 7-15, 11-10
10) Alan Natera d. 7) Edson Martinez, 9-15, 15-14, 11-6
2) Rodrigo Montoya d. 18) Javier Moreno, 15-3, 15-4
Quarterfinals
1) Daniel De La Rosa d. 9) Alejandro Cardona, 15-12, 13-15, 11-3
12) Alejandro Landa d. 4) Javier Mar, 15-8, 15-12
14) Alvaro Beltran d. 22) Gerardo Franco, 15-8, 15-13
10) Alan Natera d. 2) Rodrigo Montoya, 15-9, 15-9
Semi-finals
12) Alejandro Landa d. 1) Daniel De La Rosa, 15-11, 15-10
14) Alvaro Beltran d. 10) Alan Natera, 15-4, 15-11
Final
12) Alejandro Landa d. 14) Alvaro Beltran, 15-10, 15-8
3rd Place
1) Daniel De La Rosa d. 10) Alan Natera, 15-12, 15-6
Men's Open Doubles
Round of 16
1) Alvaro Beltran & Daniel De La Rosa - BYE
8) Sebastian Longoria & Erick Trujillo d. 9) Cesar Barragan & Alan Palomino, 15-8, 15-13
5) Jaime Martell & Alan Natera d. 12) Mauricio Delgadillo & Erick Cuevas Fernandez, 15-6, 15-13
4) Alejandro Cardona & Alejandro Landa d. 13) Sebastian Fernandez & Gerardo Franco, 15-12, 10-15, 11-8
3) Edson Martinez & Andree Parrilla d. 14) Carlos Esparza & Rodolfo Esparza, 15-0, 15-9
11) Elias Nieto & Eduardo Portillo d. 6) Rogelio Castillo, 15-14, 15-13
10) Javier Estrada & Ernesto Ochoa d. 7) Alejandro Mendoza & Ivan Sanchez, 15-5, 15-4
2) Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya d. 15) Manuel Hernandez & Sebastian Hernandez, 15-2, 15-4
Quarterfinals
1) Alvaro Beltran & Daniel De La Rosa d. 8) Sebastian Longoria & Erick Trujillo, 15-11, 15-5
4) Alejandro Cardona & Alejandro Landa d. 5) Jaime Martell & Alan Natera, 15-13, 15-4
3) Edson Martinez & Andree Parrilla d. 11) Elias Nieto & Eduardo Portillo, 10-15, 15-13, 11-10
2) Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya d. 10) Javier Estrada & Ernesto Ochoa, 15-10, 15-13
Semi-finals
4) Alejandro Cardona & Alejandro Landa d. 1) Alvaro Beltran & Daniel De La Rosa, 15-7, 15-10
2) Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya d. 3) Edson Martinez & Andree Parrilla, 15-10, 15-13
Final
2) Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya d. 4) Alejandro Cardona & Alejandro Landa, 14-15, 15-8, 11-0
3rd place
1) Alvaro Beltran & Daniel De La Rosa d. 3) Edson Martinez & Andree Parrilla, forfeit
Follow the bouncing ball….
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