2021 UnitedHealthcare US Open Preview - Doubles

The 2021 UnitedHealthcare US Open draws will be stacked with players, as you would expect for the largest pro racquetball tournament in the world. The tournament begins next week in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where the top 20 players from the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) and the top 19 players of the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) will be in action. Overall, there are 44 players in the LPRT division and 78 players in the IRT division.

But that’s singles, and we talked about that a bit on Monday. Let’s talk doubles. There will be 15 teams in the LPRT doubles division, which is up from 13 teams in 2019, when the US Open was last held. The IRT doubles division will have 21 teams, which is down from 27 teams in 2019.

We’ve done an anticipated seeding of the teams, although the doubles rankings on tours have a few discrepancies, so what we have is entirely unofficial. But we do know who is playing with whom, and that’s a good place to start.

LPRT

In the LPRT draw, Paola Longoria and Samantha Salas will be the top seeds, and favoured to win, although not as heavily as they would have been two years ago at the last US Open. In part, that’s because in 2019 they lost to Alexandra Herrera and Montserrat Mejia in what was one of the best matches you will ever see. Seriously. Herrera and Mejia will be the 2nd seeds this year.

Although most will expect another Mexican showdown final between Longoria/Salas and Herrera/Mejia again, which would probably be fun, there are two teams that could easily throw a spanner into the works. Valeria Centellas and Natalia Mendez now hailing from Argentina and the Guatemalan team of Gabriela Martinez and Maria Renee Rodriguez should be the 3rd and 4th seeds, and both have the potential to beat either of the Mexican teams.

Mendez played with Maria Jose Vargas previously, but they never seemed to really fit together, despite both being very good players. Centellas won Women’s Doubles at the 2018 International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Championships with Yazmine Sabja, so she knows how to play doubles, and seems to fit better with Mendez’s big swinging game style.

The Guatemalans have been playing together for years. They grew up playing together. And they are good. Martinez is the current IRF Women’s Singles World Champion, and coming off winning her 1st LPRT title last month in Colorado. Rodriguez is not as strong a player, but can be hot in doubles. She knows her role playing the right side with Martinez, and they were runners up to Longoria and Salas at the 2019 Pan American Games.

There are some other solid teams past those four, but they all have to viewed as dark horses for the title. One wild card team could be Vargas and Veronica Sotomayor. Sotomayor hasn’t played since December 2016, so what shape her game will be in is a complete unknown, but she won the US Open LPRT doubles title in 2014 - albeit with Longoria. Perhaps ironically, she (and Longoria) beat Vargas (and Rhonda Rajsich) in the final.

IRT

On the IRT side, Mexicans Alvaro Beltran and Daniel De La Rosa are the team to beat, as they demonstrated last weekend in winning the Shamrock Shootout. They’ll be the top seeds in Minneapolis, and their biggest competition could come from Sudsy Monchik and Kane Waselenchuk, who were within two points of defeating the Mexicans on the weekend, losing 15-14, 15-14, in the semi-finals.

The question is: where will Monchik and Waselenchuk be seeded? Neither has played much doubles prior to last weekend. Thus, they don’t have many ranking points. The US Open IRT Doubles draw has used a format with the top four teams granted spots in the quarterfinals, and the next four teams spots in the Round of 16.

If you’re not one of the top four or even top eight teams, it can be a grind, as the playdowns to get to the Thursday night’s quarters begin Wednesday, so you could play three matches prior to the quarters. In the past, players have been in action late Wednesday and then again Thursday morning. And that’s in addition to playing singles. Oh la la.

While our assessment of where teams will be seeded is unofficial, as mentioned, we don’t have Monchik and Waselenchuk in the top 8 teams based on the latest IRT Doubles rankings. Thus, they won’t have the easiest time of it. Moreover, it’s possible they could be on the same side of the draw as Beltran and De La Rosa, as they were last weekend, which would be mean a meeting before the final.

However, couldn’t it be that playing a little more racquetball will lead to more chemistry between Monchik and Waselenchuk, and allow them to shake off any rust that has been accumulated from not playing much during this pandemic? Certainly it could. But it can also come with the risk of losing, which might seem unlikely for this pair, but as we mentioned last week, the differences between many of the men’s teams is wafer thin. So, while it’s unlikely that Monchik and Waselenchuk could lose prior to meeting rivals Beltran and De La Rosa, it’s not inconceivable.

We see the other top 4 teams being Alejandro Landa and Samuel Murray at #2, Andree Parrilla and Eduardo Portillo #3, and Javier Mar and Rodrigo Montoya at #4. Parrilla and Portillo were runners up last weekend, while Mar and Montoya were the 2019 Pan American Games gold medalists. Meanwhile, Landa and Murray are both top 4 players in singles, who have played together a lot. Thus, these are all quality teams.

Some curious teams in the draw include Adam Manilla playing with David Horn, who hasn’t been seen on court in ages. But pairing him with the left handed Manilla makes for a fun team. On the more curious side, Jake Bredenbeck and Charlie Pratt, who were announced last week as the USA team for Men’s Doubles for the 2021 IRF World Championships later this year, aren’t playing together. That despite the fact they did so last weekend.

Bredenbeck is playing with his brother Sam, while Pratt is playing with Alan Natera. Also, Pratt’s not playing singles, which is also curious. Now, it could be that the Bredenbeck partnership for the US Open was decided long ago, so maybe it wasn’t something they wanted to change. The brothers did play together at the US National Championships in July, coming within three points of winning the title as they lost to Pratt and Rocky Carson in a tie-breaker, 11-8.

Again, a wafer thin difference.

We'll look forward to seeing some of those wafer thin differences in multiple doubles matches next week in Minneapolis, and we’re looking forward to covering it all for you.

2021 UnitedHealthcare US Open Racquetball Championships
October 6-10, 2021 - Minneapolis, Minnesota

LPRT Doubles - Anticipated Seeding (unofficial)

1) Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas
2) Alexandra Herrera & Montserrat Mejia
3) Valeria Centellas & Natalia Mendez
4) Gabriela Martinez & Maria Renee Rodriguez

5) Cristina Amaya & Adriana Riveros
6) Kelani Lawrence & Hollie Scott
7) Nancy Enriquez & Carla Muñoz
8) Jessica Parrilla & Montserrat Perez

9) Michelle De La Rosa & Sheryl Lotts
10) Erika Manilla & Rhonda Rajsich
?) Shane Diaz & Naomi Ros
?) Ana Laura Flores & Micaela Meneses

?) Angelica Barrios & Jenny Daza
?) Brenda Laime & Camila Rivero
?) Veronica Sotomayor & Maria Jose Vargas

IRT Doubles - Anticipated Seeding (unofficial)

1) Alvaro Beltran & Daniel De La Rosa
2) Alejandro Landa & Samuel Murray
3) Andree Parrilla & Eduardo Portillo
4) Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya

5) Sebastian Franco & Eduardo Garay
6) Kadim Carrasco & Carlos Keller
7) Conrrado Moscoso & Roland Keller
8) Jake Bredenbeck & Sam Bredenbeck

9) Andres Acuña & Felipe Camacho
10) Sudsy Monchik & Kane Waselenchuk
11) Mario Mercado & Mauricio Zelada
12) Alan Natera & Charlie Pratt

13) David Horn & Adam Manilla
14) Edwin Galicia & Christian Wer
15) Maurice Miller & Troy Warigon
16) Javier Martinez & Juan Salvatierra

17) Set Cubillos & Erick Cuevas Fernandez
?) Sebastian Fernandez & Rodrigo Rodriguez
?) Julian Cruz & Geovani Mendoza
?) Juan Pablo Rodriguez & Erick Trujillo
?) Miguel Angel Arteaga Guzman & Rodrigo Mendoza

Note: "?" indicates at least one of the players either doesn't have doubles ranking currently on their respective tour or there was some inconsistency with a player's ranking.

Follow the bouncing ball…..

Weekend Round up - Wins for Acuña & Barrios and a US Open preview

Andres Acuña won Men’s Open at the 2021 KWM Gutterman Shamrock Shootout in Lombard, Illinois on Sunday, as he defeated Mario Mercado in the final, 15-11, 15-6. To reach the final, Acuña, who was seeded #1, beat 4th seed Alan Natera, 15-13, 15-12, in one semi-final, while 2nd seed Mercado defeated 3rd seed Adam Manilla, 15-8, 15-8.

In Women’s Open, Angelica Barrios, the top seed, needed a tie-breaker to fend off 3rd seed Erika Manilla, 15-12, 8-15, 11-8. In the semi-finals, Barrios beat 5th seed Maria Renee Rodriguez, 15-1, 15-10, and Manilla was an upset winner over 2nd seed Micaela Meneses, 3-15, 15-6, 11-6.

US Open Preview

T minus 9 days until the 2021 UnitedHealthcare US Open in Minneapolis, October 6-10. It’ll be the first US Open since 2019, because — reasons, and the 25th overall. In 2019, Doug Ganim announced he would be retiring as US Open Director, and he’s the only person to hold that position going back to 1996. But Ganim stayed on to oversee the US Open one last time.

Kane Waselenchuk and Paola Longoria also have two impressive streaks. Waselenchuk is the 12 time defending International Racquetball Tour (IRT) US Open champion, while Paola Longoria is the 9 time defending Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) Will those streaks continue this year? We don’t advise betting against it.

But - did you see that coming? - Waselenchuk, who turns 40 in November, hasn’t played singles in a over a year, although he did play doubles this past weekend with Sudsy Monchik in Illinois. He looked pretty good on the weekend, but maybe not at his best. Also, the US Open is a longer tournament than the usual weekend event - especially as we expect him to play singles and doubles with Monchik, so will that be an issue?

Regardless, we look forward to seeing him in action, playing on a court where he's never lost.

As for Longoria, she is long past being the young up and comer taking on all the women’s pro veterans. Now, she is the veteran and there are a cadre of young up and coming players looking to take her on. That cadre includes Gabriela Martinez and Montserrat Mejia who are the most recent winners on the LPRT. Martinez won last month in Colorado, when Longoria wasn’t there, while Mejia won in Kansas in June, when she beat Longoria in the final.

Thus, the US Open is the first LPRT event after two wins by players not named Longoria since March/April 2018, when Maria Jose Vargas and Samantha Salas won back to back. Before that you have to go back to December 2010 for a time when there were back to back wins by players other than Longoria. That’s how dominant she’s been, and why you shouldn’t bet against her. Yet, perhaps other players have a reason for optimism.

We are certainly optimistic about how good the US Open will be this year, and we are looking forward to it.

2021 KWM Gutterman Shamrock Shootout
September 23-26, 2021 - Lombard, Illinois

Men’s Open Final

1) Andres Acuña d. 2) Mario Mercado, 15-11, 15-6

Men’s Open Semi-finals

1) Andres Acuña d. 4) Alan Natera, 15-13, 15-12
2) Mario Mercado d. 3) Adam Manilla, 15-8, 15-8

Men’s Open Quarterfinals

1) Andres Acuña d. 9) Erick Trujillo, 15-10, 15-8
4) Alan Natera d. 5) Set Cubillos, 15-4, 15-10

3) Adam Manilla d. 6) Victor Migliore, 15-1, 15-8
2) Mario Mercado d. 7) Abraham Peña, 14-15, 15-5, 11-10

Women’s Open Final

1) Angelica Barrios d. 3) Erika Manilla, 15-12, 8-15, 11-8.

Women’s Open Semi-finals

1) Angelica Barrios d. 5) Maria Renee Rodriguez, 15-1, 15-10
3) Erika Manilla d. 2) Micaela Meneses, 3-15, 15-6, 11-6

Follow the bouncing ball….

De La Rosa defeats Bredenbeck to win 2021 IRT KWM Gutterman Shamrock Shootout

Daniel De La Rosa won the 2021 International Racquetball Tour (IRT) KWM Gutterman Shamrock Shootout in Lombard, Illinois on Sunday, when he defeated Jake Bredenbeck, 15-10, 15-13, 11-1. De La Rosa, who was seeded 2nd, is the first player not named Kane Waselenchuk to win back to back on the IRT since Rocky Carson did so in April/May of 2016.

De La Rosa said “it feels good” to be back in the winner’s circle. He won in Colorado last month. But then De La Rosa praised his opponent, saying Bredenbeck “is improving a lot. He’s definitely a warrior. I’m happy for him too.”

Bredenbeck, seeded 8th, defeated the 1st and 4th seeds to reach his 1st career IRT final, so despite the loss in the final, there's a lot for Bredenbeck - and any Bredenbeck fans - to be happy about.

The players went back and forth in game one. De La Rosa got the first couple points, but then Bredenbeck came back and went ahead 7-4. Momentum shifted again as De La Rosa led 11-8, and then held the lead to win 15-10.

In game two, they were again close early on, and Bredenbeck took a lead in the middle of the game at 7-5. Then De La Rosa held up for a ball that looked playable, as he felt Bredebeck was in the way. But the referee disagreed, and awarded a point to Bredenbeck.

De La Rosa disputed the call, including opening the door of the court. That led the referee to assess a technical against him, so when Bredenbeck served it was at 8-4. Bredenbeck got one more point, and then De La Rosa called a timeout at 9-4.

Although he lost the next rally to go down 10-4, De La Rosa went on a run after that to get six straight points and tie the game at 10-10. Then Bredenbeck called a timeout.

He got the serve back after the timeout with a nice touch forehand pinch shot. Bredenbeck then got two points with the second on a drive serve ace to the left corner that made it 12-10.

But the match see-saw tipped again, as De La Rosa ran off three points to re-gain the lead at 13-12. However, Bredenbeck - the warrior - dug in his heels and forced De La Rosa into a skip that got him the serve back. Bredenbeck didn’t give up the serve as he closed out game two with a forehand winner, winning 15-13 and forcing a tie-breaker.

When a match has two close games, like Sunday’s final had, often the tie-breaker is a blowout. So it was Sunday, as De La Rosa won it 11-1.

The tie-breaker didn’t start quickly, as De La Rosa led 3-1 after 12 rallies. Also, De La Rosa only got more than one point three times in the game, two points in a row twice and three points once.

Thus, Bredenbeck had chances to score, as he served 10 times in the game. But Bredenbeck only scored once. He held off two match points, but on De La Rosa’s third match point, Bredenbeck mishit a seemingly easy backhand shot that looked like it was an intended ceiling ball, resulting in a skip. A sad end to what was a good match.

Finally, the glass court that serves as the main court at the Glass Court Swim & Fitness Club that hosted the tournament was dedicated to Geoff Peters for his years of service to racquetball.

If you missed any of the Shamrock Shootout action - including the Geoff Peters dedication ceremony on Saturday night - check out the IRT media outlets: The IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page.

2021 KWM Gutterman Shamrock Shootout
September 23-26, 2021 - Lombard, Illinois

Final - Sunday

2) Daniel De La Rosa d. 8) Jake Bredenbeck, 15-10, 15-13, 11-1

Follow the bouncing ball….

Bredenbeck to meet De La Rosa in the 2021 IRT KWM Gutterman Shamrock Shootout final

If you were wondering when Jake Bredenbeck would have a breakthrough on the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) the answer is this weekend, as he’s now advanced to the final of the 2021 IRT KWM Gutterman Shamrock Shootout in Lombard, Illinois. Bredenbeck, seeded 8th, came back from a game down to defeat 5th seed Andree Parrilla, 10-15, 15-3, 11-8.

It’s the first time Bredenbeck has made an IRT final, and was only his 3rd semi-final appearance. The win over Parrilla comes just hours after he knocked off the top seed of the tournament Alejandro Landa in the quarterfinals.

Bredenbeck’s opponent in the final will be 2nd seed Daniel De La Rosa, who was a winner over 3rd seed Samuel Murray in the other semi-final, 15-10, 15-12. De La Rosa is trying to win back to back IRT events for the first time in his career, and be the first player not named Kane Waselenchuk to win back to back since Rocky Carson did it in April/May of 2016.

Doubles Final

Alvaro Beltran and De La Rosa won Men’s Doubles with a relatively straight forward win over Parrilla and Eduardo Portillo, 15-8, 15-8. Afterwards Beltran said that the “chemistry” he has with De La Rosa is a big part of their success, and that De La Rosa is one of “my best friends outside the court.”

Beltran added that in playing with De La Rosa he’s just “gotta be smart and cover what he can’t, which is a very small part of the court.” That makes it easier on Beltran who is over a decade older than his partner.

The Shamrock Shootout action can be seen via the usual IRT media outlets: The IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page. The singles final will be 1 PM Sunday.

2021 KWM Gutterman Shamrock Shootout
September 23-26, 2021 - Lombard, Illinois

Semi-finals - Saturday

8) Jake Bredenbeck d. 5) Andree Parrilla, 10-15, 15-3, 11-8
2) Daniel De La Rosa d. 3) Samuel Murray, 15-10, 15-12

Final - Sunday

2) Daniel De La Rosa v. 8) Jake Bredenbeck - 1 PM

IRT Doubles - Final - Saturday

1) Alvaro Beltran & Daniel De La Rosa d. 3) Andree Parrilla & Eduardo Portillo, 15-8, 15-8

Follow the bouncing ball….

Bredenbeck & Parrilla into semis at 2021 IRT KWM Gutterman Shamrock Shootout

Jake Bredenbeck upset top seed Alejandro Landa in the quarterfinals of the 2021 International Racquetball Tour (IRT) KWM Gutterman Shamrock Shootout in Lombard, Illinois, as the 8th seed won 15-10, 15-12. He’ll play another upset winner in the semi-finals, as 5th seed Andree Parrilla beat 4th seed Rocky Carson, 15-5, 15-6.

The other semi-final will have the expected opponents, as 2nd seed Daniel De La Rosa and 3rd seed Samuel Murray both won their quarterfinal matches. De La Rosa defeated Eduardo Portillo, 15-6, 15-13, and Murray was a winner over Carlos Keller, 15-8, 15-5.

The top seeds in doubles, De La Rosa and Alvaro Beltran, are through to the final, as they won their semi-final match against Javier Mar and Rodrigo Montoya, 15-12, 15-11.

In the other semi-final, 3rd seeds Parrilla and Portillo came back from a game down to upset 2nd seeds Landa and Murray, 5-15, 15-10, 11-5.

The Shamrock Shootout action can be seen via the usual IRT media outlets: The IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page. The singles semi-finals will be 5:30 and 6:30 PM Saturday. The singles final will be 1 PM Sunday. The doubles final will be Saturday night at 8:30 PM. All times Central.

2021 KWM Gutterman Shamrock Shootout
September 23-26, 2021 - Lombard, Illinois

Quarterfinals - Saturday

8) Jake Bredenbeck d. 1) Alejandro Landa, 15-10, 15-12
5) Andree Parrilla d. 4) Rocky Carson, 15-5, 15-6

3) Samuel Murray d. 11) Carlos Keller, 15-8, 15-5
2) Daniel De La Rosa d. 7) Eduardo Portillo, 15-6, 15-13

Semi-finals - Saturday

5) Andree Parrilla v. 8) Jake Bredenbeck - 6:30 PM
2) Daniel De La Rosa v. 3) Samuel Murray - 5:30 PM

IRT Doubles - Semi-finals - Saturday

1) Alvaro Beltran & Daniel De La Rosa d. 4) Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya, 15-12, 15-11
3) Andree Parrilla & Eduardo Portillo d. 2) Alejandro Landa & Samuel Murray, 5-15, 15-10, 11-5

IRT Doubles - Final - Saturday

1) Alvaro Beltran & Daniel De La Rosa v. 3) Andree Parrilla & Eduardo Portillo - 8:30 PM

Follow the bouncing ball….

Round of 16 & Doubles quarterfinals at 2021 IRT KWM Gutterman Shamrock Shootout

Alejandro Landa and Daniel De La Rosa - the #1 and #2 seeds, respectively at the 2021 International Racquetball Tour (IRT) KWM Gutterman Shamrock Shootout in Lombard, Illinois - are through to the quarterfinals, but they were both pushed to all the way in their Round of 16 matches. Landa defeated Andres Acuña, 15-10, 15-14, and De La Rosa beat Erick Trujillo, 15-5, 15-14. Both second games were testaments to the adage “it’s not how you start; it’s how you finish.”

After winning game one versus Acuña, Landa found himself down 11-3 and then 14-8 to the Costa Rican. But Landa is the top seed for a reason, and the veteran found a way, helped by a high lob serve to the right side (à la Alvaro Beltran) that Acuña had difficulty returning with his forehand.

But Acuña was able to fight off two match points that began with Landa hitting that lob serve to the right side. However, he couldn’t convert any of his four game points. Landa won it with a forehand pinch shot on his third match point.

De La Rosa’s match versus Trujillo had the same story line, as he won game one, but was down big in game two, as the young Mexican led 11-4 and 14-12. Their rally at 14-13, De La Rosa serving, was one of the best you’ll ever see, as both players dove in making 17 shots (combined) with De La Rosa skipping a backhand down the line to end it.

Trujillo had three game points, but when De La Rosa got to match point at 14-14 - doing so with a great forehand boast shot - he made no mistake, winning it with a backhand into the left corner.

There was just one upset in the 16s, as 11th seed Carlos Keller beat 6th seeded veteran Alvaro Beltran, 15-12, 15-3, to get to the quarterfinals where he’ll play 3rd seed Samuel Murray, who defeated Alan Natera, 15-11, 15-11.

Doubles action

The doubles match between Alvaro Beltran and Daniel De La Rosa and Sudsy Monchik and Kane Waselenchuk lived up to the billing of a must see match, as both games finished 15-14 with the Mexicans Beltran and De La Rosa coming out on top. The games were back and forth with all four players making great shots.

In game one, Monchik and Waslenchuk got to 14 first, as Beltran skipped a backhand shot covering the left side for his partner, who generally played that side. On the next rally, Waselenchuk hit a jam serve to the right side that came around to De La Rosa on the left, and he hit a forehand rollout to the front right corner, which got his side the serve back.

After an avoidable on Beltran, De La Rosa hit a kiss lob serve to Waselechuk, who skipped the return making it 14-14. Oops. The Mexicans won it on the next rally, as Monchik hit a cross court that came into the middle and Waselenchuk was in front of De La Rosa who was set to shoot it. The referee called an avoidable hinder (or penalty hinder) on Waselenchuk, which seemed like the correct call.

As close as game one was, game two was closer. The Mexicans got to 14 first with a two point lead at 14-12. But a Waselenchuk wide angle pass denied them their first match point, and got his side the serve back.

But two Beltran winners, put the Mexicans back in the service box without surrendering a point. Yet they couldn’t score either.

With the serve back, Monchik and Waselenchuk got two points on consecutive rallies, as Monchik hit a backhand from right to left for a winner and then Beltran skipped a return of a drive Z to the right side. That made the score 14-14. Beltran redeemed himself on the next rally with a return winner off a lob to the right side. De La Rosa made a great return off a Waselenchuk drive serve to the left that came off the back wall.

There were five more half down or sideout plays after that. Overall, Monchik and Waselenchuk served for the game four times, and the Mexicans served for the match six times before they finally won it on their 7th match point.

De La Rosa drove serve to the left side that came off the side wall early, and Waselenchuk let it go over to Monchik on the right side. But the ball came into Monchik at a difficult angle, and he couldn’t successfully return it.

It was a disappointing end to a great match.

In other play, 2nd seeds Alejandro Landa and Samuel Murray beat Jake Bredenbeck and Charlie Pratt, 15-13, 15-10, in what was also a close match. Bredenbeck and Pratt actually led for much of game one, including at 10-6 and 13-12.

But Landa and Murray, who have played many times together on the IRT, came back to win game one, 15-13. Although game two was also close, they led for most of it, but Bredenbeck and Pratt did get within one at 11-10. However, Landa and Murray held them at 10, as they went on to win game two, 15-10.

Curiously, both games ended as Bredenbeck skipped forehand reverse pinch shots. Neither were easy, nor unforced errors. In game one, he was in the front court and rushing to the ball from the right, so tried to place it into the front left corner. In game two, Bredenbeck was again in the front court, standing around the front of the service box in the center of the court, and the ball came to him from the right side, and again he tried to hit into the front left corner.

The Shamrock Shootout action can be seen via the usual IRT media outlets: The IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page. The quarterfinals will be Saturday from 10 and 11 AM with the semi-finals at 5:30 and 6:30 PM. The singles final will be 1 PM Sunday. The doubles semi-finals are Saturday afternoon at 1 and 2 PM and the final Saturday night at 8:30 PM. All times Central.

2021 KWM Gutterman Shamrock Shootout
September 23-26, 2021 - Lombard, Illinois

Round of 16 - Friday

1) Alejandro Landa d. Andres Acuña, 15-10, 15-14
8) Jake Bredenbeck d. 9) Mario Mercado, 15-9, 12-15, 11-8

5) Andree Parrilla d. 12) Rodrigo Montoya, 15-13, 15-10
4) Rocky Carson d. 13) Thomas Carter, 15-6, 15-10

3) Samuel Murray d. Alan Natera, 15-11, 15-11
11) Carlos Keller d. 6) Alvaro Beltran, 15-12, 15-3

7) Eduardo Portillo d. 10) Sebastian Franco, 15-13, 15-1
2) Daniel De La Rosa d. Erick Trujillo, 15-5, 15-14

Quarterfinals - Saturday

1) Alejandro Landa v. 8) Jake Bredenbeck - 10 AM
4) Rocky Carson v. 5) Andree Parrilla - 10 AM

3) Samuel Murray v. 11) Carlos Keller - 11 AM
2) Daniel De La Rosa v. 7) Eduardo Portillo - 11 AM

IRT Doubles - Quarterfinals - Friday

1) Alvaro Beltran & Daniel De La Rosa d. 9) Sudsy Monchik & Kane Waselenchuk, 15-14, 15-14
4) Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya d. 5) Eduardo Garay & Sebastian Franco, 15-14, 15-10

3) Andree Parrilla & Eduardo Portillo d. 6) Kadim Carrasco & Carlos Keller, 15-3, 15-5
2) Alejandro Landa & Samuel Murray d. 7) Jake Bredenbeck & Charlie Pratt, 15-13, 15-10

IRT Doubles - Semi-finals - Saturday

1) Alvaro Beltran & Daniel De La Rosa v. 4) Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya - 1 PM
2) Alejandro Landa & Samuel Murray v. 3) Andree Parrilla & Eduardo Portillo - 2 PM

Follow the bouncing ball….

Round of 32 & Doubles 16s at 2021 IRT KWM Gutterman Shamrock Shootout

Erick Trujillo continues to impress at the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) KWM Gutterman Shamrock Shootout in Lombard, Illinois, as he upset 15th seed Javier Mar in the Round of 32 Friday morning, 15-8, 15-7. But the task will get tougher with his next opponent: 2nd seed Daniel De La Rosa, who’s gunning for back to back IRT wins this weekend, as he won last month in Colorado.

Other upsets in the 32s were not very surprising. Qualifier Alan Natera defeated 14th seed Eduardo Garay, 15-7, 15-13, and in the 16/17 match, 17th seed Andres Acuña beat 16th seed Adam Manilla, 15-7, 15-14. Also, Jordy Alonso’s nice run in the tournament came to an end against Carlos Keller, although Alonso made a game of it, as he won the first game, but lost in a close tie-breaker, 10-15, 15-2, 11-8.

In doubles the new team of Sudsy Monchik and Kane Waselenchuk, who are only seeded 9th, got off to a successful start, as they won their first match, defeating 8th seeds Mario Mercado & Mauricio Zelada, 15-11, 15-5. That puts them into the quarterfinals against top seeds Daniel De La Rosa and Alvaro Beltran, which will happen tonight at 8 PM. A must watch match.

In other action, 7th seeds Jake Bredenbeck and Charlie Pratt, who will be the USA team in Men’s Doubles at the International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Championships later this year, eked out a win over 10th seeds Andres Acuña and Alan Natera, 15-9, 9-15, 11-8. Bredenbeck and Pratt seemed in control of the match after winning game one and being up early in game two.

But then Acuña and Natera - playing together for the first time - switched sides: Acuña moving to the left and Natera to the right. The move worked, as they came back and won game two.

The tie-breaker was back and forth, and when the Americans were up 8-4, Acuña and Natera called a timeout. That led to them getting back in the service box, and cutting the lead to 8-7, when the Americans got the serve back.

They put together a run of two points to get to 10-7. But when Bredenbeck skipped a shot to hand the serve back to Acuña and Natera, you had a sense that might have cost his side the match.

However, Acuña and Natera were only able to score once before yielding the serve again. The Americans took advantage of their second match point opportunity to close it out.

Yet, the closeness of this match illustrates how competitive men’s doubles is now, and how making any sort of predictions for Worlds is a crapshoot. Bredenbeck and Pratt could win gold. And they lose in the first round.

Want more proof of that? Also in the 16s, Bolivians Kadim Carrasco and Carlos Keller eked out a tie-breaker win over Guatemalans Edwin Galicia and Christian Wer, 8-15, 15-11, 11-9. That could be a Worlds preview, and could easily have gone against the Bolivians.

In short, the bar for men’s doubles is really high, and it can be difficult to get over it.

The Shamrock Shootout action can be seen via the usual IRT media outlets: The IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page. The Round of 16 is Friday at 4 and 5 PM. The quarterfinals will be Saturday from 10 and 11 AM with the semi-finals at 5:30 and 6:30 PM. The singles final will be 1 PM Sunday. The doubles quarterfinals are Friday night with the semi-finals Saturday afternoon at 1 and 2 PM and the final Saturday night at 8:30 PM. All times Central.

2021 KWM Gutterman Shamrock Shootout
September 23-26, 2021 - Lombard, Illinois

Round of 32 - Friday

1) Alejandro Landa - BYE
16) Andres Acuña d. Adam Manilla, 15-7, 15-14

9) Mario Mercado d. Charlie Pratt, 15-12, 15-11
8) Jake Bredenbeck - BYE

5) Andree Parrilla - BYE
12) Rodrigo Montoya v. Kadim Carrasco, 10-15, 15-13, 11-8

13) Thomas Carter d. Edwin Galicia, 15-2, 15-14
4) Rocky Carson - BYE

3) Samuel Murray - BYE
Alan Natera d. 14) Eduardo Garay, 15-7, 15-13

11) Carlos Keller d. Jordy Alonso, 10-15, 15-2, 11-8
6) Alvaro Beltran - BYE

7) Eduardo Portillo - BYE
10) Sebastian Franco d. Mauricio Zelada, 12-15, 15-4, 11-9

Erick Trujillo d. 15) Javier Mar, 15-8, 15-7
2) Daniel De La Rosa - BYE

Round of 16 - Friday

1) Alejandro Landa v. Andres Acuña - 4 PM
8) Jake Bredenbeck v. 9) Mario Mercado - 4 PM

5) Andree Parrilla v. 12) Rodrigo Montoya - 4 PM
4) Rocky Carson v. 13) Thomas Carter - 4 PM

3) Samuel Murray v. Alan Natera - 5 PM
6) Alvaro Beltran v. 11) Carlos Keller - 5 PM

7) Eduardo Portillo v. 10) Sebastian Franco - 5 PM
2) Daniel De La Rosa v. Erick Trujillo - 5 PM

IRT Doubles - Round of 16 - Friday

1) Alvaro Beltran & Daniel De La Rosa - BYE
9) Sudsy Monchik & Kane Waselenchuk d. 8) Mario Mercado & Mauricio Zelada, 15-11, 15-5

5) Eduardo Garay & Sebastian Franco d. 12) Javier Martinez & Juan Salvatierra, 15-10, 15-2
4) Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya d. 13) Set Cubillos & Erick Cuevas, 15-10, 15-4

3) Andree Parrilla & Eduardo Portillo d. 14) Hector Barrios & Adrian Jaldin, 15-5, 15-3
6) Kadim Carrasco & Carlos Keller d. 11) Edwin Galicia & Christian Wer, 8-15, 15-11, 11-9

7) Jake Bredenbeck & Charlie Pratt d. 10) Andres Acuña & Alan Natera, 15-9, 9-15, 11-8
2) Alejandro Landa & Samuel Murray - BYE

IRT Doubles - Quarterfinals - Friday

1) Alvaro Beltran & Daniel De La Rosa v. 9) Sudsy Monchik & Kane Waselenchuk - 8 PM
4) Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya v. 5) Eduardo Garay & Sebastian Franco - 8 PM

3) Andree Parrilla & Eduardo Portillo v. 6) Kadim Carrasco & Carlos Keller - 7 PM
2) Alejandro Landa & Samuel Murray v. 7) Jake Bredenbeck & Charlie Pratt - 7 PM

Follow the bouncing ball….

Qualifying results from 2021 IRT KWM Gutterman Shamrock Shootout

There were a couple of upsets in the last round of qualifying at the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) KWM Gutterman Shamrock Shootout in Lombard, Illinois Thursday. Erick Trujillo was an upset winner over Robert Collins, 15-6, 12-15, 11-6, and claims the 2nd qualifier spot, which puts him against Javier Mar in the Round of 32 on Friday. Also, Edwin Galicia defeated Set Cubillos, 12-15, 15-11, 11-4, to claim the 4th qualifier spot and a match against Thomas Carter in the 32s.

Also of note, Jordy Alonso was the 22nd ranked player in qualifying, but won his two matches to get into the 32s by giving up only 14 points in 4 games, including a 15-1, 15-7, win over Scott McClellan. Alonso will play Carlos Keller on Friday in the 32s.

The Shamrock Shootout action can be seen via the usual IRT media outlets: The IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page. The Round of 32 begins Friday morning at 9 and 10 PM with the Round of 16 at 4 and 5 PM. The quarterfinals will be Saturday from 10 and 11 AM with the semi-finals at 5:30 and 6:30 PM. The singles final will be 1 PM Sunday. The doubles Round of 16 and quarterfinals are Friday with the semi-finals Saturday afternoon at 1 and 2 PM and the final Saturday night at 8:30 PM. All times Central.

2021 KWM Gutterman Shamrock Shootout
September 23-26, 2021 - Lombard, Illinois

Round of 128 - Thursday

Andres Acuña - BYE
Victor Migliore d. Christian Wer, 15-3, 12-15, 11-6

Erick Cuevas d. Hector Barrios, 15-4, 15-10
Charlie Pratt d. Geovani Medoza, 15-4, 15-6

Kadim Carrasco d. Patrick Allin, 15-1, 15-2
Adrian Jaldin d. Juan Salvateirra, 15-12, 15-12

Edwin Galicia d. Juan Pablo Rodriguez, 15-7, 15-3
Set Cubillos - BYE

Alan Natera - BYE
Abraham Peña d. John Wolfe, 15-3, 15-8

Jordy Alonso d. Miguel Angel Arteaga Guzman, 15-6, 15-0
Scott McClellan d. Alejandro Bear, 12-15, 15-10, 11-7

Mauricio Zelada d. Rodrigo Rodriguez, 15-8, 15-9
Alex Zamudio d. Jim Douglas, 15-2, 15-5

Erick Trujillo d. Javier Martinez, 15-6, 15-12
Robert Collins - BYE

Round of 64 - Thursday

Q1 - Andres Acuña d. Victor Migliore, 15-4, 15-4
Q8 - Charlie Pratt d. Erick Cuevas, 15-12, 15-7

Q5 - Kadim Carrasco v. Adrian Jaldin, 15-4, 9-15, 11-0
Q4 - Edwin Galicia d. Set Cubillos, 12-15, 15-11, 11-4

Q3 - Alan Natera d. Abraham Peña, 15-13, 15-9
Q6 - Jordy Alonso d. Scott McClellan, 15-1, 15-7

Q7 - Mauricio Zelada v. Alex Zamudio, 15-7, 15-12
Q2 - Erick Trujillo d. Robert Collins, 15-6, 12-15, 11-6

Round of 32 - Friday

1) Alejandro Landa - BYE
16) Adam Manilla v. Andres Acuña - 9 AM

9) Mario Mercado v. Charlie Pratt - 9 AM
8) Jake Bredenbeck - BYE

5) Andree Parrilla - BYE
12) Rodrigo Montoya v. Kadim Carrasco - 9 AM

13) Thomas Carter v. Edwin Galicia - 9 AM
4) Rocky Carson - BYE

3) Samuel Murray - BYE
14) Eduardo Garay v. Alan Natera - 10 AM

11) Carlos Keller v. Jordy Alonso - 10 AM
6) Alvaro Beltran - BYE

7) Eduardo Portillo - BYE
10) Sebastian Franco v. Mauricio Zelada - 10 AM

15) Javier Mar v. Erick Trujillo - 10 AM
2) Daniel De La Rosa - BYE

IRT Doubles - Round of 16 - Friday

1) Alvaro Beltran & Daniel De La Rosa - BYE
8) Mario Mercado & Mauricio Zelada v. 9) Sudsy Monchik & Kane Waselenchuk - 1 PM

5) Eduardo Garay & Sebastian Franco v. 12) Javier Martinez & Juan Salvatierra - 1 PM
4) Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya v. 13) Set Cubillos & Erick Cuevas - 1 PM

3) Andree Parrilla & Eduardo Portillo v. 14) Hector Barrios & Adrian Jaldin - 2 PM
6) Kadim Carrasco & Carlos Keller v. 11) Edwin Galicia & Christian Wer - 2 PM

7) Jake Bredenbeck & Charlie Pratt v. 10) Andres Acuña & Alan Natera - 2 PM
2) Alejandro Landa & Samuel Murray - BYE

Follow the bouncing ball….

Preview of 2021 IRT KWM Gutterman Shamrock Shootout

The International Racquetball Tour (IRT) is back in action today with the IRT KWM Gutterman Shamrock Shootout in Lombard, Illinois. It is a stacked field with 17 of the top 19 IRT players in action, and overall 44 players are in the singles draw, but that does not include IRT #1 Kane Waselenchuk. However, Waselenchuk is in Lombard, as he’s playing doubles with Sudsy Monchik. They are seeded 9th, so may meet top seeds Alvaro Beltran and Daniel De La Rosa in the quarterfinals.

Thus IRT #2 Alejandro Landa is the top seed in singles with De La Rosa, who won the last IRT event in Colorado, as the 2nd seed. Samuel Murray, who won his first IRT event back in January, is the 3rd seed, and veteran Rocky Carson is the 4th seed. When is the last time Carson wasn’t in the top 3 seeds? That must have been a long time ago.

Landa and Murray - who's coming off a weekend of winning Canadian Championships in both Men’s Singles and Men’s Doubles - are the 2nd seeds in doubles with Andree Parrilla and Eduardo Portillo 3rd seeds and Javier Mar and Rodrigo Montoya 4th seeds.

The Shamrock Shootout action can be seen via the usual IRT media outlets: The IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page. There will be two rounds of matches on Thursday starting at 1 PM. The Round of 32 begins Friday morning at 9 and 10 PM with the Round of 16 at 4 and 5 PM. The quarterfinals will be Saturday from 10 and 11 AM with the semi-finals at 5:30 and 6:30 PM. The singles final will be 1 PM Sunday. The doubles Round of 16 and quarterfinals are Friday with the semi-finals Saturday afternoon at 1 and 2 PM and the final Saturday night at 8:30 PM. All times Central.

2021 KWM Gutterman Shamrock Shootout
September 23-26, 2021 - Lombard, Illinois

Round of 128 - Thursday

Andres Acuña - BYE
Victor Migliore v. Christian Wer - 1 PM

Erick Cuevas v. Hector Barrios - 1 PM
Charlie Pratt v. Geovani Medoza - 1 PM

Kadim Carrasco v. Patrick Allin - 1 PM
Juan Salvateirra v. Adrian Jaldin - 2 PM

Edwin Galicia v. Juan Pablo Rodriguez - 2 PM
Set Cubillos - BYE

Alan Natera - BYE
Abraham Peña v. John Wolfe - 2 PM

Miguel Angel Arteaga Guzman v. Jordy Alonso - 2 PM
Scott McClellan v. Alejandro Bear - 3 PM

Mauricio Zelada v. Rodrigo Rodriguez - 3 PM
Jim Douglas v. Alex Zamudio - 3 PM

Erick Trujillo v. Javier Martinez - 3 PM
Robert Collins - BYE

Round of 64 - Thursday

Q1 - Andres Acuña v. Victor Migliore or Christian Wer - 5 PM
Q8 - Charlie Pratt or Geovani Medoza v. Erick Cuevas or Hector Barrios - 5 PM

Q5 - Kadim Carrasco or Patrick Allin v. Juan Salvateirra or Adrian Jaldin - 5 PM
Q4 - Set Cubillos v. Edwin Galicia or Juan Pablo Rodriguez - 5 PM

Q3 - Alan Natera v. Abraham Peña or John Wolfe - 6 PM
Q6 - Scott McClellan or Alejandro Bear v. Miguel Angel Arteaga Guzman or Jordy Alonso - 6 PM

Q7 - Mauricio Zelada or Rodrigo Rodriguez v. Jim Douglas or Alex Zamudio - 6 PM
Q2 - Robert Collins v. Erick Trujillo v. Javier Martinez - 6 PM

Round of 32 - Friday

1) Alejandro Landa - BYE
16) Adam Manilla v. Q1 - 9 AM

9) Mario Mercado v. Q8 - 9 AM
8) Jake Bredenbeck - BYE

5) Andree Parrilla - BYE
12) Rodrigo Montoya v. Q5 - 9 AM

13) Thomas Carter v. Q4 - 9 AM
4) Rocky Carson - BYE

3) Samuel Murray - BYE
14) Eduardo Garay v. Q3 - 10 AM

11) Carlos Keller v. Q6 - 10 AM
6) Alvaro Beltran - BYE

7) Eduardo Portillo - BYE
10) Sebastian Franco v. Q7 - 10 AM

15) Javier Mar v. Q2 - 10 AM
2) Daniel De La Rosa - BYE

IRT Doubles - Round of 16 - Friday

1) Alvaro Beltran & Daniel De La Rosa - BYE
8) Mario Mercado & Mauricio Zelada v. 9) Sudsy Monchik & Kane Waselenchuk - 1 PM

5) Eduardo Garay & Sebastian Franco v. 12) Javier Martinez & Juan Salvatierra - 1 PM
4) Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya v. 13) Set Cubillos & Erick Cuevas - 1 PM

3) Andree Parrilla & Eduardo Portillo v. 14) Hector Barrios & Adrian Jaldin - 2 PM
6) Kadim Carrasco & Carlos Keller v. 11) Edwin Galicia & Christian Wer - 2 PM

7) Jake Bredenbeck & Charlie Pratt v. 10) Andres Acuña & Alan Natera - 2 PM
2) Alejandro Landa & Samuel Murray - BYE

Follow the bouncing ball….

USA Racquetball announces World team

USA Racquetball (USAR) revealed their team for the 2021 International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Championships Tuesday. The seven player team is a mix of young players and wily veterans.

Leading the team are Rocky Carson and Rhonda Rajsich, both definitely in the wily veteran category, as they will be making their 19th and 27th appearances, respectively, on Team USA. Rajsich will play both Women’s Singles and Doubles, while Carson will play Men’s Singles.

Alejandro Landa is the other Men’s Singles player, and he’ll be making his first appearance on Team USA, but it won’t be his first international event or even first World Championships. Landa previously played for Mexico, representing them in the 2010, 2016 and 2017 Pan American Championships, as well as the 2010 World Championships in Seoul, Korea, where he was a bronze medalist in Men’s Doubles (with Miguel Perea). So, not his first rodeo.

It will be the first rodeo for Erika Manilla, who will play Women’s Doubles with Rajsich. Kelani Lawrence - in her 4th Team USA appearance - rounds out the Women’s team as their other player in Women’s Singles. By our count, Manilla will be the 108th player to play for the USA at an international racquetball event (Landa being #107).

Jake Bredenbeck and Charlie Pratt will be the Men’s Doubles team, and will be making their 9th and 5th Team USA appearances, respectively.

What are the prospects for Team USA at Worlds? They should be strong on the men’s side. Landa is the #2 player on the International Racquetball Tour (IRT), and Carson’s 5th. Bredenbeck is 10th on the IRT and Pratt is 34th, but that’s primarily because he hasn’t played very many events. Pratt would certainly be a top 15 player (or higher) if he’d played more. So, that part of the team looks solid.

But on the women’s side, Rajisch is the highest ranked player on the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour, but she’s only 11th, which is her lowest ranking in many years. Lawrence is 16th and Manilla 34th, though like Pratt, neither has played many tour events. But many of the players ahead of them will likely be at Worlds, as the best women players have generally always gone to international events, which wasn’t always the case with the men back in the day.

If we were making a medal prediction for the USA at Worlds, we’d say two medals maybe three, and we're not sure what colour those medals will be. That’s a far cry from a six gold medal sweep that would have been predicted - even expected - from the USA at Worlds in years gone by.

But that’s how the racquetball landscape has changed.

We look forward to the World Championships, which are expected to happen in late November and early December. Exact dates have not been confirmed, as the IRF would like to do the World Championships and the World Junior Championships simultaneously - at least with some overlap between the two events. That has never been done before, and ironing out the logistics to get it to work are undoubtedly complex.

Follow the bouncing ball…..

2021 Canadian National Racquetball Championships

Samuel Murray and Frédérique Lambert are the 2021 Racquetball Canada National Champions in Men's and Women's Singles, respectively, as they won the titles this past weekend in Brossard, Québec. In the Men’s Final, Murray defeated Coby Iwaasa, 15-8, 15-4, while Lambert beat Christine Keay in the Women’s Final, 15-13, 15-2. The victories should put Murray and Lambert on the Canadian team for the 2021 International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Championships that are still anticipated to happen in Guatemala in late November.

Murray also won Men’s Doubles as he and brother Tommy successfully defended the title they won two years ago by defeating Iwaasa and Trevor Webb, 15-4, 15-7, in the final. However, Lambert and partner Michele Morissette lost in the semi-finals to sisters Juliette and Marjolaine Parent, 9-15, 17-15, 11-8. But then the Parents were beaten in the final by Keay and Cassie Prentice, 15-10, 15-11.

Overall, Murray won his 3rd consecutive Men’s Singles title, and his 5th Men’s Doubles title (3rd in a row and the last two with brother Tommy). Lambert’s Women’s Singles title was her 3rd. Keay (née Richardson) has won three Women’s Doubles titles now (the previous two were with Morissette), and Prentice won her first National Championship.

The players who made the singles semi-finals should be named to the Canadian National Team for the World Championships. That would be Samuel Murray, Coby Iwaasa, Lee Connell and Trevor Webb on the Men’s side, and Frédérique Lambert, Christine Keay, Alexis Iwaasa and Juliette Parent on the Women’s side. It will be the 1st time on the team for Parent, and just the 2nd times for Alexis Iwaasa, Connell and Webb.

Connell’s first appearance on the team was in 2009, so if he goes this year, it will be 12 years between 1st and 2nd appearances, which would be a record.

2021 Racquetball Canada National Championships September 16-19, 2021 - Brossard, Québec

Men's Open

Final

1) Samuel Murray d. 2) Coby Iwaasa, 15-8, 15-4

3rd Place

4) Lee Connell d. 3) Trevor Webb, injury forfeit

Semi-finals

1) Samuel Murray d. 4) Lee Connell, 15-5, 15-1
2) Coby Iwaasa d. 3) Trevor Webb, injury forfeit

Quarterfinals

1) Samuel Murray d. 9) Francis Guillemette, 15-11, 15-0
4) Lee Connell d. 5) Kurtis Cullen, 10-15, 15-5, 12-10

3) Trevor Webb d. 6) Tanner Prentice, 15-6, 15-7
2) Coby Iwaasa d. 7) Michael Leduc, 15-5, 15-0

Women's Open

Final

1) Frédérique Lambert d. 2) Christine Keay, 15-13, 15-2

3rd place

5) Alexis Iwaasa d. 6) Juliette Parent, 13-15, 15-8, 11-5

Semi-finals

1) Frédérique Lambert d. 5) Alexis Iwaasa, 15-2, 15-4
2) Christine Keay d. 6) Juliette Parent, 15-8, 15-13

Quarterfinals

1) Frédérique Lambert d. 9) Ofelia Wilscam, 15-1, 15-3
5) Alexis Iwaasa d. 4) Brigitte Richard, 5-15, 15-12, 11-2

6) Juliette Parent d. 3) Michèle Morissette, 15-10, 15-7
2) Christine Keay d. 7) Cassie Prentice, 11-15, 15-13, 11-5

Follow the bouncing ball….