Another day, another young player making causing upsets at the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) TeamRoot.com Super Max Slam in Overland Park, Kansas. Saturday morning it was Angelica Barrios upsetting LPRT #2 Maria Jose Vargas, 1-15, 15-8, 11-10. Yes, Barrios lost game one 15-1, yet won the match. The win puts her into her second ever semi-final later today. Barrios was in the semis at the Bolivia American Iris Open in March of last year.
Paola Longoria, the LPRT’s #1 player, seems to be in form despite no LPRT matches (indoors) in 10 months, as she beat LPRT #8 Jessica Parrilla, 15-5, 15-1. But Longoria could have a stiff test in her the semi-finals, when she’ll play Gabriela Martinez, who needed a tie-breaker to defeat Holly Scott, 15-, -15, 11-1.
Barrios never seemed in game one against Vargas, who was on fire. But the tables flipped in game two, as Barrios took a 9-1 lead. Vargas did fight back, and got within two at 9-7. However, Barrios held her nerve and closed out game two, 15-8.
Generally, when there are too two blow outs, the tie-breaker is close, and so it was with Barrios and Vargas. The difference was never more than three, and they were tied at 3-3 and 5-5.
Barrios then got up 8-5, and looked like she was going to complete the comeback. However, the veteran Vargas dug in and scored five straight points to lead 10-8. In that streak, Barrios made a few errors by skipping shots.
But Barrios hit a winning backhand return off a lob serve on Vargas’s match point, which put her back in the service box. She then got two points as Vargas was called for avoidable (or penalty) hinders, and those did seem to the correct calls, as Vargas hit shots that came back to herself and Barrios was there to hit the ball.
On her match point, Barrios hit a lob serve to Vargas’s backhand, which was the serve that had been successful for her throughout the match. On the ensuing rally, Barrios hit a forehand cross court that came out of the back left corner, and Vargas was in position to hit it, but missed the ball. Point, game and match to Barrios.
You can watch the TeamRoot.com Super Max Slam live via the LPRT YouTube channel or the LPRT website (click “LPRT Live” at the top of the page). The quarterfinals continue Saturday at noon. The Doubles quarters are at 1 and 2 PM Saturday. The singles semi-finals are Saturday afternoon at 5 and 6 PM and the doubles semis at 7PM. The singles final will be 1 PM Sunday with the doubles final to follow at 2 PM. All times central.
2020 LPRT TeamRoot.com Super Max Slam, December 4-6, 2020
Overland Park, Kansas
Quarterfinals - Saturday
1) Paola Longoria d. 8) Jessica Parrilla, 15-5, 15-1
21) Gabriela Martinez d. 20) Hollie Scott, 15-4, 12-15, 11-1
3) Alexandra Herrera d. 6) Natalia Mendez, 15-9, 15-14
23) Angelica Barrios d. 2) Maria Jose Vargas, 1-15, 15-8, 11-10
Semi-finals - Saturday
1) Paola Longoria v. 21) Gabriela Martinez - 6 PM
3) Alexandra Herrera v. 23) Angelica Barrios - 5 PM
Doubles - Quarterfinals - Saturday
1) Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas d. 8) Brenda Laime & Masiel Rivera, 15-6, 15-11
4) Alexandra Herrera & Montserrat Mejia d. 5) Jessica Parrilla & Erin Rivera, 12-15, 15-9, 11-4
6) Gabriela Martinez & Maria Renee Rodriguez d. 3) Nancy Enriquez & Carla Muñoz, 15-11, 15-8
2) Valeria Centellas & Natalia Mendez d. 7) Cristina Amaya & Adriana Riveros, 15-4, 15-8
Doubles - Semi-finals - Saturday
1) Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas v. 4) Alexandra Herrera & Montserrat Mejia - 7 PM
2) Valeria Centellas & Natalia Mendez v. 6) Gabriela Martinez & Maria Renee Rodriguez - 7 PM
Follow the bouncing ball….
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment