Seimic upsets Friday at 2023 LPRT at Arizona State Doubles Championships

Two seismic upsets at the 2023 Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) at the Arizona State Doubles Championships in Tempe, Arizona as the top seeds in both singles and doubles lost their first matches. Maria Jose Vargas - seeded 16th but a former #2 player - defeated LPRT #1 Paola Longoria, 15-13, 4-15, 11-8, in the Round of 16, and 8th seeds Angelica Barrios and Brenda Laime upset the #1 doubles team of Alexandra Herrera and Montserrat Mejia, 15-11, 15-11. It may be the first time the top seeds in singles and doubles lost their first matches at a tournament.

Vargas will play 9th seed Kelani Lawrence in the quarterfinals on Friday, as Lawrence beat 9th seed Laime, 15-9, 15-10, Thursday. Most unusual for the 9th and 16th seeds to be facing off in the quarters.

Barrios caused the other upset in the 16s, as the 10th seed beat 7th seed Carla Muñoz, 15-10, 15-10. Barrios will play Alexandra Herrera in the quarters, as Herrera defeated Gabriela Martinez, 15-12, 15-13.

There was almost a third upset, but 5th seed Natalia Mendez came back from a game down to defeat 12th seed Valeria Centellas and her doubles partner, 11-15, 15-12, 11-5. Mendez faces a former doubles partner - Erika Manilla, who won doubles with Mendez at last year’s US Open - in the quarters, as Manilla beat veteran Cristina Amaya, 15-7, 15-4.

There weren’t any other upsets in doubles, but the other three matches were all decided in tie-breakers. In each case, the higher seeded team won the first game, lost the second, and then won the breaker. None of the breakers were especially close.

Longoria and Rhonda Rajsich’s breaker with Manilla and Michelle Key was the closest, as Longoria and Rajsich won 15-7, 10-15, 11-7. They’ll play 2nd seeds Martinez and Maria Renee Rodriguez, who were winners over Ximena Gonzalez and Jessica Parrilla, 15-13, 14-15, 11-4.

Finally, Centellas and Mendez defeated Lawrence and Hollie Scott, 15-3, 9-15, 11-2, and will face Barrios and Laime in the quarters Thursday morning.

You can watch the action live from Arizona via the LPRT YouTube channel. Play continues Friday morning with singles quarterfinals at 10 and 11 AM followed by semi-finals at 4 and 5 PM. The doubles semi-finals will be 6 and 7 PM. The singles final will be Saturday at 1 PM with the doubles final to follow at 2 PM. All times MST.

2023 LPRT at Arizona State Doubles Championships
February 15-19, 2023 - Tempe, Arizona

Round of 16 - Thursday

16) Maria Jose Vargas d. 1) Paola Longoria, 15-13, 4-15, 11-8
9) Kelani Lawrence d. 8) Brenda Laime, 15-9, 15-10

5) Natalia Mendez d. 12) Valeria Centellas, 11-15, 15-12, 11-5
4) Erika Manilla d. 13) Cristina Amaya, 15-7, 15-4

3) Montserrat Mejia d. 14) Maria Renee Rodriguez, 15-4, 15-0
6) Jessica Parrilla d. 11) Hollie Scott, 15-13, 15-13

10) Angelica Barrios d. 7) Carla Muñoz, 15-10, 15-10
2) Alexandra Herrera d. 15) Gabriela Martinez, 15-12, 15-13

Quarterfinals - Friday

9) Kelani Lawrence v. 16) Maria Jose Vargas - 11 AM
4) Erika Manilla v. 5) Natalia Mendez - 11 AM

3) Montserrat Mejia v. 6) Jessica Parrilla - 10 AM
2) Alexandra Herrera v. 10) Angelica Barrios - 10 AM

Doubles - Quarterfinals - Thursday

8) Angelica Barrios & Brenda Laime d. 1) Alexandra Herrera & Montserrat Mejia, 15-11, 15-11
4) Valeria Centellas & Natalia Mendez d. 5) Kelani Lawrence & Hollie Scott, 15-3, 9-15, 11-2

3) Paola Longoria & Rhonda Rajsich d. 6) Michelle Key & Erika Manilla, 15-7, 10-15, 11-7
2) Gabriela Martinez & Maria Renee Rodriguez d. 7) Ximena Gonzalez & Jessica Parrilla, 15-13, 14-15, 11-4

Doubles - Semi-finals - Friday

4) Valeria Centellas & Natalia Mendez v. 8) Angelica Barrios & Brenda Laime - 7 PM
2) Gabriela Martinez & Maria Renee Rodriguez v. 3) Paola Longoria & Rhonda Rajsich - 6 PM

Follow the bouncing ball….