Saturday, April 30, 2022

De La Rosa wins 2022 IRT SoCal Open

Daniel De La Rosa further confirmed his place as the #1 player on the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) on Saturday by winning the 2022 IRT SoCal Open in Canoga Park, California. He defeated Andree Parrilla in the final, 15-8, 15-11. It’s De La Rosa’s fourth win in the last 9 months.

Since January 1st 2020, no one has won more IRT titles than De La Rosa's five.

De La Rosa reached the final by defeating 5th seed Samuel Murray, 15-13, 15-9, in one semi-final, while Parrilla defeated Eduardo Portillo in the other, 15-8, 15-8.

If you missed any of the 2022 SoCal Open matches, check out the usual IRT media outlets: The IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page.

2022 IRT SoCal Open, April 28-May 1, 2022
Canoga Park, California

Semi-finals - Saturday

1) Daniel De La Rosa d. 5) Samuel Murray, 15-13, 15-9
3) Andree Parrilla d. 7) Eduardo Portillo, 15-8, 15-8

Final - Saturday

1) Daniel De La Rosa d. 3) Andree Parrilla, 15-8, 15-11

Follow the bouncing ball….

Friday, April 29, 2022

De La Rosa needs 3 games to advance to semis at 2022 IRT SoCal Open

Daniel De La Rosa, the #1 player on the International Racquetball Tour (IRT), advanced to the semi-finals at the 2022 IRT SoCal Open in Canoga Park, California, but in the quarterfinals he needed a tie-breaker get by former #1 Rocky Carson, coming back from a game down to win in three games, 13-15, 15-12, 11-5.

IRT #3 Andree Parrilla defeated #6 Conrrado Moscoso in two games, but they were both close with Parrilla winning 15-12, 15-13. Moscoso, who won the Pan American Men's Singles Championship earlier this month, had significant leads in both games - 8-0 in game one, and 13-9 in game two - but he couldn’t find a way to win either game.

The other quarters were relatively straightforward, as Canadian Samuel Murray, the 5th seed, defeated American Adam Manilla, 15-7, 15-8, and Mexican Eduardo Portillo beat fellow countryman Erick Trujillo, 15-8, 15-4. Murray will play De La Rosa in one semi-final, while in the other Portillo faces Parrilla in what will be a battle of former doubles partners.

You can see the 2022 SoCal Open matches via the usual IRT media outlets: The IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page. The semi-finals will be 11 AM and noon Saturday with the final at 5 PM. All times Pacific.

2022 IRT SoCal Open, April 28-May 1, 2022
Canoga Park, California

Quarterfinals - Friday

1) Daniel De La Rosa d. 8) Rocky Carson, 13-15, 15-12, 11-5
5) Samuel Murray d. 13) Adam Manilla, 15-7, 15-8

3) Andree Parrilla d. 6) Conrrado Moscoso, 15-12, 15-13
7) Eduardo Portillo d. 18) Erick Trujillo, 15-8, 15-4

Semi-finals - Saturday

1) Daniel De La Rosa v. 5) Samuel Murray - 11 AM

3) Andree Parrilla v. 7) Eduardo Portillo - Noon

Follow the bouncing ball….

Manilla & Trujillo in the quarters at 2022 IRT SoCal Open

American Adam Manilla and Mexican Erick Truillo were the two upset winners in the Round of 16 on Friday at the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) SoCal Open in Canoga Park, California, but they got there in different ways. Manilla came back from a game down to oust IRT #4 and current International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Champion Alejandro Landa, 8-15, 15-8, 11-8, while Truillo got a walkover win, as Kane Waselenchuk, IRT #2, had travel difficulties, so he wasn’t able to make it to California for their match.

Manilla will play Canadian Samuel Murray, the 5th seed, in the quarterfinals Friday night, as Murray defeated Mexican Jordy Alonso, 15-8, 15-5. Truillo will play 7th seed and fellow Mexican Eduardo Portillo, who outlasted 10th seed American Jake Bredenbeck, 15-7, 12-15, 11-5.

IRT #1 Daniel De La Rosa took care of business against young Mexican Sebastian Fernandez, winning 15-11, 15-1, and will play former #1 Rocky Carson in the quarterfinals, as Carson beat Colombian Mario Mercado, 15-6, 15-11.

Finally, IRT #3 Andree Parrilla from Mexico will play #6 Conrrado Moscoso, the current Pan American Champion from Bolivia, in the quarters, as Parrilla defeated 14th seed Andres Acuña from Costa Rica in two close games, 15-10, 15-14, and Moscoso beat Mexican 22nd seed Alejandro Cardona, 15-14, 15-4. Cardona had a 8-0 lead in game against Moscoso, but wasn’t able to convert that into a win.

You can see the 2022 SoCal Open matches via the usual IRT media outlets: The IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page. The quarterfinals begin at 4 PM Friday. The semi-finals will be 11 AM and noon Saturday with the final at 5 PM. All times Pacific.

2022 IRT SoCal Open, April 28-May 1, 2022
Canoga Park, California

Round of 16 - Friday

1) Daniel De La Rosa d. 17) Sebastian Fernandez, 15-11, 15-1
8) Rocky Carson d. 9) Mario Mercado, 15-6, 15-11

5) Samuel Murray d. 21) Jordy Alonso, 15-8, 15-5
13) Adam Manilla d. 4) Alejandro Landa, 8-15, 15-8, 11-8

3) Andree Parrilla d. 14) Andres Acuña, 15-10, 15-14
6) Conrrado Moscoso d. 22) Alejandro Cardona, 15-14, 15-4

7) Eduardo Portillo d. 10) Jake Bredenbeck, 15-7, 12-15, 11-5
18) Erick Trujillo d. 2) Kane Waselenchuk, forfeit

Quarterfinals - Friday

1) Daniel De La Rosa v. 8) Rocky Carson - 7 PM
5) Samuel Murray v. 13) Adam Manilla - 6 PM

3) Andree Parrilla v. 6) Conrrado Moscoso - 5 PM
7) Eduardo Portillo v. 18) Erick Trujillo - 4 PM

Follow the bouncing ball….

Thursday, April 28, 2022

Upsets in the Round of 32 at the 2022 IRT SoCal Open

Mexicans Alejandro Cardona, Jordy Alonso, Erick Truillo and Sebastian Fernandez were all upset winners in the Round of 32 Thursday night at the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) SoCal Open in Canoga Park, California. Cardona’s upset was the largest, as he took out fellow Mexican and veteran Alvaro Beltran, the 11th seed, 15-13, 15-2. Cardona will play Bolivian Conrrado Moscoso - the current Pan American Champion - in the Round of 16 Friday.

Alonso’s win was almost as big, as he took out 12th seed and Colombian international Sebastian Franco, 15-6, 15-13. Next up for Alonso is Canadian Samuel Murray on Friday.

The closest seeded matches - the 16 v 17 and 15 v 18 ones - both went to the underdogs. Eighteenth seed Trujillo needed a tie-breaker to defeat 15th seed Eduardo Garay, 6-15, 15-14, 11-3, but 17th seed Fernandez beat 16th seed Thomas Carter in two straight games, 15-8, 15-9. The wins put both players into the Round of 16: Fernandez against IRT #1 Daniel De La Rosa, while Trujillo plays IRT #2 Kane Waselenchuk.

You can see the 2022 SoCal Open matches via the usual IRT media outlets: The IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page. The Round of 16 will be Friday morning from 10 AM with the quarterfinals from 4 PM Friday. The semi-finals will be 11 AM and noon Saturday with the final at 5 PM. All times Pacific.

2022 IRT SoCal Open, April 28-May 1, 2022
Canoga Park, California

Round of 32 - Thursday

1) Daniel De La Rosa - BYE
17) Sebastian Fernandez d. 16) Thomas Carter, 15-8, 15-9

9) Mario Mercado d. 24) David Horn, 15-3, 8-15, 11-8
8) Rocky Carson - BYE

5) Samuel Murray - BYE
21) Jordy Alonso d. 12) Sebastian Franco, 15-6, 15-13

13) Adam Manilla d. 20) Hector Barrios, 15-5, 15-3
4) Alejandro Landa - BYE

3) Andree Parrilla - BYE
14) Andres Acuña d. 19) Robert Collins, 15-12, 15-13

22) Alejandro Cardona d. 11) Alvaro Beltran, 15-13, 15-2
6) Conrrado Moscoso - BYE

7) Eduardo Portillo - BYE
10) Jake Bredenbeck d. 23) Set Cubillos, 15-10, 15-5

18) Erick Trujillo d. 15) Eduardo Garay, 6-15, 15-14, 11-3
2) Kane Waselenchuk - BYE

Round of 16 - Friday

1) Daniel De La Rosa v. 17) Sebastian Fernandez - Noon
8) Rocky Carson v. 9) Mario Mercado - 11 AM

5) Samuel Murray v. 21) Jordy Alonso - 11 AM
4) Alejandro Landa v. 13) Adam Manilla - 11 AM

3) Andree Parrilla v. 14) Andres Acuña - 11 AM
6) Conrrado Moscoso v. 22) Alejandro Cardona - 10 AM

7) Eduardo Portillo v. 10) Jake Bredenbeck - 10 AM
2) Kane Waselenchuk v. 18) Erick Trujillo - 10 AM

Follow the bouncing ball….

IRT's SoCal Open begins in Canoga Park

The International Racquetball Tour’s (IRT’s) SoCal Open began Thursday morning in Canoga Park, California. There were 42 players in the draw, and there’s a Saturday night final, which meant three rounds on Thursday. The top seeds won’t be in action until Friday, and leading the way is IRT #1 Daniel De La Rosa followed by #2 Kane Waselenchuk, #3 Andree Parrilla and #4 Alejandro Landa.

No real surprises through the first two round of play, and not even any tie-breakers in the second round. But there were a couple of upsets. Hector Barrios defeated Erick Cuevas Fernandez, 15-13, 15-10, to claim a spot in the Round of 32, where he’ll face Adam Manilla. Also, Alejandro Cardona, who hasn’t played a match on tour since 2018, beat Guatemala international Juan Salvatierra, 15-2, 15-6, and will play Alvaro Beltran in the 32s. Cardona and Beltran have played before back in the 2015 US Open, with Beltran needing five games to get the W.

You can see the 2022 SoCal Open matches via the usual IRT media outlets: The IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page. Play began Thursday morning, and they’ll play the Round of 32 Thursday night at 5 and 6 PM. The Round of 16 will be Friday morning from 10 AM with the quarterfinals from 4 PM Friday. The semi-finals will be 11 AM and noon Saturday with the final at 5 PM Saturday. All times Pacific.

2022 IRT SoCal Open, April 28-May 1, 2022
Canoga Park, California

Round of 128 - Thursday

Sebastian Fernandez - BYE
Rodrigo Mendoza d. Michael Leduc, 15-11, 2-15, 11–5

Jim Douglas d. Bradley Levine, 10-15, 15-5, 11-5
David Horn d. Armando Perez, 15-1, 15-5

Jordy Alonso - BYE
Wayne Antone d. Juan Pablo Rodriguez, 15-9, 9-15, 11-6

Hector Barrios d. DJ Mendoza, 15-6, 15-3
Erick Cuevas Fernandez - BYE

Robert Collins - BYE
John Wolfe d. Cody Elkins, 8-15, 15-10, 11-6

Alejandro Cardona d. Anthony Martin, 15-2, 15-4
Juan Salvatierra - BYE

Set Cubillos d. Iain Dunn, 15-5, 15-2
Jorge Gutierrez Ortiz d. Miguel Angel Arteaga Guzman, 15-7, 11-15, 11-8
Ezequiel Subieta d. Kalyan Kosetty, 15-4, 15-5

Erick Trujillo - BYE

Round of 64 - Thursday

Q1 - Sebastian Fernandez d. Rodrigo Mendoza, 15-2, 15-7
Q8 - David Horn d. Jim Douglas, 15-2, 15-2

Q5 - Jordy Alonso d. Wayne Antone, 15-9, 15-4
Q4 - Hector Barrios d. Erick Cuevas Fernandez, 15-13, 15-10

Q3 - Robert Collins d. John Wolfe, 15-11, 15-1
Q6 - Alejandro Cardona d. Juan Salvatierra, 15-2, 15-6

Q7 - Set Cubillos d. Jorge Gutierrez Ortiz, 15-12, 15-7
Q2 - Erick Trujillo d. Ezequiel Subieta, 15-6, 15-5

Round of 32 - Thursday

1) Daniel De La Rosa - BYE
16) Thomas Carter v. 17) Sebastian Fernandez - 6 PM

9) Mario Mercado v. 24) David Horn - 6 PM
8) Rocky Carson - BYE

5) Samuel Murray - BYE
12) Sebastian Franco v. 21) Jordy Alonso - 6 PM

13) Adam Manilla v. 20) Hector Barrios - 6 PM
4) Alejandro Landa - BYE

3) Andree Parrilla - BYE
14) Andres Acuña v. 19) Robert Collins - 5 PM

11) Alvaro Beltran v. 22) Alejandro Cardona - 5 PM
6) Conrrado Moscoso - BYE

7) Eduardo Portillo - BYE
10) Jake Bredenbeck v. 23) Set Cubillos - 5 PM

15) Eduardo Garay v. 18) Erick Trujillo - 5 PM
2) Kane Waselenchuk - BYE

Follow the bouncing ball….

Monday, April 18, 2022

2022 Pan Am Championships - Summary

The 2022 Pan American Racquetball Championships wrapped up on the weekend in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, and we have a summary of the results for you below. Interestingly, all of the gold medalists were first time winners in their respective divisions. Bolivians Conrrado Moscoso and Angelica Barrios won Men’s and Women’s Singles, respectively, for the first time, although Moscoso’s gold was his second Pan Am Championship, as he won Men’s Doubles in 2019 with Roland Keller.

The team Moscoso and Keller beat in the 2019 final - Canadians Coby Iwaasa and Samuel Murray - won Men's Doubles this year, which was Canada’s first gold at the Pan Am Championships in a decade - Mike Green won Men’s Singles in 2012 - and first in Men’s Doubles since Green and Tim Landeryou won in 2010. It’s the first Canadian gold won at Pan Ams by someone not named Green since 2007, when Vincent Gagnon and François Viens won Men’s Doubles.

Natalia Mendez and Maria Jose Vargas of Argentina won Women’s Doubles, which highlighted one of the interesting line up choices made in Bolivia. Mendez has been playing doubles with Valeria Centellas, and they seemed to be more in synch as a team than Mendez and Vargas have been. But Mendez and Vargas got it to work last week, so Mendez got her 1st Pan Am gold medal, and Vargas got a 2nd Pan Am gold medal to go with her Women’s Singles gold back in 2014.

Mexicans Rodrigo Montoya and Samantha Salas both had Pan Am Championship gold previously - Montoya once and Salas eight times - but they won together in Bolivia to take the first ever Pan American gold medal in Mixed Doubles. It was the inclusion of Mixed Doubles that could have led to some different line up considerations we saw in Bolivia. Players could have played three divisions, and some did - such as Cristina Amaya and Mario Mercado - but is playing three divisions the wisest choice?

Playing three divisions means that you could have three matches a day for three consecutive days during the group play part of the tournament (if there are four players / teams in each of your groups), but you will have at least two matches a day for three days (two when there are only three players / teams in your group). Canada and the USA didn’t have any of their players play three divisions, though most of them played two divisions. It was the first time countries had to deal with this situation, so we’ll see how they deal with it moving forward.

Mexico was in both team finals, but lost both. However, they had a young team on the men’s side - only Montoya had been on the team before - and faced a strong Bolivian side. Argentina beat Mexico in the Women’s Team final, and there were veterans on both sides - Mendez and Vargas for Argentina and Herrera and Salas for Mexico, so perhaps it was surprising that it didn’t go three matches. Salas was close to forcing it to a third match playing singles versus Mendez, but she lost in a tie-breaker.

The caveat to Mexico’s women losing the team title is that Paola Longoria - the 15 time Pan American Champion, 8 singles titles and 7 doubles titles - wasn’t in Bolivia, and it’s difficult to imagine that she wouldn’t have made a difference. We not sure of the reason for Longoria’s absence, as she usually plays at all the international events. We are sure that she’ll be at the 2022 IRF World Championships in August in her hometown of San Luis Potosi, Mexico.

Bravo Barrios!

Finally, let’s review how remarkable Barrios’s Women's Singles win was. This wasn’t her first international competition, as in 2019 she’d played at both the Pan Am Championships and Pan Am Games as well as in last year’s International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Championships, but it was her first final. And to get there she defeated Kelani Lawrence - silver medalist from the IRF Worlds last year - Alexandra Herrera - who’s won the last two Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) events - and Gabriela Martinez - a former IRF World Champion. What were the odds of her even getting to the final through those opponents?

Then in the final against Maria Jose Vargas - a former Pan American Champion and the #3 player on the LPRT - she loses the first two games, and comes back and wins in five games! Did we mention she was down 10-9 in the breaker, and won 12-10? Seriously. We’re not sure we’d believe this storyline if it was a Disney movie. Yet Barrios did it.

Moreover, Barrios is only 21. She’ll turn 22 next month, and her future looks very bright indeed.

Again, if you missed any of the matches from Bolivia, many of them - including all the semi-finals and finals, were streamed by the International Racquetball Federation (IRF), so check out the IRF Facebook page or the IRF YouTube channel, perhaps especially look for the Women’s Singles final between Barrios and Vargas.

XXXIII Pan American Racquetball Championships
Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia - April 9-16, 2022

Women's Singles

Gold - Angelica Barrios (Bolivia)
Silver - María José Vargas (Argentina)
Bronze - Gabriela Martinez (Guatemala), Carla Muñoz (Chile)

Men's Singles

Gold - Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia)
Silver - Andres Acuña (Costa Rica)
Bronze - Rodrigo Montoya (Mexico), Alejandro Landa (USA)

Women's Doubles

Gold - Natalia Mendez & Maria Jose Vargas (Argentina)
Silver - Alejandra Herrera & Samantha Salas (Mexico)
Bronze - Erika Manilla & Rhonda Rajsich (USA), Micaela Meneses & Yazmine Sabja (Bolivia)

Men's Doubles

Gold - Coby Iwaasa & Samuel Murray (Canada)
Silver - Juan Francisco Cueva & Jose Daniel Ugalde (Ecuador)
Bronze - Jake Bredenbeck & Sam Bredenbeck (USA), Andres Acuña & Gabriel Garcia (Costa Rica)

Mixed Doubles

Gold - Rodrigo Montoya & Samantha Salas (Mexico)
Silver - Micaela Meneses & Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia)
Bronze - Alejandro Landa & Erika Manilla (USA), Valeria Centellas & Diego Garcia (Argentina)

Women’s Team

Gold - Argentina
Silver - Mexico
Bronze - USA, Bolivia

Men’s Team

Gold - Bolivia
Silver - Mexico
Bronze - Costa Rica, USA

Follow the bouncing ball….

Saturday, April 16, 2022

Bolivia & Argentina are Pan American Team Champions

Bolivia and Argentina won the Men’s and Women’s Team competitions, respectively, at the 2022 Pan American Racquetball Championships in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, on Saturday, and they both did it in two straight matches, and in both cases Mexico was the runner up. This is the first time a team competition has been held at the Pan American Championships. The team competition was a best of three matches: two singles and one doubles with each game played to 11 points.

In the Men’s Team final, Bolivia’s Conrrado Moscoso - who won the Men’s Singles Pan American title this week - got things rolling by defeating Mexican Rodrigo Montoya, 11-3, 11-2, 11-8. Then Carlos Keller - the two time former Men’s Singles Pan Am Champion - won the competition for Bolivia by defeating Elias Nieto, 11-6, 11-5, 11-6.

Maria Jose Vargas of Argentina won the first match of the Women’s Team final, beating Mexican Alexandra Herrera, 11-9 11-6, 11-5. Natalia Mendez won the second match against Samantha Salas, but that went to a tie-breaker, before Mendez pulled it out, winning 2-11, 11-10, 11-8, 8-11, 11-7.

After a dominant first game, Salas was up 10-8 in the second game, but skipped three shots in a row to give the game to Mendez, and level the match at a game apiece. If Salas makes one of the those shots, then she’s up 2-0 in the match, and it seems like that they would have to play a doubles match to decide the team competition. But that’s not what happened.

If you missed any of Saturday's action, or matches from earlier in the week, you can see them at the International Racquetball Federation's (IRF's), Facebook page or the IRF YouTube channel. There were many good matches at the 2022 Pan Am Championships, so we encourage to check some of them out.

XXXIII Pan American Racquetball Championships
Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia - April 9-16, 2022

Women's Team - Final - Saturday

2) ARGENTINA d. 4) MEXICO

Maria Jose Vargas (Argentina) d. Alexandra Herrera (Mexico), 11-9 11-6, 11-5
Natalia Mendez (Argentina) d. Samantha Salas (Mexico), 2-11, 11-10, 11-8, 8-11, 11-7

Men's Team - Final - Saturday

1) BOLIVIA d. 3) MEXICO

Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia) d. Rodrigo Montoya (Mexico), 11-3, 11-2, 11-8
Carlos Keller (Bolivia) d. Elias Nieto (Mexico), 11-6, 11-5, 11-6

Follow the bouncing ball….

Friday, April 15, 2022

Mexico men & women to play for Team gold Saturday

The Women’s and Men’s Team competitions began on Friday at the 2022 Pan American Racquetball Championships in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, and Mexico has made it through to the finals of both divisions. In the semi-finals, the Mexican women defeated Bolivia, 2-0, and the Mexican men beat the USA, 2-0. In the other semis, the Argentine women needed three matches to defeat the USA, 2-1, and the Bolivian men beat Costa Rica, 2-0. The team competition is a best of three matches: two singles and one doubles with each game played to 11 points.

In the semi-finals of the Women’s Team event, Mexican Alexandra Herrera was involved in both of the match wins over Bolivia. She defeated Micaela Meneses, 11-10, 11-10, 9-11, 11-9, in singles, and then teamed up with Samantha Salas in doubles and won a close match versus Meneses and Yasmine Sabja, 11-10, 11-10, 9-11, 11-9.

Argentina will play Mexico in the final on Saturday after defeating the USA Friday. Erika Manilla and Rhonda Rajsich knocked off Natalia Mendez and Maria Jose Vargas - the Women's Doubles Pan Am Champions - in five games, 11-9, 9-11, 9-11, 11-5, 11-9, but Mendez and Vargas won both the singles matches. Mendez defeated Kelani Lawrence, 8-11, 11-1, 11-3, 11-2, and Vargas held on to beat Rajsich, 11-4, 11-5, 9-11, 11-9.

Both Men’s Team semis were over in two matches. Bolivian Conrrado Moscoso - now the Pan American Champion in Men’s Singles - won twice to help his side defeat Costa Rica. He Andres Acuña, 11-5, 2-11, 11-2, 11-4, in what was a rematch of the Men’s Singles final from Thursday. Moscoso teamed up with Kadim Carrasco to defeat Andres Acuña and Felipe Camacho, 11-5, 2-11, 11-2, 11-4, in the doubles match.

Mexican Rodrigo Montoya did much of the heavy lifting to get Mexico past the USA in the other semi-final. He defeated Alejandro Landa, 11-3, 11-9, 3-11, 11-7, in singles, and then Montoya and Erick Trujillo beat Jake Bredenbeck and Sam Bredenbeck, 11-6, 11-8, 11-7.

Note that countries could change their line up for the team event. For example, Costa Rica had Acuña and Camacho playing doubles today, but earlier in the week, Acuña played doubles with Gabriel Garcia. Also, Montoya played Mixed Doubles with Salas with Trujillo playing Men’s Doubles with Elias Nieto.

Matches have been streamed by the International Racquetball Federation (IRF), so check out the IRF Facebook page or the IRF YouTube channel.

XXXIII Pan American Racquetball Championships
Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia - April 9-16, 2022

Women's Team

Quarterfinals - Friday

1) BOLIVIA d. 8) COLOMBIA
4) MEXICO d. 5) GUATEMALA

3) USA d. 6) CHILE
2) ARGENTINA d. 7) CANADA

Semi-finals - Friday

4) MEXICO d. 1) BOLIVIA
Alexandra Herrera d. Micaela Meneses, 11-10, 11-10, 9-11, 11-9
Alexandra Herrera & Samantha Salas d. Micaela Meneses & Yasmine Sabja, 11-10, 11-10, 9-11, 11-9

2) ARGENTINA d. 3) USA
Erika Manilla & Rhonda Rajsich (USA) d. Natalia Mendez & Maria Jose Vargas (Argentina), 11-9, 9-11, 9-11, 11-5, 11-9
Natalia Mendez (Argentina) d. Kelani Lawrence (USA), 8-11, 11-1, 11-3, 11-2
Maria Jose Vargas (Argentina) d. Rhonda Rajsich (USA), 11-4, 11-5, 9-11, 11-9

Final - Saturday

2) ARGENTINA v. 4) MEXICO

Men's Team

First Round - Friday

8) COLOMBIA d. 9) CHILE
10) GUATEMALA d. 7) ARGENTINA

Quarterfinals - Friday

1) BOLIVIA d. 8) COLOMBIA
4) COSTA RICA d. 5) CANADA

3) MEXICO d. 6) ECUADOR
2) USA d. 10) GUATEMALA

Semi-finals - Friday

1) BOLIVIA d. 4) COSTA RICA
Conrrado Moscoso d. Andres Acuña, 11-5, 2-11, 11-2, 11-4
Kadim Carrasco & Conrrado Moscoso d. Andres Acuña & Felipe Camacho, 11-5, 2-11, 11-2, 11-4

3) MEXICO d. 2) USA
Rodrigo Montoya (Mexico) d. Alejandro Landa (USA), 11-3, 11-9, 3-11, 11-7
Rodrigo Montoya & Erick Trujillo (Mexico) d. Jake Bredenbeck & Sam Bredenbeck (USA), 11-6, 11-8, 11-7

Final - Saturday

1) BOLIVIA v. 3) MEXICO

Follow the bouncing ball….

Thursday, April 14, 2022

Argentina, Bolivia (twice), Canada & Mexico are Pan American Champions

Bolivia swept gold in Men’s and Women’s Singles at the 2022 Pan American Racquetball Championships in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Angelica Barrios won Women’s Singles by coming back from two games down against top seed and former Pan Am Champion María José Vargas of Argentina, winning in five games 14-15, 10-15, 15-10, 15-14, 12-10. Barrios was playing in her 1st international final, and her 1st medal is gold.

In the men’s final, Conrrado Moscoso defeated Costa Rican Andres Acuña, 15-14, 14-15, 15-6, 15-13, to win his first Pan American Championship in singles, but his second overall, as he and Roland Keller won Men’s Doubles in 2019. Bolivia has now won Men’s Singles at Pan Am Championships for three years running - the third country to do so (after the USA and Mexico).

In Women’s Doubles, the 2nd seeded Argentine team of Natalia Mendez and Maria Jose Vargas won their 1st Pan American Championship in doubles - and first for Argentina overall and, indeed, for a South American country, as they defeated the #1 seeded team of Alejandra Herrera and Samantha Salas of Mexico, 15-14, 14-15, 15-10, 8-15, 11-8. It was a cagey match with many ceiling ball exchanges.

But down the stretch of game five it was Vargas who was hitting the winning shots. With Mexico leading 6-4, a Salas shot was called a skip. She appealed it, but the line judges upheld the call. From 6-5, Vargas hit winners for all six of Argentina’s points, the most spectacular of which was a backhand off a dive to the left wall that just made the front wall. A “you know things are going your way when” kind of shot. She ended the game and match with a forehand kill shot to the right side from the front court.

The gold is Vargas’s 2nd at the Pan Am Championships, as she was the Women’s Singles champion back in 2014, and Mendez’s first gold at Pan Ams.

Canadians Coby Iwaasa and Samuel Murray, the 4th seeds, came back from a game down to defeat 3rd seeds Juan Francisco Cueva and Jose Daniel Ugalde of Ecuador, in five games, 10-15, 15-13, 15-5, 11-15, 11-5, and win the Men’s Doubles title. It’s the first gold at an international event for both Iwaasa and Murray, and the first for Canada in Men’s Doubles at the Pan Am Championships since 2010, when Mike Green and Tim Landeryou won. Ecuador is still seeking its first Pan Am Championship gold medal.

Rodrigo Montoya and Samantha Salas of Mexico won the Mixed Doubles final, beating Boliviaians Micaela Meneses and Conrrado Moscoso, 15-12, 15-7, 14-15, 15-12.

If you want to watch the finals - and you should definitely check out the Women’s Singles final - they are available via the International Racquetball Federation (IRF) Facebook page and the IRF YouTube channel.

XXXIII Pan American Racquetball Championships
Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia - April 9-16, 2022

Women's Singles - Final - Thursday

10) Angelica Barrios (Bolivia) d. 1) María José Vargas (Argentina), 14-15, 10-15, 15-10, 15-14, 12-10

Men's Singles -

Final - Thursday

1) Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia) d. 11) Andres Acuña (Costa Rica), 15-14, 14-15, 15-6, 15-13

Women's Doubles - Final - Thursday

2) Natalia Mendez & Maria Jose Vargas (Argentina) d. 1) Alejandra Herrera & Samantha Salas (Mexico), 15-14, 14-15, 15-10, 8-15, 11-8

Men's Doubles - Final - Thursday

4) Coby Iwaasa & Samuel Murray (Canada) d. 3) Juan Francisco Cueva & Jose Daniel Ugalde (Ecuador), 10-15, 15-13, 15-5, 11-15, 11-5

Mixed Doubles - Final - Thursday

6) Rodrigo Montoya & Samantha Salas (Mexico) d. 1) Micaela Meneses & Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia), 15-12, 15-7, 14-15, 15-12

Follow the bouncing ball….

Wednesday, April 13, 2022

Semi-final day results from 2022 Pan American Championships

Bolivia maybe the most racquetball mad country in the world. Seriously. So, you know they had high hopes for their players competing at home in the 2022 Pan American Racquetball Championships in Santa Cruz, Bolivia this week, and some of those hopes have been realized as two Bolivians - Conrrado Moscoso and Angelica Barrios - will play for gold in Men’s and Women’s Singles, respectively, on Thursday. However, their paths to the final have been different. Moscoso was the top seed in Men’s Singles, while Barrios was the 10th seed - the highest seed in the Women’s Singles playoff.

That’s not to say Moscoso’s had easy matches. In the semi-finals Wednesday he had to play former International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Champion Rodrigo Montoya of Mexico, winning in three close games, 15-14, 15-10, 15-13. He’ll play Costa Rica’s Andres Acuña, who upset 2nd seed Alejandro Landa of the USA, 15-14, 14-15, 15-12, 15-14, in what was a rematch of last year’s IRF Men’s Singles World Championship final, won by Landa.

In her semi-final, Barrios also played a former IRF World Champion in 6th seed Gabriela Martinez of Guatemala, and won in four games, 15-10, 9-15, 15-7, 15-11. The win puts her into an international final for the first time, where she’ll play top seed María José Vargas of Argentina, who came back from a game down to defeat 4th seed Carla Muñoz of Chile, 11-15, 15-11, 15-7, 15-13.

Both results in the Men’s Doubles semi-finals were upsets, giving more evidence to our theory that men’s dubs can be a crap shoot, because there are several good teams around. The biggest upset is maybe not a real upset, as Canadians Coby Iwaasa and Samuel Murray, who were seeded 4th, were silver medalists at the last Pan Am Championships in 2019. Wednesday they knocked off the top seeded American brothers Jake Bredenbeck and Sam Bredenbeck, 15-13, 15-13, 15-12.

In the other semi, 3rd seeds Juan Francisco Cueva and Jose Daniel Ugalde of Ecuador defeated 2nd seeds Andres Acuña and Gabriel Garcia of Costa Rica, 15-14, 15-8, 15-14. Ecuador hasn’t won gold at the Pan Am Championships, although Ugalde and Fernando Rios were in the Men’s Doubles final in 2016, losing to Mexicans Javier Moreno and Alejandro Landa (then playing for Mexico).

In contrast to the Men’s Doubles semi-finals, the Women’s Doubles semis were both won by the two top seeded teams. Number one seeds Alejandra Herrera and Samantha Salas of Mexico defeated Bolivians Micaela Meneses and Yazmine Sabja in one semi, 15-13, 7-15, 15-14, 15-12.

In the other semi, the 2nd seeded Argentine team of Natalia Mendez and Maria Jose Vargas eked out a victory over the 3rd seeded USA team of Erika Manilla and Rhonda Rajsich, 15-11, 12-15, 15-14, 15-14. They came back from 11-14 down in game three to pull out that game, which helped them get the W. Argentina will be in their 3rd Pan Am Championship final Thursday with the first two coming in 2015 and 2016, when Vargas and Véronique Guillemette were silver medalists.

In Mixed Doubles, top seeds Micaela Meneses and Conrrado Moscoso of Bolivia comfortably defeated 5th seeds Valeria Centellas and Diego Garcia of Argentina, 15-5, 15-4, 15-5, and they’ll play Mexicans Rodrigo Montoya and Samantha Salas in the final Thursday. Montoya and Salas defeated the USA team of Alejandro Landa and Erika Manilla, who seemed to have lost as a result of getting three technical calls against them after being down 2-1 games. The scoreline is posted as “15-13, 12-15, 15-8, 15-0. 3 Technical.”

That match wasn’t streamed, so we’re not sure what went down. International referees do have a lower threshold for assessing technicals to players than is seen in pro racquetball matches or USA Racquetball events, so it wouldn’t necessarily have been very extreme actions that led to the technicals. Still it’s an unfortunate way to lose a match.

There will be 5 finals on Thursday, and six countries are represented in those finals: Bolivia three times, Argentina and Mexico twice each, and once for each of Canada, Costa Rica and Ecuador. Champions have to come from somewhere, and they’re coming from more places now than from even 10 years ago.

Matches have been streamed by the International Racquetball Federation (IRF), so check out the IRF Facebook page or the IRF YouTube channel.

XXXIII Pan American Racquetball Championships
Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia - April 9-16, 2022

Note: the times below are Bolivian time, which is the same as Eastern Daylight Time in North America.

Women's Singles

Semi-finals - Wednesday

1) María José Vargas (Argentina) d. 4) Carla Muñoz (Chile), 11-15, 15-11, 15-7, 15-13
10) Angelica Barrios (Bolivia) d. 6) Gabriela Martinez (Guatemala), 15-10, 9-15, 15-7, 15-11

Final - Thursday

1) María José Vargas (Argentina) v. 10) Angelica Barrios (Bolivia) - 9:45 AM

Men's Singles

Semi-finals - Wednesday

1) Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia) d. 5) Rodrigo Montoya (Mexico), 15-14, 15-10, 15-13
11) Andres Acuña (Costa Rica) d. 2) Alejandro Landa (USA), 15-14, 14-15, 15-12, 15-14

Final - Thursday

1) Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia) v. 11) Andres Acuña (Costa Rica) - 10:30 AM

Women's Doubles

Semi-finals - Wednesday

1) Alejandra Herrera & Samantha Salas (Mexico) d. 5) Micaela Meneses & Yazmine Sabja (Bolivia), 15-13, 7-15, 15-14, 15-12
2) Natalia Mendez & Maria Jose Vargas (Argentina) d. 3) Erika Manilla & Rhonda Rajsich (USA), 15-11, 12-15, 15-14, 15-14

Final - Thursday

1) Alejandra Herrera & Samantha Salas (Mexico) v. 2) Natalia Mendez & Maria Jose Vargas (Argentina) - 11:15 PM

Men's Doubles

Semi-finals - Wednesday

4) Coby Iwaasa & Samuel Murray (Canada) d. 1) Jake Bredenbeck & Sam Bredenbeck (USA), 15-13, 15-13, 15-12
3) Juan Francisco Cueva & Jose Daniel Ugalde (Ecuador) d. 2) Andres Acuña & Gabriel Garcia (Costa Rica), 15-14, 15-8, 15-14

Final - Thursday

3) Juan Francisco Cueva & Jose Daniel Ugalde (Ecuador) v. 4) Coby Iwaasa & Samuel Murray (Canada) - Noon

Mixed Doubles

Semi-finals - Wednesday

1) Micaela Meneses & Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia) d. 5) Valeria Centellas & Diego Garcia (Argentina), 15-5, 15-4, 15-5
6) Rodrigo Montoya & Samantha Salas (Mexico) d. 2) Alejandro Landa & Erika Manilla (USA), 15-13, 12-15, 15-8, 15-0 “3 Technical”

Final - Thursday

1) Micaela Meneses & Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia) v. 6) Rodrigo Montoya & Samantha Salas (Mexico) - 12:45 PM

Follow the bouncing ball….

Tuesday, April 12, 2022

Early medal round results from 2022 Pan American Championships

Bolivian Angelica Barrios, playing at home at the 2022 Pan American Racquetball Championships in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, was the big winner in Women’s Singles Tuesday, as the 10th seed knocked off 2nd seed Alexandra Herrera of Mexico, 15-9, 10-15, 15-9, 15-10, in the quarterfinals, after upsetting 7th seed Kelani Lawrence from the USA, 15-7, 10-15, 15-14, 15-10, in the Round of 16. Herrera was the hottest player on the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT), winning the two most recent events, and Lawrence was the Women’s Singles silver medalist at the International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Championships last year, but won’t medal in Bolivia, but Barrios got the better of them both.

Next up for Barrios is a semi-final match versus 6th seed Gabriela Martinez of Guatemala, who had to come back from 0-2 down against 3rd seed Natalia Mendez of Argentina to win 12-15, 14-15, 15-11, 15-13, 11-8. Martinez trailed 13-10 in the fourth game, but won five straight rallies to force the tie-breaker.

The other semi-final in Women’s Singles will be top seed María José Vargas of Argentina versus 4th seed Carla Muñoz. In the quarters, Vargas beat 9th seed Micaela Meneses of Bolivia, 15-12, 15-7, 15-11, while Muñoz defeated USA veteran and four time former Pan Am Champion Rhonda Rajsich, 15-13, 10-15, 15-11, 15-13.

There were four Round of 16 matches in Men’s Singles, and while one of them was an upset by the seedings, it wasn’t really an upset. Andres Acuña of Costa Rica, who was the silver medalist at Worlds last year, was seeded 11th and defeated 6th seed Elias Nieto of Mexico, 15-8, 15-14, 15-9. Nieto was also playing his first event on the Mexican team, while Acuña is a veteran of international competition.

Acuña followed up his win over Nieto by knocking off 3rd seed and two time defending Pan Am Champion Carlos Keller of Bolivia in the quarterfinals, 15-11, 15-6, 15-12. He'll face second seed Alejandro Landa of the USA in the semi-finals Wednesday, as Landa defeated Canadian Samuel Murray in four games, 15-12, 9-15, 15-12, 15-10.

On the top of the draw, #1 seed Conrrado Moscoso of Bolivia beat 8th seed Diego Garcia of Argentina, 15-9, 15-10, 15-13, to set up a showdown with 5th seed Rodrigo Montoya of Mexico. Montoya defeated 4th seed Jake Bredenbeck of the USA, 15-9, 15-8, 15-11. Overall, players from four different countries (Bolivia, Costa Rica, Mexico, USA) are in Men's Singles semi-finals at the Pan American Championships.

The top three teams in Women's Doubles are through to the semi-finals. Top seeds Alejandra Herrera and Samantha Salas from Mexico beat 8th seeds Anna Aguilar and Andrea Reyes of Guatemala, 15-5, 15-8, 15-3. They’ll play Bolivians Micaela Meneses and Yazmine Sabja in the semis, as they defeated the Chilean team of Paula Manilla and Carla Muñoz, 15-13, 15-11, 15-7.

It’ll be #2 versus #3 on the bottom of the draw, as the 2nd seeded Argentine team of Natalia Mendez and Maria Jose Vargas beat Canadians Alexis Iwaasa and Cassie Prentice, 15-8, 15-6, 15-11, and the 3rd seeded USA team of Erika Manilla and Rhonda Rajsich defeated 6th seeds Cristina Amaya and Maria Paz Riquelme from Colombia, 15-9, 15-5, 15-11.

The four top seeds won their respective quarterfinals in Men’s Doubles, although the 3rd seeds Ecuador’s Juan Francisco Cueva and Jose Daniel Ugalde squeaked by the 6th seeded home side of Bolivians Kadim Carrasco and Carlos Keller, 15-13, 15-14, 15-14. So, Bolivia, who won both gold in Men’s Doubles at the last Pan Am Championships will not medal at home this year.

Ecuador will play the winner of Costa Rica’s Andres Acuña and Gabriel Garcia and Argentina’s Diego Garcia and Tomàs Oyhanart in the semi-finals.

On the top side of the draw, the USA team of brothers Jake Bredenbeck and Sam Bredenbeck defeated Colombians Set Cubillos and Mario Mercado in three straight games, 15-14, 15-9, 15-8, and Canadians Coby Iwaasa and Samuel Murray did the same against Mexicans Elias Nieto and Erick Trujillo, 15-7, 15-9, 15-8, so the USA and Canada will face off in the semis for a chance to win gold.

Matches have been streamed by the International Racquetball Federation (IRF), so check out the IRF Facebook page or the IRF YouTube channel.

XXXIII Pan American Racquetball Championships
Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia - April 9-16, 2022

Note: the times below are Bolivian time, which is the same as Eastern Daylight Time in North America.

Women's Singles

Round of 16 - Tuesday

1) María José Vargas (Argentina) - BYE
9) Micaela Meneses (Bolivia) d. 8) Merynanyelly Delgado (Dominican Republic), 15-7, 15-12, 15-11

5) Rhonda Rajsich (USA) - BYE
4) Carla Muñoz (Chile) - BYE

3) Natalia Mendez (Argentina) - BYE
6) Gabriela Martinez (Guatemala) - BYE

10) Angelica Barrios (Bolivia) d. 7) Kelani Lawrence (USA), 15-7, 10-15, 15-14, 15-10
2) Alexandra Herrera (Mexico) - BYE

Quarterfinals - Tuesday

1) María José Vargas (Argentina) d. 9) Micaela Meneses (Bolivia), 15-12, 15-7, 15-11
4) Carla Muñoz (Chile) d. 5) Rhonda Rajsich (USA), 15-13, 10-15, 15-11, 15-13

6) Gabriela Martinez (Guatemala) d. 3) Natalia Mendez (Argentina), 12-15, 14-15, 15-11, 15-13, 11-8
10) Angelica Barrios (Bolivia) d. 2) Alexandra Herrera (Mexico), 15-9, 10-15, 15-9, 15-10

Semi-finals - Wednesday

1) María José Vargas (Argentina) v. 4) Carla Muñoz (Chile) - Noon
6) Gabriela Martinez (Guatemala) v. 10) Angelica Barrios (Bolivia) - 11:15 AM

Men's Singles

Round of 16 - Tuesday

1) Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia) - BYE
8) Diego Garcia (Argentina) d. 9) Jose Daniel Ugalde (Ecuador), 15-9, 15-12, 15-4

5) Rodrigo Montoya (Mexico) d. 12) Juan Francisco Cueva (Ecuador), 15-7, 12-15, 15-12, 15-10
4) Jake Bredenbeck (USA) - BYE

3) Carlos Keller (Bolivia) - BYE
11) Andres Acuña (Costa Rica) d. 6) Elias Nieto (Mexico), 15-8, 15-14, 15-9

7) Samuel Murray (Canada) d. 10) Felipe Camacho (Costa Rica), 15-2, 15-2, 15-11
2) Alejandro Landa (USA) - BYE

Quarterfinals - Tuesday

1) Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia) d. 8) Diego Garcia (Argentina), 15-9, 15-10, 15-13
5) Rodrigo Montoya (Mexico) d. 4) Jake Bredenbeck (USA), 15-9, 15-8, 15-11

11) Andres Acuña (Costa Rica) d. 3) Carlos Keller (Bolivia), 15-11, 15-6, 15-12
2) Alejandro Landa (USA) d. 7) Samuel Murray (Canada), 15-12, 9-15, 15-12, 15-10

Semi-finals - Wednesday

1) Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia) v. 5) Rodrigo Montoya (Mexico) - 10:30 AM
2) Alejandro Landa (USA) v. 11) Andres Acuña (Costa Rica) - 9:45 AM

Women's Doubles

Quarterfinals - Tuesday

1) Alejandra Herrera & Samantha Salas (Mexico) d. 8) Anna Aguilar & Andrea Reyes (Guatemala), 15-5, 15-8, 15-3
5) Micaela Meneses & Yazmine Sabja (Bolivia) d. 4) Paula Manilla & Carla Muñoz (Chile), 15-13, 15-11, 15-7

3) Erika Manilla & Rhonda Rajsich (USA) d. 6) Cristina Amaya & Maria Paz Riquelme (Colombia), 15-9, 15-5, 15-11
2) Natalia Mendez & Maria Jose Vargas (Argentina) d. 7) Alexis Iwaasa & Cassie Prentice (Canada), 15-8, 15-6, 15-11

Semi-finals - Wednesday

1) Alejandra Herrera & Samantha Salas (Mexico) v. 5) Micaela Meneses & Yazmine Sabja (Bolivia) - 3 PM
2) Natalia Mendez & Maria Jose Vargas (Argentina) v. 3) Erika Manilla & Rhonda Rajsich (USA) - 2:15 PM

Men's Doubles

Round of 16 - Tuesday

1) Jake Bredenbeck & Sam Bredenbeck (USA) - BYE
8) Set Cubillos & Mario Mercado (Colombia) d. 9) Rafael Gatica & Rodrigo Salgado Jr. (Chile), 15-13, 15-5, 15-6

5) Elias Nieto & Erick Trujillo (Mexico) - BYE
4) Coby Iwaasa & Samuel Murray (Canada) - BYE

3) Juan Francisco Cueva & Jose Daniel Ugalde (Ecuador) - BYE
6) Kadim Carrasco & Carlos Keller (Bolivia) - BYE

7) Diego Garcia & Tomàs Oyhanart (Argentina) d. 10) Geovani Mendoza & Juan Salvatierra (Guatemala), 15-8, 7-15, 15-10, 10-15, 11-6
2) Andres Acuña & Gabriel Garcia (Costa Rica) - BYE

Quarterfinals - Tuesday

1) Jake Bredenbeck & Sam Bredenbeck (USA) d. 8) Set Cubillos & Mario Mercado (Colombia), 15-14, 15-9, 15-8
4) Coby Iwaasa & Samuel Murray (Canada) d. 5) Elias Nieto & Erick Trujillo (Mexico), 15-7, 15-9, 15-8

3) Juan Francisco Cueva & Jose Daniel Ugalde (Ecuador) d. 6) Kadim Carrasco & Carlos Keller (Bolivia), 15-13, 15-14, 15-14
2) Andres Acuña & Gabriel Garcia (Costa Rica) d. 7) Diego Garcia & Tomàs Oyhanart (Argentina), 15-12, 15-10, 15-6

Semi-finals - Wednesday

1) Jake Bredenbeck & Sam Bredenbeck (USA) v. 4) Coby Iwaasa & Samuel Murray (Canada) - 1:30 PM
2) Andres Acuña & Gabriel Garcia (Costa Rica) v. 3) Juan Francisco Cueva & Jose Daniel Ugalde (Ecuador) - 12:45 PM

Mixed Doubles

Round of 16 - Tuesday

1) Micaela Meneses & Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia) - BYE
8) Gabriela Martinez & Edwin Galicia (Guatemala) d. 9) Cristina Amaya & Mario Mercado (Colombia), 15-14, 13-15, 15-12, 15-8

5) Valeria Centellas & Diego Garcia (Argentina) - BYE
4) Rodrigo Salgado Jr. & Carla Muñoz (Chile) - BYE

3) Coby Iwaasa & Juliette Parent (Canada) - BYE
6) Rodrigo Montoya & Samantha Salas (Mexico) - BYE

10) Felipe Camacho & Maricruz Ortiz (Costa Rica) d. 7) Merynanyelly Delgado & Ramón De León (Dominican Republic), 13-15, 9-15, 15-14, 15-11, 11-5
2) Alejandro Landa & Erika Manilla (USA) - BYE

Quarterfinals - Tuesday

1) Micaela Meneses & Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia) d. 8) Gabriela Martinez & Edwin Galicia (Guatemala), 15-10, 15-8, 15-12
5) Valeria Centellas & Diego Garcia (Argentina) d. 4) Rodrigo Salgado Jr. & Carla Muñoz (Chile), 15-5, 15-6, 15-12

6) Rodrigo Montoya & Samantha Salas (Mexico) d. 3) Coby Iwaasa & Juliette Parent (Canada), 15-6, 15-9, 15-12
2) Alejandro Landa & Erika Manilla (USA) d. 10) Felipe Camacho & Maricruz Ortiz (Costa Rica), 15-6, 15-10, 15-6

Semi-finals - Wednesday

1) Micaela Meneses & Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia) v. 5) Valeria Centellas & Diego Garcia (Argentina) - 4:30 PM
2) Alejandro Landa & Erika Manilla (USA) v. 6) Rodrigo Montoya & Samantha Salas (Mexico) - 4:30 PM

Follow the bouncing ball….

Monday, April 11, 2022

Medal round draws for the 2022 Pan American Championships

The draws have been released for the medal round of the 2022 Pan American Racquetball Championships in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. There will be two rounds of play on Tuesday in all divisions. That will tax players who are playing multiple divisions.

A new facet of the competition is that only the top players from the group stage in singles made it to the medal round. There are fewer teams in doubles, so all of the doubles teams are in the medal round. Players in singles divisions who finished outside the top two in their division have been put into a consolation playoff.

Because only singles players from the top of the groups made it to the medal round, there are significant matches in the medal round right off the hop. For example, in Women’s Singles, Natalia Mendez of Argentina faces Gabriela Martinez from Guatemala in the quarterfinals, and Chilean Carla Muñoz, who was undefeated in the group stage, plays American veteran Rhonda Rajsich.

In Men’s Singles, young Argentine player Diego Garcia is up against Ecuador veteran Jose Daniel Ugalde with the winner facing top seed Conrrado Moscoso of Bolivia. Also, Mexican Elias Nieto, who got an upset win over Canadian Samuel Murray on Monday, will play Andres Acuña from Costa Rica with the winner to play two time defending Pan American Championship Men’s Singles champion: Carlos Keller of Bolivia in the quarterfinals.

Matches have been streamed by the International Racquetball Federation (IRF), so check out the IRF Facebook page or the IRF YouTube channel.

XXXIII Pan American Racquetball Championships
Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia - April 9-16, 2022

Women's Singles

Round of 16 - Tuesday

1) María José Vargas (Argentina) - BYE
8) Merynanyelly Delgado (Dominican Republic) v. 9) Micaela Meneses (Bolivia) - 9 AM

5) Rhonda Rajsich (USA) - BYE
4) Carla Muñoz (Chile) - BYE

3) Natalia Mendez (Argentina) - BYE
6) Gabriela Martinez (Guatemala) - BYE

7) Kelani Lawrence (USA) v. 10) Angelica Barrios (Bolivia) - 9 AM
2) Alexandra Herrera (Mexico) - BYE

Quarterfinals - Tuesday

1) María José Vargas (Argentina) v. 8) Merynanyelly Delgado (Dominican Republic) or 9) Micaela Meneses (Bolivia) - Noon
4) Carla Muñoz (Chile) v. 5) Rhonda Rajsich (USA) - 11:15 AM

3) Natalia Mendez (Argentina) v. 6) Gabriela Martinez (Guatemala) - 11:15 AM
2) Alexandra Herrera (Mexico) v. 7) Kelani Lawrence (USA) or 10) Angelica Barrios (Bolivia) - Noon

Men's Singles

Round of 16 - Tuesday

1) Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia) - BYE
8) Diego Garcia (Argentina) v. 9) Jose Daniel Ugalde (Ecuador) - 9 AM

5) Rodrigo Montoya (Mexico) v. 12) Juan Francisco Cueva (Ecuador) - 9 AM
4) Jake Bredenbeck (USA) - BYE

3) Carlos Keller (Bolivia) - BYE
6) Elias Nieto (Mexico) v. 11) Andres Acuña (Costa Rica) - 9 AM

7) Samuel Murray (Canada) v. 10) Felipe Camacho (Costa Rica) - 9 AM
2) Alejandro Landa (USA) - BYE

Quarterfinals - Tuesday

1) Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia) v. 8) Diego Garcia (Argentina) or 9) Jose Daniel Ugalde (Ecuador) - Noon
4) Jake Bredenbeck (USA) v. 5) Rodrigo Montoya (Mexico) or 12) Juan Francisco Cueva (Ecuador) - 12:45 PM

3) Carlos Keller (Bolivia) v. 6) Elias Nieto (Mexico) or 11) Andres Acuña (Costa Rica) - 12:45 PM
2) Alejandro Landa (USA) v. 7) Samuel Murray (Canada) or 10) Felipe Camacho (Costa Rica) - Noon

Women's Doubles

Round of 16 - Tuesday

1) Alejandra Herrera & Samantha Salas (Mexico) v. 8) Anna Aguilar & Andrea Reyes (Guatemala) - 3:45 PM
4) Paula Manilla & Carla Muñoz (Chile) v. 5) Micaela Meneses & Yazmine Sabja (Bolivia) - 3:45 PM

3) Erika Manilla & Rhonda Rajsich (USA) v. 6) Cristina Amaya & Maria Paz Riquelme (Colombia) - 3:45 PM
2) Natalia Mendez & Maria Jose Vargas (Argentina) v. 7) Alexis Iwaasa & Cassie Prentice (Canada) - 3:45 PM

Men's Doubles

Round of 16 - Tuesday

1) Jake Bredenbeck & Sam Bredenbeck (USA) - BYE
8) Set Cubillos & Mario Mercado (Colombia) v. 9) Rafael Gatica & Rodrigo Salgado Jr. (Chile) - 1:30 PM

5) Elias Nieto & Erick Trujillo (Mexico) - BYE
4) Coby Iwaasa & Samuel Murray (Canada) - BYE

3) Juan Francisco Cueva & Jose Daniel Ugalde (Ecuador) - BYE
6) Kadim Carrasco & Carlos Keller (Bolivia) - BYE

7) Diego Garcia & Tomàs Oyhanart (Argentina) v. 10) Geovani Mendoza & Juan Salvatierra (Guatemala) - 1:30 PM
2) Andres Acuña & Gabriel Garcia (Costa Rica) - BYE

Quarterfinals - Tuesday

1) Jake Bredenbeck & Sam Bredenbeck (USA) v. 8) Set Cubillos & Mario Mercado (Colombia) or 9) Rafael Gatica & Rodrigo Salgado Jr. (Chile) - 3 PM
4) Coby Iwaasa & Samuel Murray (Canada) v. 5) Elias Nieto & Erick Trujillo (Mexico) - 3 PM

3) Juan Francisco Cueva & Jose Daniel Ugalde (Ecuador) v. 6) Kadim Carrasco & Carlos Keller (Bolivia) - 3 PM
2) Andres Acuña & Gabriel Garcia (Costa Rica) v. 7) Diego Garcia & Tomàs Oyhanart (Argentina) or 10) Geovani Mendoza & Juan Salvatierra (Guatemala) - 3 PM

Mixed Doubles

Round of 16 - Tuesday

1) Micaela Meneses & Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia) - BYE
8) Gabriela Martinez & Edwin Galicia (Guatemala) v. 9) Cristina Amaya & Mario Mercado (Colombia) - 4:30 PM

5) Valeria Centellas & Diego Garcia (Argentina) - BYE
4) Rodrigo Salgado Jr. & Carla Muñoz (Chile) - BYE

3) Coby Iwaasa & Juliette Parent (Canada) - BYE
6) Rodrigo Montoya & Samantha Salas (Mexico) - BYE

7) Merynanyelly Delgado & Ramón De León (Dominican Republic) v. 10) Felipe Camacho & Maricruz Ortiz (Costa Rica) - 4:30 PM
2) Alejandro Landa & Erika Manilla (USA) - BYE

Quarterfinals - Tuesday

1) Micaela Meneses & Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia) v. 8) Gabriela Martinez & Edwin Galicia (Guatemala) or 9) Cristina Amaya & Mario Mercado (Colombia) - 5:15 PM
4) Rodrigo Salgado Jr. & Carla Muñoz (Chile) v. 5) Valeria Centellas & Diego Garcia (Argentina) - 5:15 PM

3) Coby Iwaasa & Juliette Parent (Canada) v. 6) Rodrigo Montoya & Samantha Salas (Mexico) - 5:15 PM
2) Alejandro Landa & Erika Manilla (USA) v. 7) Merynanyelly Delgado & Ramón De León (Dominican Republic) or 10) Felipe Camacho & Maricruz Ortiz (Costa Rica) - 5:15 PM

Follow the bouncing ball….

Day 3 of 2022 Pan American Championships

The crazy score line of the day on Monday at the 2022 Pan American Racquetball Championships in Santa Cruz, Bolivia happened in Men’s Doubles, as Chileans Rafael Gatica and Rodrigo Salgado Jr. went five games with Guatemalans Geovani Mendoza and Juan Salvatierra, with three of the games decided by one point and only one point separated the teams overall. Chile won 14-15, 11-15, 15-14, 15-14, 11-7, and finishes 3rd in their group on the last day of the group stages of matches.

Also in Men’s Doubles, brothers Jake Bredenbeck and Sam Bredenbeck of the USA defeated Bolivians Kadim Carrasco and Carlos Keller in four close games, 15-13, 15-13, 11-15, 15-14, to go undefeated in group play and top group 1. Thus, they’ll be the #1 seeds in the medal round.

The Costa Rica team of Andres Acuña and Gabriel Garcia will be the #2 seeds in Men’s Doubles, as they beat Mexicans Elias Nieto and Erick Trujillo, 14-15, 15-13, 15-8, 15-9, on Monday to top group 2.

The other top seeds for the medal round will be Maria Jose Vargas of Argentina in Women’s Singles, Conrrado Moscoso of Bolivia in Men’s Singles, Mexicans Alejandra Herrera and Samantha Salas in Women’s Doubles, and Bolivians Micaela Meneses and Moscoso in Mixed Doubles. Thus, across the five divisions, there are four different countries represented with the duplication coming in the new division of Mixed Doubles.

We’ll have the medal round draws for you when they become available.

Matches have been streamed by the International Racquetball Federation (IRF), so check out the IRF Facebook page or the IRF YouTube channel.

XXXIII Pan American Racquetball Championships
Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia - April 9-16, 2022

Women's Singles

Group 1

María José Vargas (Argentina) d. Cristina Amaya (Colombia), 15-7, 15-9, 15-14

Standings: 1. María José Vargas (Argentina) 2-0, 2. Angelica Barrios (Bolivia) 1-1, 3. Cristina Amaya (Colombia) 0-2

Group 2

Alexandra Herrera (Mexico) d. Micaela Meneses (Bolivia), 15-12, 15-11, 15-11

Standings: 1. Alexandra Herrera (Mexico) 2-0, 2. Micaela Meneses (Bolivia) 1-1, 3. Maria Paz Riquelme (Colombia) 0-2

Group 3

Natalia Mendez (Argentina) d. Andrea Reyes (Guatemala), 15-5, 15-6, 15-1

Standings: 1. Natalia Mendez (Argentina) 2-0, 2. Merynanyelly Delgado (Dominican Republic) 1-1, 3. Andrea Reyes (Guatemala) 0-2

Group 4

Kelani Lawrence (USA) d. Angela Ortega (Mexico), 12-15, 15-6, 15-7, 15-13
Carla Muñoz (Chile) d. Juliette Parent (Canada), 15-6, 15-9, 15-7

Standings: 1. Carla Muñoz (Chile) 3-0, 2. Kelani Lawrence (USA) 2-1, 2. Angela Ortega (Mexico) 1-2, 4. Juliette Parent (Canada) 0-3

Group 5

Gabriela Martinez (Guatemala) d. Rhonda Rajsich (USA), 15-4, 15-5, 14-15, 15-11
Maricruz Ortiz (Costa Rica) d. Michèle Morissette (Canada), 15-9, 15-14, 15-13

Standings: 1. Gabriela Martinez (Guatemala) 3-0, 2. Rhonda Rajsich (USA) 2-1, 3. Maricruz Ortiz (Costa Rica) 1-2, 4. Michèle Morissette (Canada) 0-3

Men's Singles

Group 1

Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia) d. Juan Salvatierra (Guatemala), 15-12, 15-3, 13-15, 15-13

Standings: 1. Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia) 2-0, 2. Andres Acuña (Costa Rica) 1-1, 3. Juan Salvatierra (Guatemala) 0-2

Group 2

Alejandro Landa (USA) d. Juan Francisco Cueva (Ecuador), 10-15, 15-9, 15-7, 15-14

Standings: 1. Alejandro Landa (USA) 2-0, 2. Juan Francisco Cueva (Ecuador) 1-1, 3. Ramón De León (Dominican Republic) 0-2

Group 3

Carlos Keller (Bolivia) d. Edwin Galicia (Guatemala), 15-10, 15-9, 15-9
Felipe Camacho (Costa Rica) d. Tomás Oyhanart (Argentina), 15-6, 15-1, 15-5

Standings: 1. Carlos Keller (Bolivia) 3-0, 2. Felipe Camacho (Costa Rica) 2-1, 3. Edwin Galicia (Guatemala) 1-2, 4. Tomás Oyhanart (Argentina) 0-3

Group 4

Jake Bredenbeck (USA) d. Jose Daniel Ugalde (Ecuador), 15-7, 15-13, 15-10
Rodrigo Salgado Jr. (Chile) d. Abraham Mercado (Puerto Rico), 15-14, 15-11, 15-9

Standings: 1. Jake Bredenbeck (USA) 3-0, 1. Jose Daniel Ugalde (Ecuador) 2-1, 3. Rodrigo Salgado Jr. (Chile) 1-2, 4. Abraham Mercado (Puerto Rico) 0-3

Group 5

Rodrigo Montoya (Mexico) d. Trevor Webb (Canada), 15-7, 15-10, 15-0
Diego Garcia (Argentina) d. Mario Mercado (Colombia), 14-15, 15-9, 14-15, 15-7, 11-7

Standings: 1. Rodrigo Montoya (Mexico) 3-0, 2. Diego Garcia (Argentina) 2-1, 3. Mario Mercado (Colombia) 1-2, 4. Trevor Webb (Canada) 0-3

Group 6

Elias Nieto (Mexico) d. Samuel Murray (Canada), 15-13, 15-3, 3-15, 15-7
Set Cubillos (Colombia) d. Diego Gatica (Chile), 15-7, 14-15, 15-4, 15-11

Standings: 1. Elias Nieto (Mexico) 3-0, 2. Samuel Murray (Canada) 2-1, 3. Set Cubillos (Colombia) 1-2, 4. Diego Gatica (Chile) 0-3

Women's Doubles

Group 1

Alejandra Herrera & Samantha Salas (Mexico) d. Micaela Meneses & Yazmine Sabja (Bolivia), 15-4, 14-15, 15-5, 15-8
Erika Manilla & Rhonda Rajsich (USA) d. Alexis Iwaasa & Cassie Prentice (Canada), 15-9, 15-3, 15-13

Standings: 1. Alejandra Herrera & Samantha Salas (Mexico) 3-0, 2. Erika Manilla & Rhonda Rajsich (USA) 2-1, 3. Micaela Meneses & Yazmine Sabja (Bolivia) 1-2, 4. Alexis Iwaasa & Cassie Prentice (Canada) 0-3

Group 2

Natalia Mendez & Maria Jose Vargas (Argentina) d. Paula Manilla & Carla Muñoz (Chile), 15-12, 15-6, 14-15, 15-6
Cristina Amaya & Maria Paz Riquelme (Colombia) d. Anna Aguilar & Andrea Reyes (Guatemala), 14-15, 15-12, 15-9, 15-9

Standings: 1. Natalia Mendez & Maria Jose Vargas (Argentina) 3-0, 2. Paula Manilla & Carla Muñoz (Chile) 2-1, 3. Cristina Amaya & Maria Paz Riquelme (Colombia) 1-2, 4. Anna Aguilar & Andrea Reyes (Guatemala) 0-3

Men's Doubles

Group 1

Jake Bredenbeck & Sam Bredenbeck (USA) d. Kadim Carrasco & Carlos Keller (Bolivia), 15-13, 15-13, 11-15, 15-14

Standings: 1. Jake Bredenbeck & Sam Bredenbeck (USA) 2-0, 2. Kadim Carrasco & Carlos Keller (Bolivia) 1-1, 3. Set Cubillos & Mario Mercado (Colombia) 0-2

Group 2

Andres Acuña & Gabriel Garcia (Costa Rica) d. Elias Nieto & Erick Trujillo (Mexico), 14-15, 15-13, 15-8, 15-9

Standings: 1. Andres Acuña & Gabriel Garcia (Costa Rica) 2-0, 2. Elias Nieto & Erick Trujillo (Mexico) 1-1, 3. Diego Garcia & Tomàs Oyhanart (Argentina) 0-2

Group 3

Coby Iwaasa & Samuel Murray (Canada) d. Juan Francisco Cueva & Jose Daniel Ugalde (Ecuador), 15-9, 15-12, 15-7
Rafael Gatica & Rodrigo Salgado Jr. (Chile) d. Geovani Mendoza & Juan Salvatierra (Guatemala), 14-15, 11-15, 15-14, 15-14, 11-7

Standings: 1. Coby Iwaasa & Samuel Murray (Canada) 3-0, 2. Juan Francisco Cueva & Jose Daniel Ugalde (Ecuador) 2-1, 3. Rafael Gatica & Rodrigo Salgado Jr. (Chile) 1-2, 4. Geovani Mendoza & Juan Salvatierra (Guatemala) 0-3

Mixed Doubles

Group 1

Micaela Meneses & Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia) d. Valeria Centellas & Diego Garcia (Argentina), 13-15, 15-3, 15-6, 15-14

Standings: 1. Micaela Meneses & Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia) 2-0, 2. Valeria Centellas & Diego Garcia (Argentina), 1-1, 3. Merynanyelly Delgado & Ramón De León (Dominican Republic) 0-2

Group 2

Alejandro Landa & Erika Manilla (USA) d. Rodrigo Montoya & Samantha Salas (Mexico), 12-15, 15-12, 15-12, 15-8

Standings: 1. Alejandro Landa & Erika Manilla (USA) 2-0, 2. Rodrigo Montoya & Samantha Salas (Mexico) 1-1, 3. Gabriela Martinez & Edwin Galicia (Guatemala) 0-2

Group 3

Coby Iwaasa & Juliette Parent (Canada) d. Cristina Amaya & Mario Mercado (Colombia), 13-15, 11-15, 15-11, 15-12, 11-8
Rodrigo Salgado Jr. & Carla Muñoz (Chile) d. Felipe Camacho & Maricruz Ortiz (Costa Rica), 13-15, 15-6, 15-14, 15-7

Standings: 1. Rodrigo Salgado Jr. & Carla Muñoz (Chile) 3-0, 2. Coby Iwaasa & Juliette Parent (Canada) 2-1, 3. Cristina Amaya & Mario Mercado (Colombia) 1-2, 4. Felipe Camacho & Maricruz Ortiz (Costa Rica) 0-3

Follow the bouncing ball….

Sunday, April 10, 2022

Day 2 at 2022 Pan American Racquetball Championships

Day two of action at the 2022 Pan American Racquetball Championships in Santa Cruz, Bolivia saw some more tie-breakers. For the second day, USA veteran Rhonda Rajsich needed five games to win, and this time came back from 0-2 down against Canadian Michèle Morissette to win 11-15, 11-15, 15-11, 15-10, 11-7. She’ll play Guatemala’s Gabriela Martinez on Monday in what will be the last group match for both of them with the winner to win the group.

The marquee match in Men’s Singles Sunday was Bolivian Conrrado Moscoso against Costa Rican Andres Acuña, and it lived up to the billing, as the first three games were each decided by one point with the Costa Rican winning two of them. But Moscoso won the fourth game to force a tie-breaker, and then also won that, taking the match 14-15, 15-14, 11-15, 15-8, 11-9.

We noted yesterday on Twitter - yes! we’re on Twitter: @racquetballblog - that Chile’s Carla Muñoz was undefeated in three matches Saturday - singles, doubles and mixed doubles - and at the end of Sunday, she’s still undefeated, although needed to play progressively more games as the day went along.

In singles, Muñoz beat Mexican Angela Ortega in three straight games, 15-10, 15-10, 15-6. In doubles, she and Paula Manilla defeated Cristina Amaya and Maria Paz Riquelme of Colombia, in four games, 15-12, 3-15, 15-14, 15-13. Then in Mixed Doubles, Muñoz and Rodrigo Salgado Jr. faced down match point in game four, as they came back from 2-1 down to beat Canadians Coby Iwaasa and Juliette Parent, 15-7, 8-15, 9-15, 15-14, 11-7.

Group play wraps up Monday, and the final results will be used to seed players for the medal round that will begin on Tuesday.

Matches will be streamed by the International Racquetball Federation (IRF), so check out the IRF Facebook page or the IRF YouTube channel.

XXXIII Pan American Racquetball Championships
Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia - April 9-16, 2022

Women's Singles

Group 1

María José Vargas (Argentina) d. Angelica Barrios (Bolivia), 15-9, 14-15, 15-9, 15-8
María José Vargas (Argentina) v. Cristina Amaya (Colombia) - Monday

Standings: 1. María José Vargas (Argentina) 1-0, 2. Angelica Barrios (Bolivia) 1-1, 3. Cristina Amaya (Colombia) 0-1

Group 2

Alexandra Herrera (Mexico) d. Maria Paz Riquelme (Colombia), 15-3, 15-1, 15-4
Alexandra Herrera (Mexico) v. Micaela Meneses (Bolivia) - Monday

Standings: 1. Alexandra Herrera (Mexico) 1-0, 1. Micaela Meneses (Bolivia) 1-0, 3. Maria Paz Riquelme (Colombia) 0-2

Group 3

Natalia Mendez (Argentina) d. Merynanyelly Delgado (Dominican Republic), 15-10, 15-6, 15-5
Natalia Mendez (Argentina) v. Andrea Reyes (Guatemala) - Monday

Standings: 1. Natalia Mendez (Argentina) 1-0, 2. Merynanyelly Delgado (Dominican Republic) 1-1, 3. Andrea Reyes (Guatemala) 0-1

Group 4

Carla Muñoz (Chile) d. Angela Ortega (Mexico), 15-10, 15-10, 15-6
Kelani Lawrence (USA) d. Juliette Parent (Canada), 15-10, 15-1, 15-3

Angela Ortega (Mexico) v. Kelani Lawrence (USA) - Monday
Juliette Parent (Canada) v. Carla Muñoz (Chile) - Monday

Standings: 1. Carla Muñoz (Chile) 2-0, 2. Kelani Lawrence (USA) 1-1, 2. Angela Ortega (Mexico) 1-1, 4. Juliette Parent (Canada) 0-2

Group 5

Rhonda Rajsich (USA) d. Michèle Morissette (Canada), 11-15, 11-15, 15-11, 15-10, 11-7
Gabriela Martinez (Guatemala) d. Maricruz Ortiz (Costa Rica), 12-15, 15-14, 15-7, 15-9

Rhonda Rajsich (USA) v. Gabriela Martinez (Guatemala) - Monday
Maricruz Ortiz (Costa Rica) v. Michèle Morissette (Canada) - Monday

Standings: 1. Rhonda Rajsich (USA) 2-0, 1. Gabriela Martinez (Guatemala) 2-0, 3. Maricruz Ortiz (Costa Rica) 0-2, 3. Michèle Morissette (Canada) 0-2

Men's Singles

Group 1

Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia) d. Andres Acuña (Costa Rica), 14-15, 15-14, 11-15, 15-8, 11-9
Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia) v. Juan Salvatierra (Guatemala) - Monday

Standings: 1. Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia) 1-0, 2. Andres Acuña (Costa Rica) 1-1, 3. Juan Salvatierra (Guatemala) 0-1

Group 2

Alejandro Landa (USA) d. Ramón De León (Dominican Republic), 15-5, 15-9, 15-9
Alejandro Landa (USA) v. Juan Francisco Cueva (Ecuador) - Monday

Standings: 1. Alejandro Landa (USA) 1-0, 1. Juan Francisco Cueva (Ecuador) 1-0, 3. Ramón De León (Dominican Republic) 0-2

Group 3

Carlos Keller (Bolivia) d. Felipe Camacho (Costa Rica), 15-9, 15-11, 15-11
Edwin Galicia (Guatemala) d. Tomás Oyhanart (Argentina), 15-9, 15-2, 15-4

Carlos Keller (Bolivia) v. Edwin Galicia (Guatemala) - Monday
Tomás Oyhanart (Argentina) v. Felipe Camacho (Costa Rica) - Monday

Standings: 1. Carlos Keller (Bolivia) 2-0, 2. Felipe Camacho (Costa Rica) 1-1, 2. Edwin Galicia (Guatemala) 1-1, 4. Tomás Oyhanart (Argentina) 0-2

Group 4

Jake Bredenbeck (USA) d. Rodrigo Salgado Jr. (Chile), 11-15, 15-2, 15-4, 15-8
Jose Daniel Ugalde (Ecuador) d. Abraham Mercado (Puerto Rico), 15-6, 15-4, 15-6

Jake Bredenbeck (USA) v. Jose Daniel Ugalde (Ecuador) - Monday
Abraham Mercado (Puerto Rico) v. Rodrigo Salgado Jr. (Chile) - Monday

Standings: 1. Jake Bredenbeck (USA) 2-0, 1. Jose Daniel Ugalde (Ecuador) 2-0, 3. Abraham Mercado (Puerto Rico) 0-2, 3. Rodrigo Salgado Jr. (Chile) 0-2

Group 5

Rodrigo Montoya (Mexico) d. Mario Mercado (Colombia), 15-8, 15-11, 15-12
Diego Garcia (Argentina) d. Trevor Webb (Canada), 15-5, 15-11, 15-4

Rodrigo Montoya (Mexico) v. Trevor Webb (Canada) - Monday
Diego Garcia (Argentina) v. Mario Mercado (Colombia) - Monday

Standings: 1. Rodrigo Montoya (Mexico) 2-0, 2. Diego Garcia (Argentina) 1-1, 2. Mario Mercado (Colombia) 1-1, 4. Trevor Webb (Canada) 0-2

Group 6

Samuel Murray (Canada) d. Diego Gatica (Chile), 15-6, 15-7, 15-7
Elias Nieto (Mexico) d. Set Cubillos (Colombia), 15-13, 15-6, 15-4

Samuel Murray (Canada) v. Elias Nieto (Mexico) - Monday
Set Cubillos (Colombia) v. Diego Gatica (Chile) - Monday

Standings: 1. Samuel Murray (Canada) 2-0, 1. Elias Nieto (Mexico) 2-0, 3. Diego Gatica (Chile) 0-2, 3. Set Cubillos (Colombia) 0-2

Women's Doubles

Group 1

Alejandra Herrera & Samantha Salas (Mexico) d. Alexis Iwaasa & Cassie Prentice (Canada), 15-5, 15-10, 15-9
Erika Manilla & Rhonda Rajsich (USA) d. Micaela Meneses & Yazmine Sabja (Bolivia), 8-15, 15-11, 15-13, 12-15, 11-8

Alejandra Herrera & Samantha Salas (Mexico) v. Micaela Meneses & Yazmine Sabja (Bolivia) - Monday
Erika Manilla & Rhonda Rajsich (USA) v. Alexis Iwaasa & Cassie Prentice (Canada) - Monday

Standings: 1. Alejandra Herrera & Samantha Salas (Mexico) 2-0, 2. Erika Manilla & Rhonda Rajsich (USA) 1-1, 2. Micaela Meneses & Yazmine Sabja (Bolivia) 1-1, 4. Alexis Iwaasa & Cassie Prentice (Canada) 0-2

Group 2

Paula Manilla & Carla Muñoz (Chile) d. Cristina Amaya & Maria Paz Riquelme (Colombia), 15-12, 3-15, 15-14, 15-13
Natalia Mendez & Maria Jose Vargas (Argentina) d. Anna Aguilar & Andrea Reyes (Guatemala), 15-0, 15-9, 15-10

Natalia Mendez & Maria Jose Vargas (Argentina) v. Paula Manilla & Carla Muñoz (Chile) - Monday
Cristina Amaya & Maria Paz Riquelme (Colombia) v. Anna Aguilar & Andrea Reyes (Guatemala) - Monday

Standings: 1. Natalia Mendez & Maria Jose Vargas (Argentina) 2-0, 1. Paula Manilla & Carla Muñoz (Chile) 2-0, 3. Cristina Amaya & Maria Paz Riquelme (Colombia) 0-2, 3. Anna Aguilar & Andrea Reyes (Guatemala) 0-2

Men's Doubles

Group 1

Kadim Carrasco & Carlos Keller (Bolivia) d. Set Cubillos & Mario Mercado (Colombia), 15-9, 15-9, 15-8
Kadim Carrasco & Carlos Keller (Bolivia) v. Jake Bredenbeck & Sam Bredenbeck (USA) - Monday

Standings: 1. Jake Bredenbeck & Sam Bredenbeck (USA) 1-0, 1. Kadim Carrasco & Carlos Keller (Bolivia) 1-0, 3. Set Cubillos & Mario Mercado (Colombia) 0-2

Group 2

Andres Acuña & Gabriel Garcia (Costa Rica) d. Diego Garcia & Tomàs Oyhanart (Argentina), 14-15, 15-6, 15-4, 13-15, 11-4
Elias Nieto & Erick Trujillo (Mexico) v. Andres Acuña & Gabriel Garcia (Costa Rica) - Monday

Standings: 1. Elias Nieto & Erick Trujillo (Mexico) 1-0, 1. Andres Acuña & Gabriel Garcia (Costa Rica) 1-0, 3. Diego Garcia & Tomàs Oyhanart (Argentina) 0-2

Group 3

Coby Iwaasa & Samuel Murray (Canada) d. Geovani Mendoza & Juan Salvatierra (Guatemala), 15-12, 15-8, 15-13
Juan Francisco Cueva & Jose Daniel Ugalde (Ecuador) d. Rafael Gatica & Rodrigo Salgado Jr. (Chile), 15-10, 15-10, 15-13

Coby Iwaasa & Samuel Murray (Canada) v. Juan Francisco Cueva & Jose Daniel Ugalde (Ecuador) - Monday
Rafael Gatica & Rodrigo Salgado Jr. (Chile) v. Geovani Mendoza & Juan Salvatierra (Guatemala) - Monday

Standings: 1. Coby Iwaasa & Samuel Murray (Canada) 2-0, 1. Juan Francisco Cueva & Jose Daniel Ugalde (Ecuador) 2-0, 3. Geovani Mendoza & Juan Salvatierra (Guatemala) 0-2, 3. Rafael Gatica & Rodrigo Salgado Jr. (Chile) 0-2

Mixed Doubles

Group 1

Micaela Meneses & Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia) d. Merynanyelly Delgado & Ramón De León (Dominican Republic), 15-8, 15-9,15-10
Valeria Centellas & Diego Garcia (Argentina) v. Micaela Meneses & Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia) - Monday

Standings: 1. Valeria Centellas & Diego Garcia (Argentina) 1-0, 1. Micaela Meneses & Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia) 1-0, 3. Merynanyelly Delgado & Ramón De León (Dominican Republic) 0-2

Group 2

Rodrigo Montoya & Samantha Salas (Mexico) d. Gabriela Martinez & Edwin Galicia (Guatemala), 15-13, 15-8, 15-13
Rodrigo Montoya & Samantha Salas (Mexico) v. Alejandro Landa & Erika Manilla (USA) - Monday

Standings: 1. Alejandro Landa & Erika Manilla (USA) 1-0, 2. Rodrigo Montoya & Samantha Salas (Mexico) 1-0, 3. Gabriela Martinez & Edwin Galicia (Guatemala) 0-2

Group 3

Cristina Amaya & Mario Mercado (Colombia) d. Felipe Camacho & Maricruz Ortiz (Costa Rica), 15-13, 15-9, 14-15, 15-13
Rodrigo Salgado Jr. & Carla Muñoz (Chile) d. Coby Iwaasa & Juliette Parent (Canada), 15-7, 8-15, 9-15, 15-14, 11-7

Cristina Amaya & Mario Mercado (Colombia) v. Coby Iwaasa & Juliette Parent (Canada) - Monday
Rodrigo Salgado Jr. & Carla Muñoz (Chile) v. Felipe Camacho & Maricruz Ortiz (Costa Rica) - Monday

Standings: 1. Rodrigo Salgado Jr. & Carla Muñoz (Chile) 2-0, 2. Cristina Amaya & Mario Mercado (Colombia) 1-1, 2. Coby Iwaasa & Juliette Parent (Canada) 1-1, 4. Felipe Camacho & Maricruz Ortiz (Costa Rica) 0-2

Follow the bouncing ball….

Saturday, April 9, 2022

Day 1 at 2022 Pan American Racquetball Championships

The 2022 Pan American Racquetball Championships got underway Saturday in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, and already there have been some notable results, including several tie-breakers. This is the first international event using rally scoring with a five game match format: four games to 15 with a tie-breaker to 11, and the first four games are win by one point while the breaker is win by two. Some matches have already gone to extra points in the breaker.

In Women’s Singles, USA veteran Rhonda Rajsich needed extra points to get by Costa Rica’s Maricruz Ortiz, coming from a game down to win, 11-15, 15-9, 15-9, 7-15, 13-11. Merynanyelly Delgado of the Dominican Republic went extra points with Andrea Reyes of Guatemala, holding on to win 15-12, 15-14, 6-15, 11-15, 12-10.

Both matches in Group 4 of Women’s Singles went to a tie-breaker, though no extra points. In what might be considered an upset Chile’s Carla Muñoz came back to defeat USA’s Kelani Lawrence, 8-15, 15-10, 11-15, 15-13, 11-8, and Mexican Angela Ortega also came back from 2-1 down to defeat Canadian Juliette Parent, 15-10, 14-15, 15-13, 10-15, 11-8.

In Men’s Singles, Rodrigo Montoya of Mexico needed five games to get past Argentina’s Diego Garcia, 12-15, 15-11, 11-15, 15-12, 11-8.

But perhaps the most dramatic match of the day came in Mixed Doubles, which is being contested at the Pan Am Championships for the first time. Americans Alejandro Landa and Erika Manilla squeaked past Guatemalans Gabriela Martinez and Edwin Galicia, 10-15, 15-7, 12-15, 15-11, 17-15. The fifth game was to 11, but with win by two they played twelve (12!) more points than the maximum within the 11 limit (11-9). Wow!

Also the two matches in Group C of Mixed Doubles both went to a breaker. Chileans Carla Muñoz and Rodrigo Salgado Jr. caused an upset by beating Colombians Cristina Amaya and Mario Mercado, 14-15, 15-13, 12-15, 15-7, 11-6, while Canadians Coby Iwaasa and Juliette Parent came back from two games down to defeat Costa Ricans Felipe Camacho and Maricruz Ortiz, 14-16, 6-15, 15-13, 15-12, 11-9.

All in all it was an exciting day of racquetball in Santa Cruz, and bodes well for the rest of the week.

The format of the event is to have three matches in group play with the results used to seed the players for the medal round.

Matches will be streamed by the International Racquetball Federation (IRF), so check out the IRF Facebook page or the IRF YouTube channel.

XXXIII Pan American Racquetball Championships
Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia - April 9-16, 2022

Women's Singles

Group 1

Angelica Barrios (Bolivia) d. Cristina Amaya (Colombia), 15-14, 15-10, 12-15, 15-12
María José Vargas (Argentina) v. Angelica Barrios (Bolivia) - Sunday
María José Vargas (Argentina) v. Cristina Amaya (Colombia) - Monday

Group 2

Micaela Meneses (Bolivia) d. Maria Paz Riquelme (Colombia), 15-9, 15-7, 15-7
Alexandra Herrera (Mexico) v. Maria Paz Riquelme (Colombia) - Sunday
Alexandra Herrera (Mexico) v. Micaela Meneses (Bolivia) - Monday

Group 3

Merynanyelly Delgado (Dominican Republic) d. Andrea Reyes (Guatemala), 15-12, 15-14, 6-15, 11-15, 12-10
Natalia Mendez (Argentina) v. Merynanyelly Delgado (Dominican Republic) - Sunday
Natalia Mendez (Argentina) v. Andrea Reyes (Guatemala) - Monday

Group 4

Angela Ortega (Mexico) d. Juliette Parent (Canada), 15-10, 14-15, 15-13, 10-15, 11-8
Carla Muñoz (Chile) d. Kelani Lawrence (USA), 8-15, 15-10, 11-15, 15-13, 11-8

Angela Ortega (Mexico) v. Carla Muñoz (Chile) - Sunday
Kelani Lawrence (USA) v. Juliette Parent (Canada) - Sunday

Angela Ortega (Mexico) v. Kelani Lawrence (USA) - Monday
Juliette Parent (Canada) v. Carla Muñoz (Chile) - Monday

Group 5

Rhonda Rajsich (USA) d. Maricruz Ortiz (Costa Rica), 11-15, 15-9, 15-9, 7-15, 13-11
Gabriela Martinez (Guatemala) d. Michèle Morissette (Canada), 15-8, 15-10, 11-15, 15-8

Rhonda Rajsich (USA) v. Michèle Morissette (Canada) - Sunday
Gabriela Martinez (Guatemala) v. Maricruz Ortiz (Costa Rica) - Sunday

Rhonda Rajsich (USA) v. Gabriela Martinez (Guatemala) - Monday
Maricruz Ortiz (Costa Rica) v. Michèle Morissette (Canada) - Monday

Men's Singles

Group 1

Andres Acuña (Costa Rica) d. Juan Salvatierra (Guatemala), 15-7, 15-12, 15-10
Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia) v. Andres Acuña (Costa Rica) - Sunday
Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia) v. Juan Salvatierra (Guatemala) - Monday

Group 2

Juan Francisco Cueva (Ecuador) d. Ramón De León (Dominican Republic) - 15-13, 13-15, 15-8, 15-1
Alejandro Landa (USA) v. Ramón De León (Dominican Republic) - Sunday
Alejandro Landa (USA) v. Juan Francisco Cueva (Ecuador) - Monday

Group 3

Carlos Keller (Bolivia) d. Tomás Oyhanart (Argentina), 15-8, 15-7, 15-12
Felipe Camacho (Costa Rica) d. Edwin Galicia (Guatemala), 6-15, 15-10, 15-10, 15-9

Carlos Keller (Bolivia) v. Felipe Camacho (Costa Rica) - Sunday
Edwin Galicia (Guatemala) v. Tomás Oyhanart (Argentina) - Sunday

Carlos Keller (Bolivia) v. Edwin Galicia (Guatemala) - Monday
Tomás Oyhanart (Argentina) v. Felipe Camacho (Costa Rica) - Monday

Group 4

Jake Bredenbeck (USA) d. Abraham Mercado (Puerto Rico), 15-6, 15-3, 15-4
Jose Daniel Ugalde (Ecuador) d. Rodrigo Salgado Jr. (Chile), 15-9, 15-5, 15-8

Jake Bredenbeck (USA) v. Rodrigo Salgado Jr. (Chile) - Sunday
Jose Daniel Ugalde (Ecuador) v. Abraham Mercado (Puerto Rico) - Sunday

Jake Bredenbeck (USA) v. Jose Daniel Ugalde (Ecuador) - Monday
Abraham Mercado (Puerto Rico) v. Rodrigo Salgado Jr. (Chile) - Monday

Group 5

Rodrigo Montoya (Mexico) d. Diego Garcia (Argentina), 12-15, 15-11, 11-15, 15-12, 11-8
Mario Mercado (Colombia) d. Trevor Webb (Canada), 15-5, 15-7, 15-11

Rodrigo Montoya (Mexico) v. Mario Mercado (Colombia) - Sunday
Trevor Webb (Canada) v. Diego Garcia (Argentina) - Sunday

Rodrigo Montoya (Mexico) v. Trevor Webb (Canada) - Monday
Diego Garcia (Argentina) v. Mario Mercado (Colombia) - Monday

Group 6

Samuel Murray (Canada) d. Set Cubillos (Colombia), 15-9, 15-12, 15-11
Elias Nieto (Mexico) d. Diego Gatica (Chile), 15-6, 15-8, 13-15, 15-8

Samuel Murray (Canada) v. Diego Gatica (Chile) - Sunday
Elias Nieto (Mexico) v. Set Cubillos (Colombia) - Sunday

Samuel Murray (Canada) v. Elias Nieto (Mexico) - Monday
Set Cubillos (Colombia) v. Diego Gatica (Chile) - Monday

Women's Doubles

Group 1

Alejandra Herrera & Samantha Salas (Mexico) d. Erika Manilla & Rhonda Rajsich (USA), 15-10, 15-14, 10-15, 15-14
Micaela Meneses & Yazmine Sabja (Bolivia) d. Alexis Iwaasa & Cassie Prentice (Canada), 15-10, 15-1, 15-7

Alejandra Herrera & Samantha Salas (Mexico) v. Alexis Iwaasa & Cassie Prentice (Canada) - Sunday
Micaela Meneses & Yazmine Sabja (Bolivia) v. Erika Manilla & Rhonda Rajsich (USA) - Sunday

Alejandra Herrera & Samantha Salas (Mexico) v. Micaela Meneses & Yazmine Sabja (Bolivia) - Monday
Erika Manilla & Rhonda Rajsich (USA) v. Alexis Iwaasa & Cassie Prentice (Canada) - Monday

Group 2

Natalia Mendez & Maria Jose Vargas (Argentina) d. Cristina Amaya & Maria Paz Riquelme (Colombia), 15-6, 15-10, 15-11
Paula Manilla & Carla Muñoz (Chile) d. Anna Aguilar & Andrea Reyes (Guatemala), 15-12, 15-12, 15-7

Cristina Amaya & Maria Paz Riquelme (Colombia) v. Paula Manilla & Carla Muñoz (Chile) - Sunday
Natalia Mendez & Maria Jose Vargas (Argentina) v. Anna Aguilar & Andrea Reyes (Guatemala) - Sunday

Natalia Mendez & Maria Jose Vargas (Argentina) v. Paula Manilla & Carla Muñoz (Chile) - Monday
Cristina Amaya & Maria Paz Riquelme (Colombia) v. Anna Aguilar & Andrea Reyes (Guatemala) - Monday

Men's Doubles

Group 1

Jake Bredenbeck & Sam Bredenbeck (USA) d. Set Cubillos & Mario Mercado (Colombia), 14-16, 15-12, 15-9, 15-9
Kadim Carrasco & Carlos Keller (Bolivia) v. Set Cubillos & Mario Mercado (Colombia) - Sunday
Kadim Carrasco & Carlos Keller (Bolivia) v. Jake Bredenbeck & Sam Bredenbeck (USA) - Monday

Group 2

Elias Nieto & Erick Trujillo (Mexico) v. Diego Garcia & Tomàs Oyhanart (Argentina), 15-11, 15-3, 15-8
Andres Acuña & Gabriel Garcia (Costa Rica) v. Diego Garcia & Tomàs Oyhanart (Argentina) - Sunday
Elias Nieto & Erick Trujillo (Mexico) v. Andres Acuña & Gabriel Garcia (Costa Rica) - Monday

Group 3

Coby Iwaasa & Samuel Murray (Canada) d. Rafael Gatica & Rodrigo Salgado Jr. (Chile), 15-14, 15-8, 14-15, 15-5
Juan Francisco Cueva & Jose Daniel Ugalde (Ecuador) v. Geovani Mendoza & Juan Salvatierra (Guatemala), 15-3, 15-9, 15-10

Coby Iwaasa & Samuel Murray (Canada) v. Geovani Mendoza & Juan Salvatierra (Guatemala) - Sunday
Juan Francisco Cueva & Jose Daniel Ugalde (Ecuador) v. Rafael Gatica & Rodrigo Salgado Jr. (Chile) - Sunday

Coby Iwaasa & Samuel Murray (Canada) v. Juan Francisco Cueva & Jose Daniel Ugalde (Ecuador) - Monday
Rafael Gatica & Rodrigo Salgado Jr. (Chile) v. Geovani Mendoza & Juan Salvatierra (Guatemala) - Monday

Mixed Doubles

Group 1

Valeria Centellas & Diego Garcia (Argentina) d. Merynanyelly Delgado & Ramón De León (Dominican Republic), 15-12, 15-6, 15-10
Micaela Meneses & Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia) v. Merynanyelly Delgado & Ramón De León (Dominican Republic) - Sunday
Valeria Centellas & Diego Garcia (Argentina) v. Micaela Meneses & Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia) - Monday

Group 2

Alejandro Landa & Erika Manilla (USA) d. Gabriela Martinez & Edwin Galicia (Guatemala), 10-15, 15-7, 12-15, 15-11, 17-15
Rodrigo Montoya & Samantha Salas (Mexico) v. Gabriela Martinez & Edwin Galicia (Guatemala) - Sunday
Rodrigo Montoya & Samantha Salas (Mexico) v. Alejandro Landa & Erika Manilla (USA) - Monday

Group 3

Rodrigo Salgado Jr. & Carla Muñoz (Chile) d. Cristina Amaya & Mario Mercado (Colombia), 14-15, 15-13, 12-15, 15-7, 11-6
Coby Iwaasa & Juliette Parent (Canada) d. Felipe Camacho & Maricruz Ortiz (Costa Rica), 14-16, 6-15, 15-13, 15-12, 11-9

Cristina Amaya & Mario Mercado (Colombia) v. Felipe Camacho & Maricruz Ortiz (Costa Rica) - Sunday
Coby Iwaasa & Juliette Parent (Canada) v. Rodrigo Salgado Jr. & Carla Muñoz (Chile) - Sunday

Cristina Amaya & Mario Mercado (Colombia) v. Coby Iwaasa & Juliette Parent (Canada) - Monday
Rodrigo Salgado Jr. & Carla Muñoz (Chile) v. Felipe Camacho & Maricruz Ortiz (Costa Rica) - Monday

Follow the bouncing ball….

Friday, April 8, 2022

2022 Pan American Championships - Preview

The Pan American Racquetball Championships are being held for the first time in three years. The COVID 19 pandemic, which is still going on, resulted in the cancellation of the 2020 and 2021 Pan American Championships. But the 2022 Pan American Championships will begin Saturday in Santa Cruz, Bolivia with 140 players from 12 countries in 24 divisions, as there’s also junior events. Notable is that mixed doubles will be on the program for the first time in the event’s history, as well as U21 in the junior competition. Also, this will be the first international event using rally scoring with a five game match format: four games to 15 with a tie-breaker to 11, and the first four games are win by one point while the breaker is win by two.

Matches will be streamed by the International Racquetball Federation (IRF), as well as a broadcast on Bolivian television. You can check out links for play via the IRF Facebook page or the IRF YouTube channel.

The IRF hasn’t released any player rosters, and the draws won’t be finalized until after the coaches meeting Friday afternoon, but we have some information for some of the countries.

The USA will have six players in Bolivia. Alejandro Landa, the current IRF Men’s Singles World Champion, leads the team and will try to win his 2nd Pan American Championship title in Men’s Singles. He won in 2017 while representing Mexico. Brothers Jake Bredenbeck and Sam Bredenbeck will play Men’s Doubles with Jake as the 2nd player in Men’s Singles.

Veteran Rhonda Rajsich leads the women’s side and will play singles and doubles with Erika Manilla. Rajsich and Manilla were silver medalists at Worlds last year. Manilla will play Mixed Doubles with Landa, and Kelani Bailey rounds out the team playing Women’s Singles, in which she was also a silver medalist at Worlds in 2021.

Team Canada will have its top three men’s players and some young women’s players in Bolivia. Samuel Murray, a winner on the International Racquetball Tour (IRT), leads the team, and will play both Men’s Singles and Doubles. Coby Iwaasa will be Murray’s doubles partner, and the two were silver medalists at the last Pan Am Championships back in 2019. Trevor Webb will be the other Canadian Men’s Singles player.

Michèle Morissette - a 2022 World Games qualifier - leads the Canadian women in the absence of veterans Frédérique Lambert and Christine Richardson, and she’ll play Women’s Singles along with Juliette Parent, who’s just making her second appearance on Team Canada after playing at Worlds last year. Parent will also play Mixed Doubles with Coby Iwaasa. Alexis Iwaasa - Coby’s cousin - and Cassie Prentice will be the Canadian Women’s Doubles team. Prentice is making her Team Canada debut.

Some of the Bolivian players reported to be representing the host country are Conrrado Moscoso, a two time winner on the IRT, Carlos Keller, and Kadim Carrasco on the men’s side, and on the women’s side Yazmine Sabja, Micaela Meneses, Angelica Barrios. Keller is the two time defending Pan American Champion in Men’s Singles.

The format of the event is to have two days of group play followed by a medal round on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Then they plan to have a team competition on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Finally, as it has been awhile since the last Pan American Championships, let’s remind you of who was on the podium in 2019.

XXXII Pan American Racquetball Championships
Barranquilla, Colombia - April 12-20, 2019

Women's Singles

GOLD - Paola Longoria (Mexico)
SILVER - María José Vargas (Argentina)
BRONZE - Maria Paz Muñoz (Ecuador) and Natalia Mendez (Argentina)

Men's Singles

GOLD - Carlos Keller (Bolivia)
SILVER - Charles Pratt (USA)
BRONZE - Alvaro Beltran (Mexico) and Andres Acuña (Costa Rica)

Women's Doubles

GOLD - Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas (Mexico)
SILVER - Valeria Centellas & Yazmine Sabja (Bolivia)
BRONZE - Cristina Amaya & Adriana Riveros (Colombia) and Danielle Drury & Jennifer Saunders (Canada)

Men's Doubles

GOLD - Roland Keller & Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia)
SILVER - Coby Iwaasa & Samuel Murray (Canada)
BRONZE - Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya (Mexico) and Andres Acuña & Felipe Camacho (Costa Rica)

Follow the bouncing ball….