Thursday results from 2020 USAR National Doubles Championships

There were a couple of upsets at the USA Racquetball National Doubles Championships Thursday at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona. But is really an upset when the #2 player on the International Racquetball Tour and a racquetball legend win a match?

Alejandro Landa - IRT #2 - and Sudsy Monchik - said legend - were the 5th seeds in Men’s US Team Doubles, and they narrowly beat 4th seeds and former Doubles Champions Jansen Allen and Tony Carson, 13-15, 15-12, 11-9. In the breaker, Landa and Monchik led 3-0, but that was the biggest lead either team had, as it was back and forth the whole way with ties at 3, 4, 6, 7 and 9.

Landa and Monchik got to 9 first, when Landa hit a forehand reverse winner that made it 9-7. Allen and Carson called a timeout at that point, and when play resumed two winners by Carson get them the serve back. They tied it with a winner from Allen and a skip by Landa.

But they lost serve in a weird way. Allen hit a ball that was high, so it came off the back wall - and hit Allen in the back as he crouched down in an attempt to get out of the way. If that wasn’t weird enough, on the next rally the ball found Allen’s racquet a second time after he’d hit it. Thus, Allen - and his racquet - got hit by the ball on consecutive rallies.

That’s not good.

Landa and Monchik took advantage. They got another bit of good fortune on the next rally, when Carson slipped as he was hitting a backhand, which looked like a good set up for him but resulted in a skip. Monchik finished off the match with a backhand reverse pinch shot.

Top seeds and defending Champions, Rocky Carson and Charlie Pratt will play Landa and Monchik in the semi-finals Friday. Carson and Pratt beat 9th seeds Robert Collins and Mauricio Zelada, 15-9, 15-3, in the quarters.

Another upset happened on the other side of the men’s draw, when 6th seeds Erik Garcia and David Horn got the better of 3rd seeds Adam Manilla and Nicholas Riffel, 7-15, 15-3, 11-5. Garcia and Horn will play 2nd seeds - and last year’s finalists - Jake Bredenbeck and Jose Diaz, who needed a breaker to get past 7th seeds Maurice Miller and Troy Warigon, 15-7, 13-15, 11-7.


In Women’s Doubles, 4th seeds Jazmin Trevino and Erin Slutzky fought off match point to come back and defeat 5th seeds Cassi Lee and Fran Transfiguracion, 3-15, 15-14, 11-8. They will play Erika Manilla and Aimee Ruiz, the top seeds, in the semi-finals on Friday.

The other semi will be 2nd seeds Kelani Bailey Lawrence and Sheryl Lotts versus 3rd seeds Hollie Scott and Lexi York, as Scott and York beat 6th seeds Jessica Chen and Graci Wargo, 15-4, 15-3, in the quarters Thursday.

The USA National Doubles Champions will earn the right to represent their country at the 2020 International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Championships in San Luis Potosi, Mexico in August.

Singles Play

In Men’s Team Singles, 12th seed Mauricio Zelada was the big winner, as he knocked off 5th seed Charlie Pratt, 15-12, 15-11, in the Round of 16. Zelada will play 4th seed David Horn in the quarterfinals, as Horn beat 13th seed Troy Warigon, 15-5, 15-4, in the 16s.

No other upsets in the men’s Round of 16. Top seed Rocky Carson beat 16th seed Ben Baron, 15-4, 15-8, and 2nd seed Alejandro Landa defeated 15th seed Justus Benson, 15-7, 15-6.

No upsets in Women’s Team Singles, and the top seeds weren’t in action Thursday. In Friday’s quarterfinals, top seed Rhonda Rajsich will play 8th seed Jessica Chen, who was a winner over 9th seed Graci Wargo, 15-6, 15-11, on Thursday. Second seed Kelani Bailey Lawrence will play 7th seed Cassi Lee Friday, as 7th seed Lee beat 10th seed Jazmin Trevino, 15-9, 15-5, in the Round of 16.

You can watch some of the action live from Tempe via the USA Racquetball website. The Men’s and Women’s Doubles finals will be Saturday afternoon with the Singles finals on Sunday. Note the match times below are Mountain Standard Time.

2020 USA Racquetball National Doubles Championships
February 5-9, 2020 - Tempe, Arizona
US National Team Divisions

Men's Doubles

Round of 16 - Thursday

1) Rocky Carson & Charlie Pratt - BYE
9) Robert Collins & Mauricio Zelada d. 8) Thomas Gerhardt & Brent Walters, 15-13, 15-3

5) Alejandro Landa & Sudsy Monchik - BYE
4) Jansen Allen & Tony Carson - BYE

3) Adam Manilla & Nicholas Riffel - BYE
6) Erik Garcia & David Horn d. 11) Ben Baron & Preston Tribble, 15-3, 15-6

7) Maurice Miller & Troy Warigon v. 10) Justus Benson & Sam Bredenbeck, 15-5, 15-6
2) Jake Bredenbeck & Jose Diaz - BYE

Quarterfinals - Thursday

1) Rocky Carson & Charlie Pratt d. 9) Robert Collins & Mauricio Zelada, 15-9, 15-3
5) Alejandro Landa & Sudsy Monchik d. 4) Jansen Allen & Tony Carson, 13-15, 15-12, 11-9

6) Erik Garcia & David Horn d. 3) Adam Manilla & Nicholas Riffel, 7-15, 15-3, 11-5
2) Jake Bredenbeck & Jose Diaz d. 7) Maurice Miller & Troy Warigon, 15-7, 13-15, 11-7

Semi-finals - Friday

1) Rocky Carson & Charlie Pratt v. 5) Alejandro Landa & Sudsy Monchik - 1:25 PM
2) Jake Bredenbeck & Jose Diaz v. 6) Erik Garcia & David Horn - 3:35 PM

Women's Doubles

Quarterfinals - Thursday

1) Erika Manilla & Aimee Ruiz - BYE
4) Jazmin Trevino & Erin Slutzky d. 5) Cassi Lee & Fran Transfiguracion, 3-15, 15-14, 11-8

3) Hollie Scott & Lexi York d. 6) Jessica Chen & Graci Wargo, 15-4, 15-3
2) Kelani Bailey Lawrence & Sheryl Lotts - BYE

Semi-finals - Friday

1) Erika Manilla & Aimee Ruiz v. 4) Jazmin Trevino & Erin Slutzky - 2:30 PM
2) Kelani Bailey Lawrence & Sheryl Lotts v. 3) Hollie Scott & Lexi York - 4:40 PM

Men’s Singles

Round of 32 - Thursday

16) Ben Baron d. 17) Jacob Kingsford, 15-4, 15-3

Men’s Singles

Round of 16 - Thursday

1) Rocky Carson d. 16) Ben Baron, 15-4, 15-8
8) Maurice Miller d. 9) Erik Garcia, 15-12, 5-15, 11-6

12) Mauricio Zelada d. 5) Charlie Pratt, 15-12, 15-11
4) David Horn d. 13) Troy Warigon, 15-5, 15-4

3) Jake Bredenbeck d. 14) Nicholas Riffel, 15-11, 15-6
6) Thomas Carter d. 11) Robert Collins, 0-15, 15-7, 11-9

7) Adam Manilla d. 10) Sam Bredenbeck, 15-8, 15-12
2) Alejandro Landa d. 15) Justus Benson, 15-7, 15-6

Quarterfinals - Friday

1) Rocky Carson v. 8) Maurice Miller - 6:50 PM
4) David Horn v. 12) Mauricio Zelada - 5:45 PM

3) Jake Bredenbeck v. 6) Thomas Carter - 11:15 AM
2) Alejandro Landa v. 7) Adam Manilla - 6:50 PM

Women's Singles

Round of 16 - Thursday

1) Rhonda Rajsich - BYE
8) Jessica Chen d. 9) Graci Wargo, 15-6, 15-11

5) Sheryl Lotts d. 12) Estafania Perez, 15-2, 15-4
4) Erika Manilla d. 13) Fran Transfiguracion, 15-6, 15-4

3) Hollie Scott - BYE
6) Lexi York d. Erin Slutzky, 14-15, 15-4, 11-2

7) Cassi Lee d. 10) Jazmin Trevino, 15-9, 15-5
2) Kelani Bailey Lawrence - BYE

Quarterfinals - Friday

1) Rhonda Rajsich v. 8) Jessica Chen - 12:20 PM
4) Erika Manilla v. 5) Sheryl Lotts - 7:55 PM

3) Hollie Scott v. 6) Lexi York - 12:20 PM
2) Kelani Bailey Lawrence v. 7) Cassi Lee - 11:15 AM

Follow the bouncing ball....