Flores wins again in Round of 16 at 39th Annual IRT Papa Nicholas Shamrock Shootout

Another day, another Jhonatan Flores upset win at the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) 39th Annual Papa Nicholas Shamrock Shootout in Lombard, Illinois. This time Flores took out the 14th seed Robert Collins, 15-7, 15—4, in the Round of 16. The win sets up a quarterfinal showdown with former IRT #1 Kane Waselenchuk, as Waselenchuk, the 6th seed this weekend, beat 11th seed Jaime Martell, 15-5, 15-5.

The rest of the higher seeded players won in two straight games with the exception of 7th seed Andrés Acuña, who needed a tie-breaker to defeat 10th seed Thomas Carter. Acuña will face 2nd seed Rodrigo Montoya in the quarterfinals, as Montoya beat Carlos Ramirez, 15-6, 15-0, in the 16s, and looked very smooth doing so.

There were two tie-breakers in the doubles quarterfinals, but both were won by the higher seeded teams. Third seeds Kadim Carrasco and Conrrado Moscoso dropped the first game against 6th seeds Carter and Martell, but came back to win, 12-15, 15-2, 11-4. They face 2nd seeds Montoya and Erick Trujillo in the semi-finals Saturday, as Montoya and Trujillo beat 10th seeds Hector Barrios and Flores, 15-3, 15-10.

Similarly on the other side of the draw, 4th seeds Andrés Acuña and Alan Natera lost game one versus 5th seeds Alejandro Cardona and Collins, but came back to win in three, 8-15, 15-11, 11-6. In the semis, Acuña and Natera will play top seeds Adam Manilla and Andree Parrilla, who were straight game winners over 9th seeds Diego Gastelum and Cole Sendrey, 15-13, 15-5. Gatelum and Sendrey had a lead late in game one, but couldn’t hold to win it.

Singles play continues Friday afternoon with the quarterfinals from 5 PM on. The semi-finals will be Saturday at 6 and 7 with the final Sunday at 11 AM. The doubles semis are at noon and 1 PM on Saturday with the final at noon Sunday. You can see them via the usual IRT media outlets: The IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page. All times Central.

39th Annual Papa Nicholas IRT Shamrock Shootout
Lombard, Illinois - March 14-17, 2024

IRT Singles - Round of 16 - Friday

1) Conrrado Moscoso d. 16) Rafael Gatica, 15-4, 15-5
8) Alan Natera d. 9) Erick Trujillo, 15-7, 15-7

5) Adam Manilla d. 21) John Goth, 15-7, 15-2
4) Andree Parrilla d. 13) Erick Cuevas Fernandez, 15-6, 15-10

Jhonatan Flores d. 14) Robert Collins, 15-7, 15-4
6) Kane Waselenchuk d. 11) Jaime Martell, 15-5, 15-5

7) Andrés Acuña d. 10) Thomas Carter, 15-7, 9-15, 11-2
2) Rodrigo Montoya d. 15) Carlos Ramirez, 15-6, 15-0

IRT Singles - Quarterfinals - Friday

1) Conrrado Moscoso v. 8) Alan Natera - 7 PM
4) Andree Parrilla v. 5) Adam Manilla - 8 PM

6) Kane Waselenchuk v. Jhonatan Flores - 5 PM
2) Rodrigo Montoya v. 7) Andrés Acuña - 6 PM

IRT Doubles - Quarterfinals - Friday

1) Adam Manilla & Andree Parrilla d. 9) Diego Gastelum & Cole Sendrey, 15-13, 15-5
4) Andrés Acuña & Alan Natera d. 5) Alejandro Cardona & Robert Collins, 8-15, 15-11, 11-6

3) Kadim Carrasco & Conrrado Moscoso d. 6) Thomas Carter & Jaime Martell, 12-15, 15-2, 11-4
2) Rodrigo Montoya & Erick Trujillo d. 10) Hector Barrios & Jhonatan Flores, 15-3, 15-10

IRT Doubles - Semi-finals - Saturday

1) Adam Manilla & Andree Parrilla v. 4) Andrés Acuña & Alan Natera - 1 PM
2) Rodrigo Montoya & Erick Trujillo v. 3) Kadim Carrasco & Conrrado Moscoso - Noon

Follow the bouncing ball….