The clock has still not struck midnight on Javier Mar’s run at the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) Capitol Classic in Millersville, Maryland, as he knocked off another higher ranked player on Saturday in the semi-finals, beating 4th seed Samuel Murray, 15-13, 15-13. The win puts Mar into his first IRT final, and he was playing his first semi-final.
Mar will play 6th seed Eduardo Portillo in the final, as Portillo got a win over 2nd seed Kane Waselenchuk after Waselenchuk was forced to default their match early in game one. Portillo had scored the first two points of the match, but Waselenchuk had got the serve back, and drove serve down the left side. Portillo returned the ball down the left side, and Waselenchuk pushed off with his right leg to go get the ball.
But he never got there.
Waselenchuk started hobbling in the service box, and grabbed at the back of his right leg near his ankle. He did a few hops towards the door before going down on all fours. Waselechuk was able to gingerly leave the court, but he quickly decided that he was not going to be able to continue.
Initial reports on the injury are speculative. It seems like it could be a calf injury or perhaps some achilles tendon damage. The question is whether the injury is severe enough to call Waselenchuk’s participation in the US Open into question. The US Open begins on September 28 in Minneapolis. Waselenchuk is the most successful player in US Open history, winning the event a record 15 times.
Doubles
Upsets have been on order throughout the weekend, so it was no surprise that there would be another upset in the doubles final, as 8th seeds Jake Bredenbeck and Adam Manilla beat 5th seeds Andrés Acuña and Portillo, 15-5, 15-11.
Bredenbeck and Manilla were also upset winners in the semi-finals earlier on Saturday, when they knocked off 3rd seeds Samuel Murray and Andree Parrilla, 15-11, 4-15, 11-3.In the other semi, Acuña and Portillo defeated 9th seeds Mario Mercado and Mauricio Zelada, 15-4, 15-11.
You can see the 2022 IRT Capitol Classic final via the usual IRT media outlets: The IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page. The singles final will be at noon Eastern on Sunday.
2022 IRT Capital Classic, September 15-18, 2022
Millersville, Maryland
Semi-finals - Saturday
Javier Mar d. 4) Samuel Murray, 15-13, 15-13
6) Eduardo Portillo d. 2) Kane Waselenchuk, 2-0, injury forfeit
Final - Sunday
6) Eduardo Portillo v. Javier Mar - Noon
Doubles - Semi-finals - Saturday
5) Andres Acuña & Eduardo Portillo d. 9) Mario Mercado & Mauricio Zelada, 15-4, 15-11
8) Jake Bredenbeck & Adam Manilla d. 3) Samuel Murray & Andree Parrilla, 15-11, 4-15, 11-3
Doubles - Final - Saturday
8) Jake Bredenbeck & Adam Manilla d. 5) Andres Acuña & Eduardo Portillo, 15-5, 15-11
Follow the bouncing ball….
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment