IRT Doubles Qualifying 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

12) Charles Pratt & Dylan Reid d. 5) Andres Acuña & Felipe Camacho, 11-15, 15-10, 11-5
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
22) Javier Estrada & Ernesto Ochoa d. 6) Jansen Allen & Shai Manzuri, 15-9, 15-8

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) 12) Charles Pratt & Dylan Reid v. 13) Rocky Carson & Cliff Swain - 9:20 AM

Q3: 3) Adam Manilla & Nicholas Riffel v. 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….