The International Racquetball Tour's (IRT's) latest rankings, which include the results from the first two events of the season, have been released. (the results are labeled "2008-2009" and "As of September 21, 2008" but we believe that's an error)
Kane Waselenehcuk continues to be #1, having won the first two events of the season. But Jack Huczek has gone past Rocky Carson into #2 based on his two semi-final victories over Carson in Denver and Indiana. Carson is now third.
Shane Vanderson has moved up the rankings, but only into 5th not 4th as was speculated on the IRT Network. So Vanderson's ahead of Jason Mannino, who's now 6th, but not Alvaro Beltran, who missed the first two tournaments through injury and may miss the entire season.
Beltran remains 4th, and is still over 300 points ahead of Vanderson. Vanderson's earned 555 points so far this season, so he may not be 4th even after next week's Kentucky Open.
Top 16 Ranked IRT Players ("As of September 21, 2008")
Rank - Player - Points - Previous Rank
1 Kane WASELENCHUK, 5311 - 1
2 Jack HUCZEK, 4069 - 3
3 Rocky CARSON, 4024 - 2
4 Alvaro BELTRAN, 3060 - 4
5 Shane VANDERSON, 2749 - 5
6 Jason MANNINO, 2666 - 6
7 Mitch WILLIAMS, 2453 - 7
8 Ben CROFT, 2254 - 8
9 Chris CROWTHER, 2078 - 9
10 Andy HAWTHORNE, 1868 - 10
11 Juan HERRERA, 1234 - 12
12 Jason THOERNER, 1173 - 11
13 Travis WOODBURY, 1058 - 15
14 Alejandro HERRERA, 1042 - 13
15 Kris ODEGARD, 1031 - 17
16 Javier MORENO, 983 - 18
Follow the bouncing ball....
Monday, September 28, 2009
Weekend Round Up
Kristen Bellows did win two tournaments in a row, although she didn't win in singles at the Ektelon WPRO Texas Open. But she did win the Pro/Open mixed doubles division with Alex Ackermann. They defeated the R4 team of Rhonda Rajsich and Ryan Rodgers in the final, 15-12, 15-10.
Seeded 4th, Bellows and Ackerman took out the top seeds Brandi Jacobson Prentice and Ben Croft in the semis, 15-7, 15-12, while Rajsich and Rodgers, seeded second, narrowly beat sixth seeds Keely Franks and Anthony Herrera, 15-14, 15-13.
Jennifer Saunders won the Open division in Dallas. She defeated Samantha Salas in the final, 6-15, 15-6, 11-10. In the semi-finals, Saunders and Salas beat two young Americans.
Saunders defeated Sharon Jackson, 15-6, 11-15, 11-1, and Salas took out Aubrey O'Brien, 15-5, 15-12.
Ghost of Georgetown
Tyler Otto won the Ghost of Georgetown tournament - a Tier 4 IRT event - on the weekend by defeating Grant Barker in the final (scores unavailable). Otto defeated Felipe Camacho in the semis, 7-11, 11-6, 9-11, 11-8, 11-8.
Barker defeated Sampson Shnurman 11-6, 11-9, 11-9 in the other semi-final. And Camacho took third place over Shnurman, 11-8, 11-5, 11-4.
Follow the bouncing ball....
Seeded 4th, Bellows and Ackerman took out the top seeds Brandi Jacobson Prentice and Ben Croft in the semis, 15-7, 15-12, while Rajsich and Rodgers, seeded second, narrowly beat sixth seeds Keely Franks and Anthony Herrera, 15-14, 15-13.
Jennifer Saunders won the Open division in Dallas. She defeated Samantha Salas in the final, 6-15, 15-6, 11-10. In the semi-finals, Saunders and Salas beat two young Americans.
Saunders defeated Sharon Jackson, 15-6, 11-15, 11-1, and Salas took out Aubrey O'Brien, 15-5, 15-12.
Ghost of Georgetown
Tyler Otto won the Ghost of Georgetown tournament - a Tier 4 IRT event - on the weekend by defeating Grant Barker in the final (scores unavailable). Otto defeated Felipe Camacho in the semis, 7-11, 11-6, 9-11, 11-8, 11-8.
Barker defeated Sampson Shnurman 11-6, 11-9, 11-9 in the other semi-final. And Camacho took third place over Shnurman, 11-8, 11-5, 11-4.
Follow the bouncing ball....
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Rajsich wins WPRO Texas Open
Rhonda Rajsich defeated Kerri Wachtel to win the Ektelon Women's Professional Racquetball Organization (WPRO) Texas Open in Dallas in a closely fought five games, 12-10, 11-7, 4-11, 7-11, 11-8. Wachtel actually outscored Rajsich - 47 to 45 - in the match but to no avail.
It's Rajsich's first victory since the Miller Lite Open in March, and only her second of the calendar year. Rajsich is trying to regain the #1 WPRO ranking, which she lost to Paola Longoria last season.
Longoria lost to Wachtel in the semi-finals in Texas.
The next WPRO tournament will be the US Open in Memphis October 21-25. Longoria is the defending champion, but with their strong showings this weekend Wachtel and Rajsich have both shown they are threats to win in Memphis.
Rajsich has won the US Open twice in 2003 and 2007, and Wachtel won it in 2001.
2009 Ektelon WPRO Texas Open
Finals
Rhonda Rajsich d. Kerri Wachtel, 12-10, 11-7, 4-11, 7-11, 11-8
Follow the bouncing ball....
It's Rajsich's first victory since the Miller Lite Open in March, and only her second of the calendar year. Rajsich is trying to regain the #1 WPRO ranking, which she lost to Paola Longoria last season.
Longoria lost to Wachtel in the semi-finals in Texas.
The next WPRO tournament will be the US Open in Memphis October 21-25. Longoria is the defending champion, but with their strong showings this weekend Wachtel and Rajsich have both shown they are threats to win in Memphis.
Rajsich has won the US Open twice in 2003 and 2007, and Wachtel won it in 2001.
2009 Ektelon WPRO Texas Open
Finals
Rhonda Rajsich d. Kerri Wachtel, 12-10, 11-7, 4-11, 7-11, 11-8
Follow the bouncing ball....
Saturday, September 26, 2009
WPRO - Texas Open SFs
Kerri Wachtel will have a chance to win her first tournament since 2007 as she reached the final of the Ektelon Women's Professional Racquetball Organization (WPRO) Texas Open in Dallas by defeating the top seed Paola Longoria, 3-11, 11-7, 11-8, 6-11, 11-9 in the semi-finals.
Wachtel will play second seed Rhonda Rajsich in Sunday's final, as Rajsich beat Cheryl Gudinas, 11-9, 11-6, 11-2, in the other semi-final. Rajsich is trying to regain the #1 position that she lost to Longoria last season.
2009 Ektelon WPRO Texas Open
Semi finals
Kerri Wachtel d. Paola Longoria, 3-11, 11-7, 11-8, 6-11, 11-9
Rhonda Rajsich d. Cheryl Gudinas, 11-9, 11-6, 11-2
Finals - Sunday
Rhonda Rajsich vs. Kerri Wachtel
Follow the bouncing ball....
Wachtel will play second seed Rhonda Rajsich in Sunday's final, as Rajsich beat Cheryl Gudinas, 11-9, 11-6, 11-2, in the other semi-final. Rajsich is trying to regain the #1 position that she lost to Longoria last season.
2009 Ektelon WPRO Texas Open
Semi finals
Kerri Wachtel d. Paola Longoria, 3-11, 11-7, 11-8, 6-11, 11-9
Rhonda Rajsich d. Cheryl Gudinas, 11-9, 11-6, 11-2
Finals - Sunday
Rhonda Rajsich vs. Kerri Wachtel
Follow the bouncing ball....
WPRO - Texas Open QFs
Kristen Bellows's hopes to win two tournaments in row ended Saturday as Kerri Wachtel defeated her in the quarter finals of the Ektelon WPRO Texas Open in Dallas, 11-1, 6-11, 11-4, 11-8. This is the first event of the Women's Professional Racquetball Organization (WPRO) season, and Bellows won the last WPRO tournament of last season.
Wachtel will next play top seed Paola Longoria who defeated former #1 Jackie Paraiso, 11-2, 11-5, 11-3, in the quarter finals.
Earlier Rhonda Rajsich, the second seed, and Cheryl Gudinas, the third seed, won their respective quarter final matches. Rajsich had a much tougher time than Gudinas, as she needed five games to fend off a strong challenge from Angela Grisar, prevailing 9-11, 11-5, 13-11, 8-11, 11-6. It was a rematch of their match in the semi-finals of the World Games this summer, when Rajsich also came out on top in a tie-breaker.
Gudinas had a comparatively easy time winning her quarter final, as she beat Samantha Salas in three straight games, 11-3, 11-5, 11-1.
The semi finals will be played later on Saturday and the final on Sunday.
2009 Ektelon WPRO Texas Open
Quarter finals
Paola Longoria d. Jackie Paraiso, 11-2, 11-5, 11-3
Kerri Wachtel d. Kristen Bellows, 11-1, 6-11, 11-4, 11-8
Cheryl Gudinas d. Samantha Salas, 11-3, 11-5, 11-1
Rhonda Rajsich d. Angela Grisar, 9-11, 11-5, 13-11, 8-11, 11-6
Semi-finals
Paola Longoria vs. Kerri Wachtel
Rhonda Rajsich vs. Cheryl Gudinas
Follow the bouncing ball....
Wachtel will next play top seed Paola Longoria who defeated former #1 Jackie Paraiso, 11-2, 11-5, 11-3, in the quarter finals.
Earlier Rhonda Rajsich, the second seed, and Cheryl Gudinas, the third seed, won their respective quarter final matches. Rajsich had a much tougher time than Gudinas, as she needed five games to fend off a strong challenge from Angela Grisar, prevailing 9-11, 11-5, 13-11, 8-11, 11-6. It was a rematch of their match in the semi-finals of the World Games this summer, when Rajsich also came out on top in a tie-breaker.
Gudinas had a comparatively easy time winning her quarter final, as she beat Samantha Salas in three straight games, 11-3, 11-5, 11-1.
The semi finals will be played later on Saturday and the final on Sunday.
2009 Ektelon WPRO Texas Open
Quarter finals
Paola Longoria d. Jackie Paraiso, 11-2, 11-5, 11-3
Kerri Wachtel d. Kristen Bellows, 11-1, 6-11, 11-4, 11-8
Cheryl Gudinas d. Samantha Salas, 11-3, 11-5, 11-1
Rhonda Rajsich d. Angela Grisar, 9-11, 11-5, 13-11, 8-11, 11-6
Semi-finals
Paola Longoria vs. Kerri Wachtel
Rhonda Rajsich vs. Cheryl Gudinas
Follow the bouncing ball....
Friday, September 25, 2009
WPRO - Texas Open 16s - CORRECTION
Paola Longoria survived the Round of 16 at the Ektelon WPRO Texas Open in Dallas. It's the first event of the Women's Professional Racquetball Organization (WPRO) season. Longoria won her match against Christie Van Hees, 5-11, 11-7, 11-9, 8-11, 11-9, although Van Hees had more total points 47 to 46.
Longoria will play Jackie Paraiso, another former #1, in the quarter finals on Saturday as Paraiso won a close match against Jo Shattuck. It took five games for the outcome to be decided with Paraiso coming out on top, 1-11, 11-3, 11-7, 11-13, 11-5. [note: this result was previously reported the other way based on R2Sports.com posting]
Also in the 16s was Samantha Salas's victory over Adrienne Fisher in four games, 11-1, 11-8, 10-12, 11-3.
The quarter finals and semi finals will be played on Saturday and the final on Sunday.
2009 Ektelon WPRO Texas Open
Round of 16
Paola Longoria d. Christie Van Hees, 5-11, 11-7, 11-9, 8-11, 11-9
Jackie Paraiso d. Jo Shattuck, 1-11, 11-3, 11-7, 11-13, 11-5
Kerri Wachtel d. Cristina Amaya, 11-6, 11-2, 11-4
Kristen Bellows d. Keely Franks, 11-5, 11-4, 11-0
Cheryl Gudinas d. Aubrey O'Brien, 11-1, 12-10, 11-6
Samantha Salas d. Adrienne Fisher, 11-1, 11-8, 10-12, 11-3
Angela Grisar d. Diane Moore, 11-4, 11-9, 11-7
Rhonda Rajsich d. Susy Acosta, 8-11, 11-3, 11-7, 11-8
Quarter finals
Paola Longoria vs. Jackie Paraiso
Kristen Bellows vs. Kerri Wachtel
Cheryl Gudinas vs. Samantha Salas
Rhonda Rajsich vs. Angela Grisar
Follow the bouncing ball....
Longoria will play Jackie Paraiso, another former #1, in the quarter finals on Saturday as Paraiso won a close match against Jo Shattuck. It took five games for the outcome to be decided with Paraiso coming out on top, 1-11, 11-3, 11-7, 11-13, 11-5. [note: this result was previously reported the other way based on R2Sports.com posting]
Also in the 16s was Samantha Salas's victory over Adrienne Fisher in four games, 11-1, 11-8, 10-12, 11-3.
The quarter finals and semi finals will be played on Saturday and the final on Sunday.
2009 Ektelon WPRO Texas Open
Round of 16
Paola Longoria d. Christie Van Hees, 5-11, 11-7, 11-9, 8-11, 11-9
Jackie Paraiso d. Jo Shattuck, 1-11, 11-3, 11-7, 11-13, 11-5
Kerri Wachtel d. Cristina Amaya, 11-6, 11-2, 11-4
Kristen Bellows d. Keely Franks, 11-5, 11-4, 11-0
Cheryl Gudinas d. Aubrey O'Brien, 11-1, 12-10, 11-6
Samantha Salas d. Adrienne Fisher, 11-1, 11-8, 10-12, 11-3
Angela Grisar d. Diane Moore, 11-4, 11-9, 11-7
Rhonda Rajsich d. Susy Acosta, 8-11, 11-3, 11-7, 11-8
Quarter finals
Paola Longoria vs. Jackie Paraiso
Kristen Bellows vs. Kerri Wachtel
Cheryl Gudinas vs. Samantha Salas
Rhonda Rajsich vs. Angela Grisar
Follow the bouncing ball....
WPRO - Texas Open 32s
The Round of 32 is over in Dallas at the Ektelon WPRO Texas Open the first event of the Women's Professional Racquetball Organization (WPRO) season. The largest upset by ranking was Jackie Paraiso, ranked 25th, defeating Jennifer Saunders, ranked 8th, in four close games, 9-11, 12-10, 11-9, 11-8. However, Paraiso is a former #1 player and current World Champion in doubles, so it's fair to say her ranking doesn't accurately reflect her ability.
Top seed Paola Longoria easily won her match over Danielle Key, 11-3, 11-0, 12-10. She'll now face a much tougher opponent in former #1 Christie Van Hees, who beat fellow Canadian Brandi Jacobson Prentice, 11-1, 11-3, 11-0.
The winner of Longoria and Van Hees could play Paraiso who next faces Jo Shattuck, as Shattuck took out Danielle Emerson, 8-11, 11-3, 11-3, 11-6.
Other upsets in the Round of 32 were Cristina Amaya seeded 21st defeating T. J. Baumbaugh, the 11th seed, 2-11, 12-10, 11-4, 12-10, nineteen year old and 19th seeded American Aubrey O'Brien defeated 14th seed Krystal Csuk, 11-5, 2-11, 11-6, 14-12, and Mexican veteran Susy Acosta seeded 18th defeated 15th seed Vivian Gomez, 11-9, 11-7, 11-6. She'll next play second seed Rhonda Rajsich, who defeated Enriquez, 11-5, 11-4, 11-1.
The Round of 16 will begin later on Friday with the quarter finals and semi finals set for Saturday and the final on Sunday.
2009 Ektelon WPRO Texas Open
Round of 32
Paola Longoria vs. Danielle Key, 11-3, 11-0, 12-10
Christie Van Hees d. Brandi Jacobson Prentice, 11-1, 11-3, 11-0
Jackie Paraiso d. Jennifer Saunders, 9-11, 12-10, 11-9, 11-8
Jo Shattuck d. Danielle Emerson, 8-11, 11-3, 11-3, 11-6
Kerri Wachtel d. Da'monique Davis, 11-2, 11-2, 11-2
Cristina Amaya d. T.J. Baumbaugh, 2-11, 12-10, 11-4, 12-10
Keely Franks d. Frederique T. Lambert, 11-4, 11-2, 11-5
Kristen Bellows d. Liz Alvarado, 11-6, 2-11, 11-2, 11-5
Cheryl Gudinas d. Kersten Hallander, forfeit
Aubrey O'Brien d. Krystal Csuk, 11-5, 2-11, 11-6, 14-12
Adrienne Fisher d. Sharon Jackson, 11-5, 6-11, 11-6, 8-11, 11-9
Samantha Salas d. Sofia Rascon, 11-6, 11-8, 11-6
Angela Grisar d. Kelley Fields, 9-11, 11-2, 11-4, 11-0
Diane Moore d. Laura Brandt, 11-3, 11-5, 8-11, 11-1
Susy Acosta d. Vivian Gomez, 11-9, 11-7, 11-6
Rhonda Rajsich d. Nancy Enriquez, 111-5, 11-4, 11-1
Round of 16
Paola Longoria vs. Christie Van Hees
Jo Shattuck vs. Jackie Paraiso
Kerri Wachtel vs. Cristina Amaya
Kristen Bellows vs. Keely Franks
Cheryl Gudinas vs. Aubrey O'Brien
Adrienne Fisher vs. Samantha Salas
Angela Grisar vs. Diane Moore
Rhonda Rajsich vs. Susy Acosta
Qualifying Round
Q1 Nancy Enriquez d. Ashley Loyd, 8-11, 11-6, 11-2, 4-11, 11-5
Q2 Danielle Key d. Linda Scales, 12-10, 11-4, 11-9
Follow the bouncing ball....
Top seed Paola Longoria easily won her match over Danielle Key, 11-3, 11-0, 12-10. She'll now face a much tougher opponent in former #1 Christie Van Hees, who beat fellow Canadian Brandi Jacobson Prentice, 11-1, 11-3, 11-0.
The winner of Longoria and Van Hees could play Paraiso who next faces Jo Shattuck, as Shattuck took out Danielle Emerson, 8-11, 11-3, 11-3, 11-6.
Other upsets in the Round of 32 were Cristina Amaya seeded 21st defeating T. J. Baumbaugh, the 11th seed, 2-11, 12-10, 11-4, 12-10, nineteen year old and 19th seeded American Aubrey O'Brien defeated 14th seed Krystal Csuk, 11-5, 2-11, 11-6, 14-12, and Mexican veteran Susy Acosta seeded 18th defeated 15th seed Vivian Gomez, 11-9, 11-7, 11-6. She'll next play second seed Rhonda Rajsich, who defeated Enriquez, 11-5, 11-4, 11-1.
The Round of 16 will begin later on Friday with the quarter finals and semi finals set for Saturday and the final on Sunday.
2009 Ektelon WPRO Texas Open
Round of 32
Paola Longoria vs. Danielle Key, 11-3, 11-0, 12-10
Christie Van Hees d. Brandi Jacobson Prentice, 11-1, 11-3, 11-0
Jackie Paraiso d. Jennifer Saunders, 9-11, 12-10, 11-9, 11-8
Jo Shattuck d. Danielle Emerson, 8-11, 11-3, 11-3, 11-6
Kerri Wachtel d. Da'monique Davis, 11-2, 11-2, 11-2
Cristina Amaya d. T.J. Baumbaugh, 2-11, 12-10, 11-4, 12-10
Keely Franks d. Frederique T. Lambert, 11-4, 11-2, 11-5
Kristen Bellows d. Liz Alvarado, 11-6, 2-11, 11-2, 11-5
Cheryl Gudinas d. Kersten Hallander, forfeit
Aubrey O'Brien d. Krystal Csuk, 11-5, 2-11, 11-6, 14-12
Adrienne Fisher d. Sharon Jackson, 11-5, 6-11, 11-6, 8-11, 11-9
Samantha Salas d. Sofia Rascon, 11-6, 11-8, 11-6
Angela Grisar d. Kelley Fields, 9-11, 11-2, 11-4, 11-0
Diane Moore d. Laura Brandt, 11-3, 11-5, 8-11, 11-1
Susy Acosta d. Vivian Gomez, 11-9, 11-7, 11-6
Rhonda Rajsich d. Nancy Enriquez, 111-5, 11-4, 11-1
Round of 16
Paola Longoria vs. Christie Van Hees
Jo Shattuck vs. Jackie Paraiso
Kerri Wachtel vs. Cristina Amaya
Kristen Bellows vs. Keely Franks
Cheryl Gudinas vs. Aubrey O'Brien
Adrienne Fisher vs. Samantha Salas
Angela Grisar vs. Diane Moore
Rhonda Rajsich vs. Susy Acosta
Qualifying Round
Q1 Nancy Enriquez d. Ashley Loyd, 8-11, 11-6, 11-2, 4-11, 11-5
Q2 Danielle Key d. Linda Scales, 12-10, 11-4, 11-9
Follow the bouncing ball....
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
WPRO - Texas Open Preview
The first event of the Women's Professional Racquetball Organization (WPRO) season is the Ektelon WPRO Texas Open in Dallas beginning later this week. Thirty four players are in the draw, so they have set up a qualifying round of four players for the 31st and 32nd spots in the Round of 32.
We've got the draw for you below. As anticipated, in the Round of 16 current #1 Paola Longoria will play former #1 Christie Van Hees (assuming they win their first round matches) while another former #1 Jackie Paraiso will play current Canadian champion Jennifer Saunders in the Round of 32.
The WPRO World Championships Final
Kristen Bellows surprised the racquetball world by winning the WPRO Ektelon World Championships in May. Recently, we watched that match on Racquetball Online.tv, where it's archived, and it's fascinating. For example, Bellows was down 10-3 in game one but came back to win 12-10.
Bellows also took game two, 11-5, but then dropped games three and four by 11-7 scores, as Longoria forced a tie-breaker. But Bellows got it back on track and pulled out the tie-breaker 11-7.
Despite the loss, Longoria rose to the #1 spot on the WPRO rankings, marking the first time a Mexican player had done so. At only 20 years old, Longoria should only be improving, so she could keep the #1 spot for some years to come.
However, Bellows's victory indicated there's more than one player who can win women's pro events (perhaps in contrast to men's pro racquetball events). Indeed, eight players in the Texas Open draw have won women's pro events: Rhonda Rajsich, Cheryl Gudinas, Angela Grisar, Jackie Paraiso, Christie Van Hees and Kerri Wachtel, as well as Bellows and Longoria.
This all bodes well for WPRO fans, as this could be one of the most interesting seasons in WPRO history.
2009 Ektelon WPRO Texas Open
Qualifying Round Players
Q1 Nancy Enriquez vs. Ashley Loyd
Q2 Danielle Key vs. Linda Scales
Main Draw (seeding & WPRO Ranking)
1 1 Paola Longoria vs. Q2
16 19 Christie Van Hees vs. 17 20 Brandi Jacobson Prentice
8 9 Jennifer Saunders vs. 25 38 Jackie Paraiso
9 10 Jo Shattuck vs. 24 35 Danielle Emerson
5 5 Kerri Wachtel vs. 28 52 Da'monique Davis
12 14 T.J. Baumbaugh vs. 21 25 Cristina Amaya
13 16 Keely Franks vs. 20 24 Frederique T. Lambert
4 4 Kristen Bellows vs. Liz Alvarado
3 3 Cheryl Gudinas vs. Kersten Hallander
14 17 Krystal Csuk vs. 19 23 Aubrey O'Brien
6 7 Adrienne Fisher vs. 27 68 Sharon Jackson
11 13 Samantha Salas vs. 22 26 Sofia Rascon
7 8 Angela Grisar vs. 26 42 Kelley Fields
10 11 Diane Moore vs. 23 30 Laura Brandt
15 18 Vivian Gomez vs. 18 21 Susy Acosta
2 2 Rhonda Rajsich vs. Q1
Follow the bouncing ball....
We've got the draw for you below. As anticipated, in the Round of 16 current #1 Paola Longoria will play former #1 Christie Van Hees (assuming they win their first round matches) while another former #1 Jackie Paraiso will play current Canadian champion Jennifer Saunders in the Round of 32.
The WPRO World Championships Final
Kristen Bellows surprised the racquetball world by winning the WPRO Ektelon World Championships in May. Recently, we watched that match on Racquetball Online.tv, where it's archived, and it's fascinating. For example, Bellows was down 10-3 in game one but came back to win 12-10.
Bellows also took game two, 11-5, but then dropped games three and four by 11-7 scores, as Longoria forced a tie-breaker. But Bellows got it back on track and pulled out the tie-breaker 11-7.
Despite the loss, Longoria rose to the #1 spot on the WPRO rankings, marking the first time a Mexican player had done so. At only 20 years old, Longoria should only be improving, so she could keep the #1 spot for some years to come.
However, Bellows's victory indicated there's more than one player who can win women's pro events (perhaps in contrast to men's pro racquetball events). Indeed, eight players in the Texas Open draw have won women's pro events: Rhonda Rajsich, Cheryl Gudinas, Angela Grisar, Jackie Paraiso, Christie Van Hees and Kerri Wachtel, as well as Bellows and Longoria.
This all bodes well for WPRO fans, as this could be one of the most interesting seasons in WPRO history.
2009 Ektelon WPRO Texas Open
Qualifying Round Players
Q1 Nancy Enriquez vs. Ashley Loyd
Q2 Danielle Key vs. Linda Scales
Main Draw (seeding & WPRO Ranking)
1 1 Paola Longoria vs. Q2
16 19 Christie Van Hees vs. 17 20 Brandi Jacobson Prentice
8 9 Jennifer Saunders vs. 25 38 Jackie Paraiso
9 10 Jo Shattuck vs. 24 35 Danielle Emerson
5 5 Kerri Wachtel vs. 28 52 Da'monique Davis
12 14 T.J. Baumbaugh vs. 21 25 Cristina Amaya
13 16 Keely Franks vs. 20 24 Frederique T. Lambert
4 4 Kristen Bellows vs. Liz Alvarado
3 3 Cheryl Gudinas vs. Kersten Hallander
14 17 Krystal Csuk vs. 19 23 Aubrey O'Brien
6 7 Adrienne Fisher vs. 27 68 Sharon Jackson
11 13 Samantha Salas vs. 22 26 Sofia Rascon
7 8 Angela Grisar vs. 26 42 Kelley Fields
10 11 Diane Moore vs. 23 30 Laura Brandt
15 18 Vivian Gomez vs. 18 21 Susy Acosta
2 2 Rhonda Rajsich vs. Q1
Follow the bouncing ball....
Sunday, September 20, 2009
IRT - Waselenchuk wins Lawler Sports Pro Am
Kane Waselenchuk defeated Jack Huczek 11-6, 11-8, 11-5 to win the Lawler Sports Pro Am in Terre Haute, Indiana and make it two for two in this International Racquetball Tour (IRT) season. Waselenchuk also defeated Huczek in the final of the Motorola World Racquetball Championships in Denver last weekend.
In game one, Waselenchuk went out to a 10-0 lead that he later said "set the tone for the rest of the match." Huczek didn't quit, and closed the difference to 10-6 before Waselenchuk got the final point.
Huczek got an early lead in game two at 3-0. Waselenchuk tied it at 4-4, but Huczek again went ahead 6-4. However, Waselenchuk then went on a seven point streak that Huczek tried to interrupt with a time out. He was able to get side-outs from Waselenchuk but no points.
Waselenchuk took the early lead in game three, and held it to win that game and the match, 11-6, 11-8, 11-5.
Afterwards Waselenchuk felt it was a "weird match," because to him it seemed "we were both flat" at the start. He also thought Huczek was "far from his best," which may have been due to the marathon match lasting almost three hours he played against Rocky Carson in the semi-finals on Saturday.
Huczek felt similarly, saying he "wished I could have played better," and he "missed too many shots."
The Kentucky Open is the next IRT main event, which will take place in Bowling Green, Kentucky from October 8th to 11th.
2009 Lawler Sports Pro Am, Terre Haute, Indiana
Finals
Kane Waselenchuk d. Jack Huczek, 11-6, 11-8, 11-5
Follow the bouncing ball....
In game one, Waselenchuk went out to a 10-0 lead that he later said "set the tone for the rest of the match." Huczek didn't quit, and closed the difference to 10-6 before Waselenchuk got the final point.
Huczek got an early lead in game two at 3-0. Waselenchuk tied it at 4-4, but Huczek again went ahead 6-4. However, Waselenchuk then went on a seven point streak that Huczek tried to interrupt with a time out. He was able to get side-outs from Waselenchuk but no points.
Waselenchuk took the early lead in game three, and held it to win that game and the match, 11-6, 11-8, 11-5.
Afterwards Waselenchuk felt it was a "weird match," because to him it seemed "we were both flat" at the start. He also thought Huczek was "far from his best," which may have been due to the marathon match lasting almost three hours he played against Rocky Carson in the semi-finals on Saturday.
Huczek felt similarly, saying he "wished I could have played better," and he "missed too many shots."
The Kentucky Open is the next IRT main event, which will take place in Bowling Green, Kentucky from October 8th to 11th.
2009 Lawler Sports Pro Am, Terre Haute, Indiana
Finals
Kane Waselenchuk d. Jack Huczek, 11-6, 11-8, 11-5
Follow the bouncing ball....
Saturday, September 19, 2009
IRT - Lawler Sports Semi-Finals
Jack Huczek in a match he described as both "fun and frustrating" defeated Rocky Carson in the semi-finals of the Lawler Sports Pro Am in Terre Haute, Indiana. Huczek will face Kane Waselenchuk in the final, as Waselenchuk made quick work of Jason Mannino. It'll be Waselenchuk and Huczek's second meeting of the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) season, as they were in last week's final in Denver, where Waselenchuk came out on top.
Huczek and Carson played for almost three hours while Waselenchuk and Mannino were on court for barely an hour.
Huczek and Carson split the first two games, battling back and forth in both those games with neither player having more than a three point advantage until late in the third game, when Huczek went up 9-5 and held on for an 11-7 victory.
But Carson came back in game four getting an early 3-0 lead that he built to 8-2 and won 11-7 to level the match at two games apiece. He carried that momentum into the tie-breaker, as he led 6-3.
However, Huczek battled back to even the score at 6, and then at 7, after which he pushed on to win the tie-breaker 11-7, taking the match, 11-8, 10-12, 11-7, 7-11, 11-7.
During the match both players expressed disagreement several times with the referee's call. Carson said afterwards that he thought "it impaired the end of the match and really had an influence on it."
At 8-7 for Huczek in the tie-breaker, Huczek hit a ball that came high through the middle of the court, and Carson believed it hit Huczek. However, the referee didn't see it that way, calling a hinder, as both players were in the middle and Carson was hampered from taking the next shot.
Huczek won the next three rallies to win the match.
In the other semi-final, Waselenchuk said afterwards it "felt like I rolled out everything today," and it sure seemed that way.
Mannino agreed that Waselenchuk "played really good," and added it was "hard to keep up with the pace."
After getting only three points in the first two games, Mannino changed from his characteristic half lob serve to a drive serve that got him his first lead of the match at 4-1. But Waselenchuk didn't let Mannino get any more than that winning the game 11-4 and the match 11-1, 11-2, 11-4.
As good as he played Saturday, Waselenchuk said he'll have to be even better on Sunday against Huczek, who lost to him in four games last weekend. But Huczek was leading 9-7 in the fourth game, so almost got it to a tie-breaker when anything could happen.
The final is noon Sunday and can be viewed via the IRT Network.
2009 Lawler Sports Pro Am, Terre Haute, Indiana
Semi finals
Kane Waselenchuk d. Jason Mannino, 11-1, 11-2, 11-4
Jack Huczek d. Rocky Carson, 11-7, 10-12, 11-7, 7-11, 11-8
Finals
Kane Waselenchuk vs. Jack Huczek - Noon Sunday
Follow the bouncing ball....
Huczek and Carson played for almost three hours while Waselenchuk and Mannino were on court for barely an hour.
Huczek and Carson split the first two games, battling back and forth in both those games with neither player having more than a three point advantage until late in the third game, when Huczek went up 9-5 and held on for an 11-7 victory.
But Carson came back in game four getting an early 3-0 lead that he built to 8-2 and won 11-7 to level the match at two games apiece. He carried that momentum into the tie-breaker, as he led 6-3.
However, Huczek battled back to even the score at 6, and then at 7, after which he pushed on to win the tie-breaker 11-7, taking the match, 11-8, 10-12, 11-7, 7-11, 11-7.
During the match both players expressed disagreement several times with the referee's call. Carson said afterwards that he thought "it impaired the end of the match and really had an influence on it."
At 8-7 for Huczek in the tie-breaker, Huczek hit a ball that came high through the middle of the court, and Carson believed it hit Huczek. However, the referee didn't see it that way, calling a hinder, as both players were in the middle and Carson was hampered from taking the next shot.
Huczek won the next three rallies to win the match.
In the other semi-final, Waselenchuk said afterwards it "felt like I rolled out everything today," and it sure seemed that way.
Mannino agreed that Waselenchuk "played really good," and added it was "hard to keep up with the pace."
After getting only three points in the first two games, Mannino changed from his characteristic half lob serve to a drive serve that got him his first lead of the match at 4-1. But Waselenchuk didn't let Mannino get any more than that winning the game 11-4 and the match 11-1, 11-2, 11-4.
As good as he played Saturday, Waselenchuk said he'll have to be even better on Sunday against Huczek, who lost to him in four games last weekend. But Huczek was leading 9-7 in the fourth game, so almost got it to a tie-breaker when anything could happen.
The final is noon Sunday and can be viewed via the IRT Network.
2009 Lawler Sports Pro Am, Terre Haute, Indiana
Semi finals
Kane Waselenchuk d. Jason Mannino, 11-1, 11-2, 11-4
Jack Huczek d. Rocky Carson, 11-7, 10-12, 11-7, 7-11, 11-8
Finals
Kane Waselenchuk vs. Jack Huczek - Noon Sunday
Follow the bouncing ball....
Friday, September 18, 2009
IRT - Lawler Sports Quarter Finals
The quarter finals are over in Terre Haute, Indiana at the Lawler Sports Pro Am - the second event of the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) season, and four of the top five players are through to the semis.
Top seed Kane Waselenchuk looked to have another slow start but then defeated Juan Herrera in three straight games, 11-9, 11-1, 11-2, and second seed Rocky Carson beat Chris Crowther, 11-7, 9-11, 11-6, 11-1. So Crowther had a better showing against Carson than in their match last week in Denver, but the result was the same.
In the semis, Carson will again face third seed Jack Huczek, as he defeated Mitch Williams after Williams defaulted due to injury following the first game of their match, which Huczek won 11-7.
In another rematch of last week, fifth seed Jason Mannino this time got the better of fourth seed Shane Vanderson, gaining a measure of revenge for last week's loss with a 11-4, 11-9, 10-12, 11-8 victory. Mannino will play Waselenchuk Saturday.
The semi finals are scheduled for 4 PM and 5 PM Eastern time Saturday and can be viewed via the IRT Network.com.
2009 Lawler Sports Pro Am, Terre Haute, Indiana
Quarter finals
Kane Waselenchuk d. Juan Herrera, 11-9, 11-1, 11-2
Jason Mannino d. Shane Vanderson, 11-4, 11-9, 10-12, 11-8
Jack Huczek d. Mitch Williams, 11-7, injury forfeit
Rocky Carson d. Chris Crowther, 11-7, 9-11, 11-6, 11-1
Semi finals
Kane Waselenchuk vs. Jason Mannino - 5 PM Saturday
Rocky Carson vs. Jack Huczek - 4 PM Saturday
Follow the bouncing ball....
Top seed Kane Waselenchuk looked to have another slow start but then defeated Juan Herrera in three straight games, 11-9, 11-1, 11-2, and second seed Rocky Carson beat Chris Crowther, 11-7, 9-11, 11-6, 11-1. So Crowther had a better showing against Carson than in their match last week in Denver, but the result was the same.
In the semis, Carson will again face third seed Jack Huczek, as he defeated Mitch Williams after Williams defaulted due to injury following the first game of their match, which Huczek won 11-7.
In another rematch of last week, fifth seed Jason Mannino this time got the better of fourth seed Shane Vanderson, gaining a measure of revenge for last week's loss with a 11-4, 11-9, 10-12, 11-8 victory. Mannino will play Waselenchuk Saturday.
The semi finals are scheduled for 4 PM and 5 PM Eastern time Saturday and can be viewed via the IRT Network.com.
2009 Lawler Sports Pro Am, Terre Haute, Indiana
Quarter finals
Kane Waselenchuk d. Juan Herrera, 11-9, 11-1, 11-2
Jason Mannino d. Shane Vanderson, 11-4, 11-9, 10-12, 11-8
Jack Huczek d. Mitch Williams, 11-7, injury forfeit
Rocky Carson d. Chris Crowther, 11-7, 9-11, 11-6, 11-1
Semi finals
Kane Waselenchuk vs. Jason Mannino - 5 PM Saturday
Rocky Carson vs. Jack Huczek - 4 PM Saturday
Follow the bouncing ball....
IRT - Lawler Sports Round of 16
They're finished the Round of 16 at the Lawler Sports Pro Am in Terre Haute, Indiana the second event of the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) season. No upsets happened in the qualifying round.
But we do have the first Round of 16 upset of the season, as Juan Herrera defeated Andy Hawthorne in five games, 9-11, 11-6, 11-7, 7-11, 11-1. This is also the first win by a qualifier this season.
Fourth seed Shane Vanderson also needed five games to defeat former #1 Cliff Swain, winning 1-11, 11-3, 11-9, 7-11, 11-3. Vanderson will next play fifth seed Jason Mannino, who defeated Kris Odegard, 10-12, 11-3, 11-2, 11-1.
Sixth seed Mitch Williams had a close match with Hiroshi Shimizu winning 13-15, 11-9, 11-2, 12-10. Williams will face Jack Huczek in the quarter finals, as Huczek easily defeated Rafael Filippini, 11-1, 11-1, 11-2.
The quarter finals begin later on Friday, and can be viewed via the IRT Network.com.
2009 Lawler Sports Pro Am, Terre Haute, Indiana
Round of 16
Kane Waselenchuk d. Charles Pratt, 11-2, 11-4, 11-1
Juan Herrera d. Andy Hawthorne, 9-11, 11-6, 11-7, 7-11, 11-1
Jason Mannino d. Kris Odegard, 10-12, 11-3, 11-2, 11-1.
Shane Vanderson d. Cliff Swain, 1-11, 11-3, 11-9, 7-11, 11-3
Jack Huczek d. Rafael Filippini, 11-1, 11-1, 11-2
Mitch Williams d. Hiroshi Shimizu, 13-15, 11-9, 11-2, 12-10
Chris Crowther d. Travis Woodbury, 11-1, 11-0, 11-3
Rocky Carson d. Matt Stamborski, 11-2, 11-5, 11-8
Quarter finals
Kane Waselenchuk vs. Juan Herrera
Shane Vanderson vs. Jason Mannino
Jack Huczek vs. Mitch Williams
Rocky Carson vs. Chris Crowther
Final Round of Qualifying
Q1 - Juan Herrera d. Jorge Ramos Jr., 11-3, 11-1, 11-1
Q8 - Charles Pratt d. Brian Simpson, 15-13, 11-3, 7-11, 11-6
Q5 - Cliff Swain d. Dan Case, 11-1, 11-1, 11-8
Q4 - Kris Odegard d. John Scott, 11-2, 11-7, 11-2
Q3 - Hiroshi Shimizu d. Felipe Alonso, 11-4, 11-5, 11-6
Q6 - Rafael Filippini d. Geoff Goldblatt, 11-9, 11-8, 11-9
Q7 - Matt Stamborski d. Gil De Los Rios, fft
Q2 - Travis Woodbury d. Gene Scott, 11-2, 11-3, 11-3
First Round of Qualifying
Q1 - Jorge Ramos Jr. d. Deli Stinnett, 9-11, 11-5, 11-7, 11-3
Follow the bouncing ball....
But we do have the first Round of 16 upset of the season, as Juan Herrera defeated Andy Hawthorne in five games, 9-11, 11-6, 11-7, 7-11, 11-1. This is also the first win by a qualifier this season.
Fourth seed Shane Vanderson also needed five games to defeat former #1 Cliff Swain, winning 1-11, 11-3, 11-9, 7-11, 11-3. Vanderson will next play fifth seed Jason Mannino, who defeated Kris Odegard, 10-12, 11-3, 11-2, 11-1.
Sixth seed Mitch Williams had a close match with Hiroshi Shimizu winning 13-15, 11-9, 11-2, 12-10. Williams will face Jack Huczek in the quarter finals, as Huczek easily defeated Rafael Filippini, 11-1, 11-1, 11-2.
The quarter finals begin later on Friday, and can be viewed via the IRT Network.com.
2009 Lawler Sports Pro Am, Terre Haute, Indiana
Round of 16
Kane Waselenchuk d. Charles Pratt, 11-2, 11-4, 11-1
Juan Herrera d. Andy Hawthorne, 9-11, 11-6, 11-7, 7-11, 11-1
Jason Mannino d. Kris Odegard, 10-12, 11-3, 11-2, 11-1.
Shane Vanderson d. Cliff Swain, 1-11, 11-3, 11-9, 7-11, 11-3
Jack Huczek d. Rafael Filippini, 11-1, 11-1, 11-2
Mitch Williams d. Hiroshi Shimizu, 13-15, 11-9, 11-2, 12-10
Chris Crowther d. Travis Woodbury, 11-1, 11-0, 11-3
Rocky Carson d. Matt Stamborski, 11-2, 11-5, 11-8
Quarter finals
Kane Waselenchuk vs. Juan Herrera
Shane Vanderson vs. Jason Mannino
Jack Huczek vs. Mitch Williams
Rocky Carson vs. Chris Crowther
Final Round of Qualifying
Q1 - Juan Herrera d. Jorge Ramos Jr., 11-3, 11-1, 11-1
Q8 - Charles Pratt d. Brian Simpson, 15-13, 11-3, 7-11, 11-6
Q5 - Cliff Swain d. Dan Case, 11-1, 11-1, 11-8
Q4 - Kris Odegard d. John Scott, 11-2, 11-7, 11-2
Q3 - Hiroshi Shimizu d. Felipe Alonso, 11-4, 11-5, 11-6
Q6 - Rafael Filippini d. Geoff Goldblatt, 11-9, 11-8, 11-9
Q7 - Matt Stamborski d. Gil De Los Rios, fft
Q2 - Travis Woodbury d. Gene Scott, 11-2, 11-3, 11-3
First Round of Qualifying
Q1 - Jorge Ramos Jr. d. Deli Stinnett, 9-11, 11-5, 11-7, 11-3
Follow the bouncing ball....
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Some WPRO Info
The Lawler Sports Pro Am, the second event of the men's pro season - the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) - begins later today, so let's take a moment to mention some Women's Professional Racquetball Organization (WPRO) happenings.
New Website
The WPRO has a newly designed website, which looks very good. Keely Franks is responsible for it, and she's also done a nice site for next week's Texas Open, the first event of the WPRO 2009-2010 season.
The site also features several great photos of WPRO players by Mike Boatman, the photographer of the IRT and US Open.
Included on the new WPRO site is a page with a brief history of the women's pro tour, including a link to the Wikipedia page on the WPRO. There you can see the top 10 players from every season back to 1980, which we're happy to tell you was put on Wikipedia by The Racquetball Blog staff.
Texas Open
The WPRO season kicks off next week with the Texas Open, and there is a great draw for it, as 34 players have entered, including the top 5 players, as well as two former #1 players Christie Van Hees, Jackie Paraiso and Kersten Hallander, who was ranked as high as #4 at one time. We've listed the players entered as of today below, although entries can still be made until late tomorrow (Friday September 18 at 10 PM central time).
If it stays like this, then it looks like current #1 Paola Longoria will potentially play Van Hees in the Round of 16 and another Paraiso will play Canadian champion Jennifer Saunders in the Round of 32.
2009 Texas Open
Seeding - WPRO Ranking - Player
1 1 Paola Longoria
2 2 Rhonda Rajsich
3 3 Cheryl Gudinas Holmes
4 4 Kristen Bellows
5 5 Kerri Wachtel
6 7 Adrienne Fisher
7 8 Angela Grisar
8 9 Jennifer Saunders
9 10 Jo Shattuck
10 11 Diane Moore
11 13 Samantha Salas
12 14 T.J. Baumbaugh
13 16 Keely Franks
14 17 Krystal Csuk
15 18 Vivian Gomez
16 19 Christie Van Hees
17 20 Brandi Jacobson Prentice
18 21 Susy Acosta
19 23 Aubrey O'Brien
20 24 Frederique T. Lambert
21 25 Cristina Amaya
22 26 Sofia Rascon
23 30 Laura Brandt
24 35 Danielle Emerson
25 38 Jackie Paraiso
26 42 Kelley Fields
27 52 Da'monique Davis
28 68 Sharon Jackson
29+ U Danielle Key
29+ U Nancy Enriquez
29+ U Kersten Hallander
29+ U Linda Scales
29+ U Liz Alvarado
29+ U Ashley Loyd
Note: "U" indicates WPRO ranking is unknown, as player isn't on most recent WPRO ranking list.
Follow the bouncing ball....
New Website
The WPRO has a newly designed website, which looks very good. Keely Franks is responsible for it, and she's also done a nice site for next week's Texas Open, the first event of the WPRO 2009-2010 season.
The site also features several great photos of WPRO players by Mike Boatman, the photographer of the IRT and US Open.
Included on the new WPRO site is a page with a brief history of the women's pro tour, including a link to the Wikipedia page on the WPRO. There you can see the top 10 players from every season back to 1980, which we're happy to tell you was put on Wikipedia by The Racquetball Blog staff.
Texas Open
The WPRO season kicks off next week with the Texas Open, and there is a great draw for it, as 34 players have entered, including the top 5 players, as well as two former #1 players Christie Van Hees, Jackie Paraiso and Kersten Hallander, who was ranked as high as #4 at one time. We've listed the players entered as of today below, although entries can still be made until late tomorrow (Friday September 18 at 10 PM central time).
If it stays like this, then it looks like current #1 Paola Longoria will potentially play Van Hees in the Round of 16 and another Paraiso will play Canadian champion Jennifer Saunders in the Round of 32.
2009 Texas Open
Seeding - WPRO Ranking - Player
1 1 Paola Longoria
2 2 Rhonda Rajsich
3 3 Cheryl Gudinas Holmes
4 4 Kristen Bellows
5 5 Kerri Wachtel
6 7 Adrienne Fisher
7 8 Angela Grisar
8 9 Jennifer Saunders
9 10 Jo Shattuck
10 11 Diane Moore
11 13 Samantha Salas
12 14 T.J. Baumbaugh
13 16 Keely Franks
14 17 Krystal Csuk
15 18 Vivian Gomez
16 19 Christie Van Hees
17 20 Brandi Jacobson Prentice
18 21 Susy Acosta
19 23 Aubrey O'Brien
20 24 Frederique T. Lambert
21 25 Cristina Amaya
22 26 Sofia Rascon
23 30 Laura Brandt
24 35 Danielle Emerson
25 38 Jackie Paraiso
26 42 Kelley Fields
27 52 Da'monique Davis
28 68 Sharon Jackson
29+ U Danielle Key
29+ U Nancy Enriquez
29+ U Kersten Hallander
29+ U Linda Scales
29+ U Liz Alvarado
29+ U Ashley Loyd
Note: "U" indicates WPRO ranking is unknown, as player isn't on most recent WPRO ranking list.
Follow the bouncing ball....
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
IRT - Lawler Sports Qualifying Rounds
The qualifying draw for this weekend's Lawler Sports Pro Am in Terre Haute, Indiana is out. It's the second event of the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) season. There are 17 players in the draw, which we've got for you below.
The IRT rankings haven't been released after last weekend's Motorola World Racquetball Championships, but based on the draw, it appears that Shane Vanderson has risen ahead of Jason Mannino in the ranking, as Vanderson is seeded 4th and Mannino 5th in the main draw.
That will likely mean that Vanderson will play Cliff Swain and Mannino Kris Odegard in the Round of 16, assuming that Swain and Odegard win their qualifying matches. Swain plays Dan Case and Odegard is up against John Scott.
The most interesting qualifying round match will be Charles Pratt versus Brian Simpson. Pratt's one of the IRT's up and coming players, while Simpson, a Indiana resident, is a solid player who was a tour regular for two seasons in the late 1990s reaching the 16s several times. More recently he has defeated current tour players Anthony Herrera and Keith Minor, and is ranked 44th in the USA Racquetball rankings (50th on the IRT rankings but he only played two events last season). Pratt is 31st in those rankings (44th on the IRT).
2009 Lawler Sports Pro Am, Terre Haute, Indiana
Men's Singles Pro Qualifier
First Round
Q1 - Jorge Ramos Jr. vs. Deli Stinnett
Final Round
Q1 - Juan Herrera vs. Jorge Ramos Jr. or Deli Stinnett
Q8 - Charles Pratt vs. Brian Simpson
Q5 - Cliff Swain vs. Dan Case
Q4 - Kris Odegard vs. John Scott
Q3 - Hiroshi Shimizu vs. Felipe Alonso
Q6 - Geoff Goldblatt vs. Rafael Filipini
Q7 - Gil De Los Rios vs. Matt Stamborski
Q2 - Travis Woodbury vs. Gene Scott
MAIN ROUND of 16
Kane Waselenchuk vs. Q8
Andy Hawthorne vs. Q1
Jason Mannino vs. Q4
Shane Vanderson vs. Q5
Jack Huczek vs. Q6
Mitch Williams vs. Q3
Chris Crowther vs. Q2
Rocky Carson vs. Q7
Follow the bouncing ball....
The IRT rankings haven't been released after last weekend's Motorola World Racquetball Championships, but based on the draw, it appears that Shane Vanderson has risen ahead of Jason Mannino in the ranking, as Vanderson is seeded 4th and Mannino 5th in the main draw.
That will likely mean that Vanderson will play Cliff Swain and Mannino Kris Odegard in the Round of 16, assuming that Swain and Odegard win their qualifying matches. Swain plays Dan Case and Odegard is up against John Scott.
The most interesting qualifying round match will be Charles Pratt versus Brian Simpson. Pratt's one of the IRT's up and coming players, while Simpson, a Indiana resident, is a solid player who was a tour regular for two seasons in the late 1990s reaching the 16s several times. More recently he has defeated current tour players Anthony Herrera and Keith Minor, and is ranked 44th in the USA Racquetball rankings (50th on the IRT rankings but he only played two events last season). Pratt is 31st in those rankings (44th on the IRT).
2009 Lawler Sports Pro Am, Terre Haute, Indiana
Men's Singles Pro Qualifier
First Round
Q1 - Jorge Ramos Jr. vs. Deli Stinnett
Final Round
Q1 - Juan Herrera vs. Jorge Ramos Jr. or Deli Stinnett
Q8 - Charles Pratt vs. Brian Simpson
Q5 - Cliff Swain vs. Dan Case
Q4 - Kris Odegard vs. John Scott
Q3 - Hiroshi Shimizu vs. Felipe Alonso
Q6 - Geoff Goldblatt vs. Rafael Filipini
Q7 - Gil De Los Rios vs. Matt Stamborski
Q2 - Travis Woodbury vs. Gene Scott
MAIN ROUND of 16
Kane Waselenchuk vs. Q8
Andy Hawthorne vs. Q1
Jason Mannino vs. Q4
Shane Vanderson vs. Q5
Jack Huczek vs. Q6
Mitch Williams vs. Q3
Chris Crowther vs. Q2
Rocky Carson vs. Q7
Follow the bouncing ball....
Monday, September 14, 2009
Monday Thoughts on the IRT
The first International Racquetball Tour (IRT) event has come and gone, and The Racquetball Blog is concerned that what happened in Denver will simply be repeated at every tour stop. That is, Kane Waselenchuk continues to seem to be that much better than the field with Jack Huczek and Rocky Carson comfortably in second and third.
Waselenchuk played Huczek in the finals yesterday, yet it could just as easily be Rocky Carson, as there isn't much to choose between the two of them. But with all respect to the other players, it just doesn't seem likely that anyone else can break through into the top three.
We'd be happy to be wrong about that, but don't ask us to bet any other way. The off season is the best time to make changes, as it takes 6-8 weeks for a change to become permanent (no, Virginia, those three day diets aren't going to change you forever). The frequency of IRT events makes it difficult to get a solid 6-8 weeks of training in to make a significant change that could take a player to the next level.
Thus, it's difficult for a player to make improvements during the season that will increase their performance.
Alvaro Beltran
Oh how we miss Alvaro Beltran.
Chris Crowther gave further information on what happened to Beltran during an interview on the IRT Network.com webcast following his match with Rocky Carson. Crowther stated that he was playing a practice match with Beltran, when Beltran hurt his knee, which knee has still not been identified.
Apparently Crowther was in Mexico playing practice games with Beltran in preparation for this season. They had played one game, and were asked to switch courts for some reason. In the second court, there was a wet spot that they didn't identify prior to playing. During play Beltran stepped in the wet spot, slipped, and injured his knee.
The talk now is that Beltran will be out for the season, which would be very unfortunate for both him and the IRT.
Open Division
Congratulations to Alejandro Landa, who won the open division in Denver, beating Anthony Herrera in the final, 15-8, 13-15, 11-4. In the semis, Landa defeated Jansen Allen, 7-15, 15-7, 11-4, while Herrera beat Felipe Munoz, 15-3, 15-2.
This week in IRT-land
The Lawler Sports Pro Am is the next IRT tournament, and it will kick off Thursday in Terre Haute, Indiana.
Sixteen players are entered in the pro qualifying draw: Felipe Alonso, Dan Case, Gil De Los Rios, Rafael Filippini, Geoff Goldblatt, Mike Green, Juan Herrera, Kris Odegard, Charles Pratt, Gene Scott, John Scott, Brian Simpson, Matt Stamborski, Deli Stinnett, Cliff Swain, and Travis Woodbury.
Follow the bouncing ball....
Waselenchuk played Huczek in the finals yesterday, yet it could just as easily be Rocky Carson, as there isn't much to choose between the two of them. But with all respect to the other players, it just doesn't seem likely that anyone else can break through into the top three.
We'd be happy to be wrong about that, but don't ask us to bet any other way. The off season is the best time to make changes, as it takes 6-8 weeks for a change to become permanent (no, Virginia, those three day diets aren't going to change you forever). The frequency of IRT events makes it difficult to get a solid 6-8 weeks of training in to make a significant change that could take a player to the next level.
Thus, it's difficult for a player to make improvements during the season that will increase their performance.
Alvaro Beltran
Oh how we miss Alvaro Beltran.
Chris Crowther gave further information on what happened to Beltran during an interview on the IRT Network.com webcast following his match with Rocky Carson. Crowther stated that he was playing a practice match with Beltran, when Beltran hurt his knee, which knee has still not been identified.
Apparently Crowther was in Mexico playing practice games with Beltran in preparation for this season. They had played one game, and were asked to switch courts for some reason. In the second court, there was a wet spot that they didn't identify prior to playing. During play Beltran stepped in the wet spot, slipped, and injured his knee.
The talk now is that Beltran will be out for the season, which would be very unfortunate for both him and the IRT.
Open Division
Congratulations to Alejandro Landa, who won the open division in Denver, beating Anthony Herrera in the final, 15-8, 13-15, 11-4. In the semis, Landa defeated Jansen Allen, 7-15, 15-7, 11-4, while Herrera beat Felipe Munoz, 15-3, 15-2.
This week in IRT-land
The Lawler Sports Pro Am is the next IRT tournament, and it will kick off Thursday in Terre Haute, Indiana.
Sixteen players are entered in the pro qualifying draw: Felipe Alonso, Dan Case, Gil De Los Rios, Rafael Filippini, Geoff Goldblatt, Mike Green, Juan Herrera, Kris Odegard, Charles Pratt, Gene Scott, John Scott, Brian Simpson, Matt Stamborski, Deli Stinnett, Cliff Swain, and Travis Woodbury.
Follow the bouncing ball....
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Waselenchuk wins 2009 Motorola World Racquetball Championships
Kane Waselenchuk successfully defended his title on Sunday at the Motorola World Racquetball Championships in Denver - the first tournament of the 2009-2010 International Racquetball Tour (IRT) season. Waselenchuk defeated Jack Huczek, 11-3, 5-11, 11-7, 11-9.
Waselenchuk's victory is his seventh in a row dating back to January. Also he hasn't lost to Huczek since April 2006, when Huczek defeated him at the Virginia Open.
The matches were played outdoors on the all Lucite court, which was set up in downtown Denver.
The Motorola World Racquetball Championships matches were streamed live over the web at www.irtnetwork.com and will be archived there for future viewing. The plan is to do that for all the IRT main events - Tier 1 and Grand Slam - throughout the 2009-2010 season.
2009 Motorola Racquetball World Championships, Denver
Final
Kane Waselenchuk d. Jack Huczek, 11-3, 5-11, 11-7, 11-9
Follow the bouncing ball....
Waselenchuk's victory is his seventh in a row dating back to January. Also he hasn't lost to Huczek since April 2006, when Huczek defeated him at the Virginia Open.
The matches were played outdoors on the all Lucite court, which was set up in downtown Denver.
The Motorola World Racquetball Championships matches were streamed live over the web at www.irtnetwork.com and will be archived there for future viewing. The plan is to do that for all the IRT main events - Tier 1 and Grand Slam - throughout the 2009-2010 season.
2009 Motorola Racquetball World Championships, Denver
Final
Kane Waselenchuk d. Jack Huczek, 11-3, 5-11, 11-7, 11-9
Follow the bouncing ball....
Waselenchuk and Huczek win the semis in Denver
Kane Waselenchuk and Jack Huczek will meet in the finals of the Motorola World Racquetball Championships in Denver - the first tournament of the 2009-2010 International Racquetball Tour (IRT) season and a Grand Slam event. The matches are being played outdoors, as the portable all Lucite court is set up in downtown Denver.
Waselenchuk defeated Shane Vanderson 11-5, 11-0, 11-1, and Huczek took out Rocky Carson, 11-3, 7-11, 11-8, 11-5.
It took two days to get the semi-finals done, as there was a rain delay in the middle of the match between Huczek and Carson. They split the first two games with Huczek winning game one 11-3, and Carson taking game two 11-7. It was 8-8 in game three when play was halted. When play resumed Sunday morning, Huczek was able to finish off game three, 11-8. Then in game four Huczek got the lead at 3-2, and never relinquished it, winning 11-5.
Huczek said the delay made the match "bizarre" and a "challenge." The strangest part for him was starting off Sunday at 8-8 in game three.
Carson expressed frustration at his play, but said "Jack played better than me." Carson thought Huczek's serve execution was "excellent."
That serve execution will be tested in the final, as Waselenchuk stated that service return was what he was focussing on in his match with Vanderson, and he felt his "service return was phenomenal." It will need to be that way again against Huczek.
Like Carson, Vanderson was frustrated at his performance after having worked hard in the off season. He said his "game plan was to hit drive serves and put pressure on Kane," but "today was not a good day."
Vanderson got behind early in game one of his match with Waselenchuk getting down 5-0. Vanderson did close the gap to three at 7-4. But Waselenchuk only surrendered two points after that, taking the match 11-5, 11-0, 11-1.
Back on Saturday, in game one of the first semi-final, Huczek got off to a good start, getting a 4-0 lead on Carson. Carson fought back to close the gap to 5-3, but that's a close as he got as Huczek went on to win game one 11-3. Huczek was using primarily lob serves, especially lobs to the right side that would nick of the side wall. Then on serve return, he was cutting off Carson's Z serves before they reached the back left corner.
Game two began slowly, as they played 14 rallies only to be tied at 2-2. Then Huczek again went into the lead at 7-3 causing Carson to call a timeout. He came back in, got a side out and scored three points to close the gap to 7-6. Huczek then regained serve only to have Carson take it right back and score four points to make it 10-7.
Huczek called a time out, and they exchanged serves for a few times before Carson finished it off 11-7 to level the match at one game a piece.
Game three also began slowly with the serve going back and forth until Carson was down 2-3 and began hitting drive z serves to the back left corner. That resulted in a six point run, including a diving winner that made it 8-3. Huczek got the serve back, cut the deficit to one at 8-7 at which point there was a short rain delay of a couple of minutes.
When play began, Huczek got another point to make it 8-8. Then another rain delay occurred, and play was delayed until Sunday morning. It's the first time racquetball matches have been delayed due to rain. At least, it's likely a first for 4 wall racquetball.
The final will be streamed live on line at www.irtnetwork.com beginning at 1:30 PM Mountain time on Sunday.
2009 Motorola Racquetball World Championships, Denver
Semi finals
Kane Waselenchuk vs. Shane Vanderson, 11-5, 11-0, 11-1
Jack Huczek d. Rocky Carson, 11-3, 7-11, 11-8, 11-5
Final
Kane Waselenchuk vs. Jack Huczek
Follow the bouncing ball....
Waselenchuk defeated Shane Vanderson 11-5, 11-0, 11-1, and Huczek took out Rocky Carson, 11-3, 7-11, 11-8, 11-5.
It took two days to get the semi-finals done, as there was a rain delay in the middle of the match between Huczek and Carson. They split the first two games with Huczek winning game one 11-3, and Carson taking game two 11-7. It was 8-8 in game three when play was halted. When play resumed Sunday morning, Huczek was able to finish off game three, 11-8. Then in game four Huczek got the lead at 3-2, and never relinquished it, winning 11-5.
Huczek said the delay made the match "bizarre" and a "challenge." The strangest part for him was starting off Sunday at 8-8 in game three.
Carson expressed frustration at his play, but said "Jack played better than me." Carson thought Huczek's serve execution was "excellent."
That serve execution will be tested in the final, as Waselenchuk stated that service return was what he was focussing on in his match with Vanderson, and he felt his "service return was phenomenal." It will need to be that way again against Huczek.
Like Carson, Vanderson was frustrated at his performance after having worked hard in the off season. He said his "game plan was to hit drive serves and put pressure on Kane," but "today was not a good day."
Vanderson got behind early in game one of his match with Waselenchuk getting down 5-0. Vanderson did close the gap to three at 7-4. But Waselenchuk only surrendered two points after that, taking the match 11-5, 11-0, 11-1.
Back on Saturday, in game one of the first semi-final, Huczek got off to a good start, getting a 4-0 lead on Carson. Carson fought back to close the gap to 5-3, but that's a close as he got as Huczek went on to win game one 11-3. Huczek was using primarily lob serves, especially lobs to the right side that would nick of the side wall. Then on serve return, he was cutting off Carson's Z serves before they reached the back left corner.
Game two began slowly, as they played 14 rallies only to be tied at 2-2. Then Huczek again went into the lead at 7-3 causing Carson to call a timeout. He came back in, got a side out and scored three points to close the gap to 7-6. Huczek then regained serve only to have Carson take it right back and score four points to make it 10-7.
Huczek called a time out, and they exchanged serves for a few times before Carson finished it off 11-7 to level the match at one game a piece.
Game three also began slowly with the serve going back and forth until Carson was down 2-3 and began hitting drive z serves to the back left corner. That resulted in a six point run, including a diving winner that made it 8-3. Huczek got the serve back, cut the deficit to one at 8-7 at which point there was a short rain delay of a couple of minutes.
When play began, Huczek got another point to make it 8-8. Then another rain delay occurred, and play was delayed until Sunday morning. It's the first time racquetball matches have been delayed due to rain. At least, it's likely a first for 4 wall racquetball.
The final will be streamed live on line at www.irtnetwork.com beginning at 1:30 PM Mountain time on Sunday.
2009 Motorola Racquetball World Championships, Denver
Semi finals
Kane Waselenchuk vs. Shane Vanderson, 11-5, 11-0, 11-1
Jack Huczek d. Rocky Carson, 11-3, 7-11, 11-8, 11-5
Final
Kane Waselenchuk vs. Jack Huczek
Follow the bouncing ball....
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Denver Semi Finals - Rain Delays
It was semi-final day in Denver at the Motorola World Racquetball Championships - the first tournament of the 2009-2010 International Racquetball Tour (IRT) season and a Grand Slam event. The matches are being played outdoors, as the portable all Lucite court is set up in downtown Denver.
Given that it's outdoors, that led to perhaps the first time racquetball matches have been delayed due to rain. At least, it's likely a first for 4 wall racquetball. There was a slight rain delay to the start of the first semi-final match between Rocky Carson and Jack Huczek, and then another delay in the middle of the third game that seems to have led to both semi-final matches being delayed until Sunday morning.
Kane Waselenchuk and Shane Vanderson were scheduled to play their semi-final immediately after Huczek and Carson's match ended.
In game one of their match, Huczek got off to a good start, getting a 4-0 lead. Carson fought back to close the gap to 5-3, but that's a close as he got as Huczek went on to win game one 11-3. Huczek was using primarily lob serves, especially lobs to the right side that would nick of the side wall. Then on serve return, he was cutting off Carson's Z serves before they reached the back left corner.
Game two began slowly, as they played 14 rallies only to be tied at 2-2. Then Huczek again went into the lead at 7-3 causing Carson to call a timeout. He came back in, got a side out and scored three points to close the gap to 7-6. Huczek then regained serve only to have Carson take it right back and score four points to make it 10-7.
Huczek called a time out, and they exchanged serves for a few times before Carson finished it off 11-7 to level the match at one game a piece.
Game three also began slowly with the serve going back and forth until Carson was down 2-3 and began hitting drive z serves to the back left corner. That resulted in a six point run, including a diving winner that made it 8-3. Huczek got the serve back, cut the deficit to one at 8-7 at which point there was a short rain delay of a couple of minutes.
When play began, Huczek got another point to make it 8-8. Then another rain delay occurred, and it seems that matches will be delayed until Sunday morning.
The semi-finals and final will be streamed live on line at www.irtnetwork.com on Sunday. Check with the IRT Network website or IRT website for match times.
2009 IRT Motorola Racquetball World Championships, Denver
Semi finals
Kane Waselenchuk vs. Shane Vanderson
Jack Huczek vs. Rocky Carson
Finals
Kane Waselenchuk or Shane Vanderson vs. Jack Huczek or Rocky Carson
Follow the bouncing ball....
Given that it's outdoors, that led to perhaps the first time racquetball matches have been delayed due to rain. At least, it's likely a first for 4 wall racquetball. There was a slight rain delay to the start of the first semi-final match between Rocky Carson and Jack Huczek, and then another delay in the middle of the third game that seems to have led to both semi-final matches being delayed until Sunday morning.
Kane Waselenchuk and Shane Vanderson were scheduled to play their semi-final immediately after Huczek and Carson's match ended.
In game one of their match, Huczek got off to a good start, getting a 4-0 lead. Carson fought back to close the gap to 5-3, but that's a close as he got as Huczek went on to win game one 11-3. Huczek was using primarily lob serves, especially lobs to the right side that would nick of the side wall. Then on serve return, he was cutting off Carson's Z serves before they reached the back left corner.
Game two began slowly, as they played 14 rallies only to be tied at 2-2. Then Huczek again went into the lead at 7-3 causing Carson to call a timeout. He came back in, got a side out and scored three points to close the gap to 7-6. Huczek then regained serve only to have Carson take it right back and score four points to make it 10-7.
Huczek called a time out, and they exchanged serves for a few times before Carson finished it off 11-7 to level the match at one game a piece.
Game three also began slowly with the serve going back and forth until Carson was down 2-3 and began hitting drive z serves to the back left corner. That resulted in a six point run, including a diving winner that made it 8-3. Huczek got the serve back, cut the deficit to one at 8-7 at which point there was a short rain delay of a couple of minutes.
When play began, Huczek got another point to make it 8-8. Then another rain delay occurred, and it seems that matches will be delayed until Sunday morning.
The semi-finals and final will be streamed live on line at www.irtnetwork.com on Sunday. Check with the IRT Network website or IRT website for match times.
2009 IRT Motorola Racquetball World Championships, Denver
Semi finals
Kane Waselenchuk vs. Shane Vanderson
Jack Huczek vs. Rocky Carson
Finals
Kane Waselenchuk or Shane Vanderson vs. Jack Huczek or Rocky Carson
Follow the bouncing ball....
Friday, September 11, 2009
Denver Quarter Finals
The quarter finals have begun in Denver at the Motorola World Racquetball Championships - the first tournament of the 2009-2010 International Racquetball Tour (IRT) season. The matches are being played outdoors, as the portable all Lucite court is set up in downtown Denver.
In the final match of the evening, top seed and defending champion Kane Waselenchuk found himself down 5-0 and 8-7 to Andy Hawthorne in game one of their quarter final contest. But he recovered. Won the first game, 11-8, and went on to take the match in three straight games, 11-8, 11-4, 11-3.
Afterwards Waselenchuk said he admired how Hawthorne's improved his game, and knows Hawthorne is "never going to give up, which is also something I admire."
Asked about the first game, Waselechuk said he "came out a little flat" which was unusual because he's often a fast starter. But Waselenchuk said he tried "working myself into the match" not forcing it, and that seemed to work for him.
Hawthorne did acknowledge that he's been working on his drive serve, and "didn't want long rallies" against Waselenchuk, so as to limit his opponent's opportunities.
In a battle of Californians, Rocky Carson easily defeated Chris Crowther, 11-1, 11-7, 11-0. Crowther said he felt he'd prepared well and was good going in, but he wasn't able to perform on the day.
Carson said "felt like I played great ball today," and "I executed my serve real well." Those serves allowed him to get ahead in the rallies, and kept Crowther off balance.
In the second quarter final of the day, Jack Huczek defeated Mitch Williams in three straight games, 11-6, 11-8, 11-6. Huczek used lob serves to Williams's backhand, which conviently were also into a bright spot on the court. Afterwards Williams spoke of how difficult it was to see the ball going into and out of that sunny spot.
Huczek also said it was challenging to play outside, but felt more comfortable on the Lucite court as he's played on it several times now.
For his part, Williams generally felt he struggled in the match, although he did feel he got some free points off of his drive serve, which he used almost exclusively in the match. Williams did have ace serves, but their number was almost identical to the number of faults he had. It's definitely a high risk-high reward strategy.
In the first quarter final, Shane Vanderson upset Jason Mannino, 3-11, 11-6, 11-5, 3-11, 11-7, to advance to the semi-finals on Saturday. Vanderson was only in two semi-finals all last season.
Afterwards, Mannino expressed his frustration at not executing his game plan, while Vanderson said he felt "lucky to pull that one one out."
There is online streaming of matches from the quarter finals on via www.irtnetwork.com. The times of the remaining quarter finals are 4:30 PM, 5:30 PM (Mountain Daylight Time; GMT -6).
2009 IRT Motorola Racquetball World Championships, Denver
Quarter Finals
Kane Waselenchuk d. Andy Hawthorne, 11-8, 11-4, 11-3
Shane Vanderson d. Jason Mannino, 3-11, 11-6, 11-5, 3-11, 11-7
Jack Huczek d. Mitch Williams, 11-6, 11-8, 11-6
Rocky Carson vs. Chris Crowther, 11-1, 11-7, 11-0
Semi finals
Kane Waselenchuk vs. Shane Vanderson - 4:30 PM
Rocky Carson vs. Jack Huczek - 3:00 PM
Follow the bouncing ball....
In the final match of the evening, top seed and defending champion Kane Waselenchuk found himself down 5-0 and 8-7 to Andy Hawthorne in game one of their quarter final contest. But he recovered. Won the first game, 11-8, and went on to take the match in three straight games, 11-8, 11-4, 11-3.
Afterwards Waselenchuk said he admired how Hawthorne's improved his game, and knows Hawthorne is "never going to give up, which is also something I admire."
Asked about the first game, Waselechuk said he "came out a little flat" which was unusual because he's often a fast starter. But Waselenchuk said he tried "working myself into the match" not forcing it, and that seemed to work for him.
Hawthorne did acknowledge that he's been working on his drive serve, and "didn't want long rallies" against Waselenchuk, so as to limit his opponent's opportunities.
In a battle of Californians, Rocky Carson easily defeated Chris Crowther, 11-1, 11-7, 11-0. Crowther said he felt he'd prepared well and was good going in, but he wasn't able to perform on the day.
Carson said "felt like I played great ball today," and "I executed my serve real well." Those serves allowed him to get ahead in the rallies, and kept Crowther off balance.
In the second quarter final of the day, Jack Huczek defeated Mitch Williams in three straight games, 11-6, 11-8, 11-6. Huczek used lob serves to Williams's backhand, which conviently were also into a bright spot on the court. Afterwards Williams spoke of how difficult it was to see the ball going into and out of that sunny spot.
Huczek also said it was challenging to play outside, but felt more comfortable on the Lucite court as he's played on it several times now.
For his part, Williams generally felt he struggled in the match, although he did feel he got some free points off of his drive serve, which he used almost exclusively in the match. Williams did have ace serves, but their number was almost identical to the number of faults he had. It's definitely a high risk-high reward strategy.
In the first quarter final, Shane Vanderson upset Jason Mannino, 3-11, 11-6, 11-5, 3-11, 11-7, to advance to the semi-finals on Saturday. Vanderson was only in two semi-finals all last season.
Afterwards, Mannino expressed his frustration at not executing his game plan, while Vanderson said he felt "lucky to pull that one one out."
There is online streaming of matches from the quarter finals on via www.irtnetwork.com. The times of the remaining quarter finals are 4:30 PM, 5:30 PM (Mountain Daylight Time; GMT -6).
2009 IRT Motorola Racquetball World Championships, Denver
Quarter Finals
Kane Waselenchuk d. Andy Hawthorne, 11-8, 11-4, 11-3
Shane Vanderson d. Jason Mannino, 3-11, 11-6, 11-5, 3-11, 11-7
Jack Huczek d. Mitch Williams, 11-6, 11-8, 11-6
Rocky Carson vs. Chris Crowther, 11-1, 11-7, 11-0
Semi finals
Kane Waselenchuk vs. Shane Vanderson - 4:30 PM
Rocky Carson vs. Jack Huczek - 3:00 PM
Follow the bouncing ball....
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Denver Round of 16
The International Racquetball Tour's (IRT's) Motorola World Racquetball Championships Round of 16 was completed Thursday, and all the seeded players won. No qualifier wins this tourny, although Charles Pratt came close to beating Andy Hawthorne, as he was up 2 games to 1. But the veteran Hawthorne was able to come back and win games 4 and 5, pulling out the match by the slimmest of margins, 11-8, 8-11, 7-11, 11-5, 12-10.
According to the IRT website there will be "online streaming" of all the quarter final matches via www.irtnetwork.com. The times of the quarter finals are 11:30 AM, 1:30 PM, 4:30 PM, 5:30 PM (Mountain Daylight Time; GMT -6), according to the IRT Network site.
2009 Motorola World Racquetball Championships, Denver
Round of 16
Kane Waselenchuk d. Polo Gutierrez, 11-3, 11-1, 11-4
Andy Hawthorne d. Charles Pratt, 11-8, 8-11, 7-11, 11-5, 12-10
Shane Vanderson d. Kris Odegard, 11-3, 8-11, 11-4, 11-3
Jason Mannino d. Mike Green, 11-1, 12-10, 11-6
Jack Huczek d. Javier Moreno, 8-11, 11-8, 11-3, 11-7
Mitch Williams d. Andres Herrera, 11-3, 11-5, 11-9
Chris Crowther d. Gil De Los Rios, 11-3, 11-8, 6-11, 11-3
Rocky Carson d. Woody Clouse, 11-5, 11-6, 11-6
Quarter finals
Kane Waselenchuk vs. Andy Hawthorne - 5:30 PM MDT
Jason Mannino vs. Shane Vanderson - 11:30 AM MDT
Jack Huczek vs. Mitch Williams - 12:30 PM MDT
Rocky Carson vs. Chris Crowther - 4:30 PM MDT
Follow the bouncing ball....
According to the IRT website there will be "online streaming" of all the quarter final matches via www.irtnetwork.com. The times of the quarter finals are 11:30 AM, 1:30 PM, 4:30 PM, 5:30 PM (Mountain Daylight Time; GMT -6), according to the IRT Network site.
2009 Motorola World Racquetball Championships, Denver
Round of 16
Kane Waselenchuk d. Polo Gutierrez, 11-3, 11-1, 11-4
Andy Hawthorne d. Charles Pratt, 11-8, 8-11, 7-11, 11-5, 12-10
Shane Vanderson d. Kris Odegard, 11-3, 8-11, 11-4, 11-3
Jason Mannino d. Mike Green, 11-1, 12-10, 11-6
Jack Huczek d. Javier Moreno, 8-11, 11-8, 11-3, 11-7
Mitch Williams d. Andres Herrera, 11-3, 11-5, 11-9
Chris Crowther d. Gil De Los Rios, 11-3, 11-8, 6-11, 11-3
Rocky Carson d. Woody Clouse, 11-5, 11-6, 11-6
Quarter finals
Kane Waselenchuk vs. Andy Hawthorne - 5:30 PM MDT
Jason Mannino vs. Shane Vanderson - 11:30 AM MDT
Jack Huczek vs. Mitch Williams - 12:30 PM MDT
Rocky Carson vs. Chris Crowther - 4:30 PM MDT
Follow the bouncing ball....
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Denver Qualifying - Final Round results
The final round of qualifying at the Motorola World Racquetball Championships in Denver is complete, and the results are below.
2009 Motorola World Racquetball Championships, Denver
Men's Singles Pro Qualifier
Final Round
Q1 - Charles Pratt d. Travis Woodbury, 11-3, 11-9, 12-10
Q8 - Polo Gutierrez d. Anthony Carson, 11-9, 11-5, 10-12, 10-12, 11-4
Q5 - Mike Green d. Anthony Herrera, 11-4, 11-1, 11-9
Q4 - Kris Odegard d. Jason Geis, 11-5, 11-8, 11-2
Q3 - Andres Herrera d. Tyler Otto, 7-11, 11-6, 11-7, 11-7
Q6 - Javier Moreno d. Rafael Filippini, 11-8, 11-6, 11-5
Q7 - Woody Clouse d. Alejandro Landa, 11-5, 11-8, 9-11, 5-11, 11-7
Q2 - Gil De Los Rios d. Hiroshi Shimizu, 11-8, 11-9, 2-11, 11-4
MAIN ROUND of 16
Kane Waselenchuk v. Polo Gutierrez
Andy Hawthorne v. Charles Pratt
Shane Vanderson v. Kris Odegard
Jason Mannino v. Mike Green
Jack Huczek v. Javier Moreno
Mitch Williams v. Andres Herrera
Chris Crowther v. Gil De Los Rios
Rocky Carson v. Woody Clouse
Second Round Qualifying
Q8 - Polo Gutierrez d. Jansen Allen, 11-1, 11-7, 10-12, 11-6
Q7 - Woody Clouse d. Cliff Swain, 11-3, 10-12, 11-9, 11-3
Q6 - Rafael Filippini d. Kevin Hernandez, 11-5, 11-1, 11-1
Q5 - Mike Green d. Eduardo Avila, 11-5, 11-8, 11-4
Q4 - Jason Geis d. Keith Minor, 12-10, 10-12, 11-6, 11-4
Q3 - Tyler Otto d. Felipe Camacho, 11-5, 11-5, 11-5
Q2 - Gil De Los Rios d. Felipe Munoz, 9-11, 11-3, 11-6, 5-11, 11-7
Q1 - Charles Pratt d. Bryan Crosser, 11-5, 11-6, 11-4
First Round Qualifying
Q1 - Bryan Crosser vs BYE
Q2 - Felipe Munoz d. Jordan Walters, 11-7, 11-3, 11-2
Q3 - Felipe Camacho d. Travis Mettenbrink, 11-5, 9-11, 11-8, 11-0
Q4 - Jason Geis d. Simon Payne, 11-1, 11-1, 9-11, 11-0
Q5 - Eduardo Avila d. Jeffrey Mayorga, 11-4, 11-4, 12-10
Q6 - Kevin Hernandez d. Sebastien Boissonneault, 11-4, 11-3, 11-7
Q7 - Woody Clouse d. Raymundo Garcia, 11-1, 11-4, 11-2
Q8 - Jansen Allen d. Tanner Mattson, 11-5, 11-5, 11-4
Follow the bouncing ball....
2009 Motorola World Racquetball Championships, Denver
Men's Singles Pro Qualifier
Final Round
Q1 - Charles Pratt d. Travis Woodbury, 11-3, 11-9, 12-10
Q8 - Polo Gutierrez d. Anthony Carson, 11-9, 11-5, 10-12, 10-12, 11-4
Q5 - Mike Green d. Anthony Herrera, 11-4, 11-1, 11-9
Q4 - Kris Odegard d. Jason Geis, 11-5, 11-8, 11-2
Q3 - Andres Herrera d. Tyler Otto, 7-11, 11-6, 11-7, 11-7
Q6 - Javier Moreno d. Rafael Filippini, 11-8, 11-6, 11-5
Q7 - Woody Clouse d. Alejandro Landa, 11-5, 11-8, 9-11, 5-11, 11-7
Q2 - Gil De Los Rios d. Hiroshi Shimizu, 11-8, 11-9, 2-11, 11-4
MAIN ROUND of 16
Kane Waselenchuk v. Polo Gutierrez
Andy Hawthorne v. Charles Pratt
Shane Vanderson v. Kris Odegard
Jason Mannino v. Mike Green
Jack Huczek v. Javier Moreno
Mitch Williams v. Andres Herrera
Chris Crowther v. Gil De Los Rios
Rocky Carson v. Woody Clouse
Second Round Qualifying
Q8 - Polo Gutierrez d. Jansen Allen, 11-1, 11-7, 10-12, 11-6
Q7 - Woody Clouse d. Cliff Swain, 11-3, 10-12, 11-9, 11-3
Q6 - Rafael Filippini d. Kevin Hernandez, 11-5, 11-1, 11-1
Q5 - Mike Green d. Eduardo Avila, 11-5, 11-8, 11-4
Q4 - Jason Geis d. Keith Minor, 12-10, 10-12, 11-6, 11-4
Q3 - Tyler Otto d. Felipe Camacho, 11-5, 11-5, 11-5
Q2 - Gil De Los Rios d. Felipe Munoz, 9-11, 11-3, 11-6, 5-11, 11-7
Q1 - Charles Pratt d. Bryan Crosser, 11-5, 11-6, 11-4
First Round Qualifying
Q1 - Bryan Crosser vs BYE
Q2 - Felipe Munoz d. Jordan Walters, 11-7, 11-3, 11-2
Q3 - Felipe Camacho d. Travis Mettenbrink, 11-5, 9-11, 11-8, 11-0
Q4 - Jason Geis d. Simon Payne, 11-1, 11-1, 9-11, 11-0
Q5 - Eduardo Avila d. Jeffrey Mayorga, 11-4, 11-4, 12-10
Q6 - Kevin Hernandez d. Sebastien Boissonneault, 11-4, 11-3, 11-7
Q7 - Woody Clouse d. Raymundo Garcia, 11-1, 11-4, 11-2
Q8 - Jansen Allen d. Tanner Mattson, 11-5, 11-5, 11-4
Follow the bouncing ball....
Last year's Q Dubs
Ahead of the qualifying rounds at the International Racquetball Tour's (IRT) Motorola Racquetball World Championships, The Racquetball Blog is reviewing last year's qualifier wins, or Q Dubs. We introduced this statistic last season, and it refers to wins by a qualifier in the main draw (round of 16 and on) by a player who's come through the qualifying.
Of 12 IRT main events in 2008-09, there were 0 QWs in four of them, 1 QW in three tournaments, 2 QWs in one tournament, 3 in another one, but there were 4 QWs in one event and 5 in two others. Kane Waselenchuk was primarily responsible for those 5 QWs and the 4.
In the first three events of last season Waselenchuk was a qualifier, and he won each of those tournaments (4 wins each). In the first two, Jason Thoerner also won a match, so there were five QWs at last season's Motorola Racquetball World Championships and Kansas Open.
The mean number of QWs per IRT event was 1.83 (22 QWs in 12 events) last season compared with 0.92 the season before. (note: the US Open qualifying is for an earlier round of the draw than in other IRT events, so that event is not included in the QW count). However, if you remove Waselenchuk's wins from the total then the mean is 0.83 (10 QWs in 12 events), which is approximately the same as the 2007-08 season.
Waselenchuk had the most QWs last season with 12. Five other players had two QWs: Chris Crowther, Andy Hawthorne, Jason Thoerner, Javier Moreno, and Jose Rojas, who was the only qualifier to twice - i.e. reach the semi-finals at an event.
For the second season, Chris Crowther was most often on the losing end of QWs (QLs we might call them, or Q Ells). He lost four times to qualifiers (once to Waselenchuk). Alvaro Beltran and Rocky Carson had three QLs, but their losses were all to Waselenchuk. Ben Croft and Shane Vanderson also had three QLs, losing once to Waselenchuk and twice more to other qualifiers.
Jason Mannino had two qualifier losses, as did Jack Huczek, but both of Huczek's were to Waselenchuk while neither of Mannino's were.
Qualifier Wins (QWs) by event - IRT 2008-09 Season
5 - Motorola World Racquetball Championship (Denver) - Kane Waselenchuk d. Ben Croft, Waselenchuk d. Jack Huczek, Waselenchuk d. Alvaro Beltran, Waselenchuk d. Rocky Carson, Jason Thoerner d. Chris Crowther
5 - Kansas Open - Kane Waselenchuk d. Rocky Carson, Waselenchuk d. Jason Thoerner, Waselenchuk d. Alvaro Beltran, Waselenchuk d. Jack Huczek, Jason Thoerner d. Chris Crowther
4 - Kentucky Pro-Am - Kane Waselenchuk d. Shane Vanderson, Waselenchuk d. Chris Crowther, Waselenchuk d. Rocky Carson, Waselenchuk d. Alvaro Beltran
0 - Canadian Classic
0* US Open - (note: different tournament format)
1 - Juarez Open - Javier Moreno d. Shane Vanderson
2 - California Open - Jose Rojas d. Jason Mannino, Jose Rojas d. Shane Vanderson
0 - New York City Pro Am
0 - Seattle Open
1 - San Diego Open - Chris Crowther d. Ben Croft
0 - Sarasota - Florida Spring Break
1 - Allentown - Andy Hawthorne d. Chris Crowther
3 - Pro Nationals - Andy Hawthorne d. Mitch Williams, Javier Moreno d. Jason Mannino, Chris Crowther d. Ben Croft
Follow the bouncing ball....
Of 12 IRT main events in 2008-09, there were 0 QWs in four of them, 1 QW in three tournaments, 2 QWs in one tournament, 3 in another one, but there were 4 QWs in one event and 5 in two others. Kane Waselenchuk was primarily responsible for those 5 QWs and the 4.
In the first three events of last season Waselenchuk was a qualifier, and he won each of those tournaments (4 wins each). In the first two, Jason Thoerner also won a match, so there were five QWs at last season's Motorola Racquetball World Championships and Kansas Open.
The mean number of QWs per IRT event was 1.83 (22 QWs in 12 events) last season compared with 0.92 the season before. (note: the US Open qualifying is for an earlier round of the draw than in other IRT events, so that event is not included in the QW count). However, if you remove Waselenchuk's wins from the total then the mean is 0.83 (10 QWs in 12 events), which is approximately the same as the 2007-08 season.
Waselenchuk had the most QWs last season with 12. Five other players had two QWs: Chris Crowther, Andy Hawthorne, Jason Thoerner, Javier Moreno, and Jose Rojas, who was the only qualifier to twice - i.e. reach the semi-finals at an event.
For the second season, Chris Crowther was most often on the losing end of QWs (QLs we might call them, or Q Ells). He lost four times to qualifiers (once to Waselenchuk). Alvaro Beltran and Rocky Carson had three QLs, but their losses were all to Waselenchuk. Ben Croft and Shane Vanderson also had three QLs, losing once to Waselenchuk and twice more to other qualifiers.
Jason Mannino had two qualifier losses, as did Jack Huczek, but both of Huczek's were to Waselenchuk while neither of Mannino's were.
Qualifier Wins (QWs) by event - IRT 2008-09 Season
5 - Motorola World Racquetball Championship (Denver) - Kane Waselenchuk d. Ben Croft, Waselenchuk d. Jack Huczek, Waselenchuk d. Alvaro Beltran, Waselenchuk d. Rocky Carson, Jason Thoerner d. Chris Crowther
5 - Kansas Open - Kane Waselenchuk d. Rocky Carson, Waselenchuk d. Jason Thoerner, Waselenchuk d. Alvaro Beltran, Waselenchuk d. Jack Huczek, Jason Thoerner d. Chris Crowther
4 - Kentucky Pro-Am - Kane Waselenchuk d. Shane Vanderson, Waselenchuk d. Chris Crowther, Waselenchuk d. Rocky Carson, Waselenchuk d. Alvaro Beltran
0 - Canadian Classic
0* US Open - (note: different tournament format)
1 - Juarez Open - Javier Moreno d. Shane Vanderson
2 - California Open - Jose Rojas d. Jason Mannino, Jose Rojas d. Shane Vanderson
0 - New York City Pro Am
0 - Seattle Open
1 - San Diego Open - Chris Crowther d. Ben Croft
0 - Sarasota - Florida Spring Break
1 - Allentown - Andy Hawthorne d. Chris Crowther
3 - Pro Nationals - Andy Hawthorne d. Mitch Williams, Javier Moreno d. Jason Mannino, Chris Crowther d. Ben Croft
Follow the bouncing ball....
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Denver Qualifying - UPDATED
The qualifying draw for this week's Motorola Racquetball World Championships in Denver - the first event of the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) season - has now been posted, and The Racquetball Blog was a little off in what we thought were the match-ups. But our errors were in the first round of qualifying, which we were most uncertain about.
So the updated and official qualifying draw is below.
With 31 players in the qualifying draw there should be three rounds to make the main draw of 16. There are several significant players in qualifying, as the tournament has 17 of the top 22 players and two of those missing are top ten players (Alvaro Beltran due to injury and Ben Croft).
The Herrera number is only 2 this weeekend, as Andres and Anthony will be in Denver and Juan and Alejandro won't be. Other notable players in qualifying are Cliff Swain, Javier Moreno, Mike Green, Kris Odegard, and Woody Clouse.
2009 Motorola Racquetball World Championships, Denver
Men's Singles Pro Qualifier
First Round
Q1 - Bryan Crosser vs BYE
Q2 - Felipe Munor vs. Jordan Walters
Q3 - Felipe Camacho vs Travis Mettenbrink
Q4 - Jason Geis vs Simon Payne
Q5 - Eduardo Avila vs Jeffrey Mayorga
Q6 - Sebastien Boissonneault vs Kevin Hernandez
Q7 - Woody Clouse vs Raymundo Garcia
Q8 - Tanner Mattson vs Jansen Allen
Second Round
Q8 - Polo Gutierrez vs. winner of Q8 in Round 1
Q7 - Cliff Swain vs winner of Q7
Q6 - Rafael Filippini vs winner of Q6
Q5 - Mike Green vs winner of Q5
Q4 - Keith Minor vs winner of Q4
Q3 - Tyler Otto vs winner of Q3
Q2 - Gil De Los Rios vs winner of Q2
Q1 - Charles Pratt vs Bryan Crosser
Final Round
Q1 - Travis Woodbury vs winner of Q1 in 2nd round
Q8 - Anthony Carson vs winner of Q8
Q5 - Anthony Herrera vs winner of Q5
Q4 - Kris Odegard vs winner of Q4
Q3 - Andres Herrera vs winner Q3
Q6 - Javier Moreno vs winner of Q6
Q7 - Alejandro Landa vs winner of Q7
Q2 - Hiroshi Shimizu vs winner of Q2
MAIN ROUND
Kane Waselenchuk v. Q8
Andy Hawthorne v. Q1
Shane Vanderson v. Q4
Jason Mannino v. Q5
Jack Huczek v. Q6
Mitch Williams v. Q3
Chris Crowther v. Q2
Rocky Carson v. Q7
Follow the bouncing ball....
So the updated and official qualifying draw is below.
With 31 players in the qualifying draw there should be three rounds to make the main draw of 16. There are several significant players in qualifying, as the tournament has 17 of the top 22 players and two of those missing are top ten players (Alvaro Beltran due to injury and Ben Croft).
The Herrera number is only 2 this weeekend, as Andres and Anthony will be in Denver and Juan and Alejandro won't be. Other notable players in qualifying are Cliff Swain, Javier Moreno, Mike Green, Kris Odegard, and Woody Clouse.
2009 Motorola Racquetball World Championships, Denver
Men's Singles Pro Qualifier
First Round
Q1 - Bryan Crosser vs BYE
Q2 - Felipe Munor vs. Jordan Walters
Q3 - Felipe Camacho vs Travis Mettenbrink
Q4 - Jason Geis vs Simon Payne
Q5 - Eduardo Avila vs Jeffrey Mayorga
Q6 - Sebastien Boissonneault vs Kevin Hernandez
Q7 - Woody Clouse vs Raymundo Garcia
Q8 - Tanner Mattson vs Jansen Allen
Second Round
Q8 - Polo Gutierrez vs. winner of Q8 in Round 1
Q7 - Cliff Swain vs winner of Q7
Q6 - Rafael Filippini vs winner of Q6
Q5 - Mike Green vs winner of Q5
Q4 - Keith Minor vs winner of Q4
Q3 - Tyler Otto vs winner of Q3
Q2 - Gil De Los Rios vs winner of Q2
Q1 - Charles Pratt vs Bryan Crosser
Final Round
Q1 - Travis Woodbury vs winner of Q1 in 2nd round
Q8 - Anthony Carson vs winner of Q8
Q5 - Anthony Herrera vs winner of Q5
Q4 - Kris Odegard vs winner of Q4
Q3 - Andres Herrera vs winner Q3
Q6 - Javier Moreno vs winner of Q6
Q7 - Alejandro Landa vs winner of Q7
Q2 - Hiroshi Shimizu vs winner of Q2
MAIN ROUND
Kane Waselenchuk v. Q8
Andy Hawthorne v. Q1
Shane Vanderson v. Q4
Jason Mannino v. Q5
Jack Huczek v. Q6
Mitch Williams v. Q3
Chris Crowther v. Q2
Rocky Carson v. Q7
Follow the bouncing ball....
Monday, September 7, 2009
Recent IRT news
A few items of news from the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) ahead of the first tournament of the season: the Motorola World Championships in Denver. Some of the news is good, but some is bad. Let's start with the bad.
Beltran Injured
Alvaro Beltran won't be playing in Denver, as he's torn his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and meniscus, according to a report on the IRT website. No word on which knee Beltran injured. The injury occurred during training, and may require surgery.
Thus, Beltran will be out for the first part of the season. It's unknown how long, but he likely won't play until the new year.
This is bad news for the tour, as Beltran is one of the top players and was the only player to beat Kane Waselenchuk last season.
Negrete commits for 5 years
Dave Negrete has agreed to be IRT Commissioner for the next 5 years. He's been the Commissioner since 2001. In that time Negrete has increased the tour's sponsorship, and including getting the funding for the Lucite portable court, which has been used to bring racquetball to public spaces in Denver and Chicago.
The Racquetball Blog believes the IRT is lucky to have Negrete as their Commissioner. He's dedicated, sensible and puts the game first.
Mannino appointed Deputy Commissioner
Jason Mannino will be assisting Negrete this season, as he has been appointed Deputy Commissioner. Mannino's role - according the IRT website - will be to "help the IRT streamline information to tournament directors, create new events, improve current events and assist in player relations."
Mannino, a former #1 IRT player, will continue to compete on the tour this season.
Follow the bouncing ball....
Beltran Injured
Alvaro Beltran won't be playing in Denver, as he's torn his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and meniscus, according to a report on the IRT website. No word on which knee Beltran injured. The injury occurred during training, and may require surgery.
Thus, Beltran will be out for the first part of the season. It's unknown how long, but he likely won't play until the new year.
This is bad news for the tour, as Beltran is one of the top players and was the only player to beat Kane Waselenchuk last season.
Negrete commits for 5 years
Dave Negrete has agreed to be IRT Commissioner for the next 5 years. He's been the Commissioner since 2001. In that time Negrete has increased the tour's sponsorship, and including getting the funding for the Lucite portable court, which has been used to bring racquetball to public spaces in Denver and Chicago.
The Racquetball Blog believes the IRT is lucky to have Negrete as their Commissioner. He's dedicated, sensible and puts the game first.
Mannino appointed Deputy Commissioner
Jason Mannino will be assisting Negrete this season, as he has been appointed Deputy Commissioner. Mannino's role - according the IRT website - will be to "help the IRT streamline information to tournament directors, create new events, improve current events and assist in player relations."
Mannino, a former #1 IRT player, will continue to compete on the tour this season.
Follow the bouncing ball....
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