Meet the new champ; same as the old champ. Kane Waselenchuk, the former #1 player on the International Racquetball Tour (IRT), defeated the current IRT #1,Conrrado Moscoso, 15-13, 15-2, to win the 2024 IRT McNamara Minnesota Racquetball Hall of Fame tournament in Minneapolis on Sunday. It’s Waselenchuk’s first victory in two years, and first since he tore his achilles in September 2022. Also, it’s 22 1/2 years since Waselenchuk won his first IRT event. Moscoso was six then.
Waselenchuk had a 9-2 lead on Moscoso in game one, helped by three drive serve aces - two to the right and one to the left. But Moscoso came back to 11-11, hitting four drive serve aces, all to the left side - Waselenchuk’s forehand.
Waselenchuk got to game point when Moscoso skipped a backhand pinch shot that made it 14-12. Moscoso fought off that game point with a forehand pinch winner, and made it 14-13 with another drive serve ace to the left side. However, he skipped a forehand that gave the serve back to Waselenchuk.
Waselenchuk won the game on the next rally, when he drove serve to the left side that produced a weak return from Moscoso, so Waselenchuk drove a forehand cross court shot to the right side that Moscoso dove to get, but his resulting shot didn’t make the front wall.
Game two was all Waselenchuk, as he took a 7-0 lead, and pushed on to win 15-2. He closed it out with back to back drive serve aces: one to the left and one to the right.
With the win Waselenchuk has become the oldest winner on the IRT at 42 years and 115 days. Ruben Gonzalez was the previous oldest IRT winner, who was 40 years and 318 days, when he won in June 1993.
It was an emotional win for Waselenchuk who said “I didn’t even know if I was going to be able to play racquetball” after suffering his achilles injury. “That injury effected me so much,” he said, “took so much away from me. But in the end I gained so much from it.”
Doubles
Andree Parrilla and Adam Manilla won doubles, although it was a sad result, as Rodrigo Montoya and Kurtis Cullen had to forfeit the final, at 3-3 in game one, as Montoya turned his left ankle by stepping on Manilla’s right foot. It seemed an innocuous incident, but Montoya hobbled off the court. After some rest, he tried to hit some shots, but decided he wasn’t fit to continue.
It’s Parrilla and Manilla’s second win together. They took the Shamrock Shootout last year, defeating Montoya and Javier Mar in the final.
The IRT will next be in action at the 39th Annual Papa Nicholas Shamrock Shootout in Lombard, Illinois, March 14-17. If you missed any of the action from the Minneapolis check out the usual IRT media outlets: The IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page.
2024 IRT McNamara Minnesota Racquetball Hall of Fame Tournament
Minneapolis, Minnesota - February 29-March 3, 2024
IRT Singles - Final - Sunday
11) Kane Waselenchuk d. 1) Conrrado Moscoso, 15-13, 15-2
IRT Doubles - Final - Sunday
1) Adam Manilla & Andree Parrilla d. 3) Kurtis Cullen & Rodrigo Montoya, 3-3, injury forfeit
Follow the bouncing ball….
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