Weekend Round Up - Wins for Portillo and Muñoz

The 2019 Turkey Shoot Open in Lombard, Illinois on the weekend was a Tier 4 International Racquetball Tour (IRT) event, as well as a Tier 1 Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) event. Eduardo Portillo won the IRT event by defeating Jake Bredenbeck in the final, 15-0, 15-6. In the semi-finals, Portillo beat Kyle Ulliman, 15-4, 15-9, while Bredenbeck went the distance with Thomas Carter, winning 5-15, 15-5, 11-5.

Portillo also got the better of Bredenbeck in Men’s Open Doubles, as he and Noe Rivera beat Bredenbeck and Lucas Shoemaker, 15-6, 15-6, in the semi-finals. But in the final, Sam Bredenbeck - Jake’s younger brother - and Ulliman managed to eke out a win over Portillo and Rivera, 9-15, 15-9, 11-7. They got to the final by defeating Carter and Jeremy Dixon, 15-8, 15-7, in the other semi-final.

There was also Mixed Open Doubles in Lombard, and most of the IRT guys and some of the LPRT gals played that also. In the Mixed Open final, it was Valeria Centellas and Portillo defeating Sam Bredenbeck and Aimee Ruiz, 15-10, 15-10. Centellas and Portillo reached the final with a win over Jake Bredenbeck and Natalia Mendez, 15-5, 15-11, in one semi-final, while Bredenbeck and Ruiz had a walk over win against Noe Rivera and Maria Jose Vargas in the other semi.

We suspect Jake had seen enough of Portillo by the end of the weekend.

There was a great Women’s Open draw in Lombard with Carla Muñoz, who was only seeded 6th, emerging on top, as she beat top seed Montserrat Mejia, 15-7, 15-5, in the final. Mejia was in three finals on Sunday: the Women’s Open final, which was played first, followed by the LPRT final, and the LPRT Doubles final. Considering all the racquetball Mejia had to play to get to those finals, it is perhaps not surprising that she went 0-3 on Sunday.

In the semi-finals, Muñoz defeated Cristina Amaya, 15-12, 15-7, while Mejia went tie-breaker with Kelani Bailey Lawrence, winning 12-15, 15-8, 11-5. In the quarterfinals, Muñoz beat Daniela Rico, 15-10, 15-4, and Mejia defeated veteran Susana Acosta, 15-8, 15-11. Also in the quarters, Amaya beat Maria Renee Rogriguez, 15-5, 15-4, and while Bailey Lawrence needed a tie-breaker to get past Hollie Scott, 15-14, 11-15, 11-2.

The next event on the pro racquetball schedule will be the IRT 2019 SPC John A. Pelham Memorial tournament in Portland, Oregon, December 5-8. The LPRT will next be in action at their traditional Christmas Classic in Laurel, Maryland, December 13-15.

2019 Turkey Shoot, November 21-24, 2019
Lombard, Illinois

Women’s Open Final

6) Carla Muñoz d. 1) Montserrat Mejia, 15-7, 15-5

Semi-Finals

1) Montserrat Mejia d. 4) Kelani Bailey Lawrence, 12-15, 15-8, 11-5
6) Carla Muñoz d. 2) Cristina Amaya, 15-12, 15-7

Quarterfinals

1) Montserrat Mejia d. 8) Susana Acosta, 15-8, 15-11
4) Kelani Bailey Lawrence d. 5) Hollie Scott, 15-14, 11-15, 11-2

6) Carla Muñoz d. 14) Daniela Rico, 15-10, 15-4
2) Cristina Amaya d. 10) Maria Renee Rogriguez, 15-5, 15-4

IRT Singles Final

1) Eduardo Portillo d. 2) Jake Bredenbeck, 15-0, 15-6

Semi-Finals

1) Eduardo Portillo d. 5) Kyle Ulliman, 15-4, 15-9
2) Jake Bredenbeck d. 3) Thomas Carter, 5-15, 15-5, 11-5

Quarterfinals

1) Eduardo Portillo d. 8) Geoff Goldblatt, 15-10, 15-0
5) Kyle Ulliman d. 4) Sam Bredenbeck, 15-1, 15-1

3) Thomas Carter d. 11) Rom Dresbach, 15-11, 15-8
2) Jake Bredenbeck d. 10) Fernando Rivera, 15-7, 15-2

Men’s Open Doubles Final

3) Sam Bredenbeck & Kyle Ulliman d. 4) Eduardo Portillo & Noe Rivera, 9-15, 15-9, 11-7

Semi-Finals

4) Eduardo Portillo & Noe Rivera d. 1) Jake Bredenbeck & Lucas Shoemaker, 15-6, 15-6
2) Sam Bredenbeck & Kyle Ulliman d. 3) Thomas Carter & Jeremy Dixon, 15-8, 15-7

Mixed Doubles Final

4) Valeria Centellas & Eduardo Portillo d. 3) Sam Bredenbeck & Aimee Ruiz, 15-10, 15-10

Semi-Finals

4) Valeria Centellas & Eduardo Portillo d. 1) Jake Bredenbeck & Natalia Mendez, 15-5, 15-11
3) Sam Bredenbeck & Aimee Ruiz d. 2) Noe Rivera & Maria Jose Vargas, forfeit

Follow the bouncing ball….