Four of the eight Round of 16 matches on Friday at the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) Platt Hill Nursery 30th Anniversary Turkey Shoot in Lombard, Illinois were upsets with 13th seed Sheryl Lotts pulling off the biggest upset, as she defeated 4th seed Natalia Mendez, 15-8, 14-15, 11-9. The win puts Lotts into the quarterfinals Saturday morning against 5th seed Montserrat Mejia, who beat 12th seed Valeria Centellas, 15-5, 15-8.
The top three seeds were winners Friday. LPRT #1 Paola Longoria beat 16th seed Nancy Enriquez, 15-1, 15-2, and LPRT #2 Alexandra Herrera defeated 15th seed Cristina Amaya, 15-4, 15-4. In the quarterfinals, Longoria will face 9th seed Brenda Laime, who defeated 8th seed Angelica Barrios, 15-7, 12-15, 11-6, and Herrera plays 10th seed Kelani Lawrence, who held on to beat 7th seed Carla Muñoz, 15-5, 14-15, 11-7.
Finally, 3rd seed Erika Manilla defeated 14th seed Maria Renee Rodriguez, 15-6, 15-5, and will play 11th seed Samantha Salas in the quarters, as Salas upset 6th seed Jessica Parrilla, 15-13, 12-15, 11-8.
There was one upset in the quarterfinals of doubles at the Turkey Shoot on Friday, as 5th seeds Carla Muñoz and Maria Renee Rodriguez beat 4th seeds Valeria Centellas and Jessica Parrilla in two straight games, 15-4, 15-7. Muñoz and Rodriguez will face top seeds Alexandra Herrera and Samantha Salas in the semi-finals Saturday night, as Herrera and Salas were also straight game winners Friday, defeating 8th seeds Nancy Enriquez and Sheryl Lotts, 15-12, 15-9.
Third seeds Erika Manilla and Natalia Mendez - the current US Open LPRT doubles champions - also won in two games over 6th seeds Kelani Lawrence and Linda Tyler, 15-11, 15-5. Manilla and Mendez will play 2nd seeds Paola Longoria and Montserrat Mejia, who came back too win a three game match against 7th seeds Angelica Barrios and Brenda Laime, winning 9-15, 15-14, 11-2. The second game of that match was one of the most dramatic you will ever see.
Barrios and Laime were ahead early in game two at 4-1. But Longoria and Mejia then got 11 unanswered points to lead 12-4. They got to game point at 14-9, as Mejia cracked out a drive serve on the right side for an ace.
Cue the comeback.
Barrios and Laime came all the way back to tie Longoria and Mejia at 14-14, as Barrios - playing the left side - hit a backhand wide angle cross court shot that went off the right wall and spliting her opponents. Laime was forced into skipping a forehand shot on the next rally giving the serve back to Longoria and Mejia.
After a great Barrios backhand put Longoria and Mejia half down, a hinder was called on the next rally, as Mejia completely blocked Barrios from getting to the ball. Could that have been an avoidable? Maybe, although the Barrios would have been taking the ball early and probably high, but she had the right to do that, so calling an avoidable wouldn't have been wrong, though it would have been harsh.
Regardless, Barrios hit another winner on the ensuing rally, as she rekilled the ball with a forehand shot down the left side, which got her side back into the service box. She backed that up that winner with another - this time a backhand shot down the line - that could have won the match, but Longoria and Mejia successfully appealed that the serve that started that 7 shot rally was short.
Under LPRT rules any play can be appealed even after the rally is over. That can’t be done in international play, as International Racquetball Federation (IRF) rule is that only the last shot or play in a rally can be appealed, so if you want to make an appeal, you have to stop play immediately, rather than continue on to the end of the rally and then appeal.
Given a second chance, Longoria took advantage, and hit winners on the next two rallies. A forehand reverse pinch on the first one, and then a backhand down the line that Barrios dove to try to keep in play, but was judged to have not gotten to the ball before it bounced twice.
You might have thought Barrios would have sagged after that, but on the next rally Mejia hit a drive Z to her, and Barrios returned by taking it early, and rolled it out of the front left corner with her backhand.
On the 10th game (or match) point - combined for both teams - Mejia hit a forehand wide angle shot from the left side of the court that Barrios and Laime weren’t able to keep in play, as they both seemed to go for it at the backwall.
You can watch the action from Illinois live via the LPRT YouTube channel. The singles quarters will be 11 AM and noon on Saturday with the semi-finals at 4:30 and 5:30 PM. The doubles semis are at 6:30 and 7:30 PM Saturday night. The singles final will be noon Sunday with the doubles final to go at 1 PM Sunday. All times CST.
2022 LPRT 30th Anniversary Turkey Shoot, November 18-20, 2022
Lombard, Illinois
Round of 16 - Friday
1) Paola Longoria d. 16) Nancy Enriquez, 15-1, 15-2
9) Brenda Laime d. 8) Angelica Barrios, 15-7, 12-15, 11-6
5) Montserrat Mejia d. 12) Valeria Centellas, 15-5, 15-8
13) Sheryl Lotts d. 4) Natalia Mendez, 15-8, 14-15, 11-9
3) Erika Manilla d. 14) Maria Renee Rodriguez, 15-6, 15-5
11) Samantha Salas d. 6) Jessica Parrilla, 15-13, 12-15, 11-8
10) Kelani Lawrence d. 7) Carla Muñoz, 15-5, 14-15, 11-7
2) Alexandra Herrera d. 15) Cristina Amaya, 15-4, 15-4
Quarterfinals - Saturday
1) Paola Longoria v. 9) Brenda Laime - Noon
5) Montserrat Mejia v. 13) Sheryl Lotts - Noon
3) Erika Manilla v. 11) Samantha Salas - 11 AM
2) Alexandra Herrera v. 10) Kelani Lawrence - 11 AM
Doubles - Quarterfinals - Friday
1) Alexandra Herrera & Samantha Salas d. 8) Sheryl Lotts & Nancy Enriquez, 15-12, 15-9
5) Carla Muñoz & Maria Renee Rodriguez d. 4) Valeria Centellas & Jessica Parrilla, 15-4, 15-7
3) Erika Manilla & Natalia Mendez d. 6) Kelani Lawrence & Linda Tyler, 15-11, 15-5
2) Paola Longoria & Montserrat Mejia d. 7) Angelica Barrios & Brenda Laime, 9-15, 15-14, 11-2
Doubles - Semi-finals - Saturday
1) Alexandra Herrera & Samantha Salas v. 5) Carla Muñoz & Maria Renee Rodriguez - 7:30 PM
2) Paola Longoria & Montserrat Mejia v. 3) Erika Manilla & Natalia Mendez - 6:30 PM
Follow the bouncing ball….
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