2023 Central American & Caribbean Games - Individual events

The 2023 Central American & Caribbean Games have being going on in San Salvador, El Salvador, but the racquetball competition is being held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (as were some other sports) due to facility availability. Six countries participated: Costa Rica, Cuba, Honduras, Mexico, the host Dominican Republic and Guatemalan born athletes, but not Guatemala. That is, athletes from Guatemala are competing under the banner of Central Caribe Sport (CCS), as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) banned the Guatemalan National Olympic Committee due to government interference last October.

Mexican athletes swept the gold medals in the individual competitions. For the fifth time, Paola Longoria won gold in Women’s Singles, and Eduardo Portillo won gold in Men’s Singles, which is his first international gold medal. In doubles, Alexandra Herrera and Montserrat Mejia won Women’s Doubles with Javier Mar and Rodrigo Montoya winning Men’s Doubles. Longoria and Portillo teamed up to win the Mixed Doubles title.

The Women’s Singles final was the same as in 2018, as Longoria faced Gabriela Martinez (CCS), 6-11, 11-8, 11-5, 11-4. That was the 3rd time the two have faced off in the last year, as they were also the Women's Singles finalists at World Games and the International Racquetball Federation World Championships last summer, and Longoria has won all three of the finals.

Mexican gold was guaranteed in Men’s Singles, as Portillo and team-mate Rodrigo Montoya faced off in the final. The games were close, but Portillo won three straight, 11-7, 13-11, 15-13.

Although Mexico won all three doubles titles, each of the finals went a full five games. In Women’s Doubles, Herrera and Mejia came back from two games down to defeat Martinez and Maria Renee Rodriguez (CCS), 9-11, 8-11, 11-7, 13-11, 11-6. Martinez and Rodriguez were also runners-up in 2018, when Longoria and Samantha Salas won gold.

Mar and Montoya won the first two games against Costa Ricans Andrés Acuña and Gabriel Garcia, but then had to hang on to win the match in a tie-breaker, as the Costa Ricans won games three and four. Mexico prevailed, 11-6, 11-5, 10-12, 9-11, 11-6. In 2018, Mexico and Costa Rica also faced off in the Men’s Doubles final, as Daniel De La Rosa and Alvaro Beltran defeated Acuña and Felipe Camacho.

Longoria and Portillo went down 2 games to 1 against Martinez and Edwin Galicia (CCS), but then came back to win the match in five games: 11-6, 10-12, 7-11, 11-6, 11-6. This was the first time Mixed Doubles was part of the racquetball competition at the Central American and Caribbean Games.

Mexico has won gold in singles at all but two Central American and Caribbean Games. Fabian Balmori of Venezuela is the only non-Mexican man to win Men’s Singles, doing so In 1993 and 1998. Claudine Garcia of the Dominican Republic (1993) and Antia Maldonado of Puerto Rico (1998) are the two non-Mexican women to win gold in Women’s Singles at the Central American and Caribbean Games. Mexico has won gold in Men’s and Women’s Doubles at every Central American and Caribbean Games.

2023 Central American & Caribbean Games
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic - June 24 - July 1

Women’s Singles - Final

Paola Longoria (Mexico) d. Gabriela Martinez (Centro Caribe Sport), 6-11, 11-8, 11-5, 11-4

Semi-finals

Paola Longoria (Mexico) d. Maricruz Ortiz (Costa Rica), 11-6, 11-6, 11-3
Gabriela Martinez (Centro Caribe Sport) d. Montserrat Mejia (Mexico), 11-9, 13-11, 7-11, 11-6

Women’s Doubles - Final

Alexandra Herrera & Montserrat Mejia (Mexico) d. Gabriela Martinez & Maria Renee Rodriguez (Centro Caribe Sport), 9-11, 8-11, 11-7, 13-11, 11-6

Semi-finals

Alexandra Herrera & Montserrat Mejia (Mexico) d. Merynanyelly Delgado & Alejandra Jiménez (Dominican Republic), 11-1, 11-3, 11-5
Gabriela Martinez & Maria Renee Rodriguez (Centro Caribe Sport) d. Jimena Gomez & Maricruz Ortiz (Costa Rica), 8-11, 11-7, 11-3, 11-3

Men’s Singles - Final

Eduardo Portillo (Mexico) d. Rodrigo Montoya (Mexico), 11-7, 13-11, 15-13

Semi-finals

Rodrigo Montoya (Mexico) d. Edwin Galicia (Centro Caribe Sport), 11-6, 11-6, 11-7
Eduardo Portillo (Mexico) d. Andrés Acuña (Costa Rica), 11-7, 11-3, 11-8

Men’s Doubles - Final

Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya (Mexico) d. Andrés Acuña & Gabriel Garcia (Costa Rica), 11-6, 11-5, 10-12, 9-11, 11-6

Semi-finals

Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya (Mexico) d. Juan Salvatierra & Christian Wer (Centro Caribe Sport), 11-9, 11-4, 11-5
Andrés Acuña & Gabriel Garcia (Costa Rica) d. Yandy Espinoza & Maikel Moyet (Cuba), 11-4, 11-9, 11-8

Mixed Doubles - Final

Paola Longoria & Eduardo Portillo (Mexico) d. Edwin Galicia & Gabriela Martinez (Centro Caribe Sport), 11-6, 10-12, 7-11, 11-6, 11-6

Semi-finals

Paola Longoria & Eduardo Portillo (Mexico) d. Maria Cespedes & Ramón De Leon (Dominican Republic), 11-4, 11-8, 11-7
Edwin Galicia & Gabriela Martinez (Centro Caribe Sport) d. Andrés Acuña & Maricruz Ortiz (Costa Rica), 12-10, 7-11, 9-11, 11-5, 11-7

Follow the bouncing ball….

2023 USA Racquetball National Junior Festival & Championships

The USA Racquetball (USAR) National Junior Festival and Championships happened up last week in Pleasanton, California, and there were some fun results which will be used to select players for the 2023 International Racquetball Federation World Junior Championships in Tarija, Bolivia, November 10-18. One hundred and eleven players competed in California, which is more than in the last two post-pandemic events, but down from years before that. The boy-girl numbers were 70-41 this year, which is a lower ratio of girls than the last two years, but about the same in actual numbers (41 this year is the same as last year & there were 38 in 2021).

This was the second year with U21 divisions, as the IRF introduced U21 at World Junior Championships last year. Also, there were Mixed Doubles categories, as the World Juniors has those categories also. Interestingly, a best of 3 games match format was used with side-out scoring, rather than the IRF match format of best of 5 games with rally scoring, which will be used for the World Juniors. The IRF match format used at last year’s USAR Junior Championships.

The results in Boys U21 was crazy, as from the quarterfinals on the lower seeded player won every match, except the 3rd place match. Moreover, three of the last year’s top four U21 finishers were back: Cody Elkins (Los Angeles), Assuan Castaneda (Hialeah, FL) and Samuel Schulze (Ocala, FL), but none of them made it past the quarters.

Instead, 10th seed Krish Thakur of Tracy, CA won title, defeating 8th seed Iain Dunn (Simi Valley, CA), 10-15, 15-6, 11-6, in the final. Thakur won all four of his matches in tie-breakers, including an 11-10 breaker in his semi-final match against 6th seed Julius Ellis (Stockton, CA), 15-8, 4-15, 11-10. In the other semi, Dunn beat 5th seed Tucker Elkins (Salem, OR), 15-11, 15-10. Elkins defeated Ellis, 15-5, 15-11, in the 3rd place match.

In contrast, the Girls U21 division was as expected, with top seed and defending champion Annie Roberts (Gresham, OR) defeating last year’s runner up Shane Diaz (San Antonio), 15-7, 15-4, in the final. In the semi-finals, Roberts beat 4th seed Erin Slutzky (Chesterfield, MO), 15-5, 15-9, while Diaz, the 3rd seed, upset 2nd seed Graci Wargo (Clearwater, FL), 15-7, 15-11.

Roberts’s win was her sixth consecutive USA Junior Championship in singles going back to a U14 win in 2017. That’s more consecutive titles than any other girl except Adrienne Haynes (née Fisher), who won seven titles from 1998 to 2004 (the first was a U12 title), which we believe to be the girls’ record for consecutive titles.

Roberts and Thakur faced off in the finals of U21 Mixed Doubles with Roberts and DJ Mendoza (San Antonio) getting the better of Thakur and Heather Mahoney (Penngrove, CA) and Krish Thakur (Tracy, CA), 15-7, 15-8. In the semi-finals, Robert and Mendoza defeated Dunn and Estfania Perez Picon (Manteca, CA), 15-12, 15-11, while Thakur and Mahoney beat siblings Nikita and Vedant Chauhan (San Ramon, CA), 15-7, 15-7.

Dunn did get a win in Boy’s U21 Doubles with Paul Saraceno (Simi Valley, CA), as they came out on top of a six team round robin with Ellis and Assuan Castaneda (Hialeah, FL) coming 2nd. Both had 4-1 records, but in their head to head match, which was one of the first matches of the tournament, Dunn and Saraceno defeated Ellis and Castaneda, 15-10, 15-14.

Diaz and Wargo won Girl’s U21 Doubles, as they defeated runners up Roberts and Khyathi Velpuri (Castle Rock, CO), 6-15, 15-14, 11-9. They also needed a breaker to beat Perez Picon and Erin Slutzky, 15-1, 13-15, 11-10.

Maybe the Boy’s U18 Doubles title should be renamed the Shea Cup, because for the fourth (4th!) consecutive time Josh Shea of Cortlandt Manor, New York won it and for the 2nd time in three years he did it with Vedant Chauhan (San Ramon, CA), as they went undefeated in a six team round robin. But they did need a couple of tie-breakers to do it. They had to come back from a game down to defeat Mendoza and Cole Sendrey (Frisco, TX), 8-15, 15-10, 11-6, and they eked out a win over Saraceno - who was Shea’s U18 doubles partner last year - and Benjamin Horner (Ankeny, IA), 15-6, 14-15, 11-10.

However, Shea lost in the Boy’s U18 Singles final, as Nikhil Prasad (Fremont, CA) defeated him 15-12, 15-11. In the semi-finals, Prasad, the 3rd seed, came back to narrowly defeat 2nd seed Sendry, 10-15, 15-10, 11-10, and Shea beat Mendoza, 15-14, 15-4. Prasad’s win is his 4th consecutive USAR Junior Nationals singles title.

Heather Mahoney of Penngrove, California and Naomi Ros of San Antonio won Girl’s U18 Doubles with three wins and no defeats against the other three teams. Indeed, they only surrendered six points in their three matches. Ros was also dominant in winning Girl’s U18 Singles as her opponents only got 8 points against her across four matches, and no more than 3 points in any one match.

Eshan Ali of Union City, CA was also impressive in winning Boy’s U16 Singles, as he won his matches in two straight games and didn’t give up more than 9 points in a game en route to the title, defeating Grant Williams (Wildwood, MO), 15-5, 15-6, in the final. In the semi-finals, Ali, the 3rd seed, upset 2nd seed London Townsend (Sherman Oaks, CA), 15-4, 15-5, while Williams knocked off top seed Juan Herrera II (Freeport, IL), 15-12, 8-15, 11-5. Of note, Williams was playing up in U16, as he came 3rd in Boy’s U14.

Ali also won Boy's U16 Doubles with Townsend, as they won a three team round robin, but they did need a tie-breaker to defeat Preston Anderson (Salem, OR) and Herrera, 14-15, 15-3, 11-6.

Top seed Sonya Shetty (Fremont, CA) won Girl’s U16 Singles by beating 2nd seed Thea Mattfeldt (Glendale, AZ), 15-4, 15-11. Shetty needed three games to defeat 4th seed Victoria Rodriguez (Anaheim, CA), 15-2, 11-15, 11-7, in the semis, while Mattfeldt beat 6th seed Alexus DeDios (Tyler, TX), 15-14, 15-5. Shetty and Rodriguez won Girl’s U16 Doubles, which was a three team round robin.

Given those boys and girls U16 results, you won’t be surprised that Ali and Shetty won U16 Mixed Doubles, beating Herrera and Mattfeldt, 15-4, 15-6, in the final. In the semis, Ali and Shetty defeated Alexus DeDios and Townsend, 15-3, 15-4, and Herrera and Mattfeldt beat Preston Anderson (Salem, OR) and Natalee DeDios (Tyler, TX), 15-13, 15-9.

Finally, the 2023 USAR National Junior Championships had some great matches. If you want to look back on some of the action, check out the USA Racquetball YouTube channel for a playlist of matches from Pleasanton.

2023 USA Racquetball National Junior Festival and Championships
June 21-25, 2023 - Pleasanton, California

Boy's U21 Singles - Final

10) Krish Thakur (Tracy, CA) d. 8) Iain Dunn (Simi Valley, CA), 10-15, 15-6, 11-6

3rd Place

5) Tucker Elkins (Salem, OR) d. 6) Julius Ellis (Stockton, CA), 15-5, 15-11

Semi-finals

8) Iain Dunn (Simi Valley, CA) d. 5) Tucker Elkins (Salem, OR), 15-11, 15-10
10) Krish Thakur (Tracy, CA) d. 6) Julius Ellis (Stockton, CA), 15-8, 4-15, 11-10

Boy's U18 Singles - Final

3) Nikhil Prasad (Fremont, CA) d. 1) Josh Shea (Cortlandt Manor, NY), 15-12, 15-11

3rd Place

2) Cole Sendrey (Frisco, TX) d. 4) DJ Mendoza (San Antonio, TX), 15-8, 15-8

Semi-finals

3) Nikhil Prasad (Fremont, CA) d. 2) Cole Sendrey (Frisco, TX), 10-15, 15-10, 11-10
1) Josh Shea (Cortlandt Manor, NY) d. 4) DJ Mendoza (San Antonio, TX), 15-4, 15-4

Boy's U16 Singles - Final

3) Eshan Ali (Union City, CA) d. 5) Grant Williams (Wildwood, MO), 15-5, 15-6

3rd Place

1) Juan Herrera II (Freeport, IL) d. 2) London Townsend (Sherman Oaks, CA), 15-10, 15-14

Semi-finals

5) Grant Williams (Wildwood, MO) d. 1) Juan Herrera II (Freeport, IL), 15-12, 8-15, 11-5
3) Eshan Ali (Union City, CA) d. 2) London Townsend (Sherman Oaks, CA), 15-4, 15-5

Boy's U14 Singles - Final

1) Nathan Rykhus (Stockton, CA) d. 2) Vaishant Mangalampalli (Fremont, CA), 15-7, 15-11

3rd Place

5) Grant Williams (Wildwood, MO) d. 3) Paul Delaney (Wildwood, MO), 15-14, 15-9

Semi-finals

1) Nathan Rykhus (Stockton, CA) d. 5) Grant Williams (Wildwood, MO), 15-7, 15-1
2) Vaishant Mangalampalli (Fremont, CA) d. 3) Paul Delaney (Wildwood, MO), 15-6, 15-1

Girl's U21 Singles - Final

1) Annie Roberts (Gresham, OR) d. 3) Shane Diaz (San Antonio), 15-7, 15-4

3rd Place

4) Erin Slutzky (Chesterfield, MO) d. 2) Graci Wargo (Clearwater, FL), forfeit

Semi-finals

1) Annie Roberts (Gresham, OR) d. 4) Erin Slutzky (Chesterfield, MO), 15-5, 15-9
3) Shane Diaz (San Antonio) d. 2) Graci Wargo (Clearwater, FL), 15-7, 15-11

Girl's U18 Singles - Round Robin

1. Naomi Ros (San Antonio) - 4-0
2. Brielle Fernando (Wheaton, IL) - 3-1
3. Gabbie Roseman (Des Peres, MO) - 2-2

Girl's U16 Singles - Final

1) Sonya Shetty (Fremont, CA) d. 2) Thea Mattfeldt (Glendale, AZ), 15-4, 15-11

3rd Place

4) Victoria Rodriguez (Anaheim, CA) d. 6) Alexus DeDios (Tyler, TX), 15-6, 15-13

Semi-finals

1) Sonya Shetty (Fremont, CA) d. 4) Victoria Rodriguez (Anaheim, CA), 15-2, 11-15, 11-7
2) Thea Mattfeldt (Glendale, AZ) d. 6) Alexus DeDios (Tyler, TX), 15-14, 15-5

Girl's U14 Singles - Final

1) Andrea Perez-Picon (Manteca, CA) d. 3) Aanshi Thakur (Tracy, CA), 15-1, 15-13

3rd Place

2) Elizabeth Denier (Champlin, MN) d. 4) Aarya Shetty (Fremont, CA), 15-14, 14-15, 11-7

Semi-finals

1) Andrea Perez-Picon (Manteca, CA) d. 4) Aarya Shetty (Fremont, CA), 15-2, 15-6
3) Aanshi Thakur (Tracy, CA) d. 2) Elizabeth Denier (Champlin, MN), 15-11, 15-9

Boy's U21 Doubles - Round Robin

1) Iain Dunn (Simi Valley, CA) & Paul Saraceno (Simi Valley, CA) - 4-1
2) Julius Ellis (Stockton, CA) & Assuan Castaneda (Hialeah, FL) - 4-1
3) Josh Shea (Cortlandt Manor, NY) & Krish Thakur (Tracy, CA) - 3-2

Boy's U18 Doubles - Round Robin

1) Vedant Chauhan (San Ramon, CA) & Josh Shea (Cortlandt Manor, NY) - 5-0
2) Nikhil Prasad (Fremont, CA) & Gatlin Sutherland (Great Falls, MT) - 4-1
3) DJ Mendoza (San Antonio) & Cole Sendrey (Frisco, TX) - 3-2

Boy's U16 Doubles - Round Robin

1) Eshan Ali (Union City, CA) & London Townsend (Sherman Oaks, CA) - 2-0
2) Preston Anderson (Salem, OR) & Juan Herrera II (Freeport, IL) - 1-1
3) Dominik Berghof (Irvine, CA) & Riley Edwards (Gresham, OR) - 0-2

Girl's U21 Doubles - Round Robin

1) Shane Diaz (San Antonio) & Graci Wargo (Clearwater, FL) 2-0
2) Annie Roberts (Gresham, OR) & Khyathi Velpuri (Castle Rock, CO) - 1-1
3) Estfania Perez Picon (Manteca, CA) & Erin Slutzky (Chesterfield, MO) - 0-2

Girl's U18 Doubles - Round Robin

1) Heather Mahoney (Penngrove, CA) & Naomi Ros (San Antonio) - 3-0
2) Brielle Fernando (Wheaton, IL) & Gabbie Roseman (Des Peres, MO) - 2-1
3) Kyla Davis (Wildwood, MO) & Thea Mattfeldt (Glendale, AZ) - 1-2

Girl's U16 Doubles - Round Robin

1) Victoria Rodriguez (Anaheim, CA) & Sonya Shetty (Fremont, CA) - 2-0
2) Alexus DeDios (Tyler, TX) & Natalee DeDios (Tyler, TX) - 1-1
3) Elizabeth Denier (Champlin, MN) & Montserrat Torres (Bellwood, IL) - 0-2

Mixed U21 Doubles - Final

2) DJ Mendoza (San Antonio) & Annie Roberts (Gresham, OR) d. 5) Heather Mahoney (Penngrove, CA) & Krish Thakur (Tracy, CA), 15-7, 15-8

3rd Place

8) Nikita Chauhan (San Ramon, CA) & Vedant Chauhan (San Ramon, CA) d. 3) Iain Dunn (Simi Valley, CA) & 3) Estfania Perez Picon (Manteca, CA), forfeit

Semi-finals

5) Heather Mahoney (Penngrove, CA) & Krish Thakur (Tracy, CA) d. 8) Nikita Chauhan (San Ramon, CA) & Vedant Chauhan (San Ramon, CA), 15-7, 15-7
2) DJ Mendoza (San Antonio) & Annie Roberts (Gresham, OR) d. 3) Iain Dunn (Simi Valley, CA) & Estfania Perez Picon (Manteca, CA), 15-12, 15-11

Mixed U18 Doubles - Round Robin

1) Naomi Ros (San Antonio) & Cole Sendrey (Frisco, TX) - 2-0
2) Vedant Chauhan (San Ramon, CA) & Heather Mahoney (Penngrove, CA) - 1-1
3) Brielle Fernando (Wheaton, IL) & Benjamin Horner (Ankeny, IA) - 0-2

Mixed U16 Doubles - Final

1) Eshan Ali (Union City, CA) & Sonya Shetty (Fremont, CA) d. 2) Juan Herrera II (Freeport, IL) & Thea Mattfeldt (Glendale, AZ), 15-4, 15-6

3rd Place

5) Alexus DeDios (Tyler, TX) & London Townsend (Sherman Oaks, CA) d. 3) Preston Anderson (Salem, OR) & Natalee DeDios (Tyler, TX), 9-15, 15-12, 11-10

Semi-finals

1) Eshan Ali (Union City, CA) & Sonya Shetty (Fremont, CA) d. 5) Alexus DeDios (Tyler, TX) & London Townsend (Sherman Oaks, CA), 15-3, 15-4
2) Juan Herrera II (Freeport, IL) & Thea Mattfeldt (Glendale, AZ) d. 3) Preston Anderson (Salem, OR) & Natalee DeDios (Tyler, TX), 15-13, 15-9

Follow the bouncing ball….

Mejia wins twice in 2023 LPRT Battle at the Beach Season Finale

Montserrat Mejia was a double winner Saturday at the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) 2023 Battle at the Beach Season Finale in Norfolk, Virginia, as she won both the singles and the doubles finals. Both required a tie-breaker, so her path to victory was not easy, but the woman who will be the new #1 LPRT player come next week got it done.

Mejia defeated Maria Jose Vargas, 15-7, 3-15, 11-3, in what was a see-saw singles final, and together with Alexandra Herrera came back from a game down to beat Vargas and Natalia Mendez, 11-15, 15-14, 11-1, to take the doubles title.

Although the singles final went three games, they played it in less than 50 min, as both Mejia and Vargas like to play quickly. Also, serving was on showcase with Mejia hitting 7 aces in game one and 6 more in game three, including on the last two points.

She didn’t have many chances for aces in game two, because Vargas was lights out, serving up aces of her own.

They were actually tied in game one at 7-7, and then Mejia won 8 straight points to close it out. Yet game two was all Vargas.

Often when a match goes to a tie-breaker after two lopsided games, it’s usually close. It was close early in game three, as Vargas got the first two points, but then Mejia took a 5-2 lead, resulting in a Vargas timeout.

That break didn’t help Vargas, as Mejia continued to pile up the points, helped by Vargas errors, although as mentioned, it was back to back Mejia aces that closed it out.

The win is Mejia’s 5th of the season, and that after winning only once prior to this season. She has really broken through in a way that few people saw coming. Mejia has clearly been a good player for awhile, but to be this good is remarkable. Congratulations to her.

If you missed any of the action from Norfolk, check out the matches on the LPRT YouTube channel or their Facebook page.

2023 LPRT Battle at the Beach Season Finale
Norfolk, Virginia - June 15-17, 2023

LPRT Singles - Final - Saturday

2) Montserrat Mejia d. 12) Maria Jose Vargas, 15-7, 3-15, 11-3

LPRT Doubles - Final - Saturday

2) Alexandra Herrera & Montserrat Mejia d. 5) Natalia Mendez & Maria Jose Vargas, 11-15, 15-14, 11-1

Follow the bouncing ball…..

Mejia and Vargas to face off in doubles final also at 2023 LPRT Battle at the Beach Season Finale

Both Montserrat Mejia and Maria Jose Vargas will have a chance to be double winners Saturday at the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) 2023 Battle at the Beach Season Finale in Norfolk, Virginia, as each of them won their respective semi-finals in doubles Saturday morning, and were already set to face off in the singles final Saturday afternoon.

Mejia and Alexandra Herrera - the 2nd seeds - had the more straightforward time of it, as they beat Kelani Lawrence and Erika Manilla, 15-5, 15-7, in the semis, while Vargas and Natalia Mendez also won in two games, but it was much closer, as they defeated top seeds Paola Longoria and Samantha Salas, 15-13, 15-11. It was the second consecutive day Vargas got the best of Longoria in a semi-final, as she did so in singles on Friday.

The Mendez and Vargas versus Longoria and Salas was an interesting one, because generally with two right handed players you’d put the stronger player on the left side. That’s how Longoria and Salas play, but Mendez played the left side with Vargas, although Vargas is the stronger player. Over the years, they’ve tried it the other way, but generally it seems they fit better when Mendez is on the left.

Early in game one, Mendez was on fire, as she and Vargas took a 6-2 lead. Longoria and Salas called a timeout, and afterwards they got back in the game getting within two at 8-6. Thus, Mendez and Vargas called a timeout.

When play resumed, Mendez and Vargas switched sides putting Vargas on the left and Mendez on the right. That seemed to be a rash decision, and it did not lead to good results, as Longoria and Salas tied the game at 9-9, and then went up 13-9, despite Mendez and Vargas switching back to their original positions.

But Mendez and Vargas did get the serve back trailing by four at 13-9. They made a three point run with the last coming from Longoria skipping a backhand pinch shot. Longoria and Salas called a timeout.

That timeout didn’t help, as Salas skipped a backhand shot on the next rally, which tied the game at 13-13. Vargas stepped up and hit a forehand reverse winner as she was falling over to her right to make it 14-13, and then she hit another forehand winner to end game one, 15-13.

Mendez and Vargas got off to a good start in game two with a 4-1 lead, but Longoria and Salas tied it at 4-4. Mendez and Vargas then won nine unanswered points to go up 13-4, despite Longoria and Salas taking a timeout at 8-4.

At that point, Longoria hit Vargas, as she was going for a forehand pinch shot from deep in the middle of the court. It was a hinder, and Vargas didn’t complain about it, but Longoria didn’t seem the least bit remorseful. It was an odd situation.

Longoria hit a backhand pinch winner on the next rally, which led to she and Salas going on a seven point scoring streak. Mendez and Vargas did serve during that run, but failed to score. They also took a timeout at 13-8, but that didn’t stop Longoria and Salas either.

Vargas got her side back in the service box with a winner over to the right side. A Salas winner put them half down immediately, but Mendez then ended a long rally with a forehand down the line shot as she was covering the right side that put her team on match point, 14-13. Vargas won it with a forehand pinch shot on the next rally.

Thus in a season ending LPRT event, Paola Longoria, who has been the LPRT's #1 player for 11 seasons, won’t be in either final. That hasn’t happened very often.

The singles final is Saturday at 4 PM with the doubles final to follow at 6 PM Saturday. All times EDT.

You can watch the LPRT Season Finale by going to the LPRT YouTube channel or their Facebook page.

2023 LPRT Battle at the Beach Season Finale
Norfolk, Virginia - June 15-17, 2023

LPRT Singles - Final - Saturday

2) Montserrat Mejia v. 12) Maria Jose Vargas - 4 PM

LPRT Doubles - Semi-finals - Saturday

5) Natalia Mendez & Maria Jose Vargas d. 1) Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas, 15-13, 15-11
2) Alexandra Herrera & Montserrat Mejia d. 3) Kelani Lawrence & Erika Manilla, 15-5, 15-7

LPRT Doubles - Final - Saturday

2) Alexandra Herrera & Montserrat Mejia v. 5) Natalia Mendez & Maria Jose Vargas - 6 PM

Follow the bouncing ball…..

There will be a new LPRT #1 for first time in 11 seasons

For the first time in 11 seasons, there will be a new #1 player on the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT). Montserrat Mejia will be #1 after this weekend’s 2023 LPRT Battle at the Beach Season Finale in Norfolk, Virginia, as she won her semi-final match against Angelica Barrios, 15-3, 13-15, 11-1, and Paola Longoria, who has been #1 for 11 seasons, lost her semi-final match against Maria Jose Vargas, 15-14, 15-12. Those results mean Mejia will finish ahead of Longoria in the season ending rankings, regardless of whether she wins the final against Vargas on Saturday.

Longoria’s loss denies fans a Longoria-Mejia final, which would have been a showdown for the #1 ranking. However, full credit to Vargas, who has been ranked as high as #2 in previous seasons, but has only played the second half of the season after having her third child last year. It was Vargas's second win over Longoria on tour this season, and third in 2023, as she also defeated Longoria at the 2023 Pan American Championships in Guatemala.

If Vargas wins Saturday, she would be the fifth player to win on tour this season after Longoria, Mejia, Alexandra Herrera and Gabriela Martinez. This is the first season since 2007-08 with four winners (then Cheryl Gudinas, Rhonda Rajsich, Christie Van Hees & Longoria), which is why this season has been so interesting, and it speaks to the quality of the players on tour now.

There have never been five winners in a women’s pro racquetball season.

Mejia had two tough matches Friday to get to the final. She defeated Carla Muñoz in two straight games, but the match lasted almost 90 min. Then Mejia needed three games to fend off Barrios, as Barrios fought back to eke out the second game after Mejia was lights out in the first game. In the breaker, Mejia was again lights out, moving very well, and hitting unretrievable shots.

The Longoria-Vargas match was a slug fest with both players hitting great shots. Longoria was ahead 11-6 in game one, but Vargas got within two at 11-9 and then caught up at 12-12 and went ahead 13-12. Longoria hit a drive serve ace to the left side to tie it at 13-13.

But a couple rallies later, Longoria skipped a serve return that put Vargas on game point at 14-13. A Longoria backhand denied that game point. Vargas appealed that the shot skipped but the line judges upheld the good shot call.

A Longoria kiss lob serve went for a winner, as Vargas couldn’t return it, which tied the score 14-14. However, Vargas made no mistake with an opportunity on the next rally hitting a powerful forehand winner to the left side. She won it on the ensuing rally, as Longoria skipped a shot to end game one at 15-14.

Vargas stormed out to a 5-0 lead in game two, so Longoria called a timeout. Longoria did comeback and tie it at 7-7, which resulted in a Vargas timeout. That led to Vargas regaining the lead at 8-7, and she held that lead for the rest of the game.

Indeed, Longoria didn’t get within two of Vargas after that. A drive serve ace to the left side - Longoria’s backhand - put Vargas on match point at 14-11. A Longoria backhand winner kept the match going, and then she hit a nice forehand rekill to make it 14-12.

On the next rally, Vargas hit a backhand cross court winner to get herself a second match point opportunity, and she converted it. Vargas drove serve to the left, and Longoria hit a backhand pinch return that Vargas crouched down to get to, hitting a forehand winner from one knee to win game two, 15-12, and defeat Longoria in two straight games, which denies her the #1 LPRT ranking.

The singles final is Saturday at 4 PM, but there are doubles semi-finals Saturday morning at 10 and 11 with the doubles final at 6 PM Saturday. All time EDT.

You can watch the LPRT Season Finale by going to the LPRT YouTube channel or their Facebook page.

2023 LPRT Battle at the Beach Season Finale
Norfolk, Virginia - June 15-17, 2023

LPRT Singles - Quarterfinals - Friday

1) Paola Longoria d. 9) Jessica Parrilla, 15-4, 15-8
12) Maria Jose Vargas d. 13) Kelani Lawrence, 15-7, 15-1

6) Angelica Barrios d. 14) Valeria Centellas, 15-13, 15-8
2) Montserrat Mejia d. 7) Carla Muñoz, 15-12, 15-12

LPRT Singles - Semi-finals - Friday

12) Maria Jose Vargas d. 1) Paola Longoria, 15-14, 15-12
2) Montserrat Mejia d. 6) Angelica Barrios, 15-3, 13-15, 11-1

LPRT Singles - Final - Saturday

2) Montserrat Mejia v. 12) Maria Jose Vargas - 4 PM

LPRT Doubles - Round of 16 - Friday

1) Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas - BYE
8) Gabriela Martinez & Maricruz Ortiz d. 9) Cristina Amaya & Maria Paz Riquelme, 15-4, 15-4

5) Natalia Mendez & Maria Jose Vargas - BYE
4) Carla Muñoz & Jessica Parrilla - BYE

3) Kelani Lawrence & Erika Manilla - BYE
6) Angelica Barrios & Brenda Laime - BYE

7) Susana Acosta & Valeria Centellas d. Sunshine Arterburn & Grace Ratley, 15-2, 15-3
2) Alexandra Herrera & Montserrat Mejia - BYE

LPRT Doubles - Quarterfinals - Friday

1) Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas d. 8) Gabriela Martinez & Maricruz Ortiz, 15-7, 0-15, 11-1
5) Natalia Mendez & Maria Jose Vargas d. 4) Carla Muñoz & Jessica Parrilla, 15-13, 15-0

3) Kelani Lawrence & Erika Manilla d. 6) Angelica Barrios & Brenda Laime, 15-6, 15-14
2) Alexandra Herrera & Montserrat Mejia d. 7) Susana Acosta & Valeria Centellas, 15-9, 15-11

LPRT Doubles - Semi-finals - Saturday

1) Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas v. 5) Natalia Mendez & Maria Jose Vargas - 11 AM
2) Alexandra Herrera & Montserrat Mejia v. 3) Kelani Lawrence & Erika Manilla - 10 AM

Follow the bouncing ball…..

2023 LPRT Battle at the Beach Season Finale begins

One of the most interesting Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) seasons winds up this weekend in Norfolk, Virginia where 22 players - including the top 14 players - are competing in the 2023 LPRT Battle at the Beach Season Finale. This season is so interesting, because Montserrat Mejia has raised her game, and won 4 events, having only won once previously. Four wins is one more than Paola Longoria has won this season. Longoria has been the #1 LPRT player for 11 consecutive seasons, yet may not be next week.

Longoria is still #1 currently, but she’s only 70 ranking points ahead of Mejia in #2. Moreover, Mejia is actually ahead in season to date ranking points by 26, so Longoria needs to finish better than Mejia this weekend, if she is going to be #1 yet again.

The season has also been interesting, because Longoria and Mejia haven’t been the only two winners on tour. Alexandra Herrera and Gabriela Martinez have also won titles. In fact, Martinez won the last LPRT event in South Carolina.

So, while there is a race for #1, which there really hasn’t been for over a decade, the players in that race have only met three times this season. Longoria defeated Mejia in the first event of the season last August, but it was an 11-10 tie-breaker win. Then in the fall, Mejia beat Longoria in a breaker in Lombard, Illinois. Mejia followed that up by defeating Longoria in two straight games at the Christmas Classic.

That was their last meeting, so they haven’t met in over six months. If they meet in the final on Saturday, it will be for for #1.

Play began on Thursday, and already there is intrigue, as half of the top eight seeds failed to make the quarterfinals. But both Longoria and Mejia won their Round of 16 matches by comfortable margins. Longoria beat 16th seed Maria Paz Riquelme, 15-0, 15-0, and Mejia defeated veteran Cristina Amaya, 15-2, 15-4.

Next up for Longoria will be 9th seed Jessica Parrilla, who won the 8/9 match with 8th seed Natalia Mendez, 15-10,15-8. If Longoria wins that, then she’ll face either Maria Jose Vargas, who has beaten her this season, or Kelani Lawrence, who had an impressive win over LPRT #4 Erika Manilla, 15-3, 15-7. Vargas advanced by coming back to defeat LPRT #5 Brenda Laime, 10-15, 15-8, 11-5.

Mejia plays LPRT #7 Carla Muñoz in the quarterfinals, as Muñoz defeated LPRT #10 Samantha Salas, 14-15, 15-5, 11-9. A win there, and then Mejia would face either #6 Angelica Barrios or #14 Valeria Centellas, who took out LPRT #3 Alexandra Herrera in two straight games, 15-13, 15-10. Barrios denied Martinez’s chance for back to back LPRT wins with a 15-14, 7-15, 11-5, victory.

Thus, while a Longoria v. Mejia final would a fitting end to the 2022-23 LPRT season, that is by no means guaranteed.

The singles quarterfinals are Friday morning with the semi-finals Friday afternoon and final Saturday at 4 PM. The doubles starts Friday at noon with two Round of 16 matches, and then the quarters will be Friday evening. The doubles semis will be Saturday morning at 10 and 11 with the final Saturday night at 6 PM.

You can watch the LPRT Season Finale by going to the LPRT YouTube channel or their Facebook page.

2023 LPRT Battle at the Beach Season Finale - Norfolk, Virginia
June 15-17, 2023

LPRT Singles - Round of 32 - Thursday

1) Paola Longoria - BYE
16) Maria Paz Riquelme d. 17) Sunshine Arterburn, 15-0, 15-0

9) Jessica Parrilla - BYE
8) Natalia Mendez - BYE

5) Brenda Laime - BYE
12) Maria Jose Vargas d. 21) Jazmin Aguilar, 15-0, 15-2

13) Kelani Lawrence d. 20) Maricruz Ortiz, 15-9, 15-2
4) Erika Manilla - BYE

3) Alexandra Herrera - BYE
14) Valeria Centellas d. 14) Susana Acosta, 15-5, 15-2

11) Gabriela Martinez d. 22) Anna Aguilar, 15-1, 15-4
6) Angelica Barrios - BYE

7) Carla Muñoz - BYE
10) Samantha Salas - BYE

15) Cristina Amaya d. 18) Stephanie Synhorst, 15-8, 15-11
2) Montserrat Mejia - BYE

LPRT Singles - Round of 16 - Thursday

1) Paola Longoria d. 16) Maria Paz Riquelme, 15-0, 15-0
9) Jessica Parrilla d. 8) Natalia Mendez, 15-10,15-8

12) Maria Jose Vargas d. 5) Brenda Laime, 10-15, 15-8, 11-5
13) Kelani Lawrence d. 4) Erika Manilla, 15-3, 15-7

14) Valeria Centellas d. 3) Alexandra Herrera, 15-13, 15-10
6) Angelica Barrios d. 11) Gabriela Martinez, 15-14, 7-15, 11-5

7) Carla Muñoz d. 10) Samantha Salas, 14-15, 15-5, 11-9
2) Montserrat Mejia d. 15) Cristina Amaya, 15-2, 15-4

LPRT Singles - Quarterfinals - Friday

1) Paola Longoria v. 9) Jessica Parrilla - 11 AM
12) Maria Jose Vargas v. 13) Kelani Lawrence - 11 AM

6) Angelica Barrios v. 14) Valeria Centellas - 10 AM
2) Montserrat Mejia v. 7) Carla Muñoz - 10 AM

LPRT Doubles - Round of 16 - Friday

1) Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas - BYE
8) Gabriela Martinez & Maricruz Ortiz v. 9) Cristina Amaya & Maria Paz Riquelme - Noon

5) Natalia Mendez & Maria Jose Vargas - BYE
4) Carla Muñoz & Jessica Parrilla - BYE

3) Kelani Lawrence & Erika Manilla - BYE
6) Angelica Barrios & Brenda Laime - BYE

7) Susana Acosta & Valeria Centellas v. Sunshine Arterburn & Grace Ratley - Noon
2) Alexandra Herrera & Montserrat Mejia - BYE

Follow the bouncing ball…..

Countries qualifying for 2023 Pan Am Games & 2023 Central American & Caribbean Games

The International Racquetball Federation (IRF) has officially released the list of qualifying countries for the 2023 Pan American Games and 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games. These games are both quadrennial events, so they happen every four years, and are part of the Olympic cycle of events that lead up to an Olympics.

The 2023 Pan Am Games will be held in Santiago, Chile, and the 2023 Central American Games will be in San Salvador, El Salvador. Countries qualified based on their performances at the 2023 Pan American Championships in Guatemala City, Guatemala in April.

Usually, the Central American and Caribbean Games are held the year before the Pan Am Games, as the former is supposed to be a building block to the latter, which is supposed to be a building block to the Olympics, but the COVID-19 pandemic led to Panama - the original host of the 2022 Central American and Caribbean Games - pulling out of hosting. That necessitated a search for a new host, and a one year delay in the games.

San Salvador, El Salvador was chosen as the new host for the 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games, but seven sports are being played in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, due to a lack of venues in El Salvador. Racquetball - along with tae kwon do, modern pentathlon, equestrian, canoeing, shooting and field hockey - will be played in the Dominican.

The countries that qualified for the 2023 Pan American Games are:

Men’s teams - 1) Chile (as host), 2) Bolivia, 3) Mexico, 4) United States, 5) Argentina, 6) Costa Rica, 7) Canada, 8) Ecuador, 9) Guatemala, 10) Cuba

Women’s teams - 1) Chile (as host), 2) Mexico, 3) Argentina, 4) Bolivia, 5) Guatemala, 6) United States, 7) Colombia, 8) Ecuador, 9) Costa Rica, 10) Canada

The first four qualifiers can send 3 athletes, and the next four countries can send 2 athletes to Chile. So, for example, the United States can send 3 men and 2 women, while Argentina can send 3 women and 2 men.

The countries that qualified for the 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games are:

Men’s teams - 1) Dominican Republic (as host), 2) Mexico, 3) Costa Rica, 4) Guatemala, 5) Cuba, 6) Honduras, 7) Colombia, 8) Puerto Rico

Women’s teams - 1) Dominican Republic (as host), 2) Mexico, 3) Guatemala, 4) Colombia, 5) Costa Rica, 6) Cuba, 7) Honduras, 8) Puerto Rico

Countries may be able to send more athletes than under the rules for the Pan Am Games. Again, under those rules, the first four qualifiers can send 3 athletes, and the next four countries can send 2 athletes to the Dominican. So, for example, Costa Rica can send 3 men and 2 women, while Colombia can send 3 women and 2 men. But as it’s a smaller games, perhaps more athletes can be selected to go.

The 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games will be held from June 23 to July 8, with the racquetball competition taking place from June 24 to July 1 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The 2023 Pan American Games will take place October 20 to November 5 with racquetball tentatively scheduled to take place at the start of the games: October 20-26.

Below is a summary of who made the podium at the 2023 Pan American Championships to refresh your memory. Also, if you want to see any of the finals from those championships (as well as some matches from earlier in the tournament), check out the IRF YouTube channel.

XXXIV Pan American Racquetball Championships
Guatemala City, Guatemala - April 1-8, 2023

Medalist Summary

Women’s Singles

Gold - Montserrat Mejia (Mexico)
Silver - María José Vargas (Argentina)
Bronze - Natalia Mendez (Argentina) and Maricruz Ortiz (Costa Rica)

Men's Singles

Gold - Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia)
Silver - Carlos Keller (Bolivia)
Bronze - Jake Bredenbeck (USA) and Diego Garcia (Argentina)

Women's Doubles

Gold - Alexandra Herrera & Montserrat Mejia (Mexico)
Silver - Gabriela Martinez & Maria Renee Rodriguez (Guatemala)
Bronze - Valeria Centellas & Natalia Mendez (Argentina) and Angelica Barrios & Jenny Daza (Bolivia)

Men's Doubles

Gold - Rodrigo Montoya & Eduardo Portillo (Mexico)
Silver - Kadim Carrasco & Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia)
Bronze - Jake Bredenbeck & Sam Bredenbeck (USA) and Andres Acuña & Gabriel Garcia (Costa Rica)

Mixed Doubles

Gold - Angelica Barrios & Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia)
Silver - Paola Longoria & Rodrigo Montoya (Mexico)
Bronze - Sam Bredenbeck & Michelle Key (USA) and Maria Jose Vargas & Diego Garcia (Argentina)

Follow the bouncing ball….