Mejia advances to semis with win over Vargas at 2019 LPRT Turkey Shoot Open

Montserrat Mejia is through to the semi-finals at the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) 2019 Turkey Shoot Open in Lombard, Illinois after she defeated LPRT #2 Maria Jose Vargas, 15-13, 9-15, 11-7, Saturday morning. It’s the 3rd time Mejia has been in the semi-finals this season. Vargas had been a finalist in all three previous LPRT events this season, including a win in Virginia Beach, but she won’t be a finalist this weekend.

Vargas had a big lead in game one against Mejia at 12-5. But Mejia came all the way back to tie it at 12-12. Vargas served at 13-13, and they played a 9 shot rally in which Vargas dove twice to keep the ball in play. Mejia then won the game with back to back drive serves to the left side that Vargas returned into the floor. One wonders if Vargas should have taken a timeout after losing the long rally at 13-13 to recover from expending the energy on that rally, and she did have a timeout.

Game two had a similar storyline, as Vargas was up 13-3, and when Mejia came back to 14-9, you wondered if game two was going to end the same as game one. However, Vargas was able to close out game two at 15-9.

Thus, they needed a tie-breaker to determine the winner. The breaker was streaky. Mejia scored the first three points, so led 3-0. Vargas got the next six to lead 6-3. Mejia called a timeout, and then was able to put together four points to lead 7-6. Vargas tied it 7-7, but that was the last point she’d score.

There was a bit of controversy when Mejia was up 9-7, as Vargas hit a ball down the right side that was right on the glass. But Mejia couldn’t reach the ball because Vargas was between her and the ball. The referee called a hinder, which may have been the right call, although the ball was tight to the wall and Mejia was going to be hard pressed to get it, even without Vargas’s presence. Vargas was clearly upset by the hinder call, and as in game one, she skipped the last two serve returns to give Mejia the game and match.

Mejia will play 6th seed Natalia Mendez in the semi-finals later today, as Mendez also needed a tie-breaker to win her quarterfinal match against 19th seed Jessica Parrilla, 15-10, 13-15, 11-6.

LPRT #1 Paola Longoria won her quarterfinal match comfortably against 8th seed Cristina Amaya, 15-2, 15-5. Longoria was ahead 14-0 in game one before Amaya got on the board, and needed an ace serve to do so. Longoria will play LPRT #4 Alexandra Herrera in the semis, as Herrera beat Erin Rivera, 15-6, 15-3.

Watch the semi-finals live via the LPRT YouTube channel or the LPRT website (click “LPRT Live” at the top of the page) at 3:00 and 4:30 PM Saturday. The doubles semi-finals are Saturday night at 8:30 and 9:30 PM. The singles final will be noon Sunday with the doubles final to follow at 1 PM. All times central.

2019 LPRT Turkey Shoot, November 21-24, 2019
Lombard, Illinois

Quarterfinals - Saturday

1) Paola Longoria d. 8) Cristina Amaya, 15-2, 15-5
4) Alexandra Herrera d. 21) Erin Rivera, 15-6, 15-3

6) Natalia Mendez d. 19) Jessica Parrilla, 15-10, 13-15, 11-6
10) Montserrat Mejia d. 2) Maria Jose Vargas, 15-13, 9-15, 11-7

Semi-finals - Saturday

1) Paola Longoria v. 4) Alexandra Herrera - 4:30 PM
6) Natalia Mendez v. 10) Montserrat Mejia - 3 PM

Doubles - Semi-finals - Saturday

1) Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas v. 4) Nancy Enriquez & Jessica Parrilla - 9:30 PM
2) Natalia Mendez & Maria Jose Vargas v. 3) Alexandra Herrera & Montserrat Mejia - 8:30 PM

Follow the bouncing ball….