Early results from 2019 IRT Los Compadres Auto Sales Open

Majeed Shahin was the big winner Thursday at the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) Los Compadres Auto Sales Open in Fullerton, California, as he knocked off IRT #18 Jose Diaz, 15-5, 15-14. That win was after Shahin came back from a game down against Canadian veteran Lee Connell, winning 5-15, 15-13, 11-9, earlier in the day. Shahin will play Sebastian Fernandez in the Round of 32 on Friday morning.

Earlier Thursday Luis Avila and Manuel Moncada were even through two games, and then Avila squeaked out the win by a single point, 11-15, 15-11, 11-10. But the joy didn't last long for Avila, as he fell to Carlos Keller in the second round of matches Thursday, 15-5, 15-5. Keller will play Robert Collins in the 32s Friday.

Also of note, in a couple of small upsets Javier Estrada defeated Francisco Troncoso, 15-10, 15-9, and Oscar Elias Nieto Valadez beat Scott McClellan, 15-9, 15-10. In the 32s, Estrada will play David Horn and Nieto Valadez faces Sebastian Franco.

Finally, Alan Natera won two close games against Sam Bredenbeck, 15-12, 15-13, which sets up a potentially tasty match against 9th seed Rodrigo Montoya in the Round of 32.

As anticipated, the doubles match between Bolivians Carlos Keller and Conrrado Moscoso and Mexicans Javier Estrada and Alan Natera was very competitive with the Bolivians needing a tie-breaker to advance, 14-15, 15-9, 11-7. They’ll now play top seeds Alejandro Landa and Samuel Murray.

Also in doubles, Felipe Camacho and Sebastian Fernandez squeaked by Sam Bredenbeck and Lee Connell, 15-11, 10-15, 11-10 on Thursday night. That puts them into the quarters against 2nd seeds Alvaro Beltran and Daniel De La Rosa.

Look for all the action via the usual IRT media outlets: The IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page. The Round of 32 begins Friday morning at 10 AM with the Round of 16 Friday at 3 and 4 PM. The quarterfinals begin at 9 AM Saturday with the semi-finals at 5 and 6 PM Saturday, and the final at noon Sunday. The first round of doubles is Thursday night with the quarterfinals at 6 and 7 PM Friday, the semi-finals at 2 and 3 PM Saturday, and the final at 1 PM Sunday. All times Pacific.

2019 IRT Los Compadres Auto Sales Open, October 31-November 3, 2019
Fullerton, California

Qualifying Round 1 - Thursday

Jose Diaz - BYE
Majeed Shahin d. Lee Connell, 5-15, 15-13, 11-9

Sam Bredenbeck - BYE
Alan Natera - BYE

Set Cubillos - BYE
Erick Cuevas Fernandez - BYE

Guillermo Jesus Ortega Jr. d. Nicolai Miramontes, 15-11, 15-6
Felipe Camacho - BYE

Eduardo Garay - BYE
Joel Adler d. Erik Stoller, 15-2, 15-6

Francisco Troncoso - BYE
Javier Estrada - BYE

Scott McClellan - BYE
Oscar Elias Nieto Valadez - BYE

Luis Avila d. Manuel Moncada, 11-15, 15-11, 11-10
Carlos Keller - BYE

Qualifying Round 2 - Thursday

Q1 - Majeed Shahin d. Jose Diaz, 15-5, 15-14
Q8 - Alan Natera d. Sam Bredenbeck, 15-12, 15-13

Q5 - Set Cubillos d. Erick Cuevas Fernandez, 15-8, 15-9
Q4 - Felipe Camacho d. Guillermo Jesus Ortega Jr., 15-11, 15-12

Q3 - Eduardo Garay d. Joel Adler, 15-3, 15-4
Q6 - Javier Estrada d. Francisco Troncoso, 15-10, 15-9

Q7 - Oscar Elias Nieto Valadez d. Scott McClellan, 15-9, 15-10
Q2 - Carlos Keller d. Luis Avila, 15-5, 15-5

Round of 32 - Friday

1) Rocky Carson - BYE
16) Sebastian Fernandez v. Majeed Shahin - 10 AM

9) Rodrigo Montoya v. Alan Natera - 10 AM
8) Daniel De La Rosa - BYE

5) Conrrado Moscoso - BYE
12) Jake Bredenbeck v. Set Cubillos - 10 AM

13) Mario Mercado v. Felipe Camacho - 10 AM
4) Andree Parrilla - BYE

3) Alvaro Beltran - BYE
14) Gerardo Franco v. Eduardo Garay - 11 AM

11) David Horn v. Javier Estrada - 11 AM
6) Samuel Murray - BYE

7) Eduardo Portillo - BYE
10) Sebastian Franco v. Oscar Elias Nieto Valadez - 11 AM

15) Robert Collins v. Carlos Keller - 11 AM
2) Alejandro Landa - BYE

IRT Doubles - Round of 16 - Thursday

1) Alejandro Landa & Samuel Murray - BYE
8) Carlos Keller & Conrrado Moscoso d. 9) Javier Estrada & Alan Natera, 14-15, 15-9, 11-7

5) Eduardo Garay & Rodrigo Montoya d. 12) Tony Hernandez & Haret Salcedo, 15-10, 15-6
4) Jake Bredenbeck & Jose Diaz d. 13) Cesar Chavez & Vicente Ruelas, 15-0, 15-3

3) Sebastian Franco & Mario Mercado - BYE
6) Andree Parrilla & Eduardo Portillo d. 11) Luis Avila & Nicolai Miramontes, 15-2, 15-13

7) Felipe Camacho & Sebastian Fernandez d. 10) Sam Bredenbeck & Lee Connell, 15-11, 10-15, 11-10
2) Alvaro Beltran & Daniel De La Rosa - BYE

IRT Doubles - Quarterfinals - Friday

1) Alejandro Landa & Samuel Murray v. 8) Carlos Keller & Conrrado Moscoso - 6 PM
4) Jake Bredenbeck & Jose Diaz v. 5) Eduardo Garay & Rodrigo Montoya - 6 PM

3) Sebastian Franco & Mario Mercado v. 6) Andree Parrilla & Eduardo Portillo - 7 PM
2) Alvaro Beltran & Daniel De La Rosa v. 7) Felipe Camacho & Sebastian Fernandez - 7 PM

Follow the bouncing ball….

2019 IRT Los Compadres Auto Sales Open - Preview

The International Racquetball Tour (IRT) is back in action today in Fullerton, California for the Los Compadres Auto Sales Open. Thirty six players will be in action, but not IRT #1 Kane Waselenchuk, who won last weekend’s Arizona Pro-Am in Tempe, Arizona. Nevertheless, 16 of the top 17 IRT players are in California, so it’s going to be a great event. Adding to the greatness, they will be playing doubles also.

Rocky Carson tops the seeding with Alejandro Landa 2nd, Alvaro Beltran 3rd and Andree Parrilla 4th. But last weekend’s finalist against Waselenchuk, Conrrado Moscoso is 5th, so - if the seedings play out - he’ll play Parrilla in the quarterfinals and Carson in the semis. Moscoso has beaten Carson twice this year including earlier this month at the 2019 UnitedHealthcare US Open.

Landa and Beltran are on the bottom half of the draw, but so is Mexican teenager Eduardo Portillo, who was a finalist in Arizona. He’ll likely play Sebastian Franco - an IRT event winner - in the Round of 16, and then Landa in the quarters.

In doubles, the Mexi-Can team of Alejandro Landa (Mexico) and Samuel Murray (Canada) are the top seeds, so they have a bye in the first round, but then they’ll likely have to play Bolivians Carlos Keller and Conrrado Moscoso, although the Bolivians will have to beat Mexicans Javier Estrada and Alan Natera, who are no slouches, first.

Mexicans Alvaro Beltran and Daniel De La Rosa are seeded 2nd in doubles with Colombians Sebastian Franco and Mario Mercado 3rd. The Mexicans will face the winner of 7th seeds Felipe Camacho and Sebastian Fernandez versus 10th seeds Sam Bredenbeck and Lee Connell in the Round of 16, while the Colombians will likely play a young Mexican team of Parrilla and Portillo.

Another likely quarterfinals match up is 4th seeds Jake Bredenbeck and Jose Diaz versus 5th seeds Eduardo Garay and Rodrigo Montoya.

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 singles qualifying Thursday starting at noon. The Round of 32 begins Friday morning at 10 AM with the Round of 16 Friday at 3 and 4 PM. The quarterfinals begin at 9 AM Saturday with the semi-finals at 5 and 6 PM Saturday, and the final at noon Sunday. The first round of doubles will be tonight with the quarterfinals at 6 and 7 PM Friday, the semi-finals at 2 and 3 PM Saturday, and the final at 1 PM Sunday. All times Pacific.

2019 IRT Los Compadres Auto Sales Open, October 31-November 3, 2019
Fullerton, California

Qualifying Round 1 - Thursday

Jose Diaz - BYE
Lee Connell v. Majeed Shahin - Noon

Sam Bredenbeck - BYE
Alan Natera - BYE

Set Cubillos - BYE
Erick Cuevas Fernandez - BYE

Guillermo Jesus Ortega Jr. v. Nicolai Miramontes - Noon
Felipe Camacho - BYE

Eduardo Garay - BYE
Erik Stoller v. Joel Adler - 1 PM

Francisco Troncoso - BYE
Javier Estrada - BYE

Scott McClellan - BYE
Oscar Elias Nieto Valadez - BYE

Luis Avila v. Manuel Moncada - 1 PM
Carlos Keller - BYE

Qualifying Round 2 - Thursday

Q1 - Jose Diaz v. Lee Connell or Majeed Shahin - 4 PM
Q8 - Sam Bredenbeck v. Alan Natera - 3 PM

Q5 - Set Cubillos v. Erick Cuevas Fernandez - 4 PM
Q4 - Felipe Camacho v. Guillermo Jesus Ortega Jr. or Nicolai Miramontes - 4 PM

Q3 - Eduardo Garay v. Erik Stoller or Joel Adler - 5 PM
Q6 - Francisco Troncoso v. Javier Estrada - 5 PM

Q7 - Scott McClellan v. Oscar Elias Nieto Valadez - 5 PM
Q2 - Carlos Keller v. Luis Avila or Manuel Moncada - 5 PM

Round of 32 - Friday

1) Rocky Carson - BYE
16) Sebastian Fernandez v. Q1 - 10 AM

9) Rodrigo Montoya v. Q8 - 10 AM
8) Daniel De La Rosa - BYE

5) Conrrado Moscoso - BYE
12) Jake Bredenbeck v. Q5 - 10 AM

13) Mario Mercado v. Q4 - 10 AM
4) Andree Parrilla - BYE

3) Alvaro Beltran - BYE
14) Gerardo Franco v. Q3 - 11 AM

11) David Horn v. Q6 - 11 AM
6) Samuel Murray - BYE

7) Eduardo Portillo - BYE
10) Sebastian Franco v. Q7 - 11 AM

15) Robert Collins v. Q2 - 11 AM
2) Alejandro Landa - BYE

IRT Doubles - Round of 16 - Thursday

1) Alejandro Landa & Samuel Murray - BYE
8) Carlos Keller & Conrrado Moscoso v. 9) Javier Estrada & Alan Natera - 7 PM

5) Eduardo Garay & Rodrigo Montoya v. 12) Tony Hernandez & Haret Salcedo - 7 PM
4) Jake Bredenbeck & Jose Diaz v. 13) Cesar Chavez & Vicente Ruelas - 7 PM

3) Sebastian Franco & Mario Mercado - BYE
6) Andree Parrilla & Eduardo Portillo v. 11) Luis Avila & Nicolai Miramontes - 7 PM

7) Felipe Camacho & Sebastian Fernandez v. 10) Sam Bredenbeck & Lee Connell - 7 PM
2) Alvaro Beltran & Daniel De La Rosa - BYE

Follow the bouncing ball….

Weekend round up - Wins for Martell & Cubillos

In El Paso, Texas, Jaime Martell won the 3rd Bi-National Tournament - a Tier 4 International Racquetball Tour (IRT) event - by defeating Eduardo Garay in the final, 16-14, 13-15, 11-7. In the semi-finals, Martell beat Luis Renteria, 15-9, 15-5, while Garay defeated Jorge Trevino.

Set Cubillos won Men’s Open at the Arizona IRT Pro-Am in Tempe, Arizona on Sunday, as he defeated Felipe Camacho, 15-13, 15-5, in the final. In the semi-finals, Cubillos beat Francisco Troncoso, 15-5, 15-11, and Camacho defeated Anthony Martin, 15-10, 15-2.

The IRT will have the second of back to back Tier 1 events this weekend in Fullerton, California, where they’ll compete in the Los Compadres Auto Sales Open. They’ll also play doubles in Fullerton, which will have some great doubles teams and should be a fun addition to the tournament.

Coming up in November, the International Racquetball Federation (IRF) 2019 World Junior Championships will take place in San José, Costa Rica, November 8-16, and the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT’s) will play in Chicago at the LPRT Pro Am Turkey Shoot, November 22-24.

3rd Bi-National Tournament - IRT Tier 4
El Paso, Texas, October 24-27, 2019

Men’s IRT Final

2) Jaime Martell d. 1) Eduardo Garay, 16-14, 13-15, 11-7

Semi-Finals

1) Eduardo Garay d. 4) Jorge Trevino
2) Jaime Martell d. 14) Luis Renteria, 15-9, 15-5

2019 Arizona Pro-Am, October 24-27, 2019
Tempe, Arizona

Men’s Open Final

2) Set Cubillos d. 1) Felipe Camacho, 15-13, 15-5

Semi-Finals

1) Felipe Camacho d. 5) Anthony Martin, 15-10, 15-2
2) Set Cubillos d. 3) Francisco Troncoso, 15-5, 15-11

Follow the bouncing ball….

Waselenchuk beats Landa to win 2019 IRT Arizona Pro-Am

Kane Waselenchuk, the #1 player on the International Racquetball Tour (IRT), won the Arizona IRT Pro-Am in Tempe, Arizona Sunday with a win over 3rd seed Alejandro Landa, 15-4, 15-7. Waselenchuk’s won three of the four IRT tournaments this season (he missed the 1st of the season). Despite the loss, Landa further solidified himself as the IRT’s #3 player behind #1 Waselenchuk and #2 Rocky Carson.

In the final, Waselenchuk jumped out to a 6-0 lead in game one, helped by an ace drive serve to the right that cracked out, and then a 2nd serve lob to Landa’s backhand that was a service winner, as Landa got his racquet on the ball, but couldn’t get it to the front wall.

Nonetheless, Landa was able to get something going, as he closed the gap to 7-4. However, then he wouldn’t score again, as Waselenchuk scored eight unanswered points to win game one, 15-4. Waselenchuk lob served a lot in the second half of the first game, as well as in game two. It was as if Waselenchuk said to himself “well, if my lob serve is being that effective, then let’s just keep using it.”

Waselenchuk led 4-1 early in game two, but they were going back and forth. Landa managed to catch up, and tie the game at 4-4, then take the lead 5-4 when Waselenchuk skipped a forehand touch shot.

The lead was short lived, as Waselenchuk hit a backhand serve return winner off a Landa drive serve to the right side. That led to four points on consecutive rallies for Waselenchuk, so Landa called a timeout trailing 8-5.

Landa got the serve back after the timeout, but Waselenchuk took the serve back immediately with a forehand winner off a Landa second serve lob to the left side. Landa then skipped two balls to make it the score 10-5.

Landa cut the lead to 10-7. But that was as close as he got as Waselenchuk got the serve back with another winning return off a Landa lob serve to the left side. Two backhand winners by Waselenchuk made it 12-7, then a penalty hinder was called on him, as he hit a serve that came off the right side wall into the middle and the referee judged Waselenchuk to be hindering Landa’s return. Waselenchuk appealed but the line judges upheld the referee’s call.

Waselenchuk was incensed, and expressed as much. He could have been given a technical, but the referee let it pass. Waselenchuk prevented Landa from scoring with a forehand cross court winner, and then finished off the match with winners on three straight rallies that showed the range of his game.

He made it 13-7 with a controlled, slow speed backhand pass down the right side with Landa standing on the left. Waselenchuk got to match point at 14-7 with a forehand kill shot that was the 3rd shot of the rally that began with a lob serve to the left side - Landa’s backhand. He ended the game and match on his 1st match point opportunity with a forehand pinch shot, 15-7.

Afterwards, Landa said he was “tired [but] happy to make the final.” Today’s final was at Arizona State University, but Landa also played a final on that court way back 2006, when he was in the Boy’s U18 final at the World Junior Championships. He also lost that final (to David Ortega). “I don’t like that court,” he said laughing.

If you missed any of the action from Arizona, most of the matches are archived at the usual IRT media outlets: The IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page. The IRT will next be in action next weekend in Fullerton, California for the Los Compadres Auto Sales Open. Play begins Thursday.

2019 Arizona IRT Pro-Am, October 24-27, 2019
Tempe, Arizona

Final- Sunday

1) Kane Waselenchuk d. 3) Alejandro Landa, 15-4, 15-7

Follow the bouncing ball….

Waselenchuk & Landa into final at 2019 IRT Arizona Pro-Am

Kane Waselenchuk, the #1 player on the International Racquetball Tour (IRT), will have a chance to win another title Sunday, and do so in a place he’s never won, as Waselenchuk advanced to the final of the Arizona IRT Pro-Am in Tempe, Arizona. In the semi-finals, Waselenchuk defeated 5th seed Conrrado Moscoso, 15-10, 15-2, in what was a rematch of the 2019 UnitedHealthcare US Open from earlier this month.

Waselenchuk’s opponent Sunday will be 3rd seed Alejandro Landa, who was a straight game winner over 10th seed Eduardo Portillo, 15-5, 15-9.

Waselenchuk and Moscoso were close in game one, which took a long time to play. Waselenchuk led early, 3-0 and 6-2. Moscoso came back from 7-3 to tie it at 7-7. He then went ahead 10-7. Few players get seven points against Waselenchuk let alone seven unanswered points.

But then Waselenchuk forced Moscoso into skipping a shot, and with the serve back, he hit three forehand winners to tie it 10-10. They exchanged sideouts at that point, and before Moscoso served a second time at 10s, he called a timeout.

Often the player calling a timeout wins the ensuing rally, but that wasn’t the case here, as a Waselenchuk forehand pinch shot produced a sideout. He then ran five points on consecutive rallies to win game one, 15-10.

The win seemed like it came against the run of play, as Moscoso looked to have the momentum in the middle of the game. But he didn’t perform well at the end, and he gifted Waselenchuk the last two points by skipping backhand serve returns of Waselenchuk 2nd serve lobs.

Game one won, Waselenchuk seemed to take it up a notch in game two, as he jumped out to a 5-0 lead, helped by two drive serve aces to the right side - Moscoso’s forehand. Moscoso did get on the board at the point with a drive serve ace of his own - though to the left side.

But then Waselenchuk went on a roll with eight unanswered points to make it 13-1. Moscoso did take a timeout at 8-1, but that didn’t help him, as Waselenchuk hit another ace coming out of the timeout. At that point the writing was on the wall. Moscoso did manage to get another point before the end, but it was a convincing win by the IRT #1, 15-2.

Landa was also impressive in game one against Portillo, winning 15-5. However, Portillo started strong in game two, as he went out to leads of 6-2 and 9-5. But Landa totally flipped the game story at that point, as he scored ten unanswered points to win the game, 15-9, and match, 2-0.

Landa served well against Portillo, and got the match winning point with a great drive serve to the left side that Portillo got a racquet on but that was all. Landa will need to serve like that in the final.

Waselenchuk and Landa faced off three weeks ago in the semi-finals of the US Open, and Waselenchuk was a comprehensive winner, 15-1, 15-2, so Landa will have his work cut out for him on Sunday.

Look for Sunday’s final from Arizona at the usual IRT media outlets: The IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page. The final will be noon Sunday Mountain Standard Time.

2019 Arizona IRT Pro-Am, October 24-27, 2019
Tempe, Arizona

Semi-finals - Saturday

1) Kane Waselenchuk d. 5) Conrrado Moscoso, 15-10, 15-2
3) Alejandro Landa d. 10) Eduardo Portillo, 15-5, 15-9

Final- Sunday

1) Kane Waselenchuk v. 3) Alejandro Landa - Noon

Follow the bouncing ball….

Portillo defeats Carson to reach 1st semi-final at 2019 IRT Arizona Pro-Am

Tenth seed Eduardo Portillo caused another upset at the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) Arizona IRT Pro-Am in Tempe, Arizona, as the current International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Junior Boy’s U18 Champion knocked off the IRT’s #2 player Rocky Carson in the quarterfinals, 15-10, 15-8. Portillo’s win puts him in the semi-finals for the 1st time. He’ll face 3rd seed Alejandro Landa, who was a winner over 6th seed Andree Parrilla, 15-3,15-7.

Carson got a good start against Portillo, as he led in game one, 8-4. But the young Mexican came back and tied the game at 10-10, and then pushed on and got the last five points to win game one, 15-10. Portillo's backhand pinch shots were great.

Portillo got the jump in game two, as he went out to a 9-3 lead using an effective Z serves to the left side, which is often what Carson serves. Carson did make it close at 12-8, but that was a much as he could muster, as Portillo went on to win 15-8.

If one rally described the match it came in the middle of game two, when Carson hit a ball close to the right wall that Portillo dove to pick up. However, his saving shot was weak, and Carson tried take advantage of Portillo being on the floor with an overhead shot standing in the service box, but he smashed it into the floor, gifting Portillo the rally. It was an example of how Carson was frustrated throughout the match, while the young Mexican was very composed, and fully deserving of the win.

Landa was a buzzsaw in game one of his match with Parrilla, who couldn’t get anything going. Parrilla was better in game two, but it was never going to be enough against Landa today. Landa versus Portillo will be an interesting match, as it pits a power player in Landa against a shooter in Portillo. But then Landa and Parrilla was the same kind of contest, which Landa had no trouble with, because for all his power, Landa can also be accurate.

The other semi-final will be a rematch of the US Open final from earlier this month, as IRT #1 Kane Waselenchuk takes on 5th seed Conrrado Moscoso. Waselenchuk bested fellow Canadian Samuel Murray, 15-5, 15-4, in the quarters, while Moscoso needed three games to defeat Mexican veteran Alvaro Beltran, 15-10, 11-15, 11-3.

Look for all the Arizona action via the usual IRT media outlets: The IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page. The semi-finals are scheduled for 5 & 6 PM Saturday, and the final at noon Sunday. All times Mountain Standard Time.

2019 Arizona IRT Pro-Am, October 24-27, 2019
Tempe, Arizona

Quarterfinals - Saturday

1) Kane Waselenchuk d. 8) Samuel Murray, 15-5, 15-4
5) Conrrado Moscoso d. 4) Alvaro Beltran, 15-10, 11-15, 11-3

3) Alejandro Landa d. 6) Andree Parrilla, 15-3,15-7
10) Eduardo Portillo d. 2) Rocky Carson, 15-10, 15-8

Semi-finals - Saturday

1) Kane Waselenchuk v. 5) Conrrado Moscoso - 5 PM
3) Alejandro Landa v. 10) Eduardo Portillo - 4 PM

Follow the bouncing ball….

Portillo into quarterfinals at 2019 IRT Arizona Pro-Am

Tenth seed Eduardo Portillo upset 7th seed Daniel De La Rosa, 15-13, 15-12, in the Round of 16 on Friday at the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) Arizona IRT Pro-Am in Tempe, Arizona. The win puts Portillo - the current International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Junior Boy’s U18 Champion - into the quarterfinals for just the 2nd time in his young career. He’ll play IRT #2 Rocky Carson in the quarters, as Carson defeated Carlos Keller, 15-13, 15-8, in the 16s.

Kane Waselenchuk, IRT #1, had a tougher time that usual in the Round of 16, but still came through in two games, as he beat Andres Acuña, 15-8, 15-14. In game two, Waselenchuk had two match points that Acuña fought off, as he came back to tie it at 14-14. Acuña had a chance to end the game, but he let Waselenchuk off the hook. Then prior to serving his 3rd match point, Waselenchuk took a timeout. He finished off the match on the next rally, although to be fair to Acuña, he had a chance for a side out, but skipped a backhand. It seemed like one of those shots where he just had to hit the front wall, but failed to do so.

Waselenchuk will play fellow Canadian Samuel Murray in the quarters Saturday, as Murray beat David Horn, 15-12, 15-8, in the Round of 16.

The other quarterfinal matches will be 3rd seed Alejandro Landa versus 6th seed Andree Parrilla and 4th seed Alvaro Beltran versus 5th seed Conrrado Moscoso. In the 16s, Landa defeated Thomas Carter, 15-11, 15-11, and Parrilla took out Jake Bredenbeck, 15-9, 15-11. Also, Beltran beat Robert Collins, 15-7, 15-3, while Moscoso took care of Set Cubillos, 15-4, 15-6.

Look for all the action via the usual IRT media outlets: The IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page. The quarterfinals begin at 9 AM Saturday with the semi-finals at 5 & 6 PM Saturday, and the final at noon Sunday. All times Mountain Standard Time.

2019 Arizona IRT Pro-Am, October 24-27, 2019
Tempe, Arizona

Round of 16 - Friday

1) Kane Waselenchuk d. Andres Acuña, 15-8, 15-14
8) Samuel Murray d. 9) David Horn, 15-12, 15-8

5) Conrrado Moscoso d. Set Cubillos, 15-4, 15-6
4) Alvaro Beltran d. 13) Robert Collins, 15-7, 15-3

3) Alejandro Landa d. 14) Thomas Carter, 15-11, 15-11
6) Andree Parrilla d. 11) Jake Bredenbeck, 15-9, 15-11

10) Eduardo Portillo d. 7) Daniel De La Rosa, 15-13, 15-12
2) Rocky Carson v. 15) Carlos Keller, 15-13, 15-8

Quarterfinals - Saturday

1) Kane Waselenchuk v. 8) Samuel Murray - 11 AM
4) Alvaro Beltran v. 5) Conrrado Moscoso - Noon

3) Alejandro Landa v. 6) Andree Parrilla - 10 AM
2) Rocky Carson v. 10) Eduardo Portillo - 9 AM

Follow the bouncing ball….

Cubillos into 16s at 2019 Arizona IRT Pro-Am

Set Cubillos knocked off the 12th seed Sebastian Fernandez, 15-10, 3-15, 11-3, in the Round of 32 at the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) Arizona IRT Pro-Am in Tempe, Arizona. Cubillos will play 5th seed Conrrado Moscoso in the Round of 16 later on Friday. Andres Acuña was also an upset winner, but of a smaller variety, as he won the 16/17 seed match against 16th seed Adam Manilla, 15-5, 15-10. The win gets Acuña a match with IRT #1 Kane Waselenchuk.

Ruben Baez almost had the biggest upset of the 32s, as he was only a few points away from beating 9th seed David Horn. Baez led the whole first game, but just squeaked it out, 15-14. Horn levelled the match at 1-1 by winning game two 15-10, and he pushed on to win, completing the comeback with a 11-3 tie-breaker. Baez was close early in the breaker, but after Horn got up 6-3, Baez just couldn’t score any more points.

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 start at 4 PM Friday. The quarterfinals begin at 9 AM Saturday with the semi-finals at 5 & 6 PM Saturday, and the final at noon Sunday. All times Mountain Standard Time.

2019 Arizona IRT Pro-Am, October 24-27, 2019
Tempe, Arizona

Round of 32 - Friday

1) Kane Waselenchuk - BYE
Andres Acuña d. 16) Adam Manilla, 15-5, 15-10

9) David Horn d. Ruben Baez, 14-15, 15-10, 11-3
8) Samuel Murray - BYE

5) Conrrado Moscoso - BYE
Set Cubillos d. 12) Sebastian Fernandez, 15-10, 3-15, 11-3

13) Robert Collins d. Scott McClellan, 15-6, 15-5
4) Alvaro Beltran - BYE

3) Alejandro Landa - BYE
14) Thomas Carter d. Thomas Gerhardt, 15-12, 15-9

11) Jake Bredenbeck d. Anthony Martin, 15-4, 15-4
6) Andree Parrilla - BYE

7) Daniel De La Rosa - BYE
10) Eduardo Portillo d. Sam Bredenbeck, 15-3, 15-2

15) Carlos Keller d. Felipe Camacho, 15-14, 15-4
2) Rocky Carson - BYE

Round of 16 - Friday

1) Kane Waselenchuk v. Andres Acuña - 7 PM
8) Samuel Murray v. 9) David Horn - 7 PM

5) Conrrado Moscoso v. Set Cubillos - 6 PM
4) Alvaro Beltran v. 13) Robert Collins - 6 PM

3) Alejandro Landa v. 14) Thomas Carter - 5 PM
6) Andree Parrilla v. 11) Jake Bredenbeck - 5 PM

7) Daniel De La Rosa v. 10) Eduardo Portillo - 4 PM
2) Rocky Carson v. 15) Carlos Keller - 4 PM

Follow the bouncing ball….

Thursday results from the 2019 Arizona IRT Pro-Am

There were a couple of surprises on Thursday at The International Racquetball Tour (IRT) Arizona IRT Pro-Am in Tempe, Arizona. Anthony Martin beat Nicholas Riffel, 15-9, 15-8, and Thomas Gerhardt d. Justus Benson, 15-9, 15-8, while Ruben Baez narrowly defeated Chilean international Francisco Troncoso, 14-15, 15-5, 11-9.

Martin will play Jake Bredenbeck in the Round of 32 Friday, while Gerhardt’s win sets up an All-Thomas match with Thomas Carter. Baez will play David Horn.

The highest ranked players in action Thursday advanced comfortably, as Andres Acuña beat Ben Baron, 15-5, 15-1, and will play Adam Manilla Friday, and Acuña’s Costa Rican countryman Felipe Camacho defeated Matthew Barcellos, 15-1, 15-8, to set up a match with Carlos Keller.

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 starting at noon. The Round of 32 begins Friday morning at 9 AM with the Round of 16 Friday starting at 4 PM. The quarterfinals begin at 9 AM Saturday with the semi-finals at 5 & 6 PM Saturday, and the final at noon Sunday. All times Mountain.

2019 Arizona IRT Pro-Am, October 24-27, 2019
Tempe, Arizona

Qualifying Round 1 - Thursday

Andres Acuña - BYE
Ben Baron d. Francisco Rivas, 15-3, 15-4

Ruben Baez - BYE
Francisco Troncoso - BYE

Set Cubillos - BYE
Preston Tribble d. Jim Douglas, 15-3, 15-4

Enrique Gonzalez Jr. d. Danny Sardina, 11-15, 15-2, 11-4
Scott McClellan - BYE

Justus Benson - BYE
Thomas Gerhardt d. Coy Rogers, 15-1, 15-7

Anthony Martin - BYE
Nicholas Riffel - BYE

Sam Bredenbeck - BYE
Daniel Neri - BYE

Matthew Barcellos d. Luis Rivero, 6-15, 15-5, 11-5
Felipe Camacho - BYE

Qualifying Round 2 - Thursday

Q1 - Andres Acuña d. Ben Baron, 15-5, 15-1
Q8 - Ruben Baez d. Francisco Troncoso, 14-15, 15-5, 11-9

Q5 - Set Cubillos d. Preston Tribble, 11-15, 15-7, 11-4
Q4 - Scott McClellan v. Enrique Gonzalez Jr., 15-6, 15-8

Q3 - Thomas Gerhardt d. Justus Benson, 15-9, 15-8
Q6 - Anthony Martin d. Nicholas Riffel, 15-9, 15-8

Q7 - Sam Bredenbeck v. Daniel Neri, 15-7, 15-4
Q2 - Felipe Camacho d. Matthew Barcellos, 15-1, 15-8

Round of 32 - Friday

1) Kane Waselenchuk - BYE
16) Adam Manilla v. Andres Acuña - Noon

9) David Horn v. Ruben Baez - Noon
8) Samuel Murray - BYE

5) Conrrado Moscoso - BYE
12) Sebastian Fernandez v. Set Cubillos - 11 AM

13) Robert Collins v. Scott McClellan - 11 AM
4) Alvaro Beltran - BYE

3) Alejandro Landa - BYE
14) Thomas Carter v. Thomas Gerhardt - 10 AM

11) Jake Bredenbeck v. Anthony Martin - 10 AM
6) Andree Parrilla - BYE

7) Daniel De La Rosa - BYE
10) Eduardo Portillo v. Sam Bredenbeck - 9 AM

15) Carlos Keller v. Felipe Camacho - 9 AM
2) Rocky Carson - BYE

Follow the bouncing ball….

2019 Arizona IRT Pro-Am - Preview

The International Racquetball Tour (IRT) goes to Arizona for the first time since 2003, as the Arizona IRT Pro-Am begins Thursday in Tempe, Arizona. The tournament schedule is slightly different, as there will be two qualifying rounds on Thursday, which is common, but the Round of 32 will be on Friday morning. The top 8 seeds are still seeded into the Round of 16 on Friday afternoon and evening. The quarterfinals will be Saturday morning with the semi-finals at 5 and 6 PM Saturday and the final on Sunday at noon.

The top 8 ranked IRT players will be in Tempe, led by IRT #1 Kane Waselenchuk, who’s coming off his 15th US Open championship - won earlier this month in Minneapolis. Also in the draw are IRT #2 Rocky Carson, #3 Alejandro Landa, and #4 Alvaro Beltran, as well as US Open finalist Conrrado Moscoso, and 7 other top 20 players in a field of 37 players overall.

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 starting at noon. The Round of 32 begins Friday morning at 9 AM with the Round of 16 Friday starting at 4 PM. The quarterfinals begin at 9 AM Saturday with the semi-finals at 5 & 6 PM Saturday, and the final at noon Sunday. All times Mountain.

2019 Arizona IRT Pro-Am, October 24-27, 2019
Tempe, Arizona

Qualifying Round 1 - Thursday

Andres Acuña - BYE
Ben Baron v. Francisco Rivas - Noon

Ruben Baez - BYE
Francisco Troncoso - BYE

Set Cubillos - BYE
Jim Douglas v. Preston Tribble - Noon

Enrique Gonzalez Jr. v. Danny Sardina - Noon
Scott McClellan - BYE

Justus Benson - BYE
Thomas Gerhardt v. Coy Rogers - 1 PM

Anthony Martin - BYE
Nicholas Riffel - BYE

Sam Bredenbeck - BYE
Daniel Neri - BYE

Matthew Barcellos v. Luis Rivero - 1 PM
Felipe Camacho - BYE

Qualifying Round 2 - Thursday

Q1 - Andres Acuña v. Ben Baron or Francisco Rivas - 3 PM
Q8 - Francisco Troncoso v. Ruben Baez - 3 PM

Q5 - Set Cubillos v. Jim Douglas or Preston Tribble - 3 PM
Q4 - Scott McClellan v. Enrique Gonzalez Jr. or Danny Sardina - 3 PM

Q3 - Justus Benson v. Thomas Gerhardt or Coy Rogers - 4 PM
Q6 - Nicholas Riffel v. Anthony Martin - 4 PM

Q7 - Sam Bredenbeck v. Daniel Neri - 4 PM
Q2 - Felipe Camacho v. Matthew Barcellos or Luis Rivero - 4 PM

Round of 32 - Friday

1) Kane Waselenchuk - BYE
16) Adam Manilla v. Q1 - Noon

9) David Horn v. Q8 - Noon
8) Samuel Murray - BYE

5) Conrrado Moscoso - BYE
12) Sebastian Fernandez v. Q5 - 11 AM

13) Robert Collins v. Q4 - 11 AM
4) Alvaro Beltran - BYE

3) Alejandro Landa - BYE
14) Thomas Carter v. Q3 - 10 AM

11) Jake Bredenbeck v. Q6 - 10 AM
6) Andree Parrilla - BYE

7) Daniel De La Rosa - BYE
10) Eduardo Portillo v. Q7 - 9 AM

15) Carlos Keller v. Q2 - 9 AM
2) Rocky Carson - BYE

Follow the bouncing ball….

Susana Acosta - Trailblazer

Question: which woman has played the most US Open Championships and reached at least the semi-finals? If you said “Cheryl Gudinas,” you’d be partially correct, but only because Gudinas played this year. Prior to this month, the answer was actually Susana Acosta.

Acosta first played in the US Open in 1998. Gabriela Martinez - current International Racquetball Federation (IRF) Women's Singles World Champion - wasn’t even born then. Neither was Montserrat Mejia, who won the US Open Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) doubles title with Alexandra Herrera this year. Paola Longoria was 9 in ’98.

After 1998, Acosta played in every US Open until this year: 21 years. That’s a longer streak than any other woman, and is only surpassed by Rocky Carson, who’s played every US Open since 1998. Rhonda Rajsich could tie Acosta next year.

Acosta reached the US Open semi-finals in 1999, her 2nd US Open. She was in the semis again in 2013, and that 14 years is the longest stretch between semi-final berths of any woman except Rajsich. Remarkably, those are the only two times Acosta has been in the US Open semis.

She was the first Mexican player to crack the top 10 of the women’s pro tour, when she finished 5th in 1999-2000. Acosta was 6th the following season, and 10th in 2002-03. But over the next seven seasons, she played fewer than half the events, so Acosta didn’t return to the top 10 until 2010-11, when she played all the events and was 6th once again. Her career high came two seasons later in 2012-13, when she finished 4th.

For all her pro tournaments, Acosta never played a final, and was only in 9 semi-finals over 141 tournaments. But it was in doubles that Acosta excelled.

A left-handed player, Acosta was part of the Mexican doubles team (with Rosy Torres) who won Mexico’s first women's gold medal at a major competition, when they defeated the USA team of Jackie Paraiso and Kim Russell in the Women’s Doubles final of the 2003 Pan American Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. She also medaled in Women’s Doubles at the IRF World Championships twice with Torres as her partner. They were bronze medalists in 2002 and silver medalists in 2004, when they lost to final to Paraiso and Russell in Korea.

Acosta also won four gold medals at the Pan American Championships, in 2004, 2005, 2010 and 2014. The first two wins were with Torres while the last two were with Samantha Salas.

Acosta has been a trail blazing player for Mexican racquetball. She’ll be 43 in December, and ending her US Open streak suggests she’s close to the end of her career. However, Acosta played in the 1st LPRT event of the season, so she’s not done yet.

Follow the bouncing ball….

Weekend Round Up - Horn wins Bay Club Classic

David Horn won the Bay Club Classic - a Tier 4 International Racquetball Tour (IRT) event - on the weekend in Pleasanton, California. Horn defeated Charlie Pratt in the final, 15-13, 15-11. In the semi-finals, Horn beat Adam Manilla, 15-13, 15-11, and Pratt defeated Jose Diaz, 15-12, 15-6.

Couple of close results in the earlier rounds. In the quarterfinals, an all left hander battle between Manilla and Robert Collins needed a tie-breaker to decide it with Manilla coming out on top, 15-3, 14-15, 11-3. Also in the Round of 16, Mauro Rojas squeaked out a win over Sebastian Fernandez, 15-11, 9-15, 11-10, which set up the quarterfinal with Pratt.

2019 Bay Club Classic - IRT Tier 4
Pleasanton, California, October 11-13, 2019

Men’s Final (seeding)

(1) David Horn d. (6) Charlie Pratt, 15-13, 15-11

Semi-finals

(1) David Horn d. (5) Adam Manilla, 15-13, 15-11
(6) Charlie Pratt d. (2) Jose Diaz, 15-12, 15-6

Quarterfinals

(1) David Horn d. (9) Christian Longoria, 15-2, 15-8
(5) Adam Manilla d. (4) Robert Collins, 15-3, 14-15, 11-3

(6) Charlie Pratt d. (14) Mauro Rojas, 15-10, 15-6
(2) Jose Diaz d. (7) Diego Garcia, 15-12, 15-11

Round of 16

(1) David Horn d. (16) Tony Jammal, 15-1, 15-1
(9) Christian Longoria d. (8) Diego Gatica, 15-1, 15-3

(5) Adam Manilla d. (21) Mitch Forrest Jr., 15-5, 15-3
(4) Robert Collins d. (20) Vedant Chauhan, 15-7, 15-12

(14) Mauro Rojas d. (3) Sebastian Fernandez, 15-11, 9-15, 11-10
(6) Charlie Pratt d. (22) Nikhil Prasad, 15-7, 15-10

(7) Diego Garcia d. (10) Francisco Troncoso, 15-7, 15-11
(2) Jose Diaz d. (18) Rafael Gatica, 15-4, 15-4

Follow the bouncing ball….

When 100 ≠ 100

Paola Longoria won her 10th Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) US Open Racquetball Championship on Sunday, and in the aftermath she declared it was also her 100th pro victory. People make a big deal out of numbers divisible by 10 and sometimes even 5. We even have words signifying their significance, like decade, century and millennium. So, 100 wins seems like a big deal.

But is 100 really a bigger deal than 99 or 101? No, not really. Our use of a base 10 number system is arbitrary.

In sports, any wins are significant, not arbitrary. Dozens of women have played professional racquetball, but only 27 players have won a professional racquetball tournament, which is fewer players than have won a men’s pro racquetball tournament (40). Only 10 women have won more than 10 tournaments (see how easy it is to assign significance to 10?). No one has won more pro tournaments than Longoria. It’s not even close.

But those wins are Tier 1 or Grand Slam (i.e., main) events. And Longoria hasn’t won 100 of those. She’s won 93. We’re not sure what other events are being counted to get Longoria to 100, but they aren’t main events, so to group them with main events is inappropriate and misleading, in our opinion.

It seems like Longoria is saying she's got 100 apples, when in fact, 7 of those apples are actually oranges. That’s not right. Claiming that it's 100 pro victories is like saying it's 100 fruit, so they are all the same, but the field of players for minor events is significantly fewer than for main events (i.e., Tier 1 / Grand Slam events). That is especially true for women’s events, which generally have smaller fields than men’s events. (e.g., there were 41 women in the LPRT field last week & 94 men in the International Racquetball Tour - IRT - field). If there are fewer players, then there are generally fewer elite players, so the minor events are less competitive; that’s why they are minor events.

That the LPRT has simply gone along with what Longoria says is a total tail wagging the dog situation. The LPRT should have a complete record of its events, although racquetball has not been good at keeping these records. Thus, we’re not sure if the LPRT has a record past what the has been recorded on the Pro Racquetball Stats website, which lists Longoria as having 93 main event wins.

Pro Racquetball Stats has tried to address the discrepancy between the 100 wins Longoria says she has and the 93 main event wins they have on record. But still it seems like a grouping of apples and oranges to us, and we just want to know about them apples.

Best ever?

Longoria’s is a great player. Some will likely argue that she’s the best ever, although we’re not so sure. What makes us hesitate is that she came along at a time when the other elite players were significantly older. When Longoria first appeared in the top 10 (2007-08) the top 4 players were all more than a decade older than her (see what we did there?): Rhonda Rajsich was 11 years older, Cheryl Gudinas 22 years older, Kerri Wachtel 15, and Angela Grisar 16. The only players in the top 10 close to Longoria in age were Kristen Bellows, who was 7 years older, and Adrienne Haynes, 4 years older. Thus, Longoria’s career began with her main competition being players who were significantly older than her, and if anything is true in sport, it’s that Father Time doesn’t lose, and Father Time was on Longoria’s side.

Over the next five seasons (2008-09 to 2012-13), when Longoria finished #1 four times, only two players younger than Longoria were in the top 10: Veronica Sotomayor in 2008-09 and Maria Jose Vargas in 2012-13. It wasn’t until 2013-14 that more than one player younger than Longoria was in the top 10 (Vargas, Sotomayor, Frédérique Lambert & Aubrey Kirch). So Longoria’s main competition wasn’t from players around her age at the start of her career.

None of that is Longoria’s fault, of course. She can only play who’s in front of her. But when you compare players’ careers who they played against has to be taken into account. Trying to compare the eras players competed in makes career comparisons difficult, if not actually impossible, which is why trying to determine “the greatest player ever” is usually one of opinion rather than fact. But it’s fun to speculate about it.

Longoria’s a great racquetball player. She’s won a lot of racquetball tournaments, and she’s going to win many more. Each of her victories counts, but some are a bigger deal than others.

Follow the bouncing ball….

Waselenchuk wins #15 at 2019 UnitedHealthcare US Open

Kane Waselenchuk won his 15th US Open International Racquetball Tour (IRT) title Sunday at the 24th UnitedHealthcare US Open Racquetball Championships in Minneapolis, where he ended 15th seed Conrrado Moscoso's Cinderella run with a straight game victory, 15-12, 15-5. Waselenchuk has won 11 consecutive US Open titles, and did the double this year for the fourth time as the lefthander won both singles and doubles with Ben Croft.

The first game of the final was great, and Moscoso had small leads early at 2-0 and 4-2. But Waselenchuk tied the match at 4-4 with an ace drive serve to the left side. They would tie again at 5 and 7, but Moscoso never led again.

From 7-7, Waselenchuk won three consecutive rallies to lead 10-7 with the 9th point a drive serve ace to the right side and the 10th point a service winner to the left side. Moscoso called time out.

Waselenchuk was charged with a penalty hinder when play resumed, as he hit a Z serve that came across the centre of the court, where Moscoso was ready to hit it with Waselenchuk standing between the ball and the front wall. The referee only called a hinder, but Moscoso appealed to the line judges for an avoidable and they overturned the referee's call.

But Moscoso couldn't capitalize on the opportunity. A messy rally ended when he tried to hit a ceiling ball to keep the rally going, but skipped it. From there Waselenchuk went up 12-7, and Moscoso cut it to 12-9.

Then the game stalled, as they went back and forth. Thirteen rallies resulted in just one point, which went to Waselenchuk, making the score 13-9.

Moscoso got within one at 13-12 with a three point run helped by two errors from Waselenchuk. But Waselenchuk forced Moscoso into a backhand skip to get the serve back.

He then hit a forehand over to the left side around Moscoso to reach 14-12. Waselenchuk won it with his first game point, 15-12.

Game one was great with both players playing at a high level. But when game two started it seemed like Waselenchuk had more left than Moscoso, as took a 5-0 lead. Moscoso did come back to 5-4 and kept it close at 7-5.

But he wouldn't score again, as Moscoso struggled to find a serve that was effective against the 14 time champion. Moscoso had opportunities, as he served six times after 7-5, but he scored no points.

So Waselenchuk slowly but surely worked his way to the end. Then the last three points came on consecutive rallies. Moscoso skipped a forehand shot (he appealed but the line judges agreed with the referee). A backhand skip by Moscoso put Waselenchuk on match point, and he ended it with a drive serve ace to the right side.

It was an appropriate finish to Waselenchuk's 15th US Open victory.

The next IRT event will be the Arizona State Pro Am, October 24-27 in Tempe, Arizona.

If you missed the final, look for it via the IRT media outlets: The IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page.

2019 UnitedHealthcare US Open Racquetball Championships
Minneapolis, Minnesota - October 2-6, 2019

IRT - Final - Sunday

1) Kane Waselenchuk d. 15) Conrrado Moscoso, 15-12, 15-5

Follow the bouncing ball….

Longoria defeats Vargas to win 10th UnitedHealthcare US Open LPRT title

Paola Longoria defeated Maria Jose Vargas, 15-5, 15-7, to win the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) title at the 2019 UnitedHealthcare US Open Racquetball Championships in Minneapolis. Longoria, the LPRT's #1 player, won for the 9th straight year and 10th time overall.

Longoria served very well in the match. Vargas didn't play poorly. She just didn't get much of a chance to play, as Longoria put her under pressure with a great service game. Longoria got seven aces or service winners in the match, as well as three other points off return errors by Vargas. So, a third of Longoria's points were directly off her serve.

In game one, Vargas got the first point, but then Longoria went out to a 5-1 lead. She extended that to 11-2. Vargas got three points on consecutive rallies with forehand winners to make the score 11-5. However, a soft backhand pinch shot by Longoria got her back into the service box.

After taking a timeout, Longoria hit a drive serve to the right side that left Vargas in a heap against the side wall. Ace. She followed that with an ace to the left side. Two more winners by Longoria, and the game was done. 15-5.

Longoria also started well in game two, taking a 4-0 lead. But Vargas responded with three points of her own, and when she hit a booming backhand cross court that made it 4-3, there was a sense that this game might be different from game one.

And it was close through the middle of game two, as Vargas got within one at 6-5 and 8-7. However, Vargas lost serve when she skipped a forehand shot off the frame of her racquet, and she never served again.

Longoria won seven straight points on almost as many rallies. There were two hinder calls in that period, and the second of them caused an angry outburst by Longoria that seemed unnecessary given that she was up a game and 13-7. Nonetheless, she finished off the game and match with two backhand pinch winners for paints 14 and 15.

Longoria acknowledged after the match that she was nursing a shoulder injury, which explained all the athletic tape on her right shoulder. Yet she played through whatever pain she was feeling to get the good feeling of another US Open victory.

The LPRT's next event is the LPRT Pro Am Turkey Shoot in Chicago, November 22-24.

To see the US Open final go to the the LPRT website, or the LPRT YouTube channel.

2019 UnitedHealthcare US Open Racquetball Championships
Minneapolis, Minnesota - October 2-6, 2019

LPRT Singles - Final - Sunday

1) Paola Longoria d. 3) Maria Jose Vargas, 15-5, 15-7

Follow the bouncing ball….

Croft & Waselenchuk win IRT Doubles at 2019 UnitedHealthcare US Open

Ben Croft and Kane Waselenchuk won the rubber match with Alvaro Beltran and Daniel De La Rosa as the two teams met in the final of the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) Doubles division for the 3rd year running at the 2019 UnitedHealthcare US Open Racquetball Championships in Minneapolis. Beltran and Daniel De La Rosa were defending champions, and Croft and Waselenchuk won two years ago, and they did again on Saturday, defeating Beltran and De La Rosa, 15-11, 15-8. Croft and Waselenchuk have won the US Open IRT Doubles title four of the six years its been played.

Early in game one, it looked like Beltan and De La Rosa might successfully defend their title, as they got the first two points of the match. However, Croft and Waselenchuk got the next nine, and went from 2-1 to 9-2 on eight straight rallies.

The defending champions came back, and got within three at 11-8, and then within two at 13-11. But they got no closer as Waselenchuk hit winners on back to back rallies to get the serve back.

They called a timeout before serving, and when play resumed the rarest thing happened. Kane Waselenchuk whiffed on a ball. To be fair, it was close the side wall, but still! Reality was restored as he hit winners on the next two rallies to close out the game, 15-11.

Although Beltran and De La Rosa seemed to have some momentum from the second half of game one, that evaporated as Croft and Waselenchuk took a 5-0 lead in game two. From there the writing was on the wall, as the lead extended to 8-2 and 11-3.

Beltran and De La Rosa did put together a string of five straight points to get close at 11-8, and you thought "maybe there's a chance." But they didn't score again after that.

Croft and Waselenchuk got the serve back, and scored three points to reach match point at 14-8. Then Waselenchuk was forced into a skip, as the ball was hit at him. He tried to hit the ball back between his legs, which he's often successful with, but not this time.

Yet Beltran and De La Rosa couldn't score. De La Rosa skipped a shot that he was diving for, and then Beltran skipped a pinch shot, which seemed like an unforced error, to give the service back to their opponents.

On the next rally, the ball was driven wide into the back court, and De La Rosa dove again to try to keep it in play, but to no avail. That made it 15-8, and made Croft and Waselenchuk US Open Doubles Champions for the fourth time.

If you missed the final, check out the IRT media outlets: The IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page.

2019 UnitedHealthcare US Open Racquetball Championships
Minneapolis, Minnesota - October 2-6, 2019

IRT Doubles - Final - Saturday

2) Ben Croft & Kane Waselenchuk d. 1) Alvaro Beltran & Daniel De La Rosa, 15-11, 15-8

Follow the bouncing ball….

Herrera & Mejia win LPRT Doubles at 2019 UnitedHealthcare US Open

Alexandra Herrera and Montserrat Mejia won their first US Open Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) Doubles title Saturday at the 24th UnitedHealthcare US Open Racquetball Championships in Minneapolis by defeating the defending champions and top ranked LPRT doubles players Paola Longoria and Samantha Salas, 15-13, 15-12. It was a great match with many double digit shot rallies, diving gets and flat roll outs.

Herrera and Mejia had played Longoria and Salas in the US Open final three previous years, but never won. The broke that goose egg today. Also, it's Longoria's first loss in doubles at the US Open. She had won the title the five years the LPRT has played doubles in Minneapolis. Three years with Salas and one each with Veronica Sotomayor and Gabriela Martinez (when Salas was injured).

Longer description to follow.

You need to watch the final on the the LPRT website, or the LPRT YouTube channel, because it was an incredible performance by both teams.

2019 UnitedHealthcare US Open Racquetball Championships
Minneapolis, Minnesota - October 2-6, 2019

LPRT Doubles - Final - Saturday

3) Alexandra Herrera & Montserrat Mejia d. 1) Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas, 15-13, 15-12

Follow the bouncing ball….

Moscoso 1st South American in UnitedHealthcare US Open IRT Final

Conrrado Moscoso's Cinderella run through the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) draw at the 24th UnitedHealthcare US Open Racquetball Championships continued Saturday in Minneapolis, where he created another upset win, taking out IRT #6 Daniel De La Rosa, 15-11, 15-11, in the semi-finals. The win puts Moscoso into the US Open final for the first time, and he's the first Bolivian and first South American player to be a US Open finalist. In the final he'll play IRT #1 and 11 time defending US Open champion Kane Waselenchuk, who beat IRT #4 Alejandro Landa, 15-1, 15-2, in the other semi-final.

The Moscoso / De La Rosa match was closely contended, as they were never separated by more than three points, until the end of each game. In game one, they were tied at 3, 4 and 7. But after 7-7, Moscoso won three straight rallies to lead 10-7. It was lead he wouldn't relinquish.

De La Rosa did get within one at 12-11 after he hit a drive serve ace down the right side. But Moscoso got the serve back with a backhand winner off a lob serve to the left side, and followed that up with a drive serve ace of his own to the left side. A great forehand pinch shot put Moscoso on game point at 14-11.

De La Rosa fought that off with a backhand return cross court winner off a lob to the left side. However, Moscoso did the same thing, except with a forehand cross court winner. He closed out game one emphatically with an ace drive serve to the left side.

Moscoso led through the first half of game two. But De La Rosa tied the game at 8, 9 and 10. He actually led 10-9, and Moscoso called a timeout at that point. When play resumed, Moscoso won the next five rallies with winning shots, taking the serve back and then scoring four points to lead 13-10.

Moscoso reached match point at 14-10 by hitting a backhand cross court with De La Rosa in the front court. However, he made an unforced error by skipping a forehand on the next rally. De La Rosa scored another point, making it 14-11, but was then forced into skipping a forehand shot by Moscoso.

Moscoso's 2nd match point went by as he skipped a backhand shot, which may have been a result of momentary fatigue, as Moscoso dove three times in that rally. He got the serve right back though with a backhand return off a De La Rosa drive serve to the left side.

The next rally - Moscoso's 3rd game point - ended when he and De La Rosa got entangled in midcourt. Moscoso stayed down clutching at his ankle, and when he did get up, it was to hop off the court taking an injury timeout. There was a physiotherapist on hand, who checked Moscoso out, and thankfully, he was able to get back on court after a few minutes.

A hinder was called on that rally, so Moscoso had a chance to serve for the match a 4th time. He made good on that opportunity by ending it with a forehand winner.

Waselenchuk's win over Landa was decisive. Landa's only point in game one came off an ace drive serve to the left side, which is Waselenchuk's forehand, as he's left-handed. That made the score 5-1 for Waselenchuk, and they exchanged a few sideouts after that. It looked like Landa was going to make a game of it.

However, Waselenchuk had other ideas, as he ran the table from there with Landa only serving twice after Waselenchuk made it 6-1.

In game two, Landa served first and got a point on the first rally, so early on it looked like game two would be more of a contest than game one. But after Waselenchuk got the serve back at 3-2, he scored 12 unanswered points to win, 15-2, and take the match in two games. As in game one, Landa only served twice in that stretch, as Waselenchuk hit three aces including one on match point to reach the US Open final for a record extending 12 straight year.

He's won the previous 11 years, and 14 overall. Only Moscoso stands between Waselenchuk and his 15th US Open title.

Check out the action from Minneapolis via the IRT media outlets: The IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page.

2019 UnitedHealthcare US Open Racquetball Championships
Minneapolis, Minnesota - October 2-6, 2019

IRT - Semi-finals - Saturday

1) Kane Waselenchuk d. 4) Alejandro Landa, 15-1, 15-2
15) Conrrado Moscoso d. 6) Daniel De La Rosa, 15-11, 15-11

IRT - Final - Sunday

1) Kane Waselenchuk v. 15) Conrrado Moscoso - Noon

Follow the bouncing ball….

Vargas into UnitedHealthcare US Open LPRT final for 2nd time

Maria Jose Vargas is into the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) final at the UnitedHealthcare US Open Racquetball Championships in Minneapolis for the 2nd time in her career after defeating Samantha Salas, 15-12, 7-15, 11-1. She'll face 8 time defending champion and LPRT #1 Paola Longoria in the final Sunday, as Longoria beat Montserrat Mejia in the other semi-final, 15-5, 15-6.

Vargas started strong against Salas, as she went out to a 9-2 lead in game one. Salas called timeouts at 5-0 and 11-3, but it was only after the score was 12-3 that she was able to make her way back into the game. Salas cut the lead to 12-6, but a Vargas forehand serve return winner off a Salas drive to the right put Vargas back in the service box.

Vargas got two points via forehand winners to reach game point at 14-6. But a great forehand pinch by Salas denied Vargas's first game point, and led to six straight points, making the score 14-12.

Just when it looked like Salas was going to come all the way back and steal the game, Vargas hit a nice controlled backhand down the line serve return off a Salas drive to the left side. Vargas closed out the game on the next rally with a forehand winner.

Despite losing game one, Salas had the momentum, and carried that over into game two, as she went out to a 7-0 lead. She held the lead and extended it to 13-4. Vargas clawed a few points back before Salas got the last two points with back to back winners - a forehand and a backhand.

In the breaker, Salas served first and scored, 1-0. But she wouldn't score again, and only served once more, when they were tied at 1-1. Vargas hit a forehand winner off that second service - a drive Z to the right side - and then proceeded to run the table.

Salas must have sensed something early, as she did take a timeout at 3-1. Often the player taking a timeout will win the 1st rally after it, but not this time, as Vargas hit back to back drive serve aces to the left side to go up 5-1.

Salas skipped a forehand shot to make it 6-1. Then Vargas hit three winners to make it 9-1. Another Salas skip gave Vargas match point at 10-1, and she ended it with a backhand winner, 11-1.

Coming into Minneapolis, Salas was the #2 LPRT player and Vargas #3. That may change, as Salas was a US Open finalist last year and Vargas lost in the Round of 32, so Salas will drop some points and Vargas should get a big boost. Yet there's about a 277 point difference between them, so we're not sure if Vargas will make up all that difference.

In the other semi-final, Longoria went out to a big lead in game one at 8-1, and then 12-2 and 14-2. But Longoria skipped the first game point, and then the second one and the third one.

Mejia finally scored some points after fighting off the third game point. She won three rallies in row with winning shots: two backhands and an overhead forehand, which made the score 14-5. Longoria called timeout.

When play resumed, Longoria took the serve back with a forehand pinch shot, and won the game with another forehand shot, 15-5.

Game two started out like game one, as Longoria took a 5-0 lead. But Mejia got a point to make it 5-1, and she worked her way back into the game, tying the score at 6-6. Again, Longoria called a timeout.

Mejia hit a drive serve to the right side on the ensuing rally, and Longoria returned it cross court for a winner. She then hit Z serves to the left side - Mejia's backhand, which was a change, and an effective one, as it led to three straight points and a 9-6 advantage.

Although Mejia got a hideout at that point, she didn't score, and only served once more, as Longoria went on to win with 9 unanswered points, 15-6. She pounced on an offensive opportunity to get her 14th point, hitting a forehand cross court from centre court. Then Longoria sealed the victory at 15-6 with a backhand pinch volley from the front court.

Look to the the LPRT website, or the LPRT YouTube channel for US Open action.

2019 UnitedHealthcare US Open Racquetball Championships
Minneapolis, Minnesota - October 2-6, 2019

LPRT Singles - Semi-finals - Saturday

1) Paola Longoria d. 12) Montserrat Mejia, 15-5, 15-6
3) Maria Jose Vargas d. 2) Samantha Salas, 15-12, 7-15, 11-1

LPRT Singles - Final - Sunday

1) Paola Longoria v. 3) Maria Jose Vargas - 10 AM

Follow the bouncing ball….

Rematch in IRT Doubles Final at 2019 UnitedHealthcare US Open

For the 3rd year running, Alvaro Beltran and Daniel De La Rosa will play Ben Croft and Kane Waselenchuk in the final of the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) Doubles division at the UnitedHealthcare US Open Racquetball Championships in Minneapolis. Beltran and Daniel De La Rosa are the defending champions, but Croft and Waselenchuk have won the IRT Doubles title at the US Open three of the five years its been contested, including two years ago against Beltran and De La Rosa.

In the semi-finals, Beltan and De La Rosa beat Kadim Carrasco and Carlos Keller, 15-12, 15-9, while Croft and Waselenchuk defeated Alejandro Landa and Samuel Murray, 15-7, 15-7.

For a large part of game one, it looked like Carrasco and Keller were going to win against Beltran and De La Rosa, as they have a lead at 8-4, and 11-8. But the defending champions caught up at 11-11, and then took the lead, 13-11, on back to back backhand pinches by De La Rosa.

Carrasco got his side the serve back with a forehand cross court shot, and Keller scored a point with a backhand winner. But Keller forced to play the ball in the back right corner and skipped it, giving the serve back to Beltran and De La Rosa.

Beltran put his side on game point with a forehand wide angle pass, but they couldn't convert their first three game points. The third was lost when De La Rosa put a ball into the floor attempting a forehand reverse pinch: an unforced error if there ever was one.

No damage came of that mistake, however, as Beltran hit two winners to deny Carrasco and Keller any points. On their 4th game point, De La Rosa hit a pinch shot from deep in the court to win it.

Beltran and De La Rosa ran out to a big lead to start game two, going up 10-3. Carrasco and Keller did close within four twice at 10-6 and 13-9, but they could get no closer. Nonetheless, it took six match points before Beltran and De La Rosa were able to close it out. The winner came when Keller was moving forward, and got jammed, so he skipped his shot.

Although the scores weren't that close, the Croft / Waselenchuk versus Landa / Murray match was close with the three time champs only pulling away late in each game. Landa and Murray actually led, 6-4, in the middle of game one, and looked like that might be able to pull off an upset.

But Croft and Waselenchuk tied the game at 6-6, and then pushed on to score 9 of the next 10 points to win game one, 15-7. The last four points came on consecutive rallies. After a forehand winner by Waselenchuk and then a forehand pinch winner by Croft, Croft hit a drive jam serve to the left side that came around to Landa on the right side, and he skipped a backhand return shot.

Croft and Waselenchuk went out to a 5-0 lead in game two, and it looked like they would just run away with it. However, Landa and Murray didn't quit, and they worked their way back into the game, and got within one trailing 7-6.

Unfortunately for them, Landa and Murray only got one more point in the match, as Croft and Waselenchuk went on to win the game 15-7 and the match in two straight games. But it wasn't a quick ending, as the last 8 points took 27 rallies to get. Landa and Murray served 9 times but only got one point.

Waselenchuk got his side their 13th and 14th points in his typical style: a soft backhand pinch shot for 13 and then 14 was a forehand kill shot as he was falling backwards that most players couldn't have made good on let alone flat rolled. But Waselenchuk isn't most players.

Match point came as Croft hit a high lob that nicked off the right side wall, and Landa couldn't successfully return it as it come close by the back wall.

Check out the action from Minneapolis via the IRT media outlets: The IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page.

2019 UnitedHealthcare US Open Racquetball Championships
Minneapolis, Minnesota - October 2-6, 2019

IRT Doubles - Semi-finals - Friday

1) Alvaro Beltran & Daniel De La Rosa d. Kadim Carrasco & Carlos Keller, 15-12, 15-9
2) Ben Croft & Kane Waselenchuk d. 3) Alejandro Landa & Samuel Murray, 15-7, 15-7

IRT Doubles - Final - Saturday

1) Alvaro Beltran & Daniel De La Rosa v. 2) Ben Croft & Kane Waselenchuk - 5:00 PM

Follow the bouncing ball….

Mejia's run continues at 2019 UnitedHealthcare US Open

Montserrat Mejia's run through the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) draw continued Friday at the 24th UnitedHealthcare US Open Racquetball Championships in Minneapolis, as Mejia defeated 4th seed Alexandra Herrera, who is her doubles partner, 15-3, 5-15, 11-2. Mejia will play LPRT #1 Paola Longoria in the semi-finals, as Longoria beat Masiel Rivera, 15-8, 15-8, in the quarterfinals.

Samantha Salas and Maria Jose Vargas will face off in the other semi. Both players won their respective quarterfinal matches in two straight games. Salas defeated Nancy Enriquez, 15-9, 15-9, while Vargas beat Natalia Mendez, 15-13, 15-2, in what was also a battle of doubles partners.

In the middle of game two, it looked like Enriquez might force Salas into a tie-breaker, as she was up 8-4. But Salas turned up the heat, and was able to win 11 of the next 12 points to win the game 15-9. The 14th point came off an avoidable / penalty hinder call against Enriquez, who then skipped a shot on the next rally to end the game and match.

The LPRT Doubles semi-finals were not close. Top seeds Longoria and Salas defeated 4th seeds Brenda Laime and Rivera, 15-6, 15-4, while Herrera and Mejia beat Enriquez and Jessica Parrilla, 15-4, 15-1. The wins set up a 4th meeting between Longoria and Salas and Herrera and Mejia, and the previous three have all gone to Longoria and Salas.

In fact, Longoria is undefeated in doubles at the US Open, although she played with two other partners (Veronica Sotomayor, 2014, Gabriela Martinez, 2017) in years Salas was injured.

Look to the the LPRT website, or the LPRT YouTube channel for some of the US Open action.

2019 UnitedHealthcare US Open Racquetball Championships
Minneapolis, Minnesota - October 2-6, 2019

LPRT Singles - Quarterfinals - Friday

1) Paola Longoria d. 9) Masiel Rivera, 15-8, 15-8
12) Montserrat Mejia d. 4) Alexandra Herrera, 15-3, 5-15, 11-2

3) Maria Jose Vargas d. 6) Natalia Mendez, 15-13, 15-2
2) Samantha Salas d. 7) Nancy Enriquez, 15-9, 15-9

LPRT Singles - Semi-finals - Saturday

1) Paola Longoria v. 12) Montserrat Mejia - 1 PM
2) Samantha Salas v. 3) Maria Jose Vargas - 10 AM

LPRT Doubles - Semi-finals - Friday

1) Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas d. 4) Brenda Laime & Masiel Rivera, 15-6, 15-4
3) Alexandra Herrera & Montserrat Mejia d. Nancy Enriquez & Jessica Parrilla, 15-4, 15-1

LPRT Doubles - Final - Saturday

1) Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas v. 3) Alexandra Herrera & Montserrat Mejia - 4 PM

Follow the bouncing ball….

IRT Quarterfinals at 2019 UnitedHealthcare US Open

Alejandro Landa claimed the first spot in the semi-finals of the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) competition at the 24th UnitedHealthcare US Open Racquetball Championships with a win over Alvaro Beltran, 15-9, 15-13. Landa, the IRT's #4 ranked player, will play his 3rd career US Open semi-final Saturday against IRT #1 and 11 time defending US Open champion Kane Waselenchuk, who beat Javier Mar in two straight games, 15-5, 15-3.

Landa generally controlled the first game against Beltran, as he went up 12-5. But then a few skips from Landa let Beltran back into the game, as he closed the gap to 12-9. Landa got the serve back with a forehand cross court from the left side.

He then put together three straight points to close out game one, winning it with a forehand pinch shot.

They were close early in game two and then Beltran pulled ahead 8-4 and then 9-5. Landa started his comeback with a drive serve ace to the left side, 9-6, and followed that up with three points on consecutive rallies to tie the score 9-9.

Beltran went back ahead 11-9 only to see Landa tie it again at 11-11. Landa went ahead, 12-11, with a backhand winner, and held the lead from there. But it took 20 rallies to get the last three points, as Beltran kept fighting to push the match to a tie-breaker. Landa ended it in style, as he hit a drive serve ace to the left side.

Daniel De La Rosa, who was a finalist last year in Minneapolis, defeated Andree Parrilla, 13-15, 15-5, 11-7, in a hotly contested match. It looked like De La Rosa would win game one, as he led most of the way, although never by a lot. But they were tied late at 11-11 and 13-13, when Parrilla got the serve back with a backhand winner.

He got 14 after appealing for an avoidable, and it was given by the line judges. De La Rosa skipped a forehand shot on the next rally to end the game in Parrilla's favour, 15-13.

Game two was all De La Rosa, as he took a 9-1 lead, and cruised to a 15-5 win. Game three was a different story. Parrilla took the early lead 4-0, but De La Rosa tied it at 4-4. Those 8 points took 35 rallies to get, as both players seemed to be feeling the weight of a US Open semi-final berth.

They also tied at 5-5 and 6-6. But after De La Rosa got to 7 with a backhand winner, he never trailed again. Parrilla called a timeout at that point - trailing 7-6 - and when play resumed he hit an overhead cut forehand reverse pinch, which was an incredible "no guts, no glory" kind of shot.

Sadly, it didn't lead to points for Parrilla, as he would only score one more before De La Rosa ended it with a forehand pinch shot from the front court. Credit Parrilla for fighting off three match points before the end, but big props to De La Rosa, who's slipped down the rankings to #6, behind his fellow Mexicans, Parrilla, Landa and Beltran.

But De La Rosa is in the US Open semi-finals, and they can't all say that.

In the semis, De La Rosa will play IRT #15 Conrado Moscoso, who was a straight game winner over Sebastian Fernandez, 15-4, 15-4.

Check out the action from Minneapolis via the IRT media outlets: The IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page.

2019 UnitedHealthcare US Open Racquetball Championships
Minneapolis, Minnesota - October 2-6, 2019

IRT - Quarterfinals - Friday

1) Kane Waselenchuk d. Javier Mar, 15-5, 15-3
4) Alejandro Landa d. 5) Alvaro Beltran, 15-9, 15-13

6) Daniel De La Rosa d. 3) Andree Parrilla, 13-15, 15-5, 11-7
15) Conrrado Moscoso d. Sebastian Fernandez, 15-4, 15-4

IRT - Semi-finals - Saturday

1) Kane Waselenchuk v. 4) Alejandro Landa - 2 PM
6) Daniel De La Rosa v. 15) Conrrado Moscoso - 11 AM

Follow the bouncing ball….

Beltran & De La Rosa into semis at 2019 UnitedHealthcare US Open

Alvaro Beltran and Daniel De La Rosa, the defending champions in International Racquetball Tour (IRT) doubles at the UnitedHealthcare US Open Racquetball Championships in Minneapolis, Minnesota, played like they won the title last year, as they snuffed out the throwback team of Rocky Carson and Cliff Swain, 15-5, 15-7, in the quarterfinals. They'll play Kadim Carrasco and Carlos Keller in the semi-finals Friday, as Carrasco and Keller upset 3rd seeds Sebastian Franco and Mario Mercado, 15-10, 14-15, 11-8.

After dropping the first game of their match, veterans Carson and Swain actually led at the start of game two, 3-0 and 6-4. But the defending champs Beltran and De La Rosa stepped it up, and outscored the veterans 11-1 from there on out. They got the last four points on consecutive rallies, including one that was a drive serve ace by De La Rosa to Swain.

Second seeds Ben Croft and Kane Waselenchuk, who were runners up last year, also won their match in two straight games, as they beat Javier Estrada and Ernesto Ochoa, 15-7, 15-9. They'll play either Alejandro Landa and Samuel Murray or Roland Keller and Conrrado Moscoso in the semis Friday.

In the other quarters, the Keller brothers had a split. Carlos Keller and Kadim Carrasco defeated 4th seeds Sebastian Franco and Mario Mercado, 15-10, 14-15, 11-8, but Roland Keller and Conrrado Moscoso lost to 3rd seeds Alejandro Landa and Samuel Murray, 15-11, 15-8.

Check out the action from Minneapolis via the IRT media outlets: The IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page.

2019 UnitedHealthcare US Open Racquetball Championships
Minneapolis, Minnesota - October 2-6, 2019

IRT Doubles - Quarterfinals - Thursday

1) Alvaro Beltran & Daniel De La Rosa d. Rocky Carson & Cliff Swain, 15-5, 15-7
Kadim Carrasco & Carlos Keller d. 4) Sebastian Franco & Mario Mercado, 15-10, 14-15, 11-8

3) Alejandro Landa & Samuel Murray d. Roland Keller & Conrrado Moscoso, 15-11, 15-8
2) Ben Croft & Kane Waselenchuk d. Javier Estrada & Ernesto Ochoa, 15-7, 15-9

IRT Doubles - Semi-finals - Friday

1) Alvaro Beltran & Daniel De La Rosa v. Kadim Carrasco & Carlos Keller - 7:20 PM
2) Ben Croft & Kane Waselenchuk v. 3) Alejandro Landa & Samuel Murray - 5:20 PM

Follow the bouncing ball….

Moscoso & no Americans into IRT quarterfinals at 2019 UnitedHealthcare US Open

Conrrado Moscoso defeated Rocky Carson, the #2 player on the International Racquetball Tour (IRT), 15-13, 15-5, in the Round of 16 at the 24th UnitedHealthcare US Open Racquetball Championships. It's Moscoso's second victory over Carson this year, as he defeated Carson in the final of the 2019 Bolivia Open in March. The win puts Moscoso into the US Open quarterfinals for the 2nd time in his career; the first was in 2017.

Moscoso will play Sebastian Fernandez in the quarters, who's a surprise quarterfinalist as he's only playing his 2nd US Open. Fernandez beat Adam Manilla in the Round of 16, 15-11, 15-8. He made the quarters for the first time last month at the 2019 Atlanta Open, but that was helped by a forfeit win in the 16s, so not an on court victory.

Two of the other quarterfinals will be Mexican showdowns. IRT #4 Alejandro Landa will play IRT #5 Alvaro Beltran, and #3 Andree Parrilla will play #6 Daniel De La Rosa. In the 16s, Landa beat David Horn, 15-7, 15-11; Beltran took out Thomas Carter, 15-2, 15-8; Parrilla defeated his doubles partner Eduardo Portillo, 15-5, 15-4; and De La Rosa was a winner over Jake Bredenbeck, 15-10, 15-11.

IRT #1 Kane Waselenchuk will play in the final quarterfinal against Javier Mar. Waselenchuk beat Gerardo Franco in the 16s, 15-4, 15-2, while Mar came back from a game down to defeat Carlos Keller, 11-15, 15-5, 11-4.

This will be the 1st US Open IRT draw without a USA player in the quarterfinals.

Check out the action from Minneapolis via the IRT media outlets: The IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page.

2019 UnitedHealthcare US Open Racquetball Championships
Minneapolis, Minnesota - October 2-6, 2019

IRT - Round of 16 - Thursday

1) Kane Waselenchuk d. 16) Gerardo Franco, 15-4, 15-2
Javier Mar d. Carlos Keller, 11-15, 15-5, 11-4

5) Alvaro Beltran d. Thomas Carter, 15-2, 15-8
4) Alejandro Landa d. 13) David Horn, 15-7, 15-11

3) Andree Parrilla d. 14) Eduardo Portillo, 15-5, 15-4
6) Daniel De La Rosa d. 11) Jake Bredenbeck, 15-10, 15-11

Sebastian Fernandez d. Adam Manilla, 15-11, 15-8
15) Conrrado Moscoso d. 2) Rocky Carson, 15-13, 15-5

IRT - Quarterfinals - Friday

1) Kane Waselenchuk v. Javier Mar - 2 PM
4) Alejandro Landa v. 5) Alvaro Beltran - 10 AM

3) Andree Parrilla v. 6) Daniel De La Rosa - 11 AM
15) Conrrado Moscoso v. Sebastian Fernandez - 1 PM

Follow the bouncing ball….

Mejia wins in LPRT Round of 16 at 2019 UnitedHealthcare US Open

Montserrat Mejia beat four time US Open champion and 5th seed Rhonda Rajsich, 15-6, 15-8, in the Round of 16 in the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) draw of the 24th UnitedHealthcare US Open Racquetball Championships in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Mejia will play 4th seed Alexandra Herrera in the quarterfinals Friday. Herrera defeated Carla Muñoz, 15-13, 15-8, in the 16s.

There were no other upsets in the Round of 16 Thursday. LPRT #1 Paola Longoria beat 17th seed Adrienne Haynes, 15-3, 15-2, and will face 9th seed Masiel Rivera, who needed three games to get by qualifier Erin Groves, 5-15, 15-8, 11-3.

LPRT #2 Samantha Salas defeated Gabriela Martinez, 15-12, 15-4, and will play 7th seed Nancy Enriquez in the quarters, as Enriquez outlasted Michelle De La Rosa, 15-10, 13-15, 11-7.

Also in the quarters, doubles partners Maria Jose Vargas and Natalia Mendez will face off, as Vargas beat Frédérique Lambert, 15-4, 15-9, while Mendez come back from a game down to defeat Adriana Riveros, 12-15, 15-12, 11-2. Mendez ended the match in style though, as she hit back to back drive serve aces to the back left corner.

As in the IRT draw, there are no USA women in the LPRT quarterfinals.

Look to the the LPRT website, or the LPRT YouTube channel for some of the US Open action.

2019 UnitedHealthcare US Open Racquetball Championships
Minneapolis, Minnesota - October 2-6, 2019

LPRT Singles - Round of 16 - Thursday

1) Paola Longoria d. 17) Adrienne Haynes, 15-3, 15-2
9) Masiel Rivera d. Erin Groves, 5-15, 15-8, 11-3

12) Montserrat Mejia d. 5) Rhonda Rajsich, 15-6, 15-8
4) Alexandra Herrera d. 20) Carla Muñoz, 15-13, 15-8

3) Maria Jose Vargas d. 14) Frédérique Lambert, 15-4, 15-9
6) Natalia Mendez d. 11) Adriana Riveros, 12-15, 15-12, 11-2

7) Nancy Enriquez d. 23) Michelle De La Rosa, 15-10, 13-15, 11-7
2) Samantha Salas d. 19) Gabriela Martinez, 15-12, 15-4

LPRT Singles - Quarterfinals - Friday

1) Paola Longoria v. 9) Masiel Rivera - 2:00 PM
4) Alexandra Herrera v. 12) Montserrat Mejia - 10 AM

3) Maria Jose Vargas v. 6) Natalia Mendez - 11 AM
2) Samantha Salas v. 7) Nancy Enriquez - 1 PM

LPRT Doubles - Quarterfinals - Thursday

1) Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas d. Kelani Lawrence & Michelle De La Rosa, 15-6, 15-10
4) Brenda Laime & Masiel Rivera d. Hollie Scott & Lexi York, 15-8, 15-11

3) Alexandra Herrera & Montserrat Mejia d. Gabriela Martinez & Maria Renee Rodriguez, 15-5, 12-15, 11-8
Nancy Enriquez & Jessica Parrilla d. 2) Natalia Mendez & Maria Jose Vargas, 9-15, 15-6, 11-1

LPRT Doubles - Semi-finals - Friday

1) Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas v. 4) Brenda Laime & Masiel Rivera - 6:20 PM
3) Alexandra Herrera & Montserrat Mejia v. Nancy Enriquez & Jessica Parrilla - 4:10 PM

Follow the bouncing ball….

LPRT Round of 32 at 2019 UnitedHealthcare US Open

Three upsets in the Round of 32 in the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) draw at the 24th UnitedHealthcare US Open Racquetball Championships in Minneapolis, Minnesota with the biggest one being Erin Groves's win over 8th seed Cristina Amaya in two straight games, 15-13, 15-13. Graves will play 9th seed Masiel Rivera in the Round of 16, as Rivera beat 24th seed Jessica Parrilla, 15-8, 15-4, in the 32s.

In other action, 23rd seed Michelle De La Rosa beat 10th seed Brenda Laime, 15-12, 15-11, and 17th seed Adrienne Haynes eked out the 16/17 match, with a win over 16th seed Sheryl Lotts, 11-15, 15-11, 11-6.

Haynes will play LPRT #1 Paola Longoria next, as she was an easy winner over Linda Tyler, 15-2, 15-3. LPRT #2 Samantha Salas also won comfortably against Cheryl Gudinas, 15-1, 15-1. But Salas's next match won't be so easy, as she'll face Gabriela Martinez, who is the current International Racquetball Federation (IRF) Women's Singles World Champion. Martinez beat Cassi Lee, 15-5, 15-2.

Look to the the LPRT website, or the LPRT YouTube channel for some of the US Open action.

2019 UnitedHealthcare US Open Racquetball Championships
Minneapolis, Minnesota - October 2-6, 2019

LPRT Singles - Round of 32 - Thursday

1) Paola Longoria d. Linda Tyler, 15-2, 15-3
17) Adrienne Haynes d. 16) Sheryl Lotts, 11-15, 15-11, 11-6

9) Masiel Rivera d. 24) Jessica Parrilla, 15-8, 15-4
Erin Groves d. 8) Cristina Amaya, 15-13, 15-13

5) Rhonda Rajsich d. Maiko Sato, 15-5, 15-5
12) Montserrat Mejia d. 21) Maria Renee Rodriguez, 15-12, 15-4

20) Carla Muñoz d. 13) Ana Laura Flores, 12-15, 15-9, 11-1
4) Alexandra Herrera d. Montserrat Perez, 15-9, 15-1

3) Maria Jose Vargas d. Lexi York, 15-2, 15-2
14) Frédérique Lambert d. 19) Angelica Barrios, 15-14, 15-13

11) Adriana Riveros d. 22) Kelani Lawrence, 15-6, 15-12
6) Natalia Mendez d. Jenny Daza, 15-4, 15-3

7) Nancy Enriquez d. Hollie Scott, 15-12, 15-14
23) Michelle De La Rosa d. 10) Brenda Laime, 15-12, 15-11

19) Gabriela Martinez d. 15) Cassi Lee, 15-5, 15-2
2) Samantha Salas d. Cheryl Gudinas, 15-1, 15-1

LPRT Singles - Round of 16 - Thursday

1) Paola Longoria v. 17) Adrienne Haynes - 5:30 PM
9) Masiel Rivera v. Erin Groves - 5:30 PM

5) Rhonda Rajsich v. 12) Montserrat Mejia, 2:00 PM
4) Alexandra Herrera v. 20) Carla Muñoz - 2:00 AM

3) Maria Jose Vargas v. 14) Frédérique Lambert - 3:10 PM
6) Natalia Mendez v. 11) Adriana Riveros - 3:10 PM

7) Nancy Enriquez v. 23) Michelle De La Rosa - 4:20 PM
2) Samantha Salas v. 19) Gabriela Martinez - 4:20 PM

LPRT Doubles - Quarterfinals - Thursday

1) Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas v. Kelani Lawrence & Michelle De La Rosa - 9 PM
4) Brenda Laime & Masiel Rivera v. Hollie Scott & Lexi York - 7:50 PM

3) Alexandra Herrera & Montserrat Mejia v. Gabriela Martinez & Maria Renee Rodriguez - 7:50 PM
2) Natalia Mendez & Maria Jose Vargas v. Nancy Enriquez & Jessica Parrilla - 9 PM

Follow the bouncing ball….

Manilla & Fernandez IRT bracket busters in 2019 UnitedHealthcare US Open

The International Racquetball Tour (IRT) Round of 32 at the 24th UnitedHealthcare US Open Racquetball Championships has produced some good matches highlighted by Conrrado Moscoso's comeback victory over Andres Acuña, 10-15, 15-6, 11-5. The win puts Moscoso into the Round of 16 against IRT #2 Rocky Carson, who was a winner over Maurice Miller, 15-8, 15-7.

The 7-10 seed bracket got totally busted, as Adam Manilla beat 7th seed Sebastian Franco, 15-4, 15-7, and Sebastian Fernandez knocked off 10th seed Mario Mercado, 15-14, 15-5. Manilla and Fernandez will playoff tonight for a spot in the quarterfinals, which will be a first for either of them, while Franco and Mercado will have to console themselves with doubles, where they are the 3rd seeds.

The 8-9 bracket also busted, as 8th seed Samuel Murray was upset by Pan American Champion Carlos Keller, 10-15, 15-10, 11-8, and 9th seed Rodrigo Montoya lost to his doubles partner, Javier Mar, 11-15, 15-13, 11-9. Keller and Mar will playoff in the 16s tonight. If Mar wins, it will be his 2nd US Open quarterfinal appearance, as he was in the quarters in 2017, while Keller has never got that far.

Thomas Carter was also an upset winner, as he defeated 12th seed Jose Diaz, 14-15, 15-11, 11-9. Carter will play 5th seed Alvaro Beltran in the Round of 16, and Beltran also needed a breaker to advance, as he went three games with Kadim Carrasco, 10-15, 15-10, 11-6.

Finally, Gerardo Franco ended Bradly Rogers's US Open dream for this year, although he needed three games to do it, winning 5-15, 15-2, 11-5. Franco will play IRT #1 Kane Waselenchuk in the 16s, as Waselenchuk beat Javier Estrada, 15-4, 15-7.

Check out the action from Minneapolis via the IRT media outlets: The IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page.

2019 UnitedHealthcare US Open Racquetball Championships
Minneapolis, Minnesota - October 2-6, 2019

IRT - Round of 32 - Thursday

1) Kane Waselenchuk d. Javier Estrada, 15-4, 15-7
16) Gerardo Franco d. Bradly Rogers, 5-15, 15-2, 11-5

Javier Mar d. 9) Rodrigo Montoya, 11-15, 15-13, 11-9
Carlos Keller d. 8) Samuel Murray, 10-15, 15-10, 11-8

5) Alvaro Beltran d. Kadim Carrasco, 10-15, 15-10, 11-6
Thomas Carter d. 12) Jose Diaz, 14-15, 15-11, 11-9

13) David Horn d. Jaime Martell, 15-13, 15-6
4) Alejandro Landa d. Francisco Gomez Reyes, 15-0, 15-1

3) Andree Parrilla d. Troy Warigon, 15-1, 15-4
14) Eduardo Portillo d. Charles Pratt, 15-7, 15-2

11) Jake Bredenbeck d. Jansen Allen, 15-12, 15-9
6) Daniel De La Rosa d. Eduardo Garay, 15-7, 8-15, 11-7

Adam Manilla d. 7) Sebastian Franco, 15-4, 15-7
Sebastian Fernandez d. 10) Mario Mercado, 15-14, 15-5

15) Conrrado Moscoso d. Andres Acuña, 10-15, 15-6, 11-5
2) Rocky Carson d. Maurice Miller, 15-8, 15-7

IRT - Round of 16 - Thursday

1) Kane Waselenchuk v. 16) Gerardo Franco - 6:40 PM
Javier Mar v. Carlos Keller - 6:40 PM

5) Alvaro Beltran v. Thomas Carter - 3:10 PM
4) Alejandro Landa v. 13) David Horn - 3:10 PM

3) Andree Parrilla v. 14) Eduardo Portillo - 4:20 PM
6) Daniel De La Rosa v. 11) Jake Bredenbeck - 4:20 PM

Adam Manilla v. Sebastian Fernandez - 5:30 PM
2) Rocky Carson v. 15) Conrrado Moscoso - 5:30 PM

Follow the bouncing ball….

Upsets aplenty in last round of IRT Doubles at 2019 UnitedHealthcare US Open

We don't recommend losing the first game of a match, but that worked out for three of doubles teams in the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) draw Thursday morning at the 24th UnitedHealthcare US Open Racquetball Championships in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and all three were upset wins. Some have called this the best men's doubles draw ever, and this morning's results support that claim.

The wily veterans Rocky Carson and Cliff Swain were one of the upset winners, as they came back from a game down to defeat Charles Pratt and Dylan Reid, 10-15, 15-2, 11-8.

Carson and Swain had an early lead in the breaker, but Pratt and Reid caught up at 5-5 and 7-7, and went ahead 8-7. But Carson's backhand reverse pinch got his side the serve back.

However, the veterans didn't put points on the board, so Pratt and Reid had a chance to add to their lead. Yet they couldn't score either, as play intensified with Swain hitting a pinch winner and Pratt being forced into skipping a shot.

A Swain cross court shot forced a skip out of Reid to make it 8-8, then Swain hit a drive serve ace to the right side that Pratt and Reid thought was short, but it was called good: 9-8.

Carson finished off the match with a pinch winner for 10-8, and then a reverse pinch winner for match point. Their win puts Carson and Swain into the quarterfinals tonight against top seeds and defending champions Alvaro Beltran and Daniel De La Rosa.

In other action, the top seeds in qualifying - Jake Bredenbeck and Jose Diaz - were knocked off by Kadim Carrasco and Carlos Keller, 6-15, 15-9, 11-8. Carrasco and Keller will play Sebastian Franco and Mario Mercado in the quarterfinals tonight.

And Keller's older brother Roland was also a winner with Conrrado Moscoso, as they came back to defeat the Pan American Games gold medalists Javier Mar and Rodrigo Montoya, 8-15, 15-11, 11-6.

In the final qualifying match, Javier Estrada and Ernesto Ochoa upset Adam Manilla and Nicholas Riffel, 15-8, 15-14, so none of the top four seeded teams in qualifying made the quarterfinals.

Check out the action from Minneapolis via the IRT media outlets: The IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page.

2019 UnitedHealthcare US Open Racquetball Championships
Minneapolis, Minnesota - October 2-6, 2019

IRT Doubles Qualifying - Round of 16 - Thursday

Q1: 9) Kadim Carrasco & Carlos Keller d. 1) Jake Bredenbeck & Jose Diaz, 6-15, 15-9, 11-8
Q4: 13) Rocky Carson & Cliff Swain d. 12) Charles Pratt & Dylan Reid, 10-15, 15-2, 11-8

Q3: 22) Javier Estrada & Ernesto Ochoa d. 3) Adam Manilla & Nicholas Riffel, 15-8, 15-14
Q2: 7) Roland Keller & Conrrado Moscoso d. 2) Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya, 8-15, 15-11, 11-6

IRT Doubles - Quarterfinals - Thursday

1) Alvaro Beltran & Daniel De La Rosa v. Rocky Carson & Cliff Swain - 7:50 PM
3) Sebastian Franco & Mario Mercado v. Kadim Carrasco & Carlos Keller - 7:50 PM

3) Alejandro Landa & Samuel Murray v. Roland Keller & Conrrado Moscoso - 9 PM
2) Ben Croft & Kane Waselenchuk v. Javier Estrada & Ernesto Ochoa - 9 PM

Follow the bouncing ball….

Carson & Swain fight back to win at 2019 UnitedHealthcare US Open

Some great matches in the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) doubles competition Wednesday night at the 24th UnitedHealthcare US Open Racquetball Championships in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and none better than veterans Rocky Carson and Cliff Swain coming back from a game down and facing match points in games two and three to defeat Andree Parrilla and Eduardo Portillo, 9-15, 15-14, 11-10.

How crazy was it? Carson and Swain led 7-6 in game one, and they only led again when they got the winning points at the end of games two and three.

Parrilla and Portillo went from 6-7 down in game one to 14-7 up, and closed it out at 15-9. Their momentum continued in game two, as they took a 6-0 lead.

But Carson and Swain came back to tie it at 9-9 and 10-10. However, the young Mexicans took the lead late, as they got to match point at 14-11. They had six match points, but failed to convert any of them, as Parrilla and Portillo each made two skips and Swain hit two winners.

A Carson forehand on the left side tied the score at 14-14, and then Swain hit a winner that Parrilla dove to retrieve but was unsuccessful.

Game three started like game two, as Parrilla and Portillo went up 6-1, 8-2, and then again reached match point at 10-4. Swain hit a winning return to fend the first match point, and an overhead winner to get the serve back.

Carson and Swain scored two points, but then Carson whiffed on a ball that came off the right wall and along the back wall. But the Mexicans couldn't close it, as Parrilla skipped a backhand shot, and then Carson hit a winning return cross court. When Swain rekilled a ball to make the score 10-7, Parrilla and Portillo called timeout.

Parrilla gifted his opponents their 8th point when he skipped a shot, although to be fair he was diving for it. Carson put his side half out after he skipped a forehand pinch shot. But he hit a winner on the next rally to make it 10-9. A Swain forehand tied the game 10-10.

On their first match point, Carson hit an off speed Z serve to Parrilla on the right side, and he skipped the return. It was a sad ending to a great match.

Carson and Swain's reward for all that work is a 9:20 AM match Thursday against either Andres Acuña and Felipe Camacho or Charles Pratt and Dylan Reid.

Check out the action from Minneapolis via the IRT media outlets: The IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page.

2019 UnitedHealthcare US Open Racquetball Championships
Minneapolis, Minnesota - October 2-6, 2019

IRT Doubles Qualifying - Round of 32 - Wednesday

1) Jake Bredenbeck & Jose Diaz d. 16) Eduardo Garay & Alan Natera, 15-11, 15-11
9) Kadim Carrasco & Carlos Keller d. 8) Alejandro Cardona & Gerardo Franco, forfeit

5) Andres Acuña & Felipe Camacho v. 12) Charles Pratt & Dylan Reid - 10:00 PM
13) Rocky Carson & Cliff Swain d. 4) Andree Parrilla & Eduardo Portillo, 9-15, 15-14, 11-10

3) Adam Manilla & Nicholas Riffel d. 14) Edwin Galicia & Juan Salvatierra, 15-13, 15-2
6) Jansen Allen & Shai Manzuri v. 22) Javier Estrada & Ernesto Ochoa - 10:00 PM

7) Roland Keller & Conrrado Moscoso d. 10) Maurice Miller & Troy Warigon, 15-3, 15-12
2) Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya d. 18) Justus Benson & Erik Garcia, 15-11, 15-12

IRT Doubles Qualifying - Round of 16 - Thursday

Q1: 1) Jake Bredenbeck & Jose Diaz v. 9) Kadim Carrasco & Carlos Keller - 8:10 AM
Q4: 5) Andres Acuña & Felipe Camacho or 12) Charles Pratt & Dylan Reid v. 13) Rocky Carson & Cliff Swain - 9:20 AM

Q3: 3) Adam Manilla & Nicholas Riffel v. 6) Jansen Allen & Shai Manzuri or 22) Javier Estrada & Ernesto Ochoa - 9:20 AM
Q2: 2) Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya v. 7) Roland Keller & Conrrado Moscoso - 8:10 AM

IRT Doubles - Quarterfinals - Thursday

1) Alvaro Beltran & Daniel De La Rosa v. Q4 - 7:50 PM
3) Sebastian Franco & Mario Mercado v. Q1 - 7:50 PM

3) Alejandro Landa & Samuel Murray v. Q2 - 9 PM
2) Ben Croft & Kane Waselenchuk v. Q3 - 9 PM

Follow the bouncing ball….