Mexico won the Men’s and Women’s Team competitions on home soil at the 2022 International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Championships in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, confirming them as the #1 racquetball country in the world. The Mexican men defeated Canada in two straight matches, while the Mexican women needed all three matches to claim gold from Bolivia.
Although the Men’s Team final was over in two straight matches, both went to fifth game tie-breakers and could easily have gone in Canada’s favour, as the Canadians led in both matches. In the first, Canadian Coby Iwaasa was up 2-1 on Mexican Rodrigo Montoya, and had momentum after winning 11-3 the third game. But Montoya - a former World Champion in Men’s Singles and current World Champion in Mixed Doubles - regrouped and led all the way in games four and five, winning the match, 11-7, 9-11, 3-11, 11-6, 11-4.
Montoya’s win meant Canadian Samuel Murray needed to beat Mexican Daniel De La Rosa in the second match to push the final to a third and deciding match, which would have been doubles. Murray looked like he would do just that as he went up 2-0 on De La Rosa, winning game one 11-9 and game two 11-6.
However, De La Rosa is the #1 player on the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) and two time World Champion in Men’s Doubles for good reasons, and he was not going to roll over, especially in his hometown. De La Rosa led most of the way in game three, winning it 11-7, to begin his comeback.
But in game four, they were back and forth. When Murray tied it at 8–8, despite De La Rosa appealing that Murray’s cross court forehand shot from the back left corner had skipped - the call was upheld after video review, which is new for these championships - there was a sense that Murray would pull off the upset.
Yet De La Rosa hit three winners on successive rallies to win game four 11-8, and force a tie-breaker.
The breaker was back and forth early, leading to a tie at 6-6. De La Rosa got a couple of bounces to go his way on the next two rallies. He hit a ball high that took a big bounce into the front court, which should have led to a Murray winner, but the ball went right along the right side glass wall, which led to a error by the Canadian. On the next rally, De La Rosa’s drive serve to the left side bounced out and close to the side wall resulting in a service winner.
Murray called a timeout, and won the ensuing rally with a forehand down the left side, getting to within one of De La Rosa at 8-7. But again the Mexican’s quality shone through, as he hit winners on the next three rallies, finishing in style with a forehand reverse pinch to the front left corner for the match and the title.
In comparison, the Women’s Team final was not nearly as dramatic. Three matches were needed to decide it, but all three were over in three games, and none of the games was decided by fewer than three points.
Bolivian Angelica Barrios - the current Pan American Champion in Women’s Singles - defeated Mexican Alexandra Herrera, 11-6, 11-6, 11-7, in the first match. Then Mexican Paola Longoria - the current Women’s Singles World Champion, winning the title for a 5th time earlier this week - dispatched of Jenny Daza, 11-4, 11-8, 11-6. The deciding match saw Longoria and Samantha Salas - the current Women’s Doubles World Champions, winning that title for a 5th time together this week - beat Barrios and Daza, 11-4, 11-7, 11-3.
All of the Men’s and Women’s Team event final matches were live streamed by the IRF, and you can see them - the men’s matches are especially worth watching - by going to the IRF YouTube channel. The next event for the IRF is the World Junior Championships in Guatemala, December 2-10.
XXI International Racquetball Federation World Championships
San Luis Potosi, Mexico - August 19-27
Men’s Team - Final - Saturday
Mexico d. Canada
Rodrigo Montoya (Mexico) d. Coby Iwaasa (Canada), 11-7, 9-11, 3-11, 11-6, 11-4
Daniel De La Rosa (Mexico) d. Samuel Murray (Canada), 9-11, 6-11, 11-7, 11-8, 11-7
Alvaro Beltran & Daniel De La Rosa (Mexico) v. Coby Iwaasa & Samuel Murray (Canada) - not played
Women’s Team - Final - Saturday
Mexico d. Bolivia
Angelica Barrios (Bolivia) d. Alexandra Herrera (Mexico), 11-6, 11-6, 11-7
Paola Longoria (Mexico) d. Jenny Daza (Bolivia), 11-4, 11-8, 11-6
Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas (Mexico) d. Angelia Barrios & Jenny Daza (Bolivia), 11-4, 11-7, 11-3
Follow the bouncing ball…..
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