Two wins for Ortiz & one for Cullen - Weekend Round Up

Maricruz Ortiz was a double winner on the weekend at the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) 2023 Frontline Boston Open in Marlbrough, Massachusetts, where she won Women’s Open and the LPRT U21 division.

In the Open final, Ortiz beat veteran Nancy Enriquez, 1-11, 11-7, 11-7. In the semi-finals, Ortiz defeated Stephanie Synhorst, 11-5, 11-4, and Enriquez beat Marjolaine Parent, 11-0, 11-2.

In the U21 division, Ortiz defeated lefthander Martina Katz, 15-1, 15-10, in the final. In the semi-finals, Ortiz upset top seed Valeria Centellas, 15-10, 7-15, 11-5, while Katz defeated Annie Roberts in two close games, 15-12, 15-14.

At the 2023 KWM Gutterman Minnesota Hall of Fame Event in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Kurtis Cullen won Men’s Open. In the final, he came back from a game down to defeat Andrés Gómez, 13-15, 15-0, 11-4. In the semis, Cullen beat Diego Gatica, 15-7, 15-12, and Gómez held on to defeat Rodrigo Salgado Jr., 15-6, 13-15, 11-2.

USA Racquetball High School Championships

The 2023 USA Racquetball High School Championships concluded in Portland, Oregon on Sunday. There was a field of 231 players, across a multitude of divisions with the largest being Boy’s #6 Singles with 97 players. Max Adelman of St. Louis University High School had to win six matches to claim the Boy’s #6 title (he was the top seed, so had a bye in the Round of 128). Adelman played 15th seed and classmate Ben Williams in the final, winning 15-4, 15-7.

Benjamin Horner of Ankeny Centennial in Ankeny, Iowa won Boy’s #1 by defeating DJ Mendoza (Douglas Macarthur High School, San Antonio), 15-11, 15-9, in what was a final between the top two seeds.

Mendoza’s class-mate Naomi Ros won her the Girl’s #1 division. She beat Gabbie Roseman of Kirkwood High School, Missouri, 15-2, 15-0, in the final. Indeed, Ros only gave up 17 points across four matches: 2.13 points per game. But in each of her last three matches Ros’s opponents only scored twice. She gave up almost twice as many points in the Round of 16 (11 in a 15-7, 15-4 win over 16th seed Victoria Rodriguez of Katela High School, California) than in the quarterfinals, semi-finals and final combined! (6 total).

Thus, you should not be surprised to learn that Ros and Mendoza won Mixed Doubles #1, defeating Roseman and Zach West in the final, 15-5, 15-9.

Upcoming events

There are several big racquetball events coming up in March. The International Racquetball Tour (IRT) will be in action at the 38th Annual Papa Nicholas Coffee Shamrock Shootout in Lombard, Illinois, March 16-19, and the 2023 USA Racquetball Intercollegiate Championships will be going on at Ohio State University March 15-19.

At the end of the month, the 2023 Pan American Championships will begin March 31 in Guatemala and run through to April 8. The defending champions are Bolivians Conrrado Moscoso and Angelica Barrios in Men’s and Women’s Singles, respectively, as well as Coby Iwaasa and Samuel Murray of Canada in Men’s Doubles and Natalia Mendez and Maria Jose Vargas of Argentina in Women’s Singles, and, finally, Rodrigo Montoya and Samantha Salas of Mexico in Mixed Doubles.

So there’s lots of racquetball to look forward to this month.

2023 Frontline Boston Open
Marlborough, Massachusetts, March 3-5, 2023

Women’s Open Final

2) Maricruz Ortiz d. 1) Nancy Enriquez, 1-11, 11-7, 11-7

Semi-finals

1) Nancy Enriquez d. 5) Marjolaine Parent, 11-0, 11-2
2) Maricruz Ortiz d. 3) Stephanie Synhorst, 11-5, 11-4

LPRT U21 Final

4) Maricruz Ortiz d. 3) Martina Katz, 15-1, 15-10

Semi-finals

4) Maricruz Ortiz d. 1) Valeria Centellas, 15-10, 7-15, 11-5
3) Martina Katz d. 2) Annie Roberts, 15-12, 15-14

2023 KWM Gutterman Minnesota Hall of Fame Event
March 2-5, 2023 - Minneapolis, Minnesota

Men’s Open Final

4) Kurtis Cullen d. 2) Andrés Gómez, 13-15, 15-0, 11-4

Semi-finals

4) Kurtis Cullen d. 1) Diego Gatica, 15-7, 15-12
2) Andrés Gómez d. 3) Rodrigo Salgado Jr., 15-6, 13-15, 11-2

Follow the bouncing ball….