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….