Maria Jose Vargas, the #3 player on the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT), won the 31st Annual LPRT Christmas Classic in Millersville, Maryland Sunday by defeating LPRT #1 Montserrat Mejia, 15-11, 11-15, 11-3. It’s Vargas’s second consecutive win of the season, and leaves Mejia winless on the season.
However, Mejia did win doubles in Maryland, as she and Alexandra Herrera beat Paola Longoria and Samantha Salas, 15-10, 15-8. Herrera and Mejia were seeded 2nd and Longoria and Salas 1st, so both finals were won by the lower seeded side. Also as with Vargas, Herrera and Mejia’s win was their second consecutive LPRT title this season, and their third in a row going back to the end of last season.
The first game of the singles final was a serving fest, as both players hit multiple aces. They were close early, but Mejia took the lead in the mid-game, going up 11-6 with six of those points coming from ace drive serves. She had all the momentum and looked like she was going to win game one easily.
Yet, Mejia didn’t score another point, as Vargas got 9 unanswered points almost on consecutive rallies. Vargas only lost serve once in that stretch, but got it right back. Mejia called a timeout still leading at 11-9, and then another timeout down 13-11, but to no avail.
Indeed, after the second timeout, Vargas hit her fourth ace of the game, a drive serve to the left side. The game ended on the next rally, as Mejia skipped a backhand shot.
For most of game two, it looked like Vargas was going to win in two straight games, as she led early, 6-2, and even in the mid-game at 10-5 and 11-8. But Mejia kept at it, and tied the game at 11-11 prompting Vargas to call a timeout.
On the next rally, Vargas was assessed an avoidable, or penalty, hinder, which she appealed, but the line judges upheld the referee’s call. That put Mejia in the lead at 12-11 for the first time since 1-0. The last three points took nine rallies, but Mejia got them to force a tie-breaker.
Mejia may have had momentum going into the breaker, but that evaporated as Vargas stormed out to a 6-0 lead, helped by two aces and a service winner. Mejia called a timeout.
That didn’t stop Vargas, who got three more points to lead 9-0. Mejia called another timeout, which did lead to her first points. But she was only able to get three before Vargas closed it out at 11-3.
In the doubles final, Herrera and Mejia never trailed Longoria and Salas. In game one, they took a 4-0 lead, extended that to 7-2 and 10-6. Longoria and Salas called a timeout at that point.
When play resumed, Longoria and Salas got the serve back, and scored four points in a row to tie the game at 10-10. But a Longoria skipped forehand shot ended that run, and put Herrera and Mejia into the service box. They didn’t leave it, as they got the last five points without yielding the serve to win game one, 15-10.
In game two, Herrera and Mejia went up 3-0, and while Longoria and Salas got within one at 3-2 and 4-3, they never tied it, as Herrera and Mejia went up 9-3 and 13-4.
Longoria and Salas did get some points late in game two, so Herrera and Mejia called a timeout at 13-8. The next rally was a hinder, but they got the serve back on the second rally after their timeout, and proceeded to get the last two points to end the game, 15-8, and the match in two straight games.
The next LPRT events are the Arizona Open, January 12-14, 2024 in Tempe, Arizona, followed by the Boston Open in Marlborough, Massachusetts, March 1-3, 2024.
If you missed any of the 31st Annual LPRT Christmas Classic action - and there were several great matches, check out the LPRT YouTube channel.
31st Annual LPRT Christmas Classic Pro-Am
Millersville, Maryland - December 8-10, 2023
Final - Sunday
3) Maria Jose Vargas d. 1) Montserrat Mejia, 15-11, 11-15, 11-3
Doubles - Final - Sunday
2) Alexandra Herrera & Montserrat Mejia d. 1) Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas, 15-10, 15-8
Follow the bouncing ball….
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