2022 IRF World Championships - Preliminary groups

The 2022 International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Championships begin tomorrow in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, and run until August 27. The XXI IRF World Championships start with individual competitions in Men’s and Women’s Singles and Doubles, as well as Mixed Doubles for the first time. After three days of group stage matches, there will be three days of medal round competition, which will begin Tuesday August 23 and conclude Thursday August 25. In singles, only the top two players from each group will advance to the medal round, so every group stage match matters.

There will also be a team event beginning on August 25 and ending Saturday August 27. The team event will be a best of three matches: two singles matches and a doubles match. The order of the matches will vary. Also, a country can change its line up from the individual events to the team event. That is, the players who were in singles or doubles in the first part of week may or may not play those events in the team event.

Seedings for the group stage of the competition are based on each country’s past results, so some of the groupings may be surprising. We’re especially surprised how the Mexicans are in Group 5 and 6 in Women’s Singles, so current Women's Singles World Champion Paola Longoria and team-mate Alexandra Herrera in those groups, rather than Group 1 and 3 (players from the same country are put in groups such that if they win all of their group round matches they will be on opposite sides of the draw for the medal round).

Veteran presence

Among the field of players this year are two veterans: Fabian Balmori and Hiroshi Shimizu. Balmori is one of the most decorated racquetball players in Central American and Caribbean Games history, when he played for Venezuela, but is in Mexico representing Spain, where he was born. Balmori lived in Venezuela in the 1990s and early 2000s and is now living in the USA. He first played at Worlds in 1996.

Shimizu first played at Worlds in 2000, when the tournament was also in San Luis Potosí. He played doubles then, and is playing doubles again this year.

There are other veteran players, who are nonetheless podium threats. The USA’s Rocky Carson and Mexico’s Alvaro Beltran - both over 40 - will be in action. Both have won gold in Men’s Singles - Carson five times and Beltran once, but Beltran has four Men’s Doubles World Championships. Carson will play singles again this year, and Beltran doubles with Daniel De La Rosa.

Matches will be streamed from Sam Luis Potosi, but we’re not sure when that will begin. Check out the IRF Facebook page for an updates, or the IRF YouTube channel for matches. Matches will begin at 10 AM CDT most of the tournament (Tuesday will be the exception with some matches at 9 AM), and run through until late afternoon.

XXI International Racquetball Federation World Championships
San Luis Potosi, Mexico - August 19-27

Men’s Singles - Saturday

Group 1

Diego Garcia (ARG) v. Juan Francisco Cueva (ECU)
Rocky Carson (USA) - BYE

Group 2

Jose Daniel Ugalde (ECU) v. Tomas Oyhanart (ARG)
Andres Acuña (CRC) - BYE

Group 3

Alejandro Landa (USA) v. Fabian Balmori (ESP)
Edwin Galicia (GUA) v. Ramon De Leon (DOM)

Group 4

Sergio Acuña (CRC) v. Yandy Espinosa (CUB)
Kurtis Cullen (CAN) v. Michimune Kono (JAP)

Group 5

Daniel De La Rosa (MEX) v. Arun Bhaskaran (IND)
Juan Salvatierra (GUA) v. Jaime Mansilla (CHI)

Group 6

Conrrado Moscoso (BOL) v. Markell Moyet (CUB)
Lee Connell (CAN) v. Ryoki Kamahara (JAP)

Group 7

Rodrigo Montoya (MEX) v. Vineet Singh (IND)
Carlos Keller (BOL) v. Rafael Gatica (CHI)

Women’s Singles - Saturday

Group 1

Maria Paz Riquelme (COL) v. Maria Paz Muñoz (ECU)
Erika Manilla (USA) - BYE

Group 2

Jenny Daza (BOL) v. Danielle Drury (CAN)
Natalia Mendez (ARG) - BYE

Group 3

Rhonda Rajsich (USA) v. Yurisleidis Araujo (CUB)
Cristina Amaya (COL) v. Ana Lucia Sarmiento (ECU)

Group 4

Valeria Centellas (ARG) v. Maria Regla (CUB)
Angelica Barrios (BOL) v. Juliette Parent (CAN)

Group 5

Paola Longoria (MEX) v. Ayako Hanashi (JAP)
Jazmin Elizabeth Aguilar Salvatierra (GUA) v. Carla Muñoz (CHI)

Group 6

Gabriela Martinez (GUA) v. Paula Mansilla (CHI)
Alexandra Herrera (MEX) v. Harumi Kajino (JAP)

Men’s Doubles - Saturday

Group 1

Alvaro Beltran & Daniel De La Rosa (MEX) v. Yandy Espinosa & Maikel Moyet (CUB)
Juan Francisco Cueva & Jose Daniel Ugalde (ECU) v. Andres Acuña & Sergio Acuña (CRC)

Group 2

Roland Keller & Conrrado Moscoso (BOL) v. Ravi Ranjan & Vineet Singh (IND)
Tomas Oyhanart & Diego Garcia (ARG) v. Hiroshi Shimizu & Yuki Nakano (JAP)

Group 3

Sam Bredenbeck & Charles Pratt (USA) v. Diego Gatica & Jaime Mansilla (CHI)
Coby Iwaasa & Samuel Murray (CAN) v. Edwin Galicia & Christian Wer (GUA)

Women’s Doubles - Saturday

Group 1

Cristina Amaya & Maria Paz Riquelme (COL) v. Ana Lucia Sarmiento & Maria Paz Muñoz (ECU)
Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas (MEX) - BYE

Group 2

Angelica Barrios & Jenny Daza (BOL) v. Yurisleidis Araujo & Maria Regla (CUB)
Valeria Centellas & Natalia Mendez (ARG) v. Frédérique Lambert & Michèle Morissette (CAN)

Group 3

Hollie Scott & Kelani Lawrence (USA) v. Maliki Sato & Naomi Wakimoto (JAP)
Gabriela Martinez & Maria Renee Rodriguez (GUA) v. Paula Mansilla & Carla Muñoz (CHI)

Mixed Doubles - Saturday

Group 1

Josue Bermeo & Maria Paz Muñoz (ECU) v. Maria Renee Rodriguez & Juan Salvatierra (GUA)
Rodrigo Montoya & Samatha Salas (MEX) - BYE

Group 2

Frédérique Lambert & Samuel Murray (CAN) v. Rodrigo Salgado Jr. & Carla Muñoz (CHI)
Jenny Daza & Conrrado Moscoso - BYE

Group 3

Michelle De La Rosa & Alejandro Landa (USA) v. Yurisleidis Araujo & Maikel Moyet (CUB)
Valeria Centellas & Diego Garcia (ARG) v. Harumi Kajino & MIchimune Kono (JAP)

Follow the bouncing ball…..