Nick Montalbano and Rhonda Rajsich won the pro singles divisions at the 3WallBall World Championships in Las Vegas on the weekend. Montalbano needed a tie-breaker to defeat Andres Acuña, 15-10, 11-15, 11-5, in the Men’s Pro final, while Rajsich beat Cecilia Pratt, 15-1, 15-2, to win the Women’s Pro final.
But the big emphasis in outdoor racquetball is on doubles. For example, there were 16 teams (32 players) in Men’s Pro Doubles, but only 6 players in Men's Pro Singles. Top seeds Alvaro Beltran and Daniel De La Rosa won Men’s Pro Doubles, as they defeated Chris McDonald and Robert Sostre in the final, 15-9, 14-15, 11-3. In the semi-finals, Beltran and De La Rosa beat Marcos Gravier and Roy Hernandez, 15-10, 15-9, while McDonald and Sostre took out Greg Solis and Joe Young, 15-10, 15-9.
Michelle De La Rosa and Carla Muñoz won the Women’s Pro Doubles title by defeating Rajsich and Michelle Herbert, 15-13, 10-15, 11-6. In the semis, De La Rosa and Muñoz beat Pratt and Jessica Parrilla, 15-7, 15-3, and Rajsich and Herbert defeated Regina Franco and Katharine Neils, 15-10, 15-8.
The De La Rosas also won a title together, as Michelle and Daniel teamed up to win the Mixed Doubles Pro division. They beat Rick Koll and Rajsich, 15-4, 15-12, in the final, and Muñoz and Sostre, 15-10, 15-10, in the semi-finals. In the other semi, Koll and Rajsich defeated Emmett Coe and Jacqueline Paraiso-Larsson, 15-9, 15-10.
The 2019 US Open - racquetball’s original Grand Slam event, and the largest racquetball tournament in the world - begins Wednesday, October 2 in Minneapolis. The Racquetball Blog will have all your US Open coverage.
2019 3WallBall World Championships, September 25-29, 2019
Las Vegas, Nevada
Men’s Pro Final
1) Nick Montalbano d. 6) Andres Acuña, 15-10, 11-15, 11-5
Men’s Pro Semi-finals
1) Nick Montalbano d. 4) Thomas Gerhardt, 15-13, 15-7
6) Andres Acuña d. 2) William Rolon, 15-7, 15-1
Men’s Pro Doubles Final
1) Alvaro Beltran & Daniel De La Rosa d. 3) Chris McDonald & Robert Sostre, 15-9, 14-15, 11-3
Men’s Pro Doubles Semi-finals
1) Alvaro Beltran & Daniel De La Rosa d. 5) Marcos Gravier & Roy Hernandez, 15-10, 15-9
3) Chris McDonald & Robert Sostre d. 7) Greg Solis & Joe Young, 15-10, 15-9
Women’s Pro Final
1) Rhonda Rajsich d. 7) Cecilia Pratt, 15-1, 15-2
Women’s Pro Semi-finals
1) Rhonda Rajsich d. 4) Jessica Parrilla, 15-7, 11-15, 11-7
7) Cecilia Pratt d. 3) Adriana Riveros, 15-13, 12-15, 11-8
Women’s Pro Final
2) Michelle De La Rosa & Carla Muñoz d. 1) Michelle Herbert & Rhonda Rajsich, 15-13, 10-15, 11-6
Women’s Pro Doubles Semi-finals
1) Michelle Herbert & Rhonda Rajsich d. 5) Regina Franco & Katharine Neils, 15-10, 15-8
2) Michelle De La Rosa & Carla Muñoz d. 6) Jessica Parrilla & Cecilia Pratt, 15-7, 15-3
Mixed Doubles Pro Final
2) Daniel De La Rosa & Michelle De La Rosa d. 1) Rick Koll & Rhonda Rajsich, 15-4, 15-12
Mixed Pro Doubles Semi-finals
1) Rick Koll & Rhonda Rajsich d. 5) Emmett Coe & Jacqueline Paraiso-Larsson, 15-9, 15-10
2) Daniel De La Rosa & Michelle De La Rosa d. 3) Carla Muñoz & Robert Sostre, 15-10, 15-10
Follow the bouncing ball….
Monday, September 30, 2019
Friday, September 27, 2019
2019 UnitedHealthcare US Open Preview
Next week the 24th UnitedHealthcare US Open Racquetball Championships happen in Minneapolis. It’s the biggest racquetball tournament in the world, and boasts the largest International Racquetball Tour (IRT) and Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) draws of the season. With both the IRT and LPRT players in Minneapolis, the US Open is truly a Grand Slam event.
This year there are 94 players in the IRT draw, including the top 27 players led by #1 Kane Waselenchuk, who’s fresh off a win last week at the 2019 IRT Valentine Open. Waselenchuk hasn’t lost a US Open match since 2002, and has won the last 11 US Open titles and 14 overall. He’s clearly the man to beat.
If we anticipate the IRT singles matches, there could be a tasty one in the Round of 16, as IRT #2 Rocky Carson could play #15 Conrrado Moscoso. They last met in March in Bolivia, where Moscoso beat Carson to win the American Iris Bolivia Open. That’s quite the match for the 16s. There could also be a couple of doubles partners facing off in the Round of 16, as IRT #3 Andree Parrilla may play #14 Eduardo Portillo, and #7 Sebastian Franco could play #10 Mario Mercado.
There are 41 players in the LPRT draw, including the top 26 players with LPRT #1 Paola Longoria leading the way. However, Longoria lost her last match in the final of the LPRT Chesapeake event in Maryland, where LPRT #3 Maria Jose Vargas defeated her. But Longoria has an 8 year winning streak at the US Open and has won 9 women’s titles overall. So, like Waselenchuk, Longoria is clearly the woman to beat.
Other than Longoria, there’s a lot of uncertainly in the LPRT draw, as there are some quality players who haven't played much of late on tour, so they’ve slipped down the rankings. Players like Frédérique Lambert, who’s 14th, but was a US Open finalist in 2017, Gabriela Martinez, who’s 19th but was a semi-finalist in Minneapolis last year, and Jessica Parrilla, who was a semi-finalist in 2016 but missed most of last season with a knee injury, so is only ranked 26th. Thus, there may be results that look like upsets based on the seedings, but may not be based on the players involved. A higher seeding may not be as advantageous players' hope this year.
Doubles
For the last five years, the pros have also played doubles at the US Open, which has produced some of the most memorable recent US Open matches. There are 27 teams in the IRT draw, including Waselenchuk and Ben Croft, who have won the title three times, and were finalists last year, but their IRT doubles rankings puts them 7th - by our calculations - as doubles has become a regular IRT event, but Waselenchuk and Croft usually only play at the US Open. Perhaps there will be a special accommodation for them, as happens in some USA Racquetball (USAR) events, where last year’s winners are seeded 1st and the runners-up seeded 2nd. Otherwise, they will likely have to play a match to get into the quarterfinals, as the top 4 teams are seeded into the quarters with the other teams vying for the other four spots.
The top four IRT doubles team are #1 Alvaro Beltran and Daniel De La Rosa, who are the defending US Open champions, #2 Alejandro Landa and Samuel Murray, #3 Sebastian Franco and Mario Mercado, and #4 Jake Bredenbeck and Jose Diaz, although Diaz hasn’t played in either of the first two IRT events this season.
Earlier this year, Cliff Swain and Jason Mannino announced they would play together at the US Open. They were a formidable doubles team back in the day, when they were both at or near the top of the IRT rankings, but neither has played much in the last few years, especially Mannino. Sadly, it seems the plan has fallen through for Mannino, who isn’t in the Minneapolis field. But Swain has secured a more than adequate alternative in Rocky Carson, the IRT’s #2 player. We’re not sure where they will be seeded, as Swain doesn’t have a doubles ranking, and Carson’s is only 23rd, as he’s not played much doubles lately. But it will be interesting to see them on the court together.
If you wanted another dark horse IRT doubles team, look no further than Jansen Allen and Shai Manzuri. Allen is a two time USAR National Doubles Champion and an international champion, while Manzuri has multiple medals doubles playing for Argentina, so they have a good track record. We’ll see if they can put it together as a team in Minneapolis.
There are 13 teams in the LPRT doubles field. The LPRT usually plays doubles at all its events, so there are more matches behind their doubles rankings than the IRT doubles rankings. Longoria has won all 5 LPRT US Open titles, although she’s done it with three different partners. Samantha Salas - Longoria’s regular partner - has won it three times, but injuries kept her away from Minneapolis twice, and on those occasions Longoria won with Veronica Sotomayor (2014) and Gabriela Martinez (2017).
Longoria and Salas should be the top ranked team this year with Natalia Mendez and Maria Jose Vargas 2nd, three time US Open finalists Alexandra Herrera and Monserrat Mejia 3rd, and the young team of Brenda Laime and Masiel Rivera 4th.
Past those teams, the best dark horse team could be Gabriela Martinez and Maria Renee Rodriguez, who we think will only be seeded 11th as Martinez hasn’t play much lately. However, they were silver medalists in Women's Doubles at the 2019 Pan American Games in August, so they have a great record together.
You should be able to see much of the action from Minneapolis. For the men, check out the IRT media outlets: The IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page, and for the women look to the LPRT website, or the LPRT YouTube channel.
It’s going to be a great week of racquetball.
2019 UnitedHealthcare US Open Racquetball Championships
Minneapolis, Minnesota - October 2-6, 2019
IRT Singles Field (with IRT Ranking)
1) Kane Waselenchuk
2) Rocky Carson
3) Andree Parrilla
4) Alejandro Landa
5) Alvaro Beltran
6) Daniel De La Rosa
7) Sebastian Franco
8) Samuel Murray
9) Rodrigo Montoya
10) Mario Mercado
11) Jake Bredenbeck
12) Jose Diaz
13) David Horn
14) Eduardo Portillo
15) Conrrado Moscoso
16) Gerardo Franco
17) Robert Collins
18) Andres Acuña
19) Charles Pratt
20) Felipe Camacho
21) Thomas Carter
22) Jansen Allen
23) Sebastian Fernandez
24) Javier Mar
25) Carlos Keller
26) Adam Manilla
27) Eduardo Garay
29) Kadim Carrasco
30) Justus Benson
31) Scott McClellan
32) Maurice Miller
33) Diego Garcia
34) Javier Estrada
36) Nicholas Riffel
37) Troy Warigon
38) Alan Natera
39) Set Cubillos
41) Mauricio Zelada
42) Dylan Reid
43) Ernesto Ochoa
43) Alejandro Cardona
45) Edwin Galicia
46) Sam Bredenbeck
47) Juan Salvatierra
49) Erik Garcia
50) Kyle Ulliman
51) Hiroshi Shimizu
52) Oscar Elias Nieto Valadez
53) Bradly Rogers
54) Alejandro Herrera
57) Christian Wer
58) Christian Longoria
59) John Wolfe
60) Andrés Gómez
61) Erick Cuervas Fernandez
63) Tim Landeryou
73) David Austin
75) Franco Gutierrez
79) Ferd Samson
83) A. J. Fernandez
95) Yacouba Keita
95) Joe Kelley
101) Andrew Gale
115) Diego Gatica
115) Francisco Cherroni
126) Lucas Shoemaker
126) Jose Ubilla
139) Francisco Gomez Reyes
145) Victor Camacho
151) Erik Solter
151) Jacob Kingsford
151) Destry Everhart
151) Guillermo Jesus Ortega Jr
151) Darrin Prince
151) Francisco Troncoso
203) Samuel Kelley
207) Kalyan Kosetty
208) Jose Flores Jr.
NR) Joel Adler
NR) Rich Benderoth
NR) Jonathan Burns
NR) Ken Cheshire
NR) Fabian Cuesta
NR) Micah Farmer
NR) Donald Gilbert
NR) Kevin Iglesias
NR) Lukas Le
NR) Shai Manzuri
NR) Jaime Martell
NR) Shoji Mochino
NR) Manuel Moncada
NR) Majeed Shahin
NR) Vladimir Fernando Siles Gonzales
NR) Brent Sturgess
LPRT Singles Field (with LPRT Ranking)
1) Paola Longoria
2) Samantha Salas
3) Maria Jose Vargas
4) Alexandra Herrera
5) Rhonda Rajsich
6) Natalia Mendez
7) Nancy Enriquez
8) Cristina Amaya
9) Masiel Rivera
10) Brenda Laime
11) Adriana Riveros
12) Monserrat Mejia
13) Ana Laura Flores
14) Frédérique Lambert
15) Cassi Lee
17) Sheryl Lotts
18) Adrienne Haynes
19) Gabriela Martinez
20) Angelica Barrios
21) Carla Muñoz
23) Maria Renee Rodriguez
24) Kelani Lawrence
24) Michelle De La Rosa
26) Jessica Parrilla
28) Hollie Scott
29) Jenny Daza
30) Laura Brandt
31) Montserrat Perez
34) Jennifer Dering
37) Cheryl Gudinas
42) Maricruz Ortiz
44) Linda Tyler
55) Anna Rivera
60) Lexi York
64) Daniela Molina
65) Maiko Sato
NR) Carolina Gomez
NR) Erin Groves
NR) Ayako Hanashi
NR) Megumi Kozakai
NR) Annie Roberts
IRT Doubles Field (with IRT Doubles Ranking)
1) Alvaro Beltran & Daniel De La Rosa (1+3)
2) Alejandro Landa & Samuel Murray (2+4)
3) Sebastian Franco & Mario Mercado (9+5)
4) Jake Bredenbeck & Jose Diaz (7+11)
5) Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya (18+6)
6) Adam Manilla & Nicholas Riffel (14+13)
7) Ben Croft & Kane Waselenchuk (16+16)
8) Andree Parrilla & Eduardo Portillo (10+24)
9) Roland Keller & Conrrado Moscoso (21+21)
10) Andres Acuña & Felipe Camacho (35+8)
11) Kadim Carrasco & Carlos Keller (27+27)
12) Alejandro Cardona & Gerardo Franco (35+20)
13) Maurice Miller & Troy Warigon (31+31)
14) Tim Herman & Michael Myers (33+33)
15) Edwin Galicia & Juan Salvatierra (38+40)
16) Charles Pratt & Dylan Reid (26+54)
17) Sebastian Fernandez & Diego Garcia (37+54 91
18) Rafael Gatica & Johan Igor (47+47 94
19) Justus Benson & Erik Garcia (42+54 96
20) Jansen Allen & Shai Manzuri (12+NR)
21) Rocky Carson & Cliff Swain (23+NR)
22) Eduardo Garay & Alan Natera (29+NR)
23) Christian Wer & Nathan Orlando Martinez Perez (38+NR)
24) Sam Bredenbeck & Tim Landeryou (54+NR)
25) Mike Harmon & Alejandro Herrera (NR+54)
NR) Javier Estrada & Ernesto Ochoa (NR+NR)
NR) Manuel Moncada & Guillermo Jesus Ortega Jr (NR+NR)
LPRT Doubles Field (with LPRT Doubles Ranking)
1) Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas (2+1)
2) Natalia Mendez & Maria Jose Vargas (4+4)
3) Alexandra Herrera & Monserrat Mejia (3+7)
4) Brenda Laime & Masiel Rivera (8+6)
5) Sheryl Lotts & Carla Muñoz (11+13)
6) Cristina Amaya & Adriana Riveros (12+15)
7) Nancy Enriquez & Jessica Parrilla (10 +23)
8) Kelani Lawrence & Michelle De La Rosa (14+28)
8) Angelica Barrios & Jenny Daza (20+22)
10) Erin Groves & Montserrat Perez (19+29)
11) Gabriela Martinez & Maria Renee Rodriguez (48+16)
12) Hollie Scott & Lexi York (33+41)
13) Etsuko Noda & Maiko Sato (NR+NR)
Follow the bouncing ball….
This year there are 94 players in the IRT draw, including the top 27 players led by #1 Kane Waselenchuk, who’s fresh off a win last week at the 2019 IRT Valentine Open. Waselenchuk hasn’t lost a US Open match since 2002, and has won the last 11 US Open titles and 14 overall. He’s clearly the man to beat.
If we anticipate the IRT singles matches, there could be a tasty one in the Round of 16, as IRT #2 Rocky Carson could play #15 Conrrado Moscoso. They last met in March in Bolivia, where Moscoso beat Carson to win the American Iris Bolivia Open. That’s quite the match for the 16s. There could also be a couple of doubles partners facing off in the Round of 16, as IRT #3 Andree Parrilla may play #14 Eduardo Portillo, and #7 Sebastian Franco could play #10 Mario Mercado.
There are 41 players in the LPRT draw, including the top 26 players with LPRT #1 Paola Longoria leading the way. However, Longoria lost her last match in the final of the LPRT Chesapeake event in Maryland, where LPRT #3 Maria Jose Vargas defeated her. But Longoria has an 8 year winning streak at the US Open and has won 9 women’s titles overall. So, like Waselenchuk, Longoria is clearly the woman to beat.
Other than Longoria, there’s a lot of uncertainly in the LPRT draw, as there are some quality players who haven't played much of late on tour, so they’ve slipped down the rankings. Players like Frédérique Lambert, who’s 14th, but was a US Open finalist in 2017, Gabriela Martinez, who’s 19th but was a semi-finalist in Minneapolis last year, and Jessica Parrilla, who was a semi-finalist in 2016 but missed most of last season with a knee injury, so is only ranked 26th. Thus, there may be results that look like upsets based on the seedings, but may not be based on the players involved. A higher seeding may not be as advantageous players' hope this year.
Doubles
For the last five years, the pros have also played doubles at the US Open, which has produced some of the most memorable recent US Open matches. There are 27 teams in the IRT draw, including Waselenchuk and Ben Croft, who have won the title three times, and were finalists last year, but their IRT doubles rankings puts them 7th - by our calculations - as doubles has become a regular IRT event, but Waselenchuk and Croft usually only play at the US Open. Perhaps there will be a special accommodation for them, as happens in some USA Racquetball (USAR) events, where last year’s winners are seeded 1st and the runners-up seeded 2nd. Otherwise, they will likely have to play a match to get into the quarterfinals, as the top 4 teams are seeded into the quarters with the other teams vying for the other four spots.
The top four IRT doubles team are #1 Alvaro Beltran and Daniel De La Rosa, who are the defending US Open champions, #2 Alejandro Landa and Samuel Murray, #3 Sebastian Franco and Mario Mercado, and #4 Jake Bredenbeck and Jose Diaz, although Diaz hasn’t played in either of the first two IRT events this season.
Earlier this year, Cliff Swain and Jason Mannino announced they would play together at the US Open. They were a formidable doubles team back in the day, when they were both at or near the top of the IRT rankings, but neither has played much in the last few years, especially Mannino. Sadly, it seems the plan has fallen through for Mannino, who isn’t in the Minneapolis field. But Swain has secured a more than adequate alternative in Rocky Carson, the IRT’s #2 player. We’re not sure where they will be seeded, as Swain doesn’t have a doubles ranking, and Carson’s is only 23rd, as he’s not played much doubles lately. But it will be interesting to see them on the court together.
If you wanted another dark horse IRT doubles team, look no further than Jansen Allen and Shai Manzuri. Allen is a two time USAR National Doubles Champion and an international champion, while Manzuri has multiple medals doubles playing for Argentina, so they have a good track record. We’ll see if they can put it together as a team in Minneapolis.
There are 13 teams in the LPRT doubles field. The LPRT usually plays doubles at all its events, so there are more matches behind their doubles rankings than the IRT doubles rankings. Longoria has won all 5 LPRT US Open titles, although she’s done it with three different partners. Samantha Salas - Longoria’s regular partner - has won it three times, but injuries kept her away from Minneapolis twice, and on those occasions Longoria won with Veronica Sotomayor (2014) and Gabriela Martinez (2017).
Longoria and Salas should be the top ranked team this year with Natalia Mendez and Maria Jose Vargas 2nd, three time US Open finalists Alexandra Herrera and Monserrat Mejia 3rd, and the young team of Brenda Laime and Masiel Rivera 4th.
Past those teams, the best dark horse team could be Gabriela Martinez and Maria Renee Rodriguez, who we think will only be seeded 11th as Martinez hasn’t play much lately. However, they were silver medalists in Women's Doubles at the 2019 Pan American Games in August, so they have a great record together.
You should be able to see much of the action from Minneapolis. For the men, check out the IRT media outlets: The IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page, and for the women look to the LPRT website, or the LPRT YouTube channel.
It’s going to be a great week of racquetball.
2019 UnitedHealthcare US Open Racquetball Championships
Minneapolis, Minnesota - October 2-6, 2019
IRT Singles Field (with IRT Ranking)
1) Kane Waselenchuk
2) Rocky Carson
3) Andree Parrilla
4) Alejandro Landa
5) Alvaro Beltran
6) Daniel De La Rosa
7) Sebastian Franco
8) Samuel Murray
9) Rodrigo Montoya
10) Mario Mercado
11) Jake Bredenbeck
12) Jose Diaz
13) David Horn
14) Eduardo Portillo
15) Conrrado Moscoso
16) Gerardo Franco
17) Robert Collins
18) Andres Acuña
19) Charles Pratt
20) Felipe Camacho
21) Thomas Carter
22) Jansen Allen
23) Sebastian Fernandez
24) Javier Mar
25) Carlos Keller
26) Adam Manilla
27) Eduardo Garay
29) Kadim Carrasco
30) Justus Benson
31) Scott McClellan
32) Maurice Miller
33) Diego Garcia
34) Javier Estrada
36) Nicholas Riffel
37) Troy Warigon
38) Alan Natera
39) Set Cubillos
41) Mauricio Zelada
42) Dylan Reid
43) Ernesto Ochoa
43) Alejandro Cardona
45) Edwin Galicia
46) Sam Bredenbeck
47) Juan Salvatierra
49) Erik Garcia
50) Kyle Ulliman
51) Hiroshi Shimizu
52) Oscar Elias Nieto Valadez
53) Bradly Rogers
54) Alejandro Herrera
57) Christian Wer
58) Christian Longoria
59) John Wolfe
60) Andrés Gómez
61) Erick Cuervas Fernandez
63) Tim Landeryou
73) David Austin
75) Franco Gutierrez
79) Ferd Samson
83) A. J. Fernandez
95) Yacouba Keita
95) Joe Kelley
101) Andrew Gale
115) Diego Gatica
115) Francisco Cherroni
126) Lucas Shoemaker
126) Jose Ubilla
139) Francisco Gomez Reyes
145) Victor Camacho
151) Erik Solter
151) Jacob Kingsford
151) Destry Everhart
151) Guillermo Jesus Ortega Jr
151) Darrin Prince
151) Francisco Troncoso
203) Samuel Kelley
207) Kalyan Kosetty
208) Jose Flores Jr.
NR) Joel Adler
NR) Rich Benderoth
NR) Jonathan Burns
NR) Ken Cheshire
NR) Fabian Cuesta
NR) Micah Farmer
NR) Donald Gilbert
NR) Kevin Iglesias
NR) Lukas Le
NR) Shai Manzuri
NR) Jaime Martell
NR) Shoji Mochino
NR) Manuel Moncada
NR) Majeed Shahin
NR) Vladimir Fernando Siles Gonzales
NR) Brent Sturgess
LPRT Singles Field (with LPRT Ranking)
1) Paola Longoria
2) Samantha Salas
3) Maria Jose Vargas
4) Alexandra Herrera
5) Rhonda Rajsich
6) Natalia Mendez
7) Nancy Enriquez
8) Cristina Amaya
9) Masiel Rivera
10) Brenda Laime
11) Adriana Riveros
12) Monserrat Mejia
13) Ana Laura Flores
14) Frédérique Lambert
15) Cassi Lee
17) Sheryl Lotts
18) Adrienne Haynes
19) Gabriela Martinez
20) Angelica Barrios
21) Carla Muñoz
23) Maria Renee Rodriguez
24) Kelani Lawrence
24) Michelle De La Rosa
26) Jessica Parrilla
28) Hollie Scott
29) Jenny Daza
30) Laura Brandt
31) Montserrat Perez
34) Jennifer Dering
37) Cheryl Gudinas
42) Maricruz Ortiz
44) Linda Tyler
55) Anna Rivera
60) Lexi York
64) Daniela Molina
65) Maiko Sato
NR) Carolina Gomez
NR) Erin Groves
NR) Ayako Hanashi
NR) Megumi Kozakai
NR) Annie Roberts
IRT Doubles Field (with IRT Doubles Ranking)
1) Alvaro Beltran & Daniel De La Rosa (1+3)
2) Alejandro Landa & Samuel Murray (2+4)
3) Sebastian Franco & Mario Mercado (9+5)
4) Jake Bredenbeck & Jose Diaz (7+11)
5) Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya (18+6)
6) Adam Manilla & Nicholas Riffel (14+13)
7) Ben Croft & Kane Waselenchuk (16+16)
8) Andree Parrilla & Eduardo Portillo (10+24)
9) Roland Keller & Conrrado Moscoso (21+21)
10) Andres Acuña & Felipe Camacho (35+8)
11) Kadim Carrasco & Carlos Keller (27+27)
12) Alejandro Cardona & Gerardo Franco (35+20)
13) Maurice Miller & Troy Warigon (31+31)
14) Tim Herman & Michael Myers (33+33)
15) Edwin Galicia & Juan Salvatierra (38+40)
16) Charles Pratt & Dylan Reid (26+54)
17) Sebastian Fernandez & Diego Garcia (37+54 91
18) Rafael Gatica & Johan Igor (47+47 94
19) Justus Benson & Erik Garcia (42+54 96
20) Jansen Allen & Shai Manzuri (12+NR)
21) Rocky Carson & Cliff Swain (23+NR)
22) Eduardo Garay & Alan Natera (29+NR)
23) Christian Wer & Nathan Orlando Martinez Perez (38+NR)
24) Sam Bredenbeck & Tim Landeryou (54+NR)
25) Mike Harmon & Alejandro Herrera (NR+54)
NR) Javier Estrada & Ernesto Ochoa (NR+NR)
NR) Manuel Moncada & Guillermo Jesus Ortega Jr (NR+NR)
LPRT Doubles Field (with LPRT Doubles Ranking)
1) Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas (2+1)
2) Natalia Mendez & Maria Jose Vargas (4+4)
3) Alexandra Herrera & Monserrat Mejia (3+7)
4) Brenda Laime & Masiel Rivera (8+6)
5) Sheryl Lotts & Carla Muñoz (11+13)
6) Cristina Amaya & Adriana Riveros (12+15)
7) Nancy Enriquez & Jessica Parrilla (10 +23)
8) Kelani Lawrence & Michelle De La Rosa (14+28)
8) Angelica Barrios & Jenny Daza (20+22)
10) Erin Groves & Montserrat Perez (19+29)
11) Gabriela Martinez & Maria Renee Rodriguez (48+16)
12) Hollie Scott & Lexi York (33+41)
13) Etsuko Noda & Maiko Sato (NR+NR)
Follow the bouncing ball….
Monday, September 23, 2019
Acuña, Carrasco & Keller win in Maryland
Andres Acuña defeated Mario Mercado, 15-9, 15-11, to win Men’s Open at the Valentine Open in Laurel, Maryland on the weekend. It capped a good tournament for Acuña, who upset Andree Parrilla in the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) draw to reach the quarterfinals. In the Men’s Open semi-finals, Acuña beat Maurice Miller, 15-0, 15-5, while Mercado took out Set Cubillos, 15-2, 15-2.
Mercado was a double runner up in Maryland, as he and Eduardo Garay lost in the Men’s Open Doubles final to Kadim Carrasco and Carlos Keller, 15-7, 15-12. In the semis, Carrasco and Keller defeated Maurice Miller and Troy Warigon, 15-12, 15-11, while Garay and Mercado beat Brent Walters and Ross Weinberg, 15-13, 15-11.
The 2019 US Open - racquetball’s original Grand Slam event, and the largest racquetball tournament in the world - is next week, October 2-6 in Minneapolis. But this weekend is the 3 WallBall World Championships in Las Vegas, where players will compete outdoors.
2019 Valentine Open, September 19-21, 2019
Laurel, Maryland
Men’s Open Final
2) Andres Acuña d. 5) Mario Mercado, 15-11, 15-9
Men’s Open Semi-finals
5) Mario Mercado d. 8) Set Cubillos, 15-2, 15-2
2) Andres Acuña d. 3) Maurice Miller, 15-0, 15-5
Men’s Open Quarterfinals
8) Set Cubillos d. 17) Josh Shea, 15-9, 15-10
5) Mario Mercado d. 4) Eduardo Garay, 15-13, 13-15, 11–9
3) Maurice Miller d. 6) Kyle Ulliman, 15-5, 15-13
2) Andres Acuña d. 7) Troy Warigon, 15-12, 8-15, 11-1
Men’s Open Doubles Final
2) Kadim Carrasco & Carlos Keller d. 1) Eduardo Garay & Mario Mercado, 15-7, 15-12
Men’s Open Doubles Sem-finals
1) Eduardo Garay & Mario Mercado d. 4) Brent Walters & Ross Weinberg, 15-13, 15-11
2) Kadim Carrasco & Carlos Keller d. 3) Maurice Miller & Troy Warigon, 15-12, 15-11
Follow the bouncing ball….
Mercado was a double runner up in Maryland, as he and Eduardo Garay lost in the Men’s Open Doubles final to Kadim Carrasco and Carlos Keller, 15-7, 15-12. In the semis, Carrasco and Keller defeated Maurice Miller and Troy Warigon, 15-12, 15-11, while Garay and Mercado beat Brent Walters and Ross Weinberg, 15-13, 15-11.
The 2019 US Open - racquetball’s original Grand Slam event, and the largest racquetball tournament in the world - is next week, October 2-6 in Minneapolis. But this weekend is the 3 WallBall World Championships in Las Vegas, where players will compete outdoors.
2019 Valentine Open, September 19-21, 2019
Laurel, Maryland
Men’s Open Final
2) Andres Acuña d. 5) Mario Mercado, 15-11, 15-9
Men’s Open Semi-finals
5) Mario Mercado d. 8) Set Cubillos, 15-2, 15-2
2) Andres Acuña d. 3) Maurice Miller, 15-0, 15-5
Men’s Open Quarterfinals
8) Set Cubillos d. 17) Josh Shea, 15-9, 15-10
5) Mario Mercado d. 4) Eduardo Garay, 15-13, 13-15, 11–9
3) Maurice Miller d. 6) Kyle Ulliman, 15-5, 15-13
2) Andres Acuña d. 7) Troy Warigon, 15-12, 8-15, 11-1
Men’s Open Doubles Final
2) Kadim Carrasco & Carlos Keller d. 1) Eduardo Garay & Mario Mercado, 15-7, 15-12
Men’s Open Doubles Sem-finals
1) Eduardo Garay & Mario Mercado d. 4) Brent Walters & Ross Weinberg, 15-13, 15-11
2) Kadim Carrasco & Carlos Keller d. 3) Maurice Miller & Troy Warigon, 15-12, 15-11
Follow the bouncing ball….
Sunday, September 22, 2019
Waselenchuk defeats Carson to win 2019 IRT Valentine Open
Kane Waselenchuk defeated Rocky Carson, 15-(-1), 11-15, 11-4, to win the 2019 International Racquetball Tour (IRT) Valentine Open in Laurel, Maryland Saturday. It was the 80th match Waselenchuk - the IRT’s #1 player - and Carson - IRT #2 - have played on tour, and Waselenchuk has won 77 of those matches. But this was the first time Carson has won a game off Waselenchuk since the IRT changed to a best of 3 games format in January of 2018. The last time Carson won a game against Waselenchuk was at the 2017 US Open.
Waselenchuk was dominant in game one, holding Carson scoreless. The frustration took its toll, as reportedly Carson hit his racquet against the wall, and was assessed a technical, which meant he lost a point. Thus, the 15 to -1 scoreline.
Given that first game - and their head to head record - you could be excused for thinking that Waselenchuk was going to just roll through game two also. But that’s not what happened.
Waselenchuk did take an early 5-1 lead in game two. But Carson kept at it, and tied the game at 5-5. Then he went into the lead, 7-5. Waselenchuk tied it at 7-7, but Carson again took the lead 11-7.
He extended the lead to 13-8, but then stalled. He served at 13 five times, as Waselenchuk was trying to stage a comeback. When they exchanged sideouts six times at 13-10, there was a feeling that Waselenchuk's comeback would be successful. He called a timeout after that sixth sideout, which Waselenchuk sometimes does prior to serving. But this time Carson got the serve right back, and then finally got off 13, as a rally ended with a hinder call. Carson appealed for an avoidable, and the line judges awarded that avoidable, overturning the referee’s hinder call.
However, Carson skipped a backhand pinch shot on his first match point opportunity. Waselenchuk then got his 11th point with a forehand pinch, but he lost serve on the next rally when he went for a forehand reverse pinch and skipped it.
Carson closed out game two by serving a lob Z to the right side that Waselenchuk cut off with a backhand from shoulder height. Then Carson hit a flat kill shot to end it, and force a tie-breaker.
In the breaker, Carson carried over the momentum of game two, and went out to a 3-0 lead. Waselenchuk tied it at 3-3, and then went ahead 5-3. Carson make it 5-4, but that was the last point he would get. Indeed, Carson didn’t serve again, as Waselenchuk won six consecutive rallies to win the game 11-4, and the match, 2-1.
Waselenchuk ended four of those six rallies with forehand winners, and Carson was called for an avoidable, which ended a rally that saw Waselenchuk hit a ball between his legs and then behind his back. But the match winner was a backhand cross court shot.
Notable in the match was how often Waselenchuk lob served, which he did for much of the tie-breaker - lobbing serves over to the right side: Carson’s forehand. There also seemed to be more ceiling balls than usual by both players in the match. Waselenchuk also made more errors than we have come to expect from him, which is the large reason why the match went three games. To be fair, Carson’s play forced some of those errors from Waselenchuk, but not all of them.
The IRT’s next event is the US Open October 2-6 in Minneapolis, although some of the IRT players will be at the 3 WallBall World Championships in Las Vegas next weekend. If you missed any of the action from Maryland, check out the IRT media outlets: The IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page.
2019 IRT Valentine Open, September 19-21, 2019
Laurel, Maryland
Final - Saturday
1) Kane Waselenchuk d. 2) Rocky Carson, 15-(-1), 11-15, 11-4
Follow the bouncing ball….
Waselenchuk was dominant in game one, holding Carson scoreless. The frustration took its toll, as reportedly Carson hit his racquet against the wall, and was assessed a technical, which meant he lost a point. Thus, the 15 to -1 scoreline.
Given that first game - and their head to head record - you could be excused for thinking that Waselenchuk was going to just roll through game two also. But that’s not what happened.
Waselenchuk did take an early 5-1 lead in game two. But Carson kept at it, and tied the game at 5-5. Then he went into the lead, 7-5. Waselenchuk tied it at 7-7, but Carson again took the lead 11-7.
He extended the lead to 13-8, but then stalled. He served at 13 five times, as Waselenchuk was trying to stage a comeback. When they exchanged sideouts six times at 13-10, there was a feeling that Waselenchuk's comeback would be successful. He called a timeout after that sixth sideout, which Waselenchuk sometimes does prior to serving. But this time Carson got the serve right back, and then finally got off 13, as a rally ended with a hinder call. Carson appealed for an avoidable, and the line judges awarded that avoidable, overturning the referee’s hinder call.
However, Carson skipped a backhand pinch shot on his first match point opportunity. Waselenchuk then got his 11th point with a forehand pinch, but he lost serve on the next rally when he went for a forehand reverse pinch and skipped it.
Carson closed out game two by serving a lob Z to the right side that Waselenchuk cut off with a backhand from shoulder height. Then Carson hit a flat kill shot to end it, and force a tie-breaker.
In the breaker, Carson carried over the momentum of game two, and went out to a 3-0 lead. Waselenchuk tied it at 3-3, and then went ahead 5-3. Carson make it 5-4, but that was the last point he would get. Indeed, Carson didn’t serve again, as Waselenchuk won six consecutive rallies to win the game 11-4, and the match, 2-1.
Waselenchuk ended four of those six rallies with forehand winners, and Carson was called for an avoidable, which ended a rally that saw Waselenchuk hit a ball between his legs and then behind his back. But the match winner was a backhand cross court shot.
Notable in the match was how often Waselenchuk lob served, which he did for much of the tie-breaker - lobbing serves over to the right side: Carson’s forehand. There also seemed to be more ceiling balls than usual by both players in the match. Waselenchuk also made more errors than we have come to expect from him, which is the large reason why the match went three games. To be fair, Carson’s play forced some of those errors from Waselenchuk, but not all of them.
The IRT’s next event is the US Open October 2-6 in Minneapolis, although some of the IRT players will be at the 3 WallBall World Championships in Las Vegas next weekend. If you missed any of the action from Maryland, check out the IRT media outlets: The IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page.
2019 IRT Valentine Open, September 19-21, 2019
Laurel, Maryland
Final - Saturday
1) Kane Waselenchuk d. 2) Rocky Carson, 15-(-1), 11-15, 11-4
Follow the bouncing ball….
Saturday, September 21, 2019
Waselenchuk & Carson to meet for 80th time on the IRT
Kane Waselenchuk and Rocky Carson - the #1 and #2 players, respectively, on the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) - will meet in the final of the 2019 IRT Valentine Open in Laurel, Maryland Saturday night. In the semi-finals, Waselenchuk defeated Sebastian Franco 15-11, 15-6, while Carson beat Samuel Murray, 15-11, 15-4. The final will be the 80th time Waselenchuk and Carson have played on tour, with Waselenchuk holding the overwhelming advantage, 76-3.
Waselenchuk took big leads early in both games against Franco. He was up 7-1 in game one, and 8-1 in game two. Franco never stopped working, and he closed the gap in game one to 13-8, and then 14-11, before Waselenchuk won it.
But that comeback suggested Franco might have more to offer in game two. However, Waselenchuk’s big start again put Franco in such a hole that he wasn’t able to dig himself out. Franco did fight off two match points before Waselenchuk finished it off with a forehand cross court from the front court.
In the first semi, it looked like Murray was going to cause the upset, as he was ahead for most of the first game against Carson. While they were close early on, Murray went from 7-6 to 11-6. Carson called a timeout at 10-6, but that didn’t stop Murray from getting another point.
However, when Carson got the serve back at 11-6, he won the next four rallies, as Murray lost some of the accuracy in his shot making and Carson got into a groove. They exchanged four sideouts at 11-10 before Carson tied it, 11-11. Murray had a big forehand set up that he skipped, which made the score 13-11 for Carson. Carson hit a backhand splat to get to game point, 14-11, and then a backhand pinch to complete the comeback, 15-11. He won 9 points in a row to go from 11-6 down to win 15-11.
Carson scored the first three points of the second game before Murray got on the board. But Murray did tie it at 3-3. But that was a brief pause in Carson’s roll, as he scored the next 11 points to lead 14-3. Carson was using his typical Z serve to the left - Murray’s backhand side - and it was putting Murray in a defensive position. Late in game two, Murray tried to cut some of those serves off, which was effective and something he probably should have tried earlier.
Murray fought off three match points at 14-3, but was only able to score once before Carson was able to seal the deal with a winning forehand shot that made it 15-4.
It’s the second year Carson and Murray have played in Laurel, as they were the finalists last year, when Carson won the title.
Look for the final at 7 PM Eastern Saturday via the usual IRT media outlets: The IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page.
2019 IRT Valentine Open, September 19-21, 2019
Laurel, Maryland
Semi-finals - Saturday
1) Kane Waselenchuk d. 5) Sebastian Franco, 15-11, 15-6
2) Rocky Carson d. 6) Samuel Murray, 15-11, 15-4
Final - Saturday
1) Kane Waselenchuk v. 2) Rocky Carson - 7 PM
Follow the bouncing ball….
Waselenchuk took big leads early in both games against Franco. He was up 7-1 in game one, and 8-1 in game two. Franco never stopped working, and he closed the gap in game one to 13-8, and then 14-11, before Waselenchuk won it.
But that comeback suggested Franco might have more to offer in game two. However, Waselenchuk’s big start again put Franco in such a hole that he wasn’t able to dig himself out. Franco did fight off two match points before Waselenchuk finished it off with a forehand cross court from the front court.
In the first semi, it looked like Murray was going to cause the upset, as he was ahead for most of the first game against Carson. While they were close early on, Murray went from 7-6 to 11-6. Carson called a timeout at 10-6, but that didn’t stop Murray from getting another point.
However, when Carson got the serve back at 11-6, he won the next four rallies, as Murray lost some of the accuracy in his shot making and Carson got into a groove. They exchanged four sideouts at 11-10 before Carson tied it, 11-11. Murray had a big forehand set up that he skipped, which made the score 13-11 for Carson. Carson hit a backhand splat to get to game point, 14-11, and then a backhand pinch to complete the comeback, 15-11. He won 9 points in a row to go from 11-6 down to win 15-11.
Carson scored the first three points of the second game before Murray got on the board. But Murray did tie it at 3-3. But that was a brief pause in Carson’s roll, as he scored the next 11 points to lead 14-3. Carson was using his typical Z serve to the left - Murray’s backhand side - and it was putting Murray in a defensive position. Late in game two, Murray tried to cut some of those serves off, which was effective and something he probably should have tried earlier.
Murray fought off three match points at 14-3, but was only able to score once before Carson was able to seal the deal with a winning forehand shot that made it 15-4.
It’s the second year Carson and Murray have played in Laurel, as they were the finalists last year, when Carson won the title.
Look for the final at 7 PM Eastern Saturday via the usual IRT media outlets: The IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page.
2019 IRT Valentine Open, September 19-21, 2019
Laurel, Maryland
Semi-finals - Saturday
1) Kane Waselenchuk d. 5) Sebastian Franco, 15-11, 15-6
2) Rocky Carson d. 6) Samuel Murray, 15-11, 15-4
Final - Saturday
1) Kane Waselenchuk v. 2) Rocky Carson - 7 PM
Follow the bouncing ball….
Franco into semis at 2019 IRT Valentine Open
Sebastian Franco upset the International Racquetball Tour’s (IRT’s) #4 player, Alejandro Landa, in the quarterfinals of the IRT Valentine Open in Laurel, Maryland Friday. Franco was dominant in the first game, and then narrowly won the second game to win the match in two straight games, 15-3, 15-14. He’ll face IRT #1 Kane Waselenchuk in the semi-finals on Saturday, as Waselenchuk won his quarterfinal match against Mario Mercado, 15-6, 15-8.
On the other side of the draw, IRT #2 Rocky Carson will take on 6th seed Samuel Murray in the semis. Both Carson and Murray needed three games to advance out of the quarterfinals. Carson dropped the first game against Alvaro Beltran, but came back to win the next two to defeat Beltran, 11-15, 15-10, 11-3. In the first quarter of the afternoon, Murray defeated Andes Acuña, 15-3, 3-15, 11-6.
In the quarterfinals, Acuña scored the first two points of the tie-breaker with Murray, but Murray responded with five unanswered points, including a great backhand pinch shot that made it 3-2 for Murray. Murray led from there, although Acuña got within two points at 7-5 and 8-6.
After Acuña got the point that made it 8-6 - with a forehand pinch shot - Murray took the serve back with a backhand return winner. From there, he was able to serve it out.
Murray made it 9-6 with service winner off a drive serve to the left side that Acuña could only get a racquet on. Acuña asked about a hinder, as his attempted return hit Murray, but the referee ruled the ball would not have made the front wall. Match point came when a strong Murray shot forced Acuña into skipping the ball. Murray converted that match point with a forehand pinch shot to win it.
Look for all the action via the usual IRT media outlets: The IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page. The semi-finals will be 11 AM and noon Saturday with the final at 7 PM Saturday. All times Eastern.
2019 IRT Valentine Open, September 19-21, 2019
Laurel, Maryland
Quarterfinals - Friday
1) Kane Waselenchuk d. Mario Mercado, 15-6, 15-8
5) Sebastian Franco d. 4) Alejandro Landa, 15-3, 15-14
6) Samuel Murray d. Andres Acuña, 15-3, 3-15, 11-6
2) Rocky Carson d. Alvaro Beltran, 11-15, 15-10, 11-3
Semi-finals - Saturday
1) Kane Waselenchuk v. 5) Sebastian Franco - Noon
2) Rocky Carson v. 6) Samuel Murray - 11 AM
Follow the bouncing ball….
On the other side of the draw, IRT #2 Rocky Carson will take on 6th seed Samuel Murray in the semis. Both Carson and Murray needed three games to advance out of the quarterfinals. Carson dropped the first game against Alvaro Beltran, but came back to win the next two to defeat Beltran, 11-15, 15-10, 11-3. In the first quarter of the afternoon, Murray defeated Andes Acuña, 15-3, 3-15, 11-6.
In the quarterfinals, Acuña scored the first two points of the tie-breaker with Murray, but Murray responded with five unanswered points, including a great backhand pinch shot that made it 3-2 for Murray. Murray led from there, although Acuña got within two points at 7-5 and 8-6.
After Acuña got the point that made it 8-6 - with a forehand pinch shot - Murray took the serve back with a backhand return winner. From there, he was able to serve it out.
Murray made it 9-6 with service winner off a drive serve to the left side that Acuña could only get a racquet on. Acuña asked about a hinder, as his attempted return hit Murray, but the referee ruled the ball would not have made the front wall. Match point came when a strong Murray shot forced Acuña into skipping the ball. Murray converted that match point with a forehand pinch shot to win it.
Look for all the action via the usual IRT media outlets: The IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page. The semi-finals will be 11 AM and noon Saturday with the final at 7 PM Saturday. All times Eastern.
2019 IRT Valentine Open, September 19-21, 2019
Laurel, Maryland
Quarterfinals - Friday
1) Kane Waselenchuk d. Mario Mercado, 15-6, 15-8
5) Sebastian Franco d. 4) Alejandro Landa, 15-3, 15-14
6) Samuel Murray d. Andres Acuña, 15-3, 3-15, 11-6
2) Rocky Carson d. Alvaro Beltran, 11-15, 15-10, 11-3
Semi-finals - Saturday
1) Kane Waselenchuk v. 5) Sebastian Franco - Noon
2) Rocky Carson v. 6) Samuel Murray - 11 AM
Follow the bouncing ball….
Friday, September 20, 2019
Acuña & Mercado win in Round of 16 at 2019 IRT Valentine Open
Two upsets in the Round of 16 at the 2019 International Racquetball Tour (IRT) Valentine Open in Laurel, Maryland, including Andres Acuña’s takedown of IRT #3 Andree Parrilla, 15-4, 7-15, 11-7. Parrilla was runner up at the Atlanta Open earlier this month, but he won’t even make the quarterfinals in Maryland. Acuña will play 6th seed Samuel Murray in the quarters, as Murray came back from a game down to defeat Eduardo Portillo, 14-15, 15-13, 11-5.
Mario Mercado had the other upset in the 16s, as he defeated current International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Champion Rodrigo Montoya, 15-14, 15-11. Mercado will play IRT #1 Kane Waselenchuk in the quarters, as Waselenchuk beat Carlos Keller, 15-1, 15-4.
IRT #2 Rocky Carson, who defeated Parrilla in Atlanta, needed a tie-breaker to get past Thomas Carter, as Carter took the first game, but Carson came back to win the match, 5-15, 15-6, 11-3. Carson will play a familiar foe next, as he goes up against 7th seed Alvaro Beltran, who beat Jake Bredenbeck in two straight games, 15-8, 15-10. Their quarterfinal match will be the 50th time Carson and Beltran have faced off with Carson holding the edge, 27-22.
Finally, IRT #4 Alejandro Landa will take on 5th seed Sebastian Franco in the last quarterfinal tonight. Both needed tie-breakers to win their matches in the Round of 16. Landa defeated Robert Collins, 15-5, 7-15, 11-4, and Franco won the latest “Franco-Franco” showdown in beating Gerardo Franco, 15-6, 12-15, 11-9. Sebastian - from Colombia - and Gerardo - from Mexico - aren’t related.
Look for all the action via the usual IRT media outlets: The IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page. The quarterfinals start at 4 PM Friday. The singles semi-finals will be 11 AM and noon Saturday with the final at 7 PM Saturday. All times Eastern.
2019 IRT Valentine Open, September 19-21, 2019
Laurel, Maryland
Round of 16 - Friday
1) Kane Waselenchuk d. Carlos Keller, 15-1, 15-4
Mario Mercado d. 8) Rodrigo Montoya, 15-14, 15-11
5) Sebastian Franco d. Gerardo Franco, 15-6, 12-15, 11-9
4) Alejandro Landa d. Robert Collins, 15-5, 7-15, 11-4
Andres Acuña d. 3) Andree Parrilla, 15-4, 7-15, 11-7
6) Samuel Murray v. Eduardo Portillo, 14-15, 15-13, 11-5
7) Alvaro Beltran v. Jake Bredenbeck, 15-8, 15-10
2) Rocky Carson v. Thomas Carter, 5-15, 15-6, 11-3
Quarterfinals - Friday
Kane Waselenchuk v. Mario Mercado - 6 PM
Sebastian Franco v. Alejandro Landa - 7 PM
Samuel Murray v. Andres Acuña - 4 PM
Rocky Carson v. Alvaro Beltran - 5 PM
Follow the bouncing ball….
Mario Mercado had the other upset in the 16s, as he defeated current International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Champion Rodrigo Montoya, 15-14, 15-11. Mercado will play IRT #1 Kane Waselenchuk in the quarters, as Waselenchuk beat Carlos Keller, 15-1, 15-4.
IRT #2 Rocky Carson, who defeated Parrilla in Atlanta, needed a tie-breaker to get past Thomas Carter, as Carter took the first game, but Carson came back to win the match, 5-15, 15-6, 11-3. Carson will play a familiar foe next, as he goes up against 7th seed Alvaro Beltran, who beat Jake Bredenbeck in two straight games, 15-8, 15-10. Their quarterfinal match will be the 50th time Carson and Beltran have faced off with Carson holding the edge, 27-22.
Finally, IRT #4 Alejandro Landa will take on 5th seed Sebastian Franco in the last quarterfinal tonight. Both needed tie-breakers to win their matches in the Round of 16. Landa defeated Robert Collins, 15-5, 7-15, 11-4, and Franco won the latest “Franco-Franco” showdown in beating Gerardo Franco, 15-6, 12-15, 11-9. Sebastian - from Colombia - and Gerardo - from Mexico - aren’t related.
Look for all the action via the usual IRT media outlets: The IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page. The quarterfinals start at 4 PM Friday. The singles semi-finals will be 11 AM and noon Saturday with the final at 7 PM Saturday. All times Eastern.
2019 IRT Valentine Open, September 19-21, 2019
Laurel, Maryland
Round of 16 - Friday
1) Kane Waselenchuk d. Carlos Keller, 15-1, 15-4
Mario Mercado d. 8) Rodrigo Montoya, 15-14, 15-11
5) Sebastian Franco d. Gerardo Franco, 15-6, 12-15, 11-9
4) Alejandro Landa d. Robert Collins, 15-5, 7-15, 11-4
Andres Acuña d. 3) Andree Parrilla, 15-4, 7-15, 11-7
6) Samuel Murray v. Eduardo Portillo, 14-15, 15-13, 11-5
7) Alvaro Beltran v. Jake Bredenbeck, 15-8, 15-10
2) Rocky Carson v. Thomas Carter, 5-15, 15-6, 11-3
Quarterfinals - Friday
Kane Waselenchuk v. Mario Mercado - 6 PM
Sebastian Franco v. Alejandro Landa - 7 PM
Samuel Murray v. Andres Acuña - 4 PM
Rocky Carson v. Alvaro Beltran - 5 PM
Follow the bouncing ball….
Thursday, September 19, 2019
Rounds of 64 & 32 at 2019 IRT Valentine Open
There were no surprises on Thursday at the 2019 International Racquetball Tour (IRT) Valentine Open in Laurel, Maryland, but there were some tie-breakers. In one of those contests current Pan American Champion Carlos Keller came back from a game down to defeat Eduardo Garay, 13-15, 15-11, 11-7, while Mario Mercado also had to overcome a game deficit to beat Mauricio Zelada, 14-15, 15-11, 11-1.
Keller’s win puts him into the Round of 16 against Kane Waselenchuk, the IRT’s #1 player, while Mercado will face International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Champion Rodrigo Montoya. Also in the 16s, Andree Parrilla will face Andres Acuña, who has some good wins under his belt, 6th seed Samuel Murray goes against the current IRF U18 World Junior Champion Eduardo Portillo, and 7th seed Alvaro Beltran takes on Jake Bredenbeck with the winner probably facing IRT #2 Rocky Carson in the quarterfinals.
Look for all the action via the usual IRT media outlets: The IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page. The Round of 16 begins Friday morning at 10 and 11 AM with the quarterfinals Friday starting at 4 PM. The singles semi-finals will be 11 AM and noon Saturday with the final at 7 PM Saturday. All times Eastern.
2019 IRT Valentine Open, September 19-21, 2019
Laurel, Maryland
Qualifying Round 1 - Thursday
Carlos Keller d. Samuel Kelley, 15-8, 15-0
Eduardo Garay d. Stacey Young, 15-1, 15-6
Mario Mercado - BYE
Mauricio Zelada d. Kyle Ulliman, 15-11, 9-15, 11-9
Maurice Miller d. Joe Kelley, 15-9, 10-15, 11-2
Gerardo Franco - BYE
Robert Collins - BYE
Scott McClellan d. Jamal Harris, 15-9, 15-7
Kadim Carrasco d. Dylan Pruitt, 15-5, 15-1
Andres Acuña - BYE
Eduardo Portillo - BYE
Troy Warigon d. Yacouba Keita, 15-7, 13-15, 11-7
Set Cubillos d. David Austin, 15-14, 11-15, 11-1
Jake Bredenbeck - BYE
Thomas Carter - BYE
Geoff Heskett d. Justus Benson, 15-10, 15-12
Qualifying Round 2 - Thursday
Q8 - Carlos Keller d. Eduardo Garay, 13-15, 15-11, 11-7
Q1 - Mario Mercado d. Mauricio Zelada, 14-15, 15-11, 11-1
Q4 -Gerardo Franco d. Maurice Miller, 15-12, 15-4
Q5 -Robert Collins d. Scott McClellan, 15-5, 15-7
Q6 - Andres Acuña d. Kadim Carrasco, 15-4, 15-7
Q3 - Eduardo Portillo d. Troy Warigon, 15-1, 15-5
Q2 - Jake Bredenbeck d. Set Cubillos, 15-11, 15-2
Q7 - Thomas Carter d. Geoff Heskett, 15-5, 15-3
Round of 16 - Friday
Kane Waselenchuk v. Carlos Keller - 11 AM
Rodrigo Montoya v. Mario Mercado - 11 AM
Sebastian Franco v. Gerardo Franco - 11 AM
Alejandro Landa v. Robert Collins - 11 AM
Andree Parrilla v. Andres Acuña - 10 AM
Samuel Murray v. Eduardo Portillo - 10 AM
Alvaro Beltran v. Jake Bredenbeck - 10 AM
Rocky Carson v. Thomas Carter - 10 AM
Follow the bouncing ball….
Keller’s win puts him into the Round of 16 against Kane Waselenchuk, the IRT’s #1 player, while Mercado will face International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Champion Rodrigo Montoya. Also in the 16s, Andree Parrilla will face Andres Acuña, who has some good wins under his belt, 6th seed Samuel Murray goes against the current IRF U18 World Junior Champion Eduardo Portillo, and 7th seed Alvaro Beltran takes on Jake Bredenbeck with the winner probably facing IRT #2 Rocky Carson in the quarterfinals.
Look for all the action via the usual IRT media outlets: The IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page. The Round of 16 begins Friday morning at 10 and 11 AM with the quarterfinals Friday starting at 4 PM. The singles semi-finals will be 11 AM and noon Saturday with the final at 7 PM Saturday. All times Eastern.
2019 IRT Valentine Open, September 19-21, 2019
Laurel, Maryland
Qualifying Round 1 - Thursday
Carlos Keller d. Samuel Kelley, 15-8, 15-0
Eduardo Garay d. Stacey Young, 15-1, 15-6
Mario Mercado - BYE
Mauricio Zelada d. Kyle Ulliman, 15-11, 9-15, 11-9
Maurice Miller d. Joe Kelley, 15-9, 10-15, 11-2
Gerardo Franco - BYE
Robert Collins - BYE
Scott McClellan d. Jamal Harris, 15-9, 15-7
Kadim Carrasco d. Dylan Pruitt, 15-5, 15-1
Andres Acuña - BYE
Eduardo Portillo - BYE
Troy Warigon d. Yacouba Keita, 15-7, 13-15, 11-7
Set Cubillos d. David Austin, 15-14, 11-15, 11-1
Jake Bredenbeck - BYE
Thomas Carter - BYE
Geoff Heskett d. Justus Benson, 15-10, 15-12
Qualifying Round 2 - Thursday
Q8 - Carlos Keller d. Eduardo Garay, 13-15, 15-11, 11-7
Q1 - Mario Mercado d. Mauricio Zelada, 14-15, 15-11, 11-1
Q4 -Gerardo Franco d. Maurice Miller, 15-12, 15-4
Q5 -Robert Collins d. Scott McClellan, 15-5, 15-7
Q6 - Andres Acuña d. Kadim Carrasco, 15-4, 15-7
Q3 - Eduardo Portillo d. Troy Warigon, 15-1, 15-5
Q2 - Jake Bredenbeck d. Set Cubillos, 15-11, 15-2
Q7 - Thomas Carter d. Geoff Heskett, 15-5, 15-3
Round of 16 - Friday
Kane Waselenchuk v. Carlos Keller - 11 AM
Rodrigo Montoya v. Mario Mercado - 11 AM
Sebastian Franco v. Gerardo Franco - 11 AM
Alejandro Landa v. Robert Collins - 11 AM
Andree Parrilla v. Andres Acuña - 10 AM
Samuel Murray v. Eduardo Portillo - 10 AM
Alvaro Beltran v. Jake Bredenbeck - 10 AM
Rocky Carson v. Thomas Carter - 10 AM
Follow the bouncing ball….
2019 IRT Valentine Open - Preview
The 2019 Valentine Open in Laurel, Maryland - the 2nd event of the 2019-20 International Racquetball Tour (IRT) season - begins today. Kane Waselenchuk, the IRT’s #1 player, will be starting the season this weekend. He won six of the nine events last season with no one else winning more than once, but Waselenchuk missed the Atlanta Open two weeks ago, when IRT #2 Rocky Carson defeated Andree Parrilla in the final. Carson and Parrilla, who is now #3 on the IRT, are both in Laurel with Alejandro Landa rounding out the top 4.
Nine of the top 10 IRT players are playing in Maryland this weekend, and 33 players are in the field overall.
There will be several potential matches to look forward to. Waselenchuk will likely play current Pan American Champion Carlos Keller in the Round of 16. Also in the 16s, Parrilla will likely face Andres Acuña, who has some good wins under his belt, 6th seed Samuel Murray will probably be up against the current International Racquetball Federation (IRF) U18 World Champion Eduardo Portillo, and 7th seed Alvaro Beltran will like take on Jake Bredenbeck with the winner probably facing Carson in the quarterfinals.
Look for all the action via the usual IRT media outlets: The IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page. There will be two rounds of qualifying Thursday. The Round of 16 will be Friday morning at 10 and 11 AM with the quarterfinals Friday starting at 4 PM. The singles semi-finals will be 11 AM and noon Saturday with the final at 7 PM Saturday. All times Eastern.
2019 IRT Valentine Open, September 19-21, 2019
Laurel, Maryland
Qualifying Round 1 - Thursday
Carlos Keller v. Samuel Kelley - 5 PM
Eduardo Garay v. Stacey Young - 5 PM
Mario Mercado - BYE
Mauricio Zelada v. Kyle Ulliman - 5 PM
Maurice Miller v. Joe Kelley - 5 PM
Gerardo Franco - BYE
Robert Collins - BYE
Scott McClellan v. Jamal Harris - 5 PM
Kadim Carrasco v. Dylan Pruitt - 4 PM
Andres Acuña - BYE
Eduardo Portillo - BYE
Troy Warigon v. Yacouba Keita - 4 PM
Set Cubillos v. David Austin - 4 PM
Jake Bredenbeck - BYE
Thomas Carter - BYE
Justus Benson v. Geoff Heskett - 4 PM
Qualifying Round 2 - Thursday
Q8 - Carlos Keller or Samuel Kelley v. Eduardo Garay or Stacey Young - 7 PM
Q1 - Mario Mercado v. Mauricio Zelada or Kyle Ulliman - 7 PM
Q4 -Gerardo Franco v. Maurice Miller or Joe Kelley - 7 PM
Q5 -Robert Collins v. Scott McClellan or Jamal Harris - 7 PM
Q6 - Andres Acuña v. Kadim Carrasco or Dylan Pruitt - 6 PM
Q3 - Eduardo Portillo v. Troy Warigon or Yacouba Keita - 6 PM
Q2 - Jake Bredenbeck v. Set Cubillos or David Austin - 6 PM
Q7 - Thomas Carter v. Justus Benson or Geoff Heskett - 6 PM
Round of 16 - Friday
Kane Waselenchuk v. Q8 - 11 AM
Rodrigo Montoya v. Q1 - 11 AM
Sebastian Franco v. Q4 - 11 AM
Alejandro Landa v. Q5 - 11 AM
Andree Parrilla v. Q6 - 10 AM
Samuel Murray v. Q3 - 10 AM
Alvaro Beltran v. Q2 - 10 AM
Rocky Carson v. Q7 - 10 AM
Follow the bouncing ball….
Nine of the top 10 IRT players are playing in Maryland this weekend, and 33 players are in the field overall.
There will be several potential matches to look forward to. Waselenchuk will likely play current Pan American Champion Carlos Keller in the Round of 16. Also in the 16s, Parrilla will likely face Andres Acuña, who has some good wins under his belt, 6th seed Samuel Murray will probably be up against the current International Racquetball Federation (IRF) U18 World Champion Eduardo Portillo, and 7th seed Alvaro Beltran will like take on Jake Bredenbeck with the winner probably facing Carson in the quarterfinals.
Look for all the action via the usual IRT media outlets: The IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page. There will be two rounds of qualifying Thursday. The Round of 16 will be Friday morning at 10 and 11 AM with the quarterfinals Friday starting at 4 PM. The singles semi-finals will be 11 AM and noon Saturday with the final at 7 PM Saturday. All times Eastern.
2019 IRT Valentine Open, September 19-21, 2019
Laurel, Maryland
Qualifying Round 1 - Thursday
Carlos Keller v. Samuel Kelley - 5 PM
Eduardo Garay v. Stacey Young - 5 PM
Mario Mercado - BYE
Mauricio Zelada v. Kyle Ulliman - 5 PM
Maurice Miller v. Joe Kelley - 5 PM
Gerardo Franco - BYE
Robert Collins - BYE
Scott McClellan v. Jamal Harris - 5 PM
Kadim Carrasco v. Dylan Pruitt - 4 PM
Andres Acuña - BYE
Eduardo Portillo - BYE
Troy Warigon v. Yacouba Keita - 4 PM
Set Cubillos v. David Austin - 4 PM
Jake Bredenbeck - BYE
Thomas Carter - BYE
Justus Benson v. Geoff Heskett - 4 PM
Qualifying Round 2 - Thursday
Q8 - Carlos Keller or Samuel Kelley v. Eduardo Garay or Stacey Young - 7 PM
Q1 - Mario Mercado v. Mauricio Zelada or Kyle Ulliman - 7 PM
Q4 -Gerardo Franco v. Maurice Miller or Joe Kelley - 7 PM
Q5 -Robert Collins v. Scott McClellan or Jamal Harris - 7 PM
Q6 - Andres Acuña v. Kadim Carrasco or Dylan Pruitt - 6 PM
Q3 - Eduardo Portillo v. Troy Warigon or Yacouba Keita - 6 PM
Q2 - Jake Bredenbeck v. Set Cubillos or David Austin - 6 PM
Q7 - Thomas Carter v. Justus Benson or Geoff Heskett - 6 PM
Round of 16 - Friday
Kane Waselenchuk v. Q8 - 11 AM
Rodrigo Montoya v. Q1 - 11 AM
Sebastian Franco v. Q4 - 11 AM
Alejandro Landa v. Q5 - 11 AM
Andree Parrilla v. Q6 - 10 AM
Samuel Murray v. Q3 - 10 AM
Alvaro Beltran v. Q2 - 10 AM
Rocky Carson v. Q7 - 10 AM
Follow the bouncing ball….
Monday, September 9, 2019
Weekend round up: Wins for Lotts, Garay, Miller & Warigon
Sheryl Lotts, the 2nd seed, was an upset winner over top seed Carla Muñoz, 15-13, 13-15, 11-2, in the Women’s Open final at the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) By the Beach tournament in Virginia Beach, Virginia Sunday. In the semi-finals, Lotts defeated Adrienne Haynes, 15-14, 15-12, and Muñoz beat Cassi Lee, 15-9, 15-5.
Eduardo Garay won Men’s Open at the 2019 Atlanta Open, as Gerardo Franco forfeited the final. In the semi-finals, Garay, the 3rd seed, was an upset winner over 2nd seed Andres Acuña, 4-15, 15-9, 11-6, while top seed Franco beat 4th seed Set Cubillos, 15-9, 15-0.
There is no pro event this weekend, but next weekend the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) will be in Laurel, Maryland for the Valentine Open, September 19-22. The following week both IRT and LPRT players will be attending the 3 WallBall World Championships in Las Vegas, September 27-29. Then the US Open - the biggest racquetball tournament in the world - happens in Minneapolis, October 2-6.
2019 LPRT by the Beach - Chesapeake, September 6-8, 2019
Virginia Beach, Virginia
Women’s Open - Final
2) Sheryl Lotts d. 1) Carla Muñoz, 15-13, 13-15, 11-2
Semi-finals
1) Carla Muñoz d. 4) Cassi Lee, 15-9, 15-5
2) Sheryl Lotts d. 3) Adrienne Haynes, 15-14, 15-12
2019 Atlanta Open, September 5-8, 2019
Lilburn / Atlanta, Georgia
Men’s Open - Final
3) Eduardo Garay d. 1) Gerardo Franco, forfeit
Semi-finals
1) Gerardo Franco d. 4) Set Cubillos, 15-9, 15-0
3) Eduardo Garay d. 2) Andres Acuña, 4-15, 15-9, 11-6
Quarterfinals
1) Gerardo Franco d. 9) Anthony Martin, 15-10, 15-6
4) Set Cubillos d. 5) Destry Everhart, 4-15, 15-10, 11-5
3) Eduardo Garay d. 6) Shane Karmelin, 15-3, 15-3
2) Andres Acuña d. 7) Justus Benson, 15-10, 15-9
Men’s Open Doubles - Final
1) Maurice Miller & Troy Warigon d. 2) Sebastian Fernandez & Oscar Nieto, 11-15, 15-12, 11-10
Semi-finals
1) Maurice Miller & Troy Warigon d. 4) Austin Cunningham & Destry Everhart, 15-14, 15-12
2) Sebastian Fernandez & Oscar Nieto d. 3) Todd Upchurch & Mauricio Zelada, 15-9, 15-3
Follow the bouncing ball….
Eduardo Garay won Men’s Open at the 2019 Atlanta Open, as Gerardo Franco forfeited the final. In the semi-finals, Garay, the 3rd seed, was an upset winner over 2nd seed Andres Acuña, 4-15, 15-9, 11-6, while top seed Franco beat 4th seed Set Cubillos, 15-9, 15-0.
There is no pro event this weekend, but next weekend the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) will be in Laurel, Maryland for the Valentine Open, September 19-22. The following week both IRT and LPRT players will be attending the 3 WallBall World Championships in Las Vegas, September 27-29. Then the US Open - the biggest racquetball tournament in the world - happens in Minneapolis, October 2-6.
2019 LPRT by the Beach - Chesapeake, September 6-8, 2019
Virginia Beach, Virginia
Women’s Open - Final
2) Sheryl Lotts d. 1) Carla Muñoz, 15-13, 13-15, 11-2
Semi-finals
1) Carla Muñoz d. 4) Cassi Lee, 15-9, 15-5
2) Sheryl Lotts d. 3) Adrienne Haynes, 15-14, 15-12
2019 Atlanta Open, September 5-8, 2019
Lilburn / Atlanta, Georgia
Men’s Open - Final
3) Eduardo Garay d. 1) Gerardo Franco, forfeit
Semi-finals
1) Gerardo Franco d. 4) Set Cubillos, 15-9, 15-0
3) Eduardo Garay d. 2) Andres Acuña, 4-15, 15-9, 11-6
Quarterfinals
1) Gerardo Franco d. 9) Anthony Martin, 15-10, 15-6
4) Set Cubillos d. 5) Destry Everhart, 4-15, 15-10, 11-5
3) Eduardo Garay d. 6) Shane Karmelin, 15-3, 15-3
2) Andres Acuña d. 7) Justus Benson, 15-10, 15-9
Men’s Open Doubles - Final
1) Maurice Miller & Troy Warigon d. 2) Sebastian Fernandez & Oscar Nieto, 11-15, 15-12, 11-10
Semi-finals
1) Maurice Miller & Troy Warigon d. 4) Austin Cunningham & Destry Everhart, 15-14, 15-12
2) Sebastian Fernandez & Oscar Nieto d. 3) Todd Upchurch & Mauricio Zelada, 15-9, 15-3
Follow the bouncing ball….
Sunday, September 8, 2019
Vargas defeats Longoria to win LPRT By the Beach event
Maria Jose Vargas defeated Paola Longoria, 7-15, 15-12, 11-4, to win the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) By the Beach tournament in Virginia Beach, Virginia Sunday. It’s Vargas’s first win ever over Longoria, the #1 LPRT player. They had played 24 times before Sunday, but #25 was the charm for Vargas. Afterwards, Vargas said she was “so happy” with the win.
In game one, Longoria led 8-3, but Vargas came back to within one at 8-7. However, Longoria, who was undefeated last season, held her opponent at 7 while scoring seven points of her own to win game one, 15-7. A forehand pinch shot got Longoria to game point, and she won it on the first game point, as Vargas skipped a backhand shot in returning Longoria’s drive serve to the left.
Game two was similar in that Longoria had a lead early at 6-3, and she also led 8-7. But from there Vargas grabbed the advantage, as she went up 13-8 on Longoria. There’s no quit in Longoria though, and she came back to get within one at 13-12.
They exchanged sideouts, and then Longoria went for a forehand overhead shot, which isn’t a typical shot for her, and she skipped it. That gave Vargas game point, 14-12. Vargas drove serve down the right side - which she did for much of the match - and Longoria skipped the serve return to end the game, 15-12 for Vargas, and force a tie-breaker.
In the breaker, Longoria served first, and got the first point with a forehand winner, 1-0. But a winning serve return by Vargas got her the serve, and she scored four points on consecutive rallies with two drive serve aces to the right side, and then another skipped return by Longoria off that same serve. At 4-1 down, Longoria called a timeout.
When play resumed, Vargas scored two more points with the second another drive serve ace, but to the left side. She lost serve when a penalty hinder was called against her off a serve that came too far off the side wall into the middle hindering Longoria’s return.
Longoria got two points to make the score 6-3 for Vargas, and then they exchanged sideouts again. After that Vargas put up two more points by first peeling a ball off the left wall for a winning backhand pinch shot, and then hitting another drive serve ace to the right side. With Vargas leading 8-3, Longoria called her second timeout.
A backhand cross court winner got Vargas to 9-3, when play resumed, but Longoria then hit a strong backhand shot into the middle that jammed Vargas, and got Longoria back into the service box. However, that just started another exchange of sideouts.
Longoria did break the deadlock with a forehand pinch shot that made it 9-4 for Vargas. However, Vargas got the serve back with a backhand pinch shot from deep.
She reached match point by hitting a forehand killshot from shoulder high. Vargas won on her first match point by hitting a backhand winner, making the final score 11-4.
Vargas won singles, but Longoria and Samantha Salas won doubles, as they beat Vargas and Natalia Mendez, 15-6, 15-11. After winning game one, Longoria and Salas had a 14-6 lead in game two. But Vargas and Mendez fought off four match points and got themselves back in the game. However, it was too little, too late with Longoria and Salas closing out the game and match on their fifth game point opportunity.
The next LPRT event is the 2019 US Open in Minneapolis October 2-6. But some LPRT players will also be playing at the 3 Wallball World Championships in Las Vegas, September 27-29. If you missed any of the action from Virginia Beach, check out the LPRT YouTube channel, where matches are archived.
2019 LPRT by the Beach - Chesapeake
Virginia Beach, Virginia, September 6-8, 2019
LPRT Singles - Final - Sunday
3 Maria Jose Vargas d. 1 Paola Longoria, 7-15, 15-12, 11-4
LPRT Doubles - Final - Sunday
1 Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas d. 2 Natalia Mendez & Maria Jose Vargas, 15-6, 15-11
Follow the bouncing ball….
In game one, Longoria led 8-3, but Vargas came back to within one at 8-7. However, Longoria, who was undefeated last season, held her opponent at 7 while scoring seven points of her own to win game one, 15-7. A forehand pinch shot got Longoria to game point, and she won it on the first game point, as Vargas skipped a backhand shot in returning Longoria’s drive serve to the left.
Game two was similar in that Longoria had a lead early at 6-3, and she also led 8-7. But from there Vargas grabbed the advantage, as she went up 13-8 on Longoria. There’s no quit in Longoria though, and she came back to get within one at 13-12.
They exchanged sideouts, and then Longoria went for a forehand overhead shot, which isn’t a typical shot for her, and she skipped it. That gave Vargas game point, 14-12. Vargas drove serve down the right side - which she did for much of the match - and Longoria skipped the serve return to end the game, 15-12 for Vargas, and force a tie-breaker.
In the breaker, Longoria served first, and got the first point with a forehand winner, 1-0. But a winning serve return by Vargas got her the serve, and she scored four points on consecutive rallies with two drive serve aces to the right side, and then another skipped return by Longoria off that same serve. At 4-1 down, Longoria called a timeout.
When play resumed, Vargas scored two more points with the second another drive serve ace, but to the left side. She lost serve when a penalty hinder was called against her off a serve that came too far off the side wall into the middle hindering Longoria’s return.
Longoria got two points to make the score 6-3 for Vargas, and then they exchanged sideouts again. After that Vargas put up two more points by first peeling a ball off the left wall for a winning backhand pinch shot, and then hitting another drive serve ace to the right side. With Vargas leading 8-3, Longoria called her second timeout.
A backhand cross court winner got Vargas to 9-3, when play resumed, but Longoria then hit a strong backhand shot into the middle that jammed Vargas, and got Longoria back into the service box. However, that just started another exchange of sideouts.
Longoria did break the deadlock with a forehand pinch shot that made it 9-4 for Vargas. However, Vargas got the serve back with a backhand pinch shot from deep.
She reached match point by hitting a forehand killshot from shoulder high. Vargas won on her first match point by hitting a backhand winner, making the final score 11-4.
Vargas won singles, but Longoria and Samantha Salas won doubles, as they beat Vargas and Natalia Mendez, 15-6, 15-11. After winning game one, Longoria and Salas had a 14-6 lead in game two. But Vargas and Mendez fought off four match points and got themselves back in the game. However, it was too little, too late with Longoria and Salas closing out the game and match on their fifth game point opportunity.
The next LPRT event is the 2019 US Open in Minneapolis October 2-6. But some LPRT players will also be playing at the 3 Wallball World Championships in Las Vegas, September 27-29. If you missed any of the action from Virginia Beach, check out the LPRT YouTube channel, where matches are archived.
2019 LPRT by the Beach - Chesapeake
Virginia Beach, Virginia, September 6-8, 2019
LPRT Singles - Final - Sunday
3 Maria Jose Vargas d. 1 Paola Longoria, 7-15, 15-12, 11-4
LPRT Doubles - Final - Sunday
1 Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas d. 2 Natalia Mendez & Maria Jose Vargas, 15-6, 15-11
Follow the bouncing ball….
Carson defeats Parrilla to win 2019 IRT Atlanta Open
Rocky Carson defeated Andree Parrilla, 15-13, 15-8, to win the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) 2019 Atlanta Open - the first event of the 2019-20 IRT season. When Carson, who’s 40, first played on the IRT, Parrilla, 23, wasn’t even born. But the veteran got the better of his younger competitor on Sunday. Carson, the IRT’s #2 player, has won at least one event in 9 of the last 10 IRT seasons.
Although it was just two games, the match took a long time to play, especially game one. Eight minutes into the game, and it was still just 1-0 for Carson. Carson stayed ahead through game one, until Parrilla tied it late at 12-12. There was a sense that the young Mexican was going to eke out the game.
Carson went up 13-12 when Parrilla skipped a forehand pinch shot. But Parrilla hit a winning forehand pinch off Carson’s serve on the next rally. A great forehand volley by Parrilla again tied the score, 13-13. However, Parrilla made an unforced error on the next rally, when he skipped a forehand shot.
A Carson backhand pinch shot put him on game point at 14-13. A broken ball on the next rally delayed the end, but after that Carson won it with a backhand kill shot that hit the left side wall going to the front wall and spun back down the left side.
Game one took 44 and a half minutes.
In game two, they were close early, and Parrilla had leads at 5-2 and 6-5. But Carson held Parrilla at 6, while piling up the points to lead 13-6. From there the end was in sight, and Carson was able to close it out, 15-8.
The doubles final was a double forfeit by top seeds Daniel De La Rosa and Alvaro Beltran and 2nd seeds Alejandro Landa and Samuel Murray. No explanation for why the teams forfeited.
The Valentine Open in Laurel, Maryland, September 19-22 is the next Tier 1 event on the IRT schedule. After that some of the IRT will be at the 3 WallBall World Championships in Las Vegas, September 25-29. Then they will be in Minneapolis for the 2019 US Open, October 2-6. If you missed any of the action from Georgia, check out the IRT YouTube channel for the matches.
2019 IRT Atlanta Open, September 5-8, 2019
Lilburn / Atlanta, Georgia
Final - Sunday
2) Rocky Carson d. 4) Andree Parrilla, 15-13, 15-8
IRT Doubles - Final - Sunday
1) Daniel De La Rosa & Alvaro Beltran and 2) Alejandro Landa & Samuel Murray, double forfeit
Follow the bouncing ball….
Although it was just two games, the match took a long time to play, especially game one. Eight minutes into the game, and it was still just 1-0 for Carson. Carson stayed ahead through game one, until Parrilla tied it late at 12-12. There was a sense that the young Mexican was going to eke out the game.
Carson went up 13-12 when Parrilla skipped a forehand pinch shot. But Parrilla hit a winning forehand pinch off Carson’s serve on the next rally. A great forehand volley by Parrilla again tied the score, 13-13. However, Parrilla made an unforced error on the next rally, when he skipped a forehand shot.
A Carson backhand pinch shot put him on game point at 14-13. A broken ball on the next rally delayed the end, but after that Carson won it with a backhand kill shot that hit the left side wall going to the front wall and spun back down the left side.
Game one took 44 and a half minutes.
In game two, they were close early, and Parrilla had leads at 5-2 and 6-5. But Carson held Parrilla at 6, while piling up the points to lead 13-6. From there the end was in sight, and Carson was able to close it out, 15-8.
The doubles final was a double forfeit by top seeds Daniel De La Rosa and Alvaro Beltran and 2nd seeds Alejandro Landa and Samuel Murray. No explanation for why the teams forfeited.
The Valentine Open in Laurel, Maryland, September 19-22 is the next Tier 1 event on the IRT schedule. After that some of the IRT will be at the 3 WallBall World Championships in Las Vegas, September 25-29. Then they will be in Minneapolis for the 2019 US Open, October 2-6. If you missed any of the action from Georgia, check out the IRT YouTube channel for the matches.
2019 IRT Atlanta Open, September 5-8, 2019
Lilburn / Atlanta, Georgia
Final - Sunday
2) Rocky Carson d. 4) Andree Parrilla, 15-13, 15-8
IRT Doubles - Final - Sunday
1) Daniel De La Rosa & Alvaro Beltran and 2) Alejandro Landa & Samuel Murray, double forfeit
Follow the bouncing ball….
Saturday, September 7, 2019
Longoria & Vargas to play twice at 2019 LPRT By the Beach tournament
Paola Longoria and Maria Jose Vargas will face off in a final for the 2nd time this season on the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT). This time they’ll meet in the LPRT By the Beach final in Virginia Beach, Virginia on Sunday. In the semi-finals, Longoria beat Rhonda Rajsich, 15-5, 15-3, and Vargas defeated first time semi-finalist Masiel Rivera, 15-11, 15-9.
Longoria and Vargas will actually play twice on Sunday, as they are both in the doubles final as well. Longoria and Samantha Salas beat Nancy Enriquez and Jessica Parrilla, 15-9, 15-7, while Vargas and Natalia Mendez needed three games to get past the young team of Rivera and Brenda Laime, 10-15, 15-10, 11-5.
The singles final will be Sunday at noon with the doubles final to follow at 1 PM. All times Eastern. You can watch the action live via the LPRT website, or the LPRT YouTube channel.
2019 LPRT by the Beach - Chesapeake
Virginia Beach, Virginia, September 6-8, 2019
LPRT Singles - Semi-finals - Saturday
1 Paola Longoria d. 4 Rhonda Rajsich, 15-5, 15-3
3 Maria Jose Vargas d. 7 Masiel Rivera, 15-11, 15-9
LPRT Singles - Final - Sunday
1 Paola Longoria v. 3 Maria Jose Vargas - Noon
LPRT Doubles - Semi-finals - Saturday
1 Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas d. 4 Nancy Enriquez & Jessica Parrilla, 15-9, 15-7
2 Natalia Mendez & Maria Jose Vargas d. 3 Brenda Laime & Masiel Rivera, 10-15, 15-10, 11-5
LPRT Doubles - Final - Sunday
1 Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas v. 2 Natalia Mendez & Maria Jose Vargas - 1 PM
Follow the bouncing ball….
Longoria and Vargas will actually play twice on Sunday, as they are both in the doubles final as well. Longoria and Samantha Salas beat Nancy Enriquez and Jessica Parrilla, 15-9, 15-7, while Vargas and Natalia Mendez needed three games to get past the young team of Rivera and Brenda Laime, 10-15, 15-10, 11-5.
The singles final will be Sunday at noon with the doubles final to follow at 1 PM. All times Eastern. You can watch the action live via the LPRT website, or the LPRT YouTube channel.
2019 LPRT by the Beach - Chesapeake
Virginia Beach, Virginia, September 6-8, 2019
LPRT Singles - Semi-finals - Saturday
1 Paola Longoria d. 4 Rhonda Rajsich, 15-5, 15-3
3 Maria Jose Vargas d. 7 Masiel Rivera, 15-11, 15-9
LPRT Singles - Final - Sunday
1 Paola Longoria v. 3 Maria Jose Vargas - Noon
LPRT Doubles - Semi-finals - Saturday
1 Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas d. 4 Nancy Enriquez & Jessica Parrilla, 15-9, 15-7
2 Natalia Mendez & Maria Jose Vargas d. 3 Brenda Laime & Masiel Rivera, 10-15, 15-10, 11-5
LPRT Doubles - Final - Sunday
1 Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas v. 2 Natalia Mendez & Maria Jose Vargas - 1 PM
Follow the bouncing ball….
Carson & Parrilla into 2019 IRT Atlanta Open final
Rocky Carson and Andree Parrilla will face off in the final of the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) 2019 Atlanta Open on Sunday after they won their respective semi-finals Saturday afternoon. Carson, the IRT’s #2 player, defeated #3 Alejandro Landa, 15-12, 15-11, in one semi-final, while Parrilla took out IRT #8 Sebastian Franco, 15-7, 15-7, in the other.
Number 1 will play #2 in the doubles final, as top seeds Alvaro Beltran and Daniel De La Rosa will take on 2nd seeds Landa and Samuel Murray. In the doubles semi-finals, Beltran and De La Rosa won two close games with 5th seeds Javier Mar and Rodrigo Montoya, 15-13, 15-12, while Landa and Murray came back from a game down to defeat Parrilla and Eduardo Portillo, 6-15, 15-12, 11-6.
In game one of their match, Beltran and De La Rosa were up 9-4 only to see Mar and Montoya come back with seven unanswered points to take the lead 11-9. The momentum swung back and forth, as Beltran and De La Rosa got the next four points to lead 13-11, then Mar and Montoya tied it at 13-13.
Beltran and De La Rosa got to game point with a penalty hinder call that Mar and Montoya appealed, but the line judges upheld the referee’s call. But they were successful it stopping Beltran and De La Rosa’s first two game points, as Montoya hit a soft backhand winner and then Mar hit a forehand pinch shot winner to get the serve back.
Unfortunately, that side out didn’t lead to points for Mar and Montoya, as De La Rosa hit a great backhand pinch shot, and then Beltran hit a forehand winner to get them their 3rd game point opportunity. Beltran hit his usually hit lob serve tight to the right wall, and Mar’s forehand return skipped, ending the game at 15-13.
Game two had a similar story line, as Beltran and De La Rosa led early, 4-1. They were tied at 4-4, and then Beltran and De La Rosa led again until a tie at 11-11. Montoya broke the tie with a backhand cross court shot that made it 12-11. But a De La Rosa forehand wide angle pass to the right side followed by a Montoya backhand skip gave the serve back to Beltran and De La Rosa.
They got their 12th point to tie it when Mar skipped a forehand serve return. A Beltran skip put his side half down, but a De La Rosa backhand winner put his side ahead 13-12. Mar got his side the serve back with a touch backhand winner. But he gave the serve back to his opponents when he first hit a forehand skip (to be fair he was diving for the ball) and then hit a ball out of play.
Beltran and De La Rosa reached match point when Montoya skipped a backhand shot. Game two ended just as game one did. Beltran served a lob to the right, and Mar made an error on the return. This time he hit a ceiling ball that didn’t reach the front wall. Oops.
The other semi-final did go to a third game, and in that game Landa and Murray took a big lead at the start, 6-1. That allowed them to win relatively comfortably after being pressed by the young team of Parrilla and Portillo. The younger team did cut the lead to 6-3 and 9-7, but that was as close at they got.
Parrilla and Portillo lost a point at 9-7, as they appealed a shot by Portillo that was called a skip, but they had no appeals left. Appealing when you have no appeals is a technical, which means a loss of one point. Landa and Murray won it on the next two rallies with Murray sealing the deal with a backhand winner.
Earlier in the day, Parrilla and Portillo were upset winners in the doubles quarterfinals, as they defeated 3rd seeds Sebastian Franco and Mario Mercado, 15-6, 15-14. The win put Parrilla and Portillo into the semi-finals against Landa and Murray, who beat Andres Acuña and Sebastian Fernandez, 15-13, 15-7.
On the top side of the draw, top seeds Beltran and De La Rosa needed a tie-breaker to get past Kadim Carrasco and Carlos Keller, winning 15-8, 14-15, 11-5.
The singles final will be noon Sunday with the doubles final to follow at 1 PM. Both times Eastern. Check out the usual IRT media outlets for live streaming: The IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page.
2019 IRT Atlanta Open, September 5-8, 2019
Lilburn / Atlanta, Georgia
Semi-finals - Saturday
4) Andree Parrilla d. 8) Sebastian Franco, 15-7, 15-7
2) Rocky Carson d. 3) Alejandro Landa, 15-11, 15-12
Final - Sunday
2) Rocky Carson v. 4) Andree Parrilla - Noon
IRT Doubles - Quarterfinals - Saturday
1) Daniel De La Rosa & Alvaro Beltran d. 8) Kadim Carrasco & Carlos Keller, 15-8, 14-15, 11-5
5) Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya d. 4) Ben Croft & Kane Waselenchuk, forfeit
6) Andree Parrilla & Eduardo Portillo d. 3) Sebastian Franco & Mario Mercado, 15-6, 15-14
2) Alejandro Landa & Samuel Murray v. 10) Sebastian Fernandez & Andres Acuña, 15-13, 15-7
IRT Doubles - Semi-finals - Saturday
1) Daniel De La Rosa & Alvaro Beltran d. 5) Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya, 15-13, 15-12
2) Alejandro Landa & Samuel Murray d. 6) Andree Parrilla & Eduardo Portillo, 6-15, 15-11, 11-6
IRT Doubles - Final - Sunday
1) Daniel De La Rosa & Alvaro Beltran v, 2) Alejandro Landa & Samuel Murray - 1 PM
Follow the bouncing ball….
Number 1 will play #2 in the doubles final, as top seeds Alvaro Beltran and Daniel De La Rosa will take on 2nd seeds Landa and Samuel Murray. In the doubles semi-finals, Beltran and De La Rosa won two close games with 5th seeds Javier Mar and Rodrigo Montoya, 15-13, 15-12, while Landa and Murray came back from a game down to defeat Parrilla and Eduardo Portillo, 6-15, 15-12, 11-6.
In game one of their match, Beltran and De La Rosa were up 9-4 only to see Mar and Montoya come back with seven unanswered points to take the lead 11-9. The momentum swung back and forth, as Beltran and De La Rosa got the next four points to lead 13-11, then Mar and Montoya tied it at 13-13.
Beltran and De La Rosa got to game point with a penalty hinder call that Mar and Montoya appealed, but the line judges upheld the referee’s call. But they were successful it stopping Beltran and De La Rosa’s first two game points, as Montoya hit a soft backhand winner and then Mar hit a forehand pinch shot winner to get the serve back.
Unfortunately, that side out didn’t lead to points for Mar and Montoya, as De La Rosa hit a great backhand pinch shot, and then Beltran hit a forehand winner to get them their 3rd game point opportunity. Beltran hit his usually hit lob serve tight to the right wall, and Mar’s forehand return skipped, ending the game at 15-13.
Game two had a similar story line, as Beltran and De La Rosa led early, 4-1. They were tied at 4-4, and then Beltran and De La Rosa led again until a tie at 11-11. Montoya broke the tie with a backhand cross court shot that made it 12-11. But a De La Rosa forehand wide angle pass to the right side followed by a Montoya backhand skip gave the serve back to Beltran and De La Rosa.
They got their 12th point to tie it when Mar skipped a forehand serve return. A Beltran skip put his side half down, but a De La Rosa backhand winner put his side ahead 13-12. Mar got his side the serve back with a touch backhand winner. But he gave the serve back to his opponents when he first hit a forehand skip (to be fair he was diving for the ball) and then hit a ball out of play.
Beltran and De La Rosa reached match point when Montoya skipped a backhand shot. Game two ended just as game one did. Beltran served a lob to the right, and Mar made an error on the return. This time he hit a ceiling ball that didn’t reach the front wall. Oops.
The other semi-final did go to a third game, and in that game Landa and Murray took a big lead at the start, 6-1. That allowed them to win relatively comfortably after being pressed by the young team of Parrilla and Portillo. The younger team did cut the lead to 6-3 and 9-7, but that was as close at they got.
Parrilla and Portillo lost a point at 9-7, as they appealed a shot by Portillo that was called a skip, but they had no appeals left. Appealing when you have no appeals is a technical, which means a loss of one point. Landa and Murray won it on the next two rallies with Murray sealing the deal with a backhand winner.
Earlier in the day, Parrilla and Portillo were upset winners in the doubles quarterfinals, as they defeated 3rd seeds Sebastian Franco and Mario Mercado, 15-6, 15-14. The win put Parrilla and Portillo into the semi-finals against Landa and Murray, who beat Andres Acuña and Sebastian Fernandez, 15-13, 15-7.
On the top side of the draw, top seeds Beltran and De La Rosa needed a tie-breaker to get past Kadim Carrasco and Carlos Keller, winning 15-8, 14-15, 11-5.
The singles final will be noon Sunday with the doubles final to follow at 1 PM. Both times Eastern. Check out the usual IRT media outlets for live streaming: The IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page.
2019 IRT Atlanta Open, September 5-8, 2019
Lilburn / Atlanta, Georgia
Semi-finals - Saturday
4) Andree Parrilla d. 8) Sebastian Franco, 15-7, 15-7
2) Rocky Carson d. 3) Alejandro Landa, 15-11, 15-12
Final - Sunday
2) Rocky Carson v. 4) Andree Parrilla - Noon
IRT Doubles - Quarterfinals - Saturday
1) Daniel De La Rosa & Alvaro Beltran d. 8) Kadim Carrasco & Carlos Keller, 15-8, 14-15, 11-5
5) Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya d. 4) Ben Croft & Kane Waselenchuk, forfeit
6) Andree Parrilla & Eduardo Portillo d. 3) Sebastian Franco & Mario Mercado, 15-6, 15-14
2) Alejandro Landa & Samuel Murray v. 10) Sebastian Fernandez & Andres Acuña, 15-13, 15-7
IRT Doubles - Semi-finals - Saturday
1) Daniel De La Rosa & Alvaro Beltran d. 5) Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya, 15-13, 15-12
2) Alejandro Landa & Samuel Murray d. 6) Andree Parrilla & Eduardo Portillo, 6-15, 15-11, 11-6
IRT Doubles - Final - Sunday
1) Daniel De La Rosa & Alvaro Beltran v, 2) Alejandro Landa & Samuel Murray - 1 PM
Follow the bouncing ball….
Parrilla & Portillo into doubles semis at 2019 IRT Atlanta Open
Andree Parrilla and Edurardo Portillo were upset winners in the doubles quarterfinals Saturday at the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) 2019 Atlanta Open, as they defeated 3rd seeds Sebastian Franco and Mario Mercado, 15-6, 15-14. Th win puts Parrilla and Portillo into the semi-finals against 2nd seeds Alejandro Landa and Samuel Murray, who beat Andres Acuña and Sebastian Fernandez, 15-13, 15-7.
On the top side of the draw, top seeds Alvaro Beltran and Daniel De La Rosa needed a tie-breaker to get past Kadim Carrasco and Carlos Keller, winning 15-8, 14-15, 11-5.
The men’s doubles semi-finals will be tonight at 7 and 8 PM. The singles semi-finals are this afternoon at 3 and 4 PM. Check out the usual IRT media outlets for live streaming: The IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page. The singles final will be noon Sunday with the doubles final to follow at 1 PM. All times Eastern.
2019 IRT Atlanta Open, September 5-8, 2019
Lilburn / Atlanta, Georgia
Semi-finals - Saturday
4) Andree Parrilla v. 8) Sebastian Franco - 4 PM
2) Rocky Carson v. 3) Alejandro Landa - 3 PM
IRT Doubles - Quarterfinals - Saturday
1) Daniel De La Rosa & Alvaro Beltran d. 8) Kadim Carrasco & Carlos Keller, 15-8, 14-15, 11-5
5) Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya d. 4) Ben Croft & Kane Waselenchuk, forfeit
6) Andree Parrilla & Eduardo Portillo d. 3) Sebastian Franco & Mario Mercado, 15-6, 15-14
2) Alejandro Landa & Samuel Murray v. 10) Sebastian Fernandez & Andres Acuña, 15-13, 15-7
IRT Doubles - Semi-finals - Saturday
1) Daniel De La Rosa & Alvaro Beltran v. 5) Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya - 8 PM
2) Alejandro Landa & Samuel Murray v. 6) Andree Parrilla & Eduardo Portillo - 7 PM
Follow the bouncing ball….
On the top side of the draw, top seeds Alvaro Beltran and Daniel De La Rosa needed a tie-breaker to get past Kadim Carrasco and Carlos Keller, winning 15-8, 14-15, 11-5.
The men’s doubles semi-finals will be tonight at 7 and 8 PM. The singles semi-finals are this afternoon at 3 and 4 PM. Check out the usual IRT media outlets for live streaming: The IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page. The singles final will be noon Sunday with the doubles final to follow at 1 PM. All times Eastern.
2019 IRT Atlanta Open, September 5-8, 2019
Lilburn / Atlanta, Georgia
Semi-finals - Saturday
4) Andree Parrilla v. 8) Sebastian Franco - 4 PM
2) Rocky Carson v. 3) Alejandro Landa - 3 PM
IRT Doubles - Quarterfinals - Saturday
1) Daniel De La Rosa & Alvaro Beltran d. 8) Kadim Carrasco & Carlos Keller, 15-8, 14-15, 11-5
5) Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya d. 4) Ben Croft & Kane Waselenchuk, forfeit
6) Andree Parrilla & Eduardo Portillo d. 3) Sebastian Franco & Mario Mercado, 15-6, 15-14
2) Alejandro Landa & Samuel Murray v. 10) Sebastian Fernandez & Andres Acuña, 15-13, 15-7
IRT Doubles - Semi-finals - Saturday
1) Daniel De La Rosa & Alvaro Beltran v. 5) Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya - 8 PM
2) Alejandro Landa & Samuel Murray v. 6) Andree Parrilla & Eduardo Portillo - 7 PM
Follow the bouncing ball….
Rivera into semis for 1st time at LPRT at the Beach
Masiel Rivera was the giant killer in the quarterfinals of the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) by the Beach tournament in Virginia Beach, Virginia, as she knocked off 2nd seed Samantha Salas, 15-12, 15-14. It’s a surprising loss, as Salas rarely loses to anyone not named Paola Longoria. The win puts Rivera into the semi-finals for the first time, where she will face 3rd seed Maria Jose Vargas, who was a straight game winner over Nancy Enriquez, 15-8, 15-4.
The other semi-final will be a renewal of an old rivalry, as LPRT #1 Paola Longoria takes on 5th seed Rhonda Rajsich. Both won their quarterfinal matches in straight games. Longoria beating Brenda Laime, 15-1, 15-4, and Rajsich defeating Natalia Mendez, 15-14, 15-1.
The semi-finals are Saturday at 6:30 PM and 7:15 PM. The singles final will be Sunday at noon. The doubles semi-finals are Saturday night at 8 and 8:45 PM with the final Sunday at 1 PM. All times Eastern. You can watch the action live via the LPRT website, or the LPRT YouTube channel.
2019 LPRT by the Beach - Chesapeake
Virginia Beach, Virginia, September 6-8, 2019
LPRT Singles - Quarterfinals - Saturday
1 Paola Longoria d. 9 Brenda Laime, 15-1, 15-4
4 Rhonda Rajsich d. 5 Natalia Mendez, 15-14, 15-1
3 Maria Jose Vargas d. 6 Nancy Enriquez, 15-8, 15-4
7 Masiel Rivera d. 2 Samantha Salas, 15-12, 15-14
LPRT Singles - Semi-finals - Saturday
1 Paola Longoria v. 4 Rhonda Rajsich - 7:15 PM
3 Maria Jose Vargas v. 7 Masiel Rivera - 6:30 PM
LPRT Doubles - Quarterfinals - Saturday
1 Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas d. 8 Cassi Lee & Megan Shelton, 15-1, 15-0
4 Nancy Enriquez & Jessica Parrilla d. 5 Kelani Lawrence & Sheryl Lotts, 7-15, 15-12, 11-8
3 Brenda Laime & Masiel Rivera d. 6 Erin Rivera & Adriana Riveros, 15-6, 13-15, 11-2
2 Natalia Mendez & Maria Jose Vargas v. 7 Malia Bailey & Carla Muñoz, 15-3, 15-4
LPRT Doubles - Semi-finals - Saturday
1 Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas v. 4 Nancy Enriquez & Jessica Parrilla - 8:45 PM
2 Natalia Mendez & Maria Jose Vargas v. 3 Brenda Laime & Masiel Rivera - 8 PM
Follow the bouncing ball….
The other semi-final will be a renewal of an old rivalry, as LPRT #1 Paola Longoria takes on 5th seed Rhonda Rajsich. Both won their quarterfinal matches in straight games. Longoria beating Brenda Laime, 15-1, 15-4, and Rajsich defeating Natalia Mendez, 15-14, 15-1.
The semi-finals are Saturday at 6:30 PM and 7:15 PM. The singles final will be Sunday at noon. The doubles semi-finals are Saturday night at 8 and 8:45 PM with the final Sunday at 1 PM. All times Eastern. You can watch the action live via the LPRT website, or the LPRT YouTube channel.
2019 LPRT by the Beach - Chesapeake
Virginia Beach, Virginia, September 6-8, 2019
LPRT Singles - Quarterfinals - Saturday
1 Paola Longoria d. 9 Brenda Laime, 15-1, 15-4
4 Rhonda Rajsich d. 5 Natalia Mendez, 15-14, 15-1
3 Maria Jose Vargas d. 6 Nancy Enriquez, 15-8, 15-4
7 Masiel Rivera d. 2 Samantha Salas, 15-12, 15-14
LPRT Singles - Semi-finals - Saturday
1 Paola Longoria v. 4 Rhonda Rajsich - 7:15 PM
3 Maria Jose Vargas v. 7 Masiel Rivera - 6:30 PM
LPRT Doubles - Quarterfinals - Saturday
1 Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas d. 8 Cassi Lee & Megan Shelton, 15-1, 15-0
4 Nancy Enriquez & Jessica Parrilla d. 5 Kelani Lawrence & Sheryl Lotts, 7-15, 15-12, 11-8
3 Brenda Laime & Masiel Rivera d. 6 Erin Rivera & Adriana Riveros, 15-6, 13-15, 11-2
2 Natalia Mendez & Maria Jose Vargas v. 7 Malia Bailey & Carla Muñoz, 15-3, 15-4
LPRT Doubles - Semi-finals - Saturday
1 Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas v. 4 Nancy Enriquez & Jessica Parrilla - 8:45 PM
2 Natalia Mendez & Maria Jose Vargas v. 3 Brenda Laime & Masiel Rivera - 8 PM
Follow the bouncing ball….
LPRT by the Beach Rounds of 32 and 16
Only one upset on Friday at the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) by the Beach tournament in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Ninth seed Brenda Laime defeated 8th seed Adriana Riveros, 15-3, 15-14, in the Round of 16. The win puts her into the quarterfinals against LPRT #1 Paola Longoria, who was a winner over Erin Rivera, 15-6, 15-6.
There were a couple of tie-breakers Friday, including Carla Muñoz’s near upset of 5th seed Rhonda Rajsich. But the veteran Rajsich fought off match point in the second game to win it in three, 14-15, 15-14, 11-4. Also, Nancy Enriquez came back from a game down to defeat Sheryl Lotts, 12-15, 15-8, 11-0.
The singles quarterfinals will be Saturday morning beginning at 11:45 AM and 12:30 PM with the semi-finals Saturday at 6:30 PM and 7:15 PM. The singles final will be Sunday at noon. The doubles semi-finals are Saturday night at 8 and 8:45 PM with the final Sunday at 1 PM. All times Eastern. You can watch the action live via the LPRT website, or the LPRT YouTube channel.
2019 LPRT by the Beach - Chesapeake
Virginia Beach, Virginia, September 6-8, 2019
LPRT Singles - Round of 32 - Friday
1 Paola Longoria - BYE
16 Erin Rivera d.17 Amie Brewer, 15-6, 15-3
9 Brenda Laime - BYE
8 Adriana Riveros - BYE
5 Natalia Mendez - BYE
12 Adrienne Haynes - BYE
13 Carla Muñoz - BYE
4 Rhonda Rajsich - BYE
3 Maria Jose Vargas - BYE
14 Kelani Lawrence d. 19 Megan Shelton, 15-2, 15-2
11 Sheryl Lotts - BYE
6 Nancy Enriquez - BYE
7 Masiel Rivera - BYE
10 Cassi Lee - BYE
15 Jessica Parrilla d. 18 Malia Bailey, 15-4, 15-5
2 Samantha Salas - BYE
LPRT Singles - Round of 16 - Friday
1 Paola Longoria d. 16 Erin Rivera, 15-6, 15-6
9 Brenda Laime d. 8 Adriana Riveros, 15-3, 15-14
5 Natalia Mendez d. 12 Adrienne Haynes, 15-10, 15-13
4 Rhonda Rajsich d. 13 Carla Muñoz, 14-15, 15-14, 11-4
3 Maria Jose Vargas d. 14 Kelani Lawrence, 15-13, 15-10
6 Nancy Enriquez d. 11 Sheryl Lotts, 12-15, 15-8, 11-0
7 Masiel Rivera d. 10 Cassi Lee, 15-10, 15-6
2 Samantha Salas d. 15 Jessica Parrilla, 15-7, 15-8
LPRT Singles - Quarterfinals - Saturday
1 Paola Longoria v. 9 Brenda Laime - 12:30 PM
4 Rhonda Rajsich v. 5 Natalia Mendez - 12:30 PM
3 Maria Jose Vargas v. 6 Nancy Enriquez - 11:45 AM
2 Samantha Salas v. 7 Masiel Rivera - 11:45 AM
LPRT Doubles - Quarterfinals - Saturday
1 Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas v. 8 T. J. Baubaugh & Cassi Lee - 2 PM
4 Nancy Enriquez & Jessica Parrilla v. 5 Kelani Lawrence & Sheryl Lotts - 2 PM
3 Brenda Laime & Masiel Rivera v. 6 Erin Rivera & Adriana Riveros - 1:15 PM
2 Natalia Mendez & Maria Jose Vargas v. 7 Malia Bailey & Carla Muñoz - 1:15 PM
Follow the bouncing ball….
There were a couple of tie-breakers Friday, including Carla Muñoz’s near upset of 5th seed Rhonda Rajsich. But the veteran Rajsich fought off match point in the second game to win it in three, 14-15, 15-14, 11-4. Also, Nancy Enriquez came back from a game down to defeat Sheryl Lotts, 12-15, 15-8, 11-0.
The singles quarterfinals will be Saturday morning beginning at 11:45 AM and 12:30 PM with the semi-finals Saturday at 6:30 PM and 7:15 PM. The singles final will be Sunday at noon. The doubles semi-finals are Saturday night at 8 and 8:45 PM with the final Sunday at 1 PM. All times Eastern. You can watch the action live via the LPRT website, or the LPRT YouTube channel.
2019 LPRT by the Beach - Chesapeake
Virginia Beach, Virginia, September 6-8, 2019
LPRT Singles - Round of 32 - Friday
1 Paola Longoria - BYE
16 Erin Rivera d.17 Amie Brewer, 15-6, 15-3
9 Brenda Laime - BYE
8 Adriana Riveros - BYE
5 Natalia Mendez - BYE
12 Adrienne Haynes - BYE
13 Carla Muñoz - BYE
4 Rhonda Rajsich - BYE
3 Maria Jose Vargas - BYE
14 Kelani Lawrence d. 19 Megan Shelton, 15-2, 15-2
11 Sheryl Lotts - BYE
6 Nancy Enriquez - BYE
7 Masiel Rivera - BYE
10 Cassi Lee - BYE
15 Jessica Parrilla d. 18 Malia Bailey, 15-4, 15-5
2 Samantha Salas - BYE
LPRT Singles - Round of 16 - Friday
1 Paola Longoria d. 16 Erin Rivera, 15-6, 15-6
9 Brenda Laime d. 8 Adriana Riveros, 15-3, 15-14
5 Natalia Mendez d. 12 Adrienne Haynes, 15-10, 15-13
4 Rhonda Rajsich d. 13 Carla Muñoz, 14-15, 15-14, 11-4
3 Maria Jose Vargas d. 14 Kelani Lawrence, 15-13, 15-10
6 Nancy Enriquez d. 11 Sheryl Lotts, 12-15, 15-8, 11-0
7 Masiel Rivera d. 10 Cassi Lee, 15-10, 15-6
2 Samantha Salas d. 15 Jessica Parrilla, 15-7, 15-8
LPRT Singles - Quarterfinals - Saturday
1 Paola Longoria v. 9 Brenda Laime - 12:30 PM
4 Rhonda Rajsich v. 5 Natalia Mendez - 12:30 PM
3 Maria Jose Vargas v. 6 Nancy Enriquez - 11:45 AM
2 Samantha Salas v. 7 Masiel Rivera - 11:45 AM
LPRT Doubles - Quarterfinals - Saturday
1 Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas v. 8 T. J. Baubaugh & Cassi Lee - 2 PM
4 Nancy Enriquez & Jessica Parrilla v. 5 Kelani Lawrence & Sheryl Lotts - 2 PM
3 Brenda Laime & Masiel Rivera v. 6 Erin Rivera & Adriana Riveros - 1:15 PM
2 Natalia Mendez & Maria Jose Vargas v. 7 Malia Bailey & Carla Muñoz - 1:15 PM
Follow the bouncing ball….
Friday, September 6, 2019
Three of top 4 seeds plus 1 into semi-finals at 2019 IRT Atlanta Open
The higher seeds all won in the quarterfinals on Friday at the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) 2019 Atlanta Open, but every match went to a tie-breaker. In three of the four, the higher seed won the first game, and then had to win in three games. But in the Sebastian-Sebastian showdown, Sebastian Franco, the 8th seed, dropped the first game to Sebastian Fernandez, and then came back to win the next two games, and take the match, 5-15, 15-6, 11-9.
Franco will face 4th seed Andree Parrilla in the semi-finals Saturday. Parrilla almost won his quarterfinal contest in two straight games, but 5th seed Alvaro Beltran squeaked out the second game by a single point, forcing a tie-breaker. The breaker went to Parrilla, who won the match 15-6, 14-15, 11-4.
On the other side of the draw, IRT #2 Rocky Carson defeated #7 Samuel Murray, 15-10, 11-15, 11-0, in the quarters, so in the semi-finals he’ll play IRT #3 Alejandro Landa, who beat #6 Daniel De La Rosa in three games, 15-5, 8-15, 11-10.
Look for all the action via the usual IRT media outlets: The IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page. The singles semi-finals will be 3 and 4 PM Saturday with the final at noon Sunday. The doubles semi-finals will be Saturday night at 7 and 8 PM with the final Sunday at 1 PM. All times Eastern.
2019 IRT Atlanta Open, September 5-8, 2019
Lilburn / Atlanta, Georgia
Quarterfinals - Friday
8) Sebastian Franco d. Sebastian Fernandez, 5-15, 15-6, 11-9
4) Andree Parrilla d. 5) Alvaro Beltran, 15-6, 14-15, 11-4
3) Alejandro Landa d. 6) Daniel De La Rosa - 15-5, 8-15, 11-10
2) Rocky Carson d. 7) Samuel Murray - 15-10, 11-15, 11-0
Semi-finals - Saturday
4) Andree Parrilla v. 8) Sebastian Franco - 4 PM
2) Rocky Carson v. 3) Alejandro Landa - 3 PM
IRT Doubles - Quarterfinals - Saturday
1) Daniel De La Rosa & Alvaro Beltran v. 8) Kadim Carrasco & Carlos Keller - 11 AM
5) Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya d. 4) Ben Croft & Kane Waselenchuk, forfeit
3) Sebastian Franco & Mario Mercado v. 6) Andree Parrilla & Eduardo Portillo - Noon
2) Alejandro Landa & Samuel Murray v. 10) Sebastian Fernandez & Andres Acuña - Noon
Follow the bouncing ball….
Franco will face 4th seed Andree Parrilla in the semi-finals Saturday. Parrilla almost won his quarterfinal contest in two straight games, but 5th seed Alvaro Beltran squeaked out the second game by a single point, forcing a tie-breaker. The breaker went to Parrilla, who won the match 15-6, 14-15, 11-4.
On the other side of the draw, IRT #2 Rocky Carson defeated #7 Samuel Murray, 15-10, 11-15, 11-0, in the quarters, so in the semi-finals he’ll play IRT #3 Alejandro Landa, who beat #6 Daniel De La Rosa in three games, 15-5, 8-15, 11-10.
Look for all the action via the usual IRT media outlets: The IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page. The singles semi-finals will be 3 and 4 PM Saturday with the final at noon Sunday. The doubles semi-finals will be Saturday night at 7 and 8 PM with the final Sunday at 1 PM. All times Eastern.
2019 IRT Atlanta Open, September 5-8, 2019
Lilburn / Atlanta, Georgia
Quarterfinals - Friday
8) Sebastian Franco d. Sebastian Fernandez, 5-15, 15-6, 11-9
4) Andree Parrilla d. 5) Alvaro Beltran, 15-6, 14-15, 11-4
3) Alejandro Landa d. 6) Daniel De La Rosa - 15-5, 8-15, 11-10
2) Rocky Carson d. 7) Samuel Murray - 15-10, 11-15, 11-0
Semi-finals - Saturday
4) Andree Parrilla v. 8) Sebastian Franco - 4 PM
2) Rocky Carson v. 3) Alejandro Landa - 3 PM
IRT Doubles - Quarterfinals - Saturday
1) Daniel De La Rosa & Alvaro Beltran v. 8) Kadim Carrasco & Carlos Keller - 11 AM
5) Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya d. 4) Ben Croft & Kane Waselenchuk, forfeit
3) Sebastian Franco & Mario Mercado v. 6) Andree Parrilla & Eduardo Portillo - Noon
2) Alejandro Landa & Samuel Murray v. 10) Sebastian Fernandez & Andres Acuña - Noon
Follow the bouncing ball….
IRT Atlanta Open Round of 16
No surprises in the Round of 16 at the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) 2019 Atlanta Open. The higher seeds have all won with the already known exception of Sebastian Fernandez getting a default win over IRT #1 Kane Waselenchuk, who was a late withdrawal from the event due to “personal reasons.” Fernandez will play IRT #8 Sebastian Franco, who defeated #9 Rodrigo Montoya, 15-9, 9-15, 11-7, to set up a Sebastian-Sebastian showdown.
The higher seeds won all of the other matches. IRT #2 Rocky Carson beat Eduardo Garay, 15-5, 15-9, and will face #7 Samuel Murray, who defeated Mario Mercado, 15-12, 15-11. The winner of Carson-Murray will play either #3 seed Alejandro Landa or #6 Daniel De La Rosa. Landa beat Robert Collins, 15-3, 15-9, in the 16s, while De La Rosa needed a tie-breaker to get past Eduardo Portillo, 15-12, 13-15, 11-4.
On the top half of the draw, Andree Parrilla, the IRT’s #4 player, will face veteran Alvaro Beltran in the quarterfinals. Parrilla beat Carlos Keller, 15-8, 15-8, and Beltran got a win over Gerardo Franco, 15-5, 15-14.
Look for all the action via the usual IRT media outlets: The IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page. The quarterfinals start Friday at 4 PM. The singles semi-finals will be 3 and 4 PM Saturday with the final at noon Sunday. The doubles semi-finals will be Saturday night at 7 and 8 PM with the final Sunday at 1 PM. All times Eastern.
2019 IRT Atlanta Open, September 5-8, 2019
Lilburn / Atlanta, Georgia
Round of 16 - Friday
Sebastian Fernandez d. 1) Kane Waselenchuk , forfeit
8) Sebastian Franco d. Rodrigo Montoya, 15-9, 9-15, 11-7
5) Alvaro Beltran d. Gerardo Franco, 15-5, 15-14
4) Andree Parrilla d. Carlos Keller, 15-8, 15-8
3) Alejandro Landa d. Robert Collins, 15-3, 15-9
6) Daniel De La Rosa d. Eduardo Portillo, 15-12, 13-15, 11-4
7) Samuel Murray d. Mario Mercado, 15-12, 15-11
2) Rocky Carson d. Eduardo Garay, 15-5, 15-9
Quarterfinals - Friday
8) Sebastian Franco v. Sebastian Fernandez - 6 PM
4) Andree Parrilla v. 5) Alvaro Beltran - 7 PM
3) Alejandro Landa v. 6) Daniel De La Rosa - 4 PM
2) Rocky Carson v. 7) Samuel Murray - 5 PM
IRT Doubles - Round of 16 - Friday
1) Daniel De La Rosa & Alvaro Beltran - BYE
8) Kadim Carrasco & Carlos Keller d. 9) Maurice Miller & Troy Warigon, 5-15, 15-11, 11-8
5) Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya - BYE
4) Ben Croft & Kane Waselenchuk - BYE
3) Sebastian Franco & Mario Mercado - BYE
6) Andree Parrilla & Eduardo Portillo d. 11) Lee Meinerz & Darrin Prince, 15-3, 15-5
10) Sebastian Fernandez & Andres Acuña d. 7) Gerardo Franco & Nicholas Riffel, 15-11, 10-15, 11-4
2) Alejandro Landa & Samuel Murray - BYE
IRT Doubles - Quarterfinals - Saturday
1) Daniel De La Rosa & Alvaro Beltran v. 8) Kadim Carrasco & Carlos Keller - 11 AM
5) Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya d. 4) Ben Croft & Kane Waselenchuk, forfeit
3) Sebastian Franco & Mario Mercado v. 6) Andree Parrilla & Eduardo Portillo - Noon
2) Alejandro Landa & Samuel Murray v. 10) Sebastian Fernandez & Andres Acuña - Noon
Follow the bouncing ball….
The higher seeds won all of the other matches. IRT #2 Rocky Carson beat Eduardo Garay, 15-5, 15-9, and will face #7 Samuel Murray, who defeated Mario Mercado, 15-12, 15-11. The winner of Carson-Murray will play either #3 seed Alejandro Landa or #6 Daniel De La Rosa. Landa beat Robert Collins, 15-3, 15-9, in the 16s, while De La Rosa needed a tie-breaker to get past Eduardo Portillo, 15-12, 13-15, 11-4.
On the top half of the draw, Andree Parrilla, the IRT’s #4 player, will face veteran Alvaro Beltran in the quarterfinals. Parrilla beat Carlos Keller, 15-8, 15-8, and Beltran got a win over Gerardo Franco, 15-5, 15-14.
Look for all the action via the usual IRT media outlets: The IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page. The quarterfinals start Friday at 4 PM. The singles semi-finals will be 3 and 4 PM Saturday with the final at noon Sunday. The doubles semi-finals will be Saturday night at 7 and 8 PM with the final Sunday at 1 PM. All times Eastern.
2019 IRT Atlanta Open, September 5-8, 2019
Lilburn / Atlanta, Georgia
Round of 16 - Friday
Sebastian Fernandez d. 1) Kane Waselenchuk , forfeit
8) Sebastian Franco d. Rodrigo Montoya, 15-9, 9-15, 11-7
5) Alvaro Beltran d. Gerardo Franco, 15-5, 15-14
4) Andree Parrilla d. Carlos Keller, 15-8, 15-8
3) Alejandro Landa d. Robert Collins, 15-3, 15-9
6) Daniel De La Rosa d. Eduardo Portillo, 15-12, 13-15, 11-4
7) Samuel Murray d. Mario Mercado, 15-12, 15-11
2) Rocky Carson d. Eduardo Garay, 15-5, 15-9
Quarterfinals - Friday
8) Sebastian Franco v. Sebastian Fernandez - 6 PM
4) Andree Parrilla v. 5) Alvaro Beltran - 7 PM
3) Alejandro Landa v. 6) Daniel De La Rosa - 4 PM
2) Rocky Carson v. 7) Samuel Murray - 5 PM
IRT Doubles - Round of 16 - Friday
1) Daniel De La Rosa & Alvaro Beltran - BYE
8) Kadim Carrasco & Carlos Keller d. 9) Maurice Miller & Troy Warigon, 5-15, 15-11, 11-8
5) Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya - BYE
4) Ben Croft & Kane Waselenchuk - BYE
3) Sebastian Franco & Mario Mercado - BYE
6) Andree Parrilla & Eduardo Portillo d. 11) Lee Meinerz & Darrin Prince, 15-3, 15-5
10) Sebastian Fernandez & Andres Acuña d. 7) Gerardo Franco & Nicholas Riffel, 15-11, 10-15, 11-4
2) Alejandro Landa & Samuel Murray - BYE
IRT Doubles - Quarterfinals - Saturday
1) Daniel De La Rosa & Alvaro Beltran v. 8) Kadim Carrasco & Carlos Keller - 11 AM
5) Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya d. 4) Ben Croft & Kane Waselenchuk, forfeit
3) Sebastian Franco & Mario Mercado v. 6) Andree Parrilla & Eduardo Portillo - Noon
2) Alejandro Landa & Samuel Murray v. 10) Sebastian Fernandez & Andres Acuña - Noon
Follow the bouncing ball….
Thursday resutls from 2019 IRT Atlanta Open
A couple surprises on Thursday at the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) 2019 Atlanta Open. The off court surprise was bigger, as IRT #1 Kane Waselenchuk announced he wouldn’t be in Georgia due to "personal reasons," but does intend to be in Maryland for the second event of the season. Without Waselenchuk, who won 6 of the 9 events last season, the Atlanta Open is now up for grabs.
There were surprises on court also. Yesterday, we wrote how Waselenchuk’s road to victory was getting tougher, and that he’d likely have to play Javier Mar in the Round of 16. That overlooked Sebastian Fernandez, who was a silver medalist in Boy’s U18 at last year’s World Junior Championships. We had a feeling that not mentioning Fernandez could be a mistake, and he reinforced that feeling by defeating Mar on Thursday, 15-10, 15-11.
Fernandez was to play Waselenchuk in the 16s, but will now get a pass into the quarterfinals for the first time. He’ll play the winner of Sebastian Franco and Rodrigo Montoya in the quarters. Although it’s Fernandez’s first quarterfinal appearance he was playing his 7th match in the Round of 16, and has wins over Jake Bredenbeck, Samuel Murray and Charlie Pratt on his record. Not a player to be overlooked.
Another surprise from Thursday was Eduardo Garay’s win over Andres Acuña, 7-15, 15-9, 11-8. Garay’s another of the young Mexicans who are making noise, but Acuña has several notable wins on his resume, especially when representing Costa Rica at international events. Garay will play IRT #2 Rocky Carson in the Round of 16.
Perhaps the saddest thing about Waselenchuk’s absence this weekend is that he was going to play doubles with Ben Croft, which is always fun to see. There are several good teams in Georgia that they could have played against, including Mar and Rodrigo Montoya, who they would have faced in their first match. Mar and Montoya won gold in Men’s Doubles at the Pan American Games last month, so that would have been a great match. The winner would have likely faced top seeds Alvaro Beltran and Daniel De La Rosa, who have had a couple of amazing matches with Waselenchuk and Croft at the last two US Opens. Would have been great to see another one of those matches.
Look for all the action via the usual IRT media outlets: The IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page. The Round of 16 will be Friday morning at 10 and 11 AM with the quarterfinals Friday starting at 4 PM. The singles semi-finals will be 3 and 4 PM Saturday with the final at noon Sunday. The doubles semi-finals will be Saturday night at 7 and 8 PM with the final Sunday at 1 PM. All times Eastern.
2019 IRT Atlanta Open, September 5-8, 2019
Lilburn / Atlanta, Georgia
Qualifying Round 1 - Thursday
Sebastian Fernandez d. Lee Meinerz, 15-9, 15-10
Javier Mar d. Jimmy Lan, 15-3, 15-5
Rodrigo Montoya - BYE
Maurice Miller d. Troy Warigon, 15-1, 11-15, 11-8
Mauricio Zelada d. Kadim Carrasco, 15-5, 15-14
Gerardo Franco d. Anthony Martin, 15-10, 13-15, 11-7
Thomas Carter d. Darrin Prince, 15-2, 15-8
Carlos Keller d. Oscar Nieto, 15-7, 15-9
Justus Benson d. Austin Cunningham, 15-6, 15-6
Robert Collins d. Yacoube Keita, 15-5, 15-3
Eduardo Portillo d. Floyd McDonald, 15-6, 15-6
Set Cubillos d. Nicholas Riffel, 15-13, 15-8
Scott McClellan d. Michael Arterburn, 15-1, 15-0
Mario Mercado - BYE
Andres Acuña d. Destry Everhart, 15-6, 15-7
Eduardo Garay d. Dan Fowler, forfeit
Qualifying Round 2 - Thursday
Q8 - Sebastian Fernandez d. Javier Mar, 15-10, 15-11
Q1 - Rodrigo Montoya d. Maurice Miller, 15-13, 15-5
Q4 - Gerardo Franco d. Mauricio Zelada, 10-15, 15-11, 11-2
Q5 - Carlos Keller d. Thomas Carter, 15-14, 13-15, 11-6
Q6 - Robert Collins d. Justus Benson, 15-11, 15-11
Q3 - Eduardo Portillo d. Set Cubillos, 15-5, 15-0
Q2 - Mario Mercado d. Scott McClellan, 15-4, 15-3
Q7 - Eduardo Garay d. Andres Acuña, 7-15, 15-9, 11-8
Round of 16 - Friday
Sebastian Fernandez d. Kane Waselenchuk, forfeit
Sebastian Franco v. Rodrigo Montoya - 11 AM
Alvaro Beltran v. Gerardo Franco - 11 AM
Andree Parrilla v. Carlos Keller - 11 AM
Alejandro Landa v. Robert Collins - 10 AM
Daniel De La Rosa v. Eduardo Portillo - 10 AM
Samuel Murray v. Mario Mercado - 10 AM
Rocky Carson v. Eduardo Garay - 10 AM
IRT Doubles - Round of 16 - Friday
1) Daniel De La Rosa & Alvaro Beltran - BYE
8) Kadim Carrasco & Carlos Keller v. 9) Maurice Miller & Troy Warigon - 1 PM
5) Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya - BYE
4) Ben Croft & Kane Waselenchuk - BYE
3) Sebastian Franco & Mario Mercado - BYE
6) Andree Parrilla & Eduardo Portillo v. 11) Lee Meinerz & Darrin Prince - 1 PM
7) Gerardo Franco & Nicholas Riffel v. 10) Sebastian Fernandez & Andres Acuña - 1 PM
2) Alejandro Landa & Samuel Murray - BYE
Follow the bouncing ball….
There were surprises on court also. Yesterday, we wrote how Waselenchuk’s road to victory was getting tougher, and that he’d likely have to play Javier Mar in the Round of 16. That overlooked Sebastian Fernandez, who was a silver medalist in Boy’s U18 at last year’s World Junior Championships. We had a feeling that not mentioning Fernandez could be a mistake, and he reinforced that feeling by defeating Mar on Thursday, 15-10, 15-11.
Fernandez was to play Waselenchuk in the 16s, but will now get a pass into the quarterfinals for the first time. He’ll play the winner of Sebastian Franco and Rodrigo Montoya in the quarters. Although it’s Fernandez’s first quarterfinal appearance he was playing his 7th match in the Round of 16, and has wins over Jake Bredenbeck, Samuel Murray and Charlie Pratt on his record. Not a player to be overlooked.
Another surprise from Thursday was Eduardo Garay’s win over Andres Acuña, 7-15, 15-9, 11-8. Garay’s another of the young Mexicans who are making noise, but Acuña has several notable wins on his resume, especially when representing Costa Rica at international events. Garay will play IRT #2 Rocky Carson in the Round of 16.
Perhaps the saddest thing about Waselenchuk’s absence this weekend is that he was going to play doubles with Ben Croft, which is always fun to see. There are several good teams in Georgia that they could have played against, including Mar and Rodrigo Montoya, who they would have faced in their first match. Mar and Montoya won gold in Men’s Doubles at the Pan American Games last month, so that would have been a great match. The winner would have likely faced top seeds Alvaro Beltran and Daniel De La Rosa, who have had a couple of amazing matches with Waselenchuk and Croft at the last two US Opens. Would have been great to see another one of those matches.
Look for all the action via the usual IRT media outlets: The IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page. The Round of 16 will be Friday morning at 10 and 11 AM with the quarterfinals Friday starting at 4 PM. The singles semi-finals will be 3 and 4 PM Saturday with the final at noon Sunday. The doubles semi-finals will be Saturday night at 7 and 8 PM with the final Sunday at 1 PM. All times Eastern.
2019 IRT Atlanta Open, September 5-8, 2019
Lilburn / Atlanta, Georgia
Qualifying Round 1 - Thursday
Sebastian Fernandez d. Lee Meinerz, 15-9, 15-10
Javier Mar d. Jimmy Lan, 15-3, 15-5
Rodrigo Montoya - BYE
Maurice Miller d. Troy Warigon, 15-1, 11-15, 11-8
Mauricio Zelada d. Kadim Carrasco, 15-5, 15-14
Gerardo Franco d. Anthony Martin, 15-10, 13-15, 11-7
Thomas Carter d. Darrin Prince, 15-2, 15-8
Carlos Keller d. Oscar Nieto, 15-7, 15-9
Justus Benson d. Austin Cunningham, 15-6, 15-6
Robert Collins d. Yacoube Keita, 15-5, 15-3
Eduardo Portillo d. Floyd McDonald, 15-6, 15-6
Set Cubillos d. Nicholas Riffel, 15-13, 15-8
Scott McClellan d. Michael Arterburn, 15-1, 15-0
Mario Mercado - BYE
Andres Acuña d. Destry Everhart, 15-6, 15-7
Eduardo Garay d. Dan Fowler, forfeit
Qualifying Round 2 - Thursday
Q8 - Sebastian Fernandez d. Javier Mar, 15-10, 15-11
Q1 - Rodrigo Montoya d. Maurice Miller, 15-13, 15-5
Q4 - Gerardo Franco d. Mauricio Zelada, 10-15, 15-11, 11-2
Q5 - Carlos Keller d. Thomas Carter, 15-14, 13-15, 11-6
Q6 - Robert Collins d. Justus Benson, 15-11, 15-11
Q3 - Eduardo Portillo d. Set Cubillos, 15-5, 15-0
Q2 - Mario Mercado d. Scott McClellan, 15-4, 15-3
Q7 - Eduardo Garay d. Andres Acuña, 7-15, 15-9, 11-8
Round of 16 - Friday
Sebastian Fernandez d. Kane Waselenchuk, forfeit
Sebastian Franco v. Rodrigo Montoya - 11 AM
Alvaro Beltran v. Gerardo Franco - 11 AM
Andree Parrilla v. Carlos Keller - 11 AM
Alejandro Landa v. Robert Collins - 10 AM
Daniel De La Rosa v. Eduardo Portillo - 10 AM
Samuel Murray v. Mario Mercado - 10 AM
Rocky Carson v. Eduardo Garay - 10 AM
IRT Doubles - Round of 16 - Friday
1) Daniel De La Rosa & Alvaro Beltran - BYE
8) Kadim Carrasco & Carlos Keller v. 9) Maurice Miller & Troy Warigon - 1 PM
5) Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya - BYE
4) Ben Croft & Kane Waselenchuk - BYE
3) Sebastian Franco & Mario Mercado - BYE
6) Andree Parrilla & Eduardo Portillo v. 11) Lee Meinerz & Darrin Prince - 1 PM
7) Gerardo Franco & Nicholas Riffel v. 10) Sebastian Fernandez & Andres Acuña - 1 PM
2) Alejandro Landa & Samuel Murray - BYE
Follow the bouncing ball….
Thursday, September 5, 2019
The LPRT goes to the beach
The Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) is in Virginia Beach, Virginia this weekend for the 2nd event of its 2019-20 season. It’s a new event for the LPRT, but hosted by a well known name: Malia Bailey - a four time top 10 women’s pro player and three time International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Champion in Women’s Doubles. She was also inducted into the USA Racquetball (USAR) Hall of Fame earlier this year. But Bailey isn’t just hosting the event: she’s in the draw! Both singles and doubles. There are 19 players in total competing this weekend including 9 of the top 11 LPRT players.
Paola Longoria, the LPRT’s #1 player, got off to a good start this season by winning the first event in San Luis Potosi, Mexico last month. She’ll try to make it two in a row in Virginia Beach. Standing in her way will be Samantha Salas, the LPRT’s #2 player and Longoria’s doubles partner, LPRT #3 Maria Jose Vargas and LPRT #5 veteran Rhonda Rajsich.
Longoria and Salas didn’t win doubles in San Luis Potosi last month, but the team that beat them in the final - Alexandra Herrera and Montserrat Mejia - isn’t in Virginia. Their greatest battle may come from 2nd seeds Vargas and Natalia Mendez.
Play begins Friday afternoon and evening. The singles quarterfinals will be Saturday morning beginning at 11:45 AM and 12:30 PM with the semi-finals Saturday at 6:30 PM and 7:15 PM. The singles final will be Sunday at noon. The doubles semi-finals are Saturday night at 8 and 8:45 PM with the final Sunday at 1 PM. All times Eastern. You can watch the action live via the LPRT website, or the LPRT YouTube channel.
2019 LPRT by the Beach - Chesapeake
Virginia Beach, Virginia, September 6-8, 2019
LPRT Singles - Round of 32 - Friday
1 Paola Longoria - BYE
16 Erin Rivera v.17 Amie Brewer - 5:15 PM
9 Brenda Laime - BYE
8 Adriana Riveros - BYE
5 Natalia Mendez - BYE
12 Adrienne Haynes - BYE
13 Carla Muñoz - BYE
4 Rhonda Rajsich - BYE
3 Maria Jose Vargas - BYE
14 Kelani Lawrence v. 19 Megan Shelton - 5:15 PM
11 Sheryl Lotts - BYE
6 Nancy Enriquez - BYE
7 Masiel Rivera - BYE
10 Cassi Lee - BYE
15 Jessica Parrilla v. 18 Malia Bailey - 5:15 PM
2 Samantha Salas - BYE
LPRT Singles - Round of 16 - Friday
1 Paola Longoria v. 16 Erin Rivera or 17 Amie Brewer - 9 PM
8 Adriana Riveros v. 9 Brenda Laime - 7:30 PM
5 Natalia Mendez v. 12 Adrienne Haynes - 6 PM
4 Rhonda Rajsich v. 13 Carla Muñoz - 6 PM
3 Maria Jose Vargas v. 14 Kelani Lawrence or 19 Megan Shelton - 8:15 PM
6 Nancy Enriquez v. 11 Sheryl Lotts - 6:45 PM
7 Masiel Rivera v. 10 Cassi Lee - 6:45 PM
2 Samantha Salas v. 15 Jessica Parrilla or 18 Malia Bailey - 8:15 PM
LPRT Doubles - Quarterfinals - Saturday
1 Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas v. 8 T. J. Baubaugh & Cassi Lee - 2 PM
4 Nancy Enriquez & Jessica Parrilla v. 5 Kelani Lawrence & Sheryl Lotts - 2 PM
3 Brenda Laime & Masiel Rivera v. 6 Erin Rivera & Adriana Riveros - 1:15 PM
2 Natalia Mendez & Maria Jose Vargas v. 7 Malia Bailey & Carla Muñoz - 1:15 PM
Follow the bouncing ball….
Paola Longoria, the LPRT’s #1 player, got off to a good start this season by winning the first event in San Luis Potosi, Mexico last month. She’ll try to make it two in a row in Virginia Beach. Standing in her way will be Samantha Salas, the LPRT’s #2 player and Longoria’s doubles partner, LPRT #3 Maria Jose Vargas and LPRT #5 veteran Rhonda Rajsich.
Longoria and Salas didn’t win doubles in San Luis Potosi last month, but the team that beat them in the final - Alexandra Herrera and Montserrat Mejia - isn’t in Virginia. Their greatest battle may come from 2nd seeds Vargas and Natalia Mendez.
Play begins Friday afternoon and evening. The singles quarterfinals will be Saturday morning beginning at 11:45 AM and 12:30 PM with the semi-finals Saturday at 6:30 PM and 7:15 PM. The singles final will be Sunday at noon. The doubles semi-finals are Saturday night at 8 and 8:45 PM with the final Sunday at 1 PM. All times Eastern. You can watch the action live via the LPRT website, or the LPRT YouTube channel.
2019 LPRT by the Beach - Chesapeake
Virginia Beach, Virginia, September 6-8, 2019
LPRT Singles - Round of 32 - Friday
1 Paola Longoria - BYE
16 Erin Rivera v.17 Amie Brewer - 5:15 PM
9 Brenda Laime - BYE
8 Adriana Riveros - BYE
5 Natalia Mendez - BYE
12 Adrienne Haynes - BYE
13 Carla Muñoz - BYE
4 Rhonda Rajsich - BYE
3 Maria Jose Vargas - BYE
14 Kelani Lawrence v. 19 Megan Shelton - 5:15 PM
11 Sheryl Lotts - BYE
6 Nancy Enriquez - BYE
7 Masiel Rivera - BYE
10 Cassi Lee - BYE
15 Jessica Parrilla v. 18 Malia Bailey - 5:15 PM
2 Samantha Salas - BYE
LPRT Singles - Round of 16 - Friday
1 Paola Longoria v. 16 Erin Rivera or 17 Amie Brewer - 9 PM
8 Adriana Riveros v. 9 Brenda Laime - 7:30 PM
5 Natalia Mendez v. 12 Adrienne Haynes - 6 PM
4 Rhonda Rajsich v. 13 Carla Muñoz - 6 PM
3 Maria Jose Vargas v. 14 Kelani Lawrence or 19 Megan Shelton - 8:15 PM
6 Nancy Enriquez v. 11 Sheryl Lotts - 6:45 PM
7 Masiel Rivera v. 10 Cassi Lee - 6:45 PM
2 Samantha Salas v. 15 Jessica Parrilla or 18 Malia Bailey - 8:15 PM
LPRT Doubles - Quarterfinals - Saturday
1 Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas v. 8 T. J. Baubaugh & Cassi Lee - 2 PM
4 Nancy Enriquez & Jessica Parrilla v. 5 Kelani Lawrence & Sheryl Lotts - 2 PM
3 Brenda Laime & Masiel Rivera v. 6 Erin Rivera & Adriana Riveros - 1:15 PM
2 Natalia Mendez & Maria Jose Vargas v. 7 Malia Bailey & Carla Muñoz - 1:15 PM
Follow the bouncing ball….
2019-20 IRT season kicks off in Georgia
The 2019-20 International Racquetball Tour (IRT) season begins today in Georgia with the 2019 Atlanta Open. There are 38 players in the draw, including the top 10 IRT players, as well as several notable players outside the top 10. Kane Waselenchuk, the IRT’s #1 player, won six of the nine events last season with no one else winning more than once. But Waselenchuk was beaten by Alvaro Beltran in Florida, at the the second last event of the season, and was down a game to Andree Parrilla in the semi-finals of the Syosset Open - the last event of the season.
Although he came back to defeat Parrilla, and then comfortably defeated Rocky Carson in the final, it wasn’t a strong finish to the season for Waselenchuk, who is widely acknowledged as the best men’s player ever - with 12 IRT #1 titles and 14 US Open Championships to back up that claim. However, Waselenchuk will turn 38 in November, and there is a crop of strong, young players now in their early 20s. How long can Waselenchuk continue to be the dominant IRT player?
The answer is probably for awhile still, but the task isn’t getting any easier. Consider what he’ll face this weekend. Wasalenchuk will likely face Javier Mar in the Round of 16, and Mar - a gold medal winner in Mexico in Men’s Doubles at last month’s Pan American Games - played well against Waselenchuk at last year’s US Open. Sebastian Franco or Rodrigo Montoya will likely be Waselenchuk’s hurdle in the quarterfinals.
In the semi-finals, Beltran, Parrilla or perhaps current Pan American Champion Carlos Keller will be awaiting Waselenchuk. Then in the final, he’ll probably face Rocky Carson, Alejandro Landa or Daniel De La Rosa. That’s a lot of good players. Waselenchuk won’t have to beat all of them, but he will have to beat four of them to win this weekend.
And Waselenchuk’s also playing doubles in Georgia. He and Ben Croft are seeded 4th, which seems a little low, but Croft is an infrequent player these days, and Waselenchuk only plays with Croft, so their doubles ranking is only 13th, which probably doesn’t accurately reflect their ability. But in playing two events, Waselenchuk will be doubly taxed, although most of the players are doing the same. Carson is the exception, as he’s only playing singles.
The start of a new season is always exciting, and we’re interested to see how things shake out. The top players are getting on in years - Waselenchuk at 38, IRT #2 Carson at 40 and Beltran at 41 in October - and the young guys are ambitious. You know they want to knock off the top guys, but none of whom will go quietly.
Time to make some noise.
Look for all the action via the usual IRT media outlets: The IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page. There will be two rounds of qualifying Thursday. The Round of 16 will be Friday morning at 10 and 11 AM with the quarterfinals Friday starting at 4 PM. The singles semi-finals will be 3 and 4 PM Saturday with the final at noon Sunday. The doubles semi-finals will be Saturday night at 7 and 8 PM with the final Sunday at 1 PM. All times Eastern.
2019 IRT Atlanta Open, September 5-8, 2019
Lilburn / Atlanta, Georgia
Qualifying Round 1 - Thursday
Sebastian Fernandez v. Lee Meinerz - 6 PM
Javier Mar v. Jimmy Lan - 6 PM
Rodrigo Montoya - BYE
Maurice Miller v. Troy Warigon - 6 PM
Kadim Carrasco v. Mauricio Zelada - 6 PM
Gerardo Franco v. Anthony Martin - 6 PM
Thomas Carter v. Darrin Prince - 5 PM
Carlos Keller v. Oscar Nieto - 5 PM
Justus Benson v. Austin Cunningham - 5 PM
Robert Collins v. Yacoube Keita - 5 PM
Eduardo Portillo v. Floyd McDonald - 5 PM
Nicholas Riffel v. Set Cubillos - 4 PM
Scott McClellan v. Michael Arterburn - 4 PM
Mario Mercado - BYE
Andres Acuña v. Destry Everhart - 4 PM
Eduardo Garay v. Dan Fowler - 4 PM
Qualifying Round 2 - Thursday
Q8 - Sebastian Fernandez or Lee Meinerz v. Javier Mar or Jimmy Lan - 9 PM
Q1 - Rodrigo Montoya v. Maurice Miller or Troy Warigon - 9 PM
Q4 -Kadim Carrasco or Mauricio Zelada v. Gerardo Franco or Anthony Martin - 9 PM
Q5 -Thomas Carter or Darrin Prince v. Carlos Keller or Oscar Nieto - 9 PM
Q6 - Justus Benson or Austin Cunningham v. Robert Collins or Yacoube Keita - 8 PM
Q3 - Eduardo Portillo or Floyd McDonald v. Nicholas Riffel or Set Cubillos - 8 PM
Q2 - Mario Mercado v. Scott McClellan or Michael Arterburn - 8 PM
Q7 - Andres Acuña or Destry Everhart v. Eduardo Garay or Dan Fowler - 8 PM
Round of 16 - Friday
Kane Waselenchuk v. Q8 - 11 AM
Sebastian Franco v. Q1 - 11 AM
Alvaro Beltran v. Q4 - 11 AM
Andree Parrilla v. Q5 - 11 AM
Alejandro Landa v. Q6 - 10 AM
Daniel De La Rosa v.. Q3 - 10 AM
Samuel Murray v. Q2 - 10 AM
Rocky Carson v. Q7 - 10 AM
IRT Doubles - Round of 16 - Friday
1) Daniel De La Rosa & Alvaro Beltran - BYE
8) Kadim Carrasco & Carlos Keller v. 9) Maurice Miller & Troy Warigon - 1 PM
5) Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya - BYE
4) Ben Croft & Kane Waselenchuk - BYE
3) Sebastian Franco & Mario Mercado - BYE
6) Andree Parrilla & Eduardo Portillo v. 11) Lee Meinerz & Darrin Prince - 1 PM
7) Gerardo Franco & Nicholas Riffel v. 10) Sebastian Fernandez & Andres Acuña - 1 PM
2) Alejandro Landa & Samuel Murray - BYE
Follow the bouncing ball….
Although he came back to defeat Parrilla, and then comfortably defeated Rocky Carson in the final, it wasn’t a strong finish to the season for Waselenchuk, who is widely acknowledged as the best men’s player ever - with 12 IRT #1 titles and 14 US Open Championships to back up that claim. However, Waselenchuk will turn 38 in November, and there is a crop of strong, young players now in their early 20s. How long can Waselenchuk continue to be the dominant IRT player?
The answer is probably for awhile still, but the task isn’t getting any easier. Consider what he’ll face this weekend. Wasalenchuk will likely face Javier Mar in the Round of 16, and Mar - a gold medal winner in Mexico in Men’s Doubles at last month’s Pan American Games - played well against Waselenchuk at last year’s US Open. Sebastian Franco or Rodrigo Montoya will likely be Waselenchuk’s hurdle in the quarterfinals.
In the semi-finals, Beltran, Parrilla or perhaps current Pan American Champion Carlos Keller will be awaiting Waselenchuk. Then in the final, he’ll probably face Rocky Carson, Alejandro Landa or Daniel De La Rosa. That’s a lot of good players. Waselenchuk won’t have to beat all of them, but he will have to beat four of them to win this weekend.
And Waselenchuk’s also playing doubles in Georgia. He and Ben Croft are seeded 4th, which seems a little low, but Croft is an infrequent player these days, and Waselenchuk only plays with Croft, so their doubles ranking is only 13th, which probably doesn’t accurately reflect their ability. But in playing two events, Waselenchuk will be doubly taxed, although most of the players are doing the same. Carson is the exception, as he’s only playing singles.
The start of a new season is always exciting, and we’re interested to see how things shake out. The top players are getting on in years - Waselenchuk at 38, IRT #2 Carson at 40 and Beltran at 41 in October - and the young guys are ambitious. You know they want to knock off the top guys, but none of whom will go quietly.
Time to make some noise.
Look for all the action via the usual IRT media outlets: The IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page. There will be two rounds of qualifying Thursday. The Round of 16 will be Friday morning at 10 and 11 AM with the quarterfinals Friday starting at 4 PM. The singles semi-finals will be 3 and 4 PM Saturday with the final at noon Sunday. The doubles semi-finals will be Saturday night at 7 and 8 PM with the final Sunday at 1 PM. All times Eastern.
2019 IRT Atlanta Open, September 5-8, 2019
Lilburn / Atlanta, Georgia
Qualifying Round 1 - Thursday
Sebastian Fernandez v. Lee Meinerz - 6 PM
Javier Mar v. Jimmy Lan - 6 PM
Rodrigo Montoya - BYE
Maurice Miller v. Troy Warigon - 6 PM
Kadim Carrasco v. Mauricio Zelada - 6 PM
Gerardo Franco v. Anthony Martin - 6 PM
Thomas Carter v. Darrin Prince - 5 PM
Carlos Keller v. Oscar Nieto - 5 PM
Justus Benson v. Austin Cunningham - 5 PM
Robert Collins v. Yacoube Keita - 5 PM
Eduardo Portillo v. Floyd McDonald - 5 PM
Nicholas Riffel v. Set Cubillos - 4 PM
Scott McClellan v. Michael Arterburn - 4 PM
Mario Mercado - BYE
Andres Acuña v. Destry Everhart - 4 PM
Eduardo Garay v. Dan Fowler - 4 PM
Qualifying Round 2 - Thursday
Q8 - Sebastian Fernandez or Lee Meinerz v. Javier Mar or Jimmy Lan - 9 PM
Q1 - Rodrigo Montoya v. Maurice Miller or Troy Warigon - 9 PM
Q4 -Kadim Carrasco or Mauricio Zelada v. Gerardo Franco or Anthony Martin - 9 PM
Q5 -Thomas Carter or Darrin Prince v. Carlos Keller or Oscar Nieto - 9 PM
Q6 - Justus Benson or Austin Cunningham v. Robert Collins or Yacoube Keita - 8 PM
Q3 - Eduardo Portillo or Floyd McDonald v. Nicholas Riffel or Set Cubillos - 8 PM
Q2 - Mario Mercado v. Scott McClellan or Michael Arterburn - 8 PM
Q7 - Andres Acuña or Destry Everhart v. Eduardo Garay or Dan Fowler - 8 PM
Round of 16 - Friday
Kane Waselenchuk v. Q8 - 11 AM
Sebastian Franco v. Q1 - 11 AM
Alvaro Beltran v. Q4 - 11 AM
Andree Parrilla v. Q5 - 11 AM
Alejandro Landa v. Q6 - 10 AM
Daniel De La Rosa v.. Q3 - 10 AM
Samuel Murray v. Q2 - 10 AM
Rocky Carson v. Q7 - 10 AM
IRT Doubles - Round of 16 - Friday
1) Daniel De La Rosa & Alvaro Beltran - BYE
8) Kadim Carrasco & Carlos Keller v. 9) Maurice Miller & Troy Warigon - 1 PM
5) Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya - BYE
4) Ben Croft & Kane Waselenchuk - BYE
3) Sebastian Franco & Mario Mercado - BYE
6) Andree Parrilla & Eduardo Portillo v. 11) Lee Meinerz & Darrin Prince - 1 PM
7) Gerardo Franco & Nicholas Riffel v. 10) Sebastian Fernandez & Andres Acuña - 1 PM
2) Alejandro Landa & Samuel Murray - BYE
Follow the bouncing ball….
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