Portillo in 1st career IRT final at 42nd Lewis Drug Pro-Am

Eduardo Portillo will play his 1st International Racquetball Tour (IRT) final on Sunday at the 42nd Lewis Drug Pro-Am in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Portillo will take on Daniel De La Rosa, who will be playing his 4th consecutive Lewis Drug final and his 2nd IRT event final. Portillo, who just 20, reached the final with a win over Samuel Murray, 15-4, 15-14, while De La Rosa beat Conrrado Moscoso in the other semi, 15-8, 15-11.

Portillo served lights out in the first game against Murray, getting five aces or service winners, including a crack ace serve that came off the left side wall just over the short line for the game winner. Yet Murray started well in game two, as he took a 7-0 lead in game two using some very effective drive Z serves to Portillo’s backhand.

When Portillo got within one at 10-9, Murray again pushed on and got to game point at 14-10. However, Portillo got the serve back with a forehand cross court winner, and then scored five points without giving up the serve, including another two aces, to win the game 15-14 and match two straight.

De La Rosa has looked strong all tournament, and is coming off a final appearance last week at the Longhorn Open in Austin, Texas. He defeated Moscoso by a comfortable margin in their semi, which puts him in the final for the four year running. Three years ago he won, defeating Alvaro Beltran in the final. Two years ago, De La Rosa lost to Alejandro Landa, and last year he lost to Kane Waselenchuk. Sunday De La Rosa will try to even his Lewis Drug final record at 2-2 with win over Portillo.

Sunday’s final will be the first all Mexico final since last April, when Landa beat Beltran in Florida.

The doubles final will also be an all Mexico showdown as De La Rosa and Beltran face off against Javier Mar and Rodrigo Montoya. Top seeds De La Rosa and Beltran defeated 4th seeds Adam Manilla and Mario Mercado, 15-6, 15-12, in the semi-finals, while 3rd seeds Mar and Montoya got a forfeit win over Landa and Murray due to Landa’s arm injury.

Look for the Lewis Drug finals via the usual IRT media outlets: The IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page. The singles final will be 11 AM Sunday with the doubles final to follow at noon. Both times Central.

2020 IRT Lewis Drug Pro-Am, January 23-26, 2020
Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Quarterfinals - Saturday

8) Samuel Murray d. 1) Alejandro Landa, 15-6, injury forfeit
5) Eduardo Portillo d. 4) Alvaro Beltran, 15-5, 15-6

6) Conrrado Moscoso d. Javier Mar, 15-7, 15-9
7) Daniel De La Rosa d. 2) Rocky Carson, 15-12, 15-11

Semi-finals - Saturday

5) Eduardo Portillo d. 8) Samuel Murray, 15-4, 15-14
7) Daniel De La Rosa d. 6) Conrrado Moscoso, 15-8, 15-11

Final - Sunday

5) Eduardo Portillo v. 7) Daniel De La Rosa - 11 AM

IRT Doubles - Semi-finals - Saturday

1) Alvaro Beltran &  Daniel De La Rosa d. 4) Adam Manilla & Mario Mercado, 15-6, 15-12
3) Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya d. 2) Alejandro Landa & Samuel Murray, injury forfeit

IRT Doubles - Final - Saturday

1) Alvaro Beltran &  Daniel De La Rosa v. 3) Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya - Noon

Follow the bouncing ball….