2023 USA Singles Qualifying & Canadian Racquetball Championships

Last week USA Racquetball (USAR) held its National Team Singles Qualifying event, and Racquetball Canada held its National Championship. There were some new winners and some repeat winners in both.

The USAR’s event was the National Adult Team Singles Qualifying in Memory of Geoff Peters (or the NATSQMGP) at the Glass Court club in Lombard, Illinois, where Geoff Peters played an instrumental part in supporting and developing racquetball for decades until his death in 2022. As a stand alone event, there were not many participants. Only five women and ten men competed for spots to make the USA National Team, which will compete at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile this October. That’s significantly fewer players than competed at the 2022 National Championships, when there were 19 players in Men’s Singles and 14 in Women’s Singles.

Daniel De La Rosa and Erika Manilla won the Men’s and Women’s events, respectively, in Illinois. In the Men’s Final, De La Rosa defeated Adam Manilla, who as the 5th seed was a surprise finalist, 3-11, 11-9, 11-8, 9-11, 11-6, while Manilla, Adam’s sister, defeated Kelani Lawrence in the women’s final, 11-3, 8-11, 11-7, 11-6.

This is the second USAR event De La Rosa has played. He has previously competed for Mexico, where he was born. Indeed, De La Rosa is the current International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Champion in Men’s Doubles, winning the title with Alvaro Beltran last year in De La Rosa’s hometown of San Luis Potosi, Mexico.

De La Rosa also won Men’s Doubles earlier this year with Alejandro Landa in Arizona, which was his first USAR National Team event. Thus, we believe that De La Rosa has double qualified to be on Team USA.

In the semi-finals, De La Rosa defeated Landa, 11-9, 11-9, 11-3, while Manilla upset top seed Jake Bredenbeck, 2-11, 11-8, 12-10, 11-2. According USAR rules the semi-finalists will all be appointed to Team USA from which a travelling team will be created.

Of note, veteran Rocky Carson was in the draw, but was a late withdrawal. Carson has competed at every Pan Am Games with racquetball since 2003, winning gold in Men’s Singles in 2011 and 2015. However, it seems he will not be going to Chile.

In the Women’s semis, Erika Manilla came back from two games down to defeat Holly Scott, 7-11, 9-11, 11-9, 11-8, 11-5, while Lawrence beat veteran Rhonda Rajsich, 11-8, 11-6, 11-6. Rajsich needed five games to get past Lexi York in the quarterfinals, and lost the 3rd Place match to Scott, 11-7, 11-5, 11-3. However, by making the semis Rajsich should qualify for Team USA.

The USA’s results at the 2023 Pan American Championships in April qualified them to send 3 men and 2 women to the Pan Am Games. On the women’s side, it seems like the players will be Manilla and Lawrence, as they were the singles finalists and also in the doubles final in February, when Manilla and Michelle De La Rosa defeated Lawrence and Scott.

The men’s side isn’t quite as clear. We understand that De La Rosa is clear to compete for the USA, so he should be going to Chile, as the winner of singles and doubles. Adam Manilla should also be going, as he was runner up in both singles and doubles. The third player could be Landa, as he won doubles with De La Rosa, and made the semis of singles.

But Landa lost the 3rd place match to Bredenbeck, 11-8, 11-6, 8-11, 11-8. However, Bredenbeck lost in the semi-finals of doubles, so maybe he’ll be on the outside looking in for Chile.

If you missed any of the matches from Lombard, check out the USA Racquetball YouTube channel.

2023 Racquetball Canada National Championships

Samuel Murray and Frédérique Lambert are the 2023 Racquetball Canada National Champions in Men's and Women's Singles, respectively, winning the titles last Saturday in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It’s Murray’s 5th consecutive title, and also Lambert’s 5th - and 3rd consecutive - title. In the Men’s Final, Murray beat 2nd seed Coby Iwaasa, 11-4, 12-10, 11-3, while Lambert defeated 4th seed Juliette Parent, 11-2, 11-7, 10-12, 11-4, in the Women’s Final.

Lambert also won Women’s Doubles with partner Michèle Morissette, as they defeated the other four teams competing. Indeed, they only lost two games across those four matches. They needed four games to beat Alexis Iwaasa and Danielle Ramsay, 11-5, 11-4, 13-15, 11-4, four games against sisters Juliette and Marjolaine Parent, winning 11-6, 8-11, 11-7, 11-8. The title is Lambert and Morissette’s 2nd consecutive, and overall it’s Lambert’s 3rd and Morissette’s 4th doubles titles.

Murray had a chance to win his 7th Men’s Doubles and 4th consecutive with his brother Tommy Murray, but they were upset in the final by 2nd seeds Iwaasa and Kurtis Cullen, 12-10, 11-9, 11-4. The win was Iwaasa’s 4th doubles title, and the 1st for Cullen.

Canada’s results at the 2023 Pan American Championships qualified them to send 2 men and 2 women to the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile in October, and the likely candidates are Murray and Iwaasa on the men’s side and Lambert and Morissette on the women’s side.

If you missed any of the matches from Winnipeg, check out the Racquetball Canada YouTube channel.

2023 USA Racquetball Adult Team Singles Qualifying In Memory of Geoff Peters
Lombard, Illinois - May 25-28, 2023

Men's Singles - Quarterfinals

1) Jake Bredenbeck d. 8) James Black, 11-4, 11-3, 11-3
5) Adam Manilla d. 4) Thomas Carter, 9-11, 11-6, 14-12, 11-5

3) Alejandro Landa d. 6) Rocky Carson, forfeit
2) Daniel De La Rosa d. 7) Sam Bredenbeck, 11-4, 14-16, 12-10, 11-7

Semi-finals

5) Adam Manilla d. 1) Jake Bredenbeck, 2-11, 11-8, 12-10, 11-2
2) Daniel De La Rosa d. 3) Alejandro Landa, 11-9, 11-9, 11-3

Final

2) Daniel De La Rosa d. 5) Adam Manilla, 3-11, 11-9, 11-8, 9-11, 11-6

3rd place

1) Jake Bredenbeck d. 3) Alejandro Landa, 11-8, 11-6, 8-11, 11-8

Women's Singles - Quarterfinals

1) Kelani Lawrence - BYE
4) Rhonda Rajsich d. 5) Lexi York, 11-7, 11-6, 5-11, 9-11, 11-9

3) Hollie Scott - BYE
2) Erika Manilla - BYE

Semi-finals

1) Kelani Lawrence d. 4) Rhonda Rajsich, 11-8, 11-6, 11-6
2) Erika Manilla d. 3) Hollie Scott, 7-11, 9-11, 11-9, 11-8, 11-5

Final

2) Erika Manilla d. 1) Kelani Lawrence, 11-3, 8-11, 11-7, 11-6

3rd place

3) Hollie Scott d. 4) Rhonda Rajsich, 11-7, 11-5, 11-3

2023 Racquetball Canada National Championships
May 23-27, 2023 - Winnipeg, Manitoba

Men's Open - Singles

Final

1) Samuel Murray d. 2) Coby Iwaasa, 11-4, 12-10, 11-3

3rd Place

5) Kurtis Cullen d. 6) Tanner Prentice, 11-5, 11-7, 11-9

Semi-finals

1) Samuel Murray d. 5) Kurtis Cullen, 11-5, 11-4, 11-6
2) Coby Iwaasa d. 6) Tanner Prentice, 11-2, 11-7, 11-8

Quarterfinals

1) Samuel Murray d. 19) Jeff Buller, 11-5, 11-7, 11-4
5) Kurtis Cullen d. 4) Lee Connell, 12-10, 11-6, 10-12, 11-4

6) Tanner Prentice d. 3) Trevor Webb, 11-8, 11-8, 11-8
2) Coby Iwaasa d. 7) Nathan Jauvin, 11-4, 11-3, 11-1

Women's Open - Singles

Final

1) Frédérique Lambert d. 4) Juliette Parent, 11-2, 11-7, 10-12, 11-4

3rd place

3) Michèle Morissette d. 2) Christine Keay, forfeit

Semi-finals

1) Frédérique Lambert d. 3) Michèle Morissette, 11-4, 10-12, 9-11, 11-8, 11-5
4) Juliette Parent d. 2) Christine Keay, 11-9, 3-11, 11-8, 11-6

Quarterfinals

1) Frédérique Lambert - BYE
3) Michèle Morissette d. 5) Danielle Ramsay, 11-8, 7-11, 11-6, 8-11, 11-9

4) Juliette Parent d. 7) Marjolaine Parent, 11-7, 11-8, 12-10
2) Christine Keay - BYE

Men's Open - Doubles

Final

2) Kurtis Cullen & Coby Iwaasa d. 1) Samuel Murray & Tommy Murray , 12-10, 11-9, 11-4

3rd Place

3) Lee Connell & Trevor Webb d. 4) Nathan Jauvin & Michael Leduc, 11-6, 10-12, 11-8, 8-11, 11-2

Semi-finals

1) Samuel Murray & Tommy Murray d. 4) Nathan Jauvin & Michael Leduc, 11-6, 11-3, 11-5
2) Kurtis Cullen & Coby Iwaasa d. 3) Lee Connell & Trevor Webb, 13-11, 11-8, 11-8

Quarterfinals

1) Samuel Murray & Tommy Murray d. 9) Devin Halko & Paul Shanks, 11-3, 11-5, 11-5
4) Nathan Jauvin & Michael Leduc d. 5) Naman Gauri & Christian Pocsai, 6-11, 5-11, 11-7, 11-8, 11-8

3) Lee Connell & Trevor Webb d. 6) Conrad Cole & Tanner Prentice, 11-9, 11-3, 12-10
2) Kurtis Cullen & Coby Iwaasa d. 7) Jeff Buller & David Serra, 11-4, 11-6, 9-11, 11-5

Women's Open - Doubles - Round robin

1) Frédérique Lambert & Michèle Morissette - 4 wins & 0 losses (12 games won, 2 lost)
2) Christine Keay & Cassie Prentice - 2-2 (7-7)
3) Alexis Iwaasa & Danielle Ramsay - 2-2 (7-6)
4) Juliette Parent & Marjolaine Parent - 2-2 (7-7)
5) Disney Linares & Ofelia Wilscam - 0-4 (1-12)

Follow the bouncing ball….

Martinez wins 2023 LPRT Sweet Caroline Open

Gabriela Martinez defeated Brenda Laime, 15-11, 15-7, to win the 2023 Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) Sweet Caroline Open in Greenville, South Carolina on Saturday. On paper, it was a big upset, as Martinez was seeded 17th and Laime 6th, but Martinez is a former International Racquetball Federation (IRF) Women’s Singles World Champion, so it’s not too surprising that she’s winning on the LPRT.

What is surprising is that Martinez has been in more IRF Women’s Singles finals at the World Championships than she has LPRT finals: 3 versus 2. But she’s won both of her LPRT final appearances, while only winning one of the three IRF finals. Her relatively low LPRT ranking is due to her only playing half of the events (4 of 8 prior to this weekend) this season, and not getting further than the Round of 16 in any event prior to this weekend.

In doubles, top seeds Paola Longoria and Samantha Salas beat #2 seeds Alexandra Herrera and Montserrat Mejia, 15-11, 15-6.

Martinez never trailed in game one of the singles final, and had leads of 7-2 and 11-4. Yet Laime kept working, and managed to tie the score at 11-11.

Martinez regained the serve, when a penalty hinder (or avoidable) was assessed against Laime, who hit a drive serve to the left that came off the side wall and into the middle preventing Martinez from a direct shot to the front wall.

Laime never served again, as Martinez hit winners on the next four rallies, including two directly off her serve. The second of those was a clean ace drive serve to the right side that ended the game, 15-11.

In game two, Martinez ran out to an 11-1 lead, despite Laime calling both her timeouts. Laime managed to put some points together and got within five at 11-6, so Martinez called a timeout.

That led to an exchange of sideouts, 6 in all, before Martinez broke the deadlock with two points, the second of which was another drive serve ace to the right side that made it 13-6.

Still, Laime kept at it, and Martinez needed nine rallies to get the last two points, and close out the game 15-7, and the match in two straight games.

Both games of the doubles final were close early. In game one, Herrera and Mejia came back from 8-3 down to tie Longoria and Salas at 9-9. But Longoria and Salas were better down the stretch, as they won it 15-11.

In game two, the shift came after they were tied 6-6, as Longoria and Salas got six points on as many rallies to lead 12-6. Herrera and Mejia got the serve back at 13-6, but Salas and then Longoria hit winning serve returns on back to back drive serves to put themselves back in the service box, where they closed out the game on the next two rallies.

Salas was player of the match, and you don’t have to look further than the last rally to see why, as she drove twice to keep the ball in play. The second dive led to Herrera skipping a shot, which gave her opponents the winning point.

The ultimate tournament

The 2022-23 LPRT season ends next month with the LPRT at the Beach tournament June 15-17 in Chesapeake, Virginia, where the season ending #1 ranking will be on the line. Longoria has been #1 for 11 straight seasons, but this year Mejia has won more tournaments - 4 to 3 - so Mejia has a chance to be unseat Longoria, and finish #1 for the first time in her career.

There are other ranking uncertainties also. Perhaps Erika Manilla could pass Alexandra Herrera for 3rd. Laime may crack the top 5; she’s 6th now and did much better this weekend than Jessica Parrilla, who currently is slightly ahead of her in 5th.

Martinez may have an outside chance to get into the top 10, as she was 19th prior to this weekend. Martinez’s didn’t play in South Carolina last year, so her points for winning will be all new. She did play at last year’s season ending event, where she finished in the quarters, so Martinez will have to defend those points next month and perhaps better them if she hopes to be in the top 10 for the second consecutive season.

Also, Maria Jose Vargas may be able to crack the top 10. She was 12th going into this weekend, and 80 points behind Salas in 10th. Helping Vargas's case is that Salas did better than her at last year’s season ending event (semi-final versus Round of 16, respectively), so it could be possible for Vargas to get into the top 10.

She’s been in the top 10 nine of the last ten seasons, including the last five consecutive. If Vargas makes the top 10, she’ll tie Cristina Amaya for 9th most career top 10 finishes.

While nine top 10 finishes is impressive, it's well off the record, which is 22, held by Rhonda Rajsich. Even more impressive is that she did it in 22 consecutive seasons. Indeed, Rajsich has been in the top 10 every season of this century, beginning in 2000-01. But Rajsich has only played one event this season, so there’s no way she could crack the top 10 even with a win next month in Virginia. Her streak will be broken.

That'll be the end of an era.

If you missed any of the action from South Carolina, check out the LPRT YouTube channel.

2023 LPRT Sweet Caroline Open
Greenville, South Carolina - May 4-7, 2023

Final - Saturday

17) Gabriela Martinez d. 6) Brenda Laime, 15-11, 15-7

Doubles - Semi-finals - Saturday

1) Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas d. 5) Kelani Lawrence & Hollie Scott, 15-10, 15-4
2) Alexandra Herrera & Montserrat Mejia d. 6) Natalia Mendez & Maria Jose Vargas, 15-8, 15-7

Doubles - Final - Saturday

1) Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas d. 2) Alexandra Herrera & Montserrat Mejia, 15-11, 15-6

Follow the bouncing ball….

Laime & Martinez to face off at 2023 LPRT Sweet Caroline Open

Both of the semi-finals at the 2023 Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) Sweet Caroline Open in Greenville, South Carolina were upsets, and both were over in two games. Brenda Laime was again a giant killer, and this time the 6th seed defeated LPRT #2 Montserrat Mejia, 15-14, 15-12. Then 17th seed Gabriela Martinez beat LPRT #4 Erika Manilla, 15-3, 15-10.

Mejia’s loss in the semi-finals pretty much ensures that her quest to be #1 at the end of the season will depend on what happens next month at the LPRT at the Beach tournament, which will be the last event of the 2022-23 LPRT season.

Laime had an unusual path to victory, as she was down 6-1 in both game one and two against Mejia. In game one, Laime came back and tied it at 6-6, and then went ahead and stayed ahead, winning 15-14.

In game two, it took until 9-9 for Laime to catch up to Mejia. But again she never trailed after that, winning a close match in two games.

The win puts Laime in a second straight final, and the third of her career. She’ll be looking for her first win on Saturday.

Martinez, who is seeded 17th because she hasn’t played the tour full time this season but is hardly the 17th best player on tour, has been the “It Girl” in South Carolina, as she’s won her last three matches in two straight games, yielding just 7.33 points per game over those six games.

Martinez and Manilla were tied at 3-3 in game one, but Martinez then ran off 12 unanswered points to win it, 15-3. In game two, they were close early with neither leading by more than two up to a tie at 9-9.

Then Martinez stepped it up, and won six of the next seven points to close out game two, 15-10, and the match in two straight games.

Remarkably, Martinez will play just her 2nd LPRT final Saturday. But she won her first one - last season in Colorado, so we’ll see if she can win her 2nd final tomorrow.

Unfortunately for Martinez, she won’t have a chance to win both singles and doubles Saturday, as she and Marie Renee Rodriguez were beaten in the quarterfinals Friday by Kelani Lawrence and Hollie Scott, 1-15, 15-11, 11-6.

Lawrence and Scott will play top seeds Paola Longoria and Samantha Salas in the semi-finals Saturday, as Longoria and Salas beat Angelica Barrios and Brenda Laime, 15-7, 15-10, in the quarters.

The other semi-final will be 2nd seeds Alexandra Herrera and Montserrat Mejia against 6th seeds Natalia Mendez and Maria Jose Vargas. In the quarters, Herrera and Mejia beat Martina Katz and Jessica Parrilla, 15-5, 15-3, while Mendez and Vargas upset 3rd seeds Valeria Centellas and Manilla, 15-6, 15-10.

You can watch Saturday’s action live from Greenville via the LPRT YouTube channel. The singles final will be 5 PM Saturday with the doubles semi-finals at 11 AM and noon, and the doubles final Saturday night at 6 PM or after the singles final. All times Eastern.

2023 LPRT Sweet Caroline Open
Greenville, South Carolina - May 4-7, 2023

Semi-finals - Friday

17) Gabriela Martinez d. 4) Erika Manilla, 15-3, 15-10
6) Brenda Laime d. 2) Montserrat Mejia, 15-14, 15-12

Final - Saturday

6) Brenda Laime v. 17) Gabriela Martinez - 5 PM

Doubles - Quarterfinals - Friday

1) Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas d. 8) Angelica Barrios & Brenda Laime, 15-7, 15-10
5) Kelani Lawrence & Hollie Scott d. 4) Gabriela Martinez & Maria Renee Rodriguez, 1-15, 15-11, 11-6

6) Natalia Mendez & Maria Jose Vargas d. 3) Valeria Centellas & Erika Manilla, 15-6, 15-10
2) Alexandra Herrera & Montserrat Mejia d. 7) Martina Katz & Jessica Parrilla, 15-5, 15-3

Doubles - Semi-finals - Saturday

1) Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas v. 5) Kelani Lawrence & Hollie Scott - Noon
2) Alexandra Herrera & Montserrat Mejia v. 6) Natalia Mendez & Maria Jose Vargas - 11 AM

Follow the bouncing ball….

Mejia, Manilla, Laime & Martinez into semi-finals at 2023 LPRT Sweet Caroline Open

Brenda Laime, the 6th seed, knocked off 3rd seed Alexandra Herrera, 15-8, 13-15, 11-6, in the quarterfinals of the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) Sweet Caroline Open in Greenville, South Carolina. The win puts Laime into the semi-finals, where she’ll face LPRT #2 Montserrat Mejia. Mejia also needed a tie-breaker to win her quarterfinal match, as she defeated 10th seed Samantha Salas, 15-12, 7-15, 11-0.

On the top side of the draw, it will be 4th seed Erika Manilla against 17th seed Gabriela Martinez in the semis. Manilla came back from a game down to eke out a victory over 12th seed Maria Jose Vargas, 10-15, 15-11, 11-10, while Martinez had a straight game win over 8th seed Carla Muñoz, 15-5, 15-13.

The Mejia-Salas match was a bit odd. Salas led for all of game one, including at 7-2 and 12-8, so she seemed in total control. Yet Mejia came back and took the game with seven consecutive points to win 15-12. It was a win that seemed against the run of play, as it were.

In game two, Mejia led early, but Salas tied it at 4-4, and then took the lead and didn’t look back, winning 15-7. So, despite the scores, the two games didn’t feel close, and if anything, it seemed that Salas should have won them both.

In the tie-breaker, Mejia seemed to raise her level of play, while Salas got frustrated - perhaps because she felt it shouldn't have got to a third game, which contributed to a few errors. As a result, Mejia won it comfortably, 11-0, to move on to the semi-finals.

In the Manilla-Vargas match, Vargas led for all of game one, and Manilla all of game two. The third game was back and forth early leading to a 5-5 tie.

Manilla called a timeout at that point, but it was Vargas who scored points immediately after that, taking a 9-5 lead. However, Manilla dug in, and came back to within one at 9-8. So, Vargas called a timeout.

She hit a forehand cross court winner when play resumed, and got her 10th point when a penalty hinder (or avoidable) was called on the next rally. It was a play where the players came together, as Manilla couldn’t quite get out of Vargas’s way as she was setting up to take the ball off the back wall. So, there wasn’t a set up yet, but it looked like there was going to be. Thus, the avoidable call was not wrong, but perhaps harsh.

Manilla didn’t like the call, but was out of appeals, so she couldn’t appeal it.

For those who believe that “the ball knows” - which it doesn’t really, but we often like to say it does - you should know that on the next rally - Vargas's first match point, the ball hit Vargas as she was turning to let it come off the back wall for a set up.

That would prove to be Vargas’s only match point, as Manilla hit three winners on the next three rallies: a backhand cross court shot, a backhand drop shot right at the front wall, which made it tricky, and a forehand down the line shot to win it. Vargas appealed for a court hinder on the last one, as she did hit the ball into the back wall but failed to get it to the front wall. Part of the back wall can cause court hinders, so Vargas appealed that the ball hit that part of the back wall. The line judges agreed with the referee that there was no court hinder.

You can watch the semi-final action live from Greenville via the LPRT YouTube channel. The singles semi-finals will be at 4 and 5 PM Friday and the final at 5 PM Saturday. The doubles quarters will be Friday night at 6 and 7 PM with the semi-finals at 11 AM and noon on Saturday, and the final Saturday night at 6 PM. All times Eastern.

2023 LPRT Sweet Caroline Open
Greenville, South Carolina - May 4-7, 2023

Quarterfinals - Friday

17) Gabriela Martinez d. 8) Carla Muñoz, 15-5, 15-13
4) Erika Manilla v. 12) Maria Jose Vargas, 10-15, 15-11, 11-10

6) Brenda Laime d. 3) Alexandra Herrera, 15-8, 13-15, 11-6
2) Montserrat Mejia d. 10) Samantha Salas, 15-12, 7-15, 11-0

Semi-finals - Friday

4) Erika Manilla v. 17) Gabriela Martinez v. - 5 PM
2) Montserrat Mejia v. 6) Brenda Laime - 4 PM

Doubles - Quarterfinals - Friday

1) Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas v. 8) Angelica Barrios & Brenda Laime - 7 PM
4) Gabriela Martinez & Maria Renee Rodriguez v. 5) Kelani Lawrence & Hollie Scott - 7 PM

3) Valeria Centellas & Erika Manilla v. 6) Natalia Mendez & Maria Jose Vargas - 6 PM
2) Alexandra Herrera & Montserrat Mejia v. 7) Martina Katz & Jessica Parrilla - 6 PM

Follow the bouncing ball….

Martinez beats Longoria in 16s at LPRT Sweet Caroline Open

Gabriela Martinez upset Paola Longoria, the #1 player on the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT), 15-7, 15-6, in the Round of 16 at the Sweet Caroline Open in Greenville, South Carolina Thursday. The two also met last weekend in San Antonio, where Longoria won in two close games. But Thursday Martinez got the win, and did so comprehensively.

Longoria got off to a good start in game one, with leads of 5-2 and 7-4. But Martinez scored 19 straight points to go from down 4-7 in game one to winning it, 15-7, and then up 8-0 in game two. That’s an astonishing streak against the woman who has dominated the LPRT for more than a decade.

Indeed, Martinez’s victory casts doubt on whether Longoria will be #1 at season’s end. Montserrat Mejia is currently #2, but she’s won more events this season than Longoria (4 to 3). She also won her Round of 16 match Thursday, as she beat Cristina Amaya, 15-1, 15-5. If Mejia wins the tournament, then she will have a big advantage over Longoria going into the last event of the season next month in Virginia.

In other action, Samantha Salas, seeded 10th, was an upset winner over 7th seed Natalia Mendez, and could help Longoria - her long time doubles partner - by defeating Mejia, who she’ll play in the quarterfinals.

Maria Jose Vargas’s win over Jessica Parrilla was an upset by the seeding, as it was a 12th seed defeating a 5th seed, but Vargas is a former #2 on tour, so it’s not a surprise whenever she wins a match. Vargas will play 4th seed Erika Manilla in the quarters, as Manilla beat 13th seed Valeria Centellas, 15-2, 15-12.

A win that might seem like an upset happened in the 8/9 match, as 8th seed Carla Muñoz narrowly defeated 9th seed Angelica Barrios, 15-12, 15-14. Muñoz will play Martinez in the quarters Friday.

You can watch the action live from Greenville via the LPRT YouTube channel. The singles quarterfinals will be Friday at 11 AM and noon with the semi-finals at 4 and 5 PM Friday and the final at 5 PM Saturday. The doubles quarters will be Friday night at 6 and 7 PM with the semi-finals at 11 AM and noon on Saturday, and the final Saturday night at 6 PM. All times Eastern.

2023 LPRT Sweet Caroline Open
Greenville, South Carolina - May 4-7, 2023

Round of 16 - Thursday

17) Gabriela Martinez d. 1) Paola Longoria, 15-7, 15-6
8) Carla Muñoz d. 9) Angelica Barrios, 15-12, 15-14

12) Maria Jose Vargas d. 5) Jessica Parrilla, 15-7, 15-3
4) Erika Manilla d. 13) Valeria Centellas, 15-2, 15-12

3) Alexandra Herrera d. 14) Hollie Scott, 15-11, 15-9
6) Brenda Laime d. 11) Kelani Lawrence, 15-9, 15-13

10) Samantha Salas d. 7) Natalia Mendez, 12-15, 15-10, 11-10
2) Montserrat Mejia d. 15) Cristina Amaya, 15-1, 15-5

Quarterfinals - Friday

8) Carla Muñoz v. 17) Gabriela Martinez - Noon
4) Erika Manilla v. 12) Maria Jose Vargas - Noon

3) Alexandra Herrera v. 6) Brenda Laime - 11 AM
2) Montserrat Mejia v. 10) Samantha Salas - 11 AM

Doubles - Round of 16 - Thursday

1) Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas - BYE
8) Angelica Barrios & Brenda Laime d. 9) Paula Mansilla & Carla Muñoz, 15-5, 15-8

5) Kelani Lawrence & Hollie Scott - BYE
4) Gabriela Martinez & Maria Renee Rodriguez - BYE

3) Valeria Centellas & Erika Manilla - BYE
6) Natalia Mendez & Maria Jose Vargas d. 11) Naomi Ros & Lexi York, 15-5, 15-3

7) Martina Katz & Jessica Parrilla d. 10) Cristina Amaya & Maria Paz Riquelme, 15-3, 15-13
2) Alexandra Herrera & Montserrat Mejia - BYE

Doubles - Quarterfinals - Friday

1) Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas v. 8) Angelica Barrios & Brenda Laime - 7 PM
4) Gabriela Martinez & Maria Renee Rodriguez v. 5) Kelani Lawrence & Hollie Scott - 7 PM

3) Valeria Centellas & Erika Manilla v. 6) Natalia Mendez & Maria Jose Vargas - 6 PM
2) Alexandra Herrera & Montserrat Mejia v. 7) Martina Katz & Jessica Parrilla - 6 PM

Follow the bouncing ball….

2023 LPRT Sweet Caroline Open is underway

The Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) Sweet Caroline Open has kicked off in Greenville, South Carolina. This the penultimate event of the 2022-23 LPRT season, and there are 24 players in the draw, led by LPRT #1 Paola Longoria and #2 Montserrat Mejia, who are neck and neck for the season ending #1 position. Longoria has been #1 for the last 11 seasons. But Mejia’s four wins this season are more than Longoria’s three, so there’s a real chance she could unseat Longoria and finish #1.

No surprises in the Round of 32, although fellow Guatemalans Gabriela Martinez and Maria Renee Rodriguez went to a tie-breaker. Rodriguez won game one, 15-14, but Martinez came back and won game two, 15-8, and the breaker 11-4, to advance to the Round of 16, where she’ll play Longoria.

Martinez and Longoria will be a battle of the women who’ve met in three of the last four Women’s Singles finals at the International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Championships (Longoria winning two of those & Martinez one). They also played last week in San Antonio with Longoria winning in two close games, so it should be a good match later today.

You can watch the action live from Greenville via the LPRT YouTube channel. The Round of 16 for singles and doubles will be later on Thursday, and the finals are going to be on Saturday. All times Eastern.

2023 LPRT Sweet Caroline Open
Greenville, South Carolina - May 4-7, 2023

Round of 32 - Thursday

1) Paola Longoria - BYE
17) Gabriela Martinez d. 16) Maria Renee Rodriguez, 14-15, 15-8, 11-4

9) Angelica Barrios d. 24) Shane Diaz, 15-5, 15-3
8) Carla Muñoz - BYE

5) Jessica Parrilla - BYE
12) Maria Jose Vargas d. 21) Martina Katz, 15-2, 15-4

13) Valeria Centellas d. 20) Lexi York, 15-6, 15-9
4) Erika Manilla - BYE

3) Alexandra Herrera - BYE
14) Hollie Scott d. 19) Sunshine Arterburn, 15-0, 15-0

11) Kelani Lawrence d. 22) Naomi Ros, 15-5, 15-8
6) Brenda Laime - BYE

7) Natalia Mendez - forfeit
10) Samantha Salas d. 23) Paula Mansilla, 15-3, 15-1

15) Cristina Amaya d. 18) Maria Paz Riquelme, 15-5, 15-14
2) Montserrat Mejia - BYE

Round of 16 - Thursday

1) Paola Longoria v. 17) Gabriela Martinez - 5 PM
8) Carla Muñoz v. 9) Angelica Barrios - 5 PM

5) Jessica Parrilla v. 12) Maria Jose Vargas - 2 PM
4) Erika Manilla v. 13) Valeria Centellas - 2 PM

3) Alexandra Herrera v. 14) Hollie Scott - 3 PM
6) Brenda Laime v. 11) Kelani Lawrence - 3 PM

7) Natalia Mendez v. 10) Samantha Salas - 4 PM
2) Montserrat Mejia v. 15) Cristina Amaya - 4 PM

Doubles - Round of 16 - Thursday

1) Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas - BYE
8) Angelica Barrios & Brenda Laime v. 9) Paula Mansilla & Carla Muñoz - 6 PM

5) Kelani Lawrence & Hollie Scott - BYE
4) Gabriela Martinez & Maria Renee Rodriguez - BYE

3) Valeria Centellas & Erika Manilla - BYE
6) Natalia Mendez & Maria Jose Vargas v. 11) Naomi Ros & Lexi York - 6 PM

7) Martina Katz & Jessica Parrilla v. 10) Cristina Amaya & Maria Paz Riquelme - 6 PM
2) Alexandra Herrera & Montserrat Mejia - BYE

Follow the bouncing ball….