Monday, October 17, 2022

Weekend Round Up - Waselenchuk injury & Grisz appointment

Usually our weekend round is bits and bobs of tournament results, but today we have a couple of off court news items.

Waselenchuk injury

Kane Waselenchuk announced he completely tore his Achilles tendon last month at the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) Capitol Classic Racquetball Tournament in Millersville, Maryland. His announcement came during an interview Sunday night on Sudsy Monchik’s Beyond The Court YouTube channel. Waselenchuk underwent surgery for the injury on October 4, so he’ll be in rehabilitation for the injury soon.

How well Waselenchuk will be able to recover from the injury is anyone’s guess, and he received mixed messages from medical professions ahead of his surgery. Counting against him is the fact he’ll turn 41 next month. But counting for him is the fact that he’s an elite athlete, who is well aware of how to train properly and the benefits of doing so.

According to WebMD, people return to full activity 4-6 months after surgery, and a full recovery isn’t expected until a year afterwards with the possibility of never getting back to 100%. That means Waselenchuk might not be back to full fitness until he turns 43 next November. Of course, those are expectations for common people, and Waselenchuk is quite uncommon, so his recovery may be much better or faster or both than this guideline.

Many people are saddened by Waselenchuk’s absence from the IRT, which is understandable because he’s the best player of this era. Some are so disappointed that they have lost interest in racquetball, which is difficult to understand, because there are still good players and great matches to be seen. Are these players as good as Waselenchuk? Maybe not, but Waselenchuk was never going to play forever, so there was always going to be a point at which he left the scene.

Sadly, that point may come due to injury rather than Waselenchuk’s choice, but it was going to come. Recently, Roger Federer and Serena Williams retired from tennis, and their absences will be noticed and they’ll be missed. But we’re still going to watch tennis.

And we’re going to watch racquetball even without Waselenchuk.

Grisz named USA Racquetball Executive Director

On Friday, USA Racquetball (USAR) announced the appointment of Mike Grisz as their new Executive Director. Grisz was on the USAR Board of Directors, so for the third consecutive time a USAR board member has become the Executive Director. Grisz succeeds Mike Wedel, whose resignation was announced last month. Wedel held the position for four years succeeding Jason Thoerner. Like Grisz, both Wedel and Thoerner were USAR board members prior to becoming Executive Director.

If you were looking for a breath of fresh air from the new Executive Director, it’s difficult to see it coming from someone already within the organization. Do you need to hire a racquetball person as your Executive Director? Racquetball Canada’s last three Executive Directors have come from outside of racquetball, and they have all been positive for the organization. So, no it’s not necessary to hire a racquetball person to be the USA Racquetball Executive Director, and it could even help bring a new perspective to the table.

But Grisz could be a good choice for the position. From our brief interactions with him, he seems like a fine fellow. However, the Executive Director’s role is to serve at the will of the Board, so no one should be expecting Grisz to be a white knight riding in to solve all of USA Racquetball's problems.

We’re not sure what problems those are, although one may be finances, as part of the announcement in Grisz’s appointment is that he will serve the role unpaid. Explaining his decision to do so, Grisz said “I feel I owe this to the sport that has contributed so much to my life.” USAR President Stewart Solomon’s comment that “the Board is grateful that [Grisz] is able to volunteer his time” when “the association is still recovering from a reduced membership base” suggests the USAR isn’t in a good financial position.

Was the USAR Board in a situation where they were unsure of whether they could pay someone whatever the going rate is for a National Sport Organization’s Executive Director and Grisz, as a Board member, saw that difficulty and volunteered - literally - to fill the position? It could be that they took the path of least resistance in making this appointment.

But doing the easiest thing isn’t always the best thing. For example, if someone is not being paid, then people may not be as critical of the person, because “well, the person is doing it out of the kindness of his/her heart” and how can you be critical of someone who is doing that? Moreover, what is the USAR going to do for their next ED when they have to go from budgeting $0 for the position to something significant, because being the ED of a National Sport Organization is a big job that should command a significant salary, especially if you are looking to attract quality candidates for the job.

Again, Grisz could work out fine, but the situation suggests USA Racquetball isn’t in a good place right now.

US Open

Grisz stated that one of his objectives is to “enhance the US OPEN and all of the other National Events.” This was the first year the US Open was handled without Doug Ganim, who was its Tournament Director for the 25 previous US Opens. Many people were disappointed that the portable court, which was the primary feature of Ganim’s US Opens, was not used this year, although it seemed that using the portable court was not a possibility, which again we believe is due to finances. However, we think it would have been more disappointing to not have a US Open at all, so good on the USAR for continuing the US Open tradition even if the portable court was unavailable.

If you’re looking for why the US Open wasn’t a spectacle this year compared to years past, consider that Ganim ran that event exclusively, so he could give the event his full attention. Connor Shane ran it this year, as he is the USA Racquetball’s Director of National Events. There are 5 US National Championships plus the US Open on Shane’s plate. If you think six events seems like too much for just one person, we’d agree with you.

But USA Racquetball only has three staff members: Shane, Grisz, and Reneé Isherwood, who is the Director of Operations & National Teams. Three staff members is not many for a National Sport Organization. In comparison, USA Table Tennis has six staff members, and US Squash has 27 (twenty seven!) staff members plus five technology staff.

So, USAR is operating as a bare bones organization, and that can make it difficult for them to solve any of the problems (perceived or actual) that they have.

Thus, when Grisz said he’s “looking forward to a challenging … experience,” he’s undoubtedly going to have one.

Follow the bouncing ball…..

Sunday, October 9, 2022

Moscoso, Murray & Parrilla win at 2022 IRT Golden State Open

Conrrado Moscoso defeated Jake Bredenbeck, 15-11, 15-7, to win the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) Golden State Open in Pleasanton, California on Sunday. Moscoso has now won back to back on the IRT for the first time in his career after winning the US Open last weekend. Sunday’s victory was his 4th on tour.

Bredenbeck, who was playing in his second career final, had his chances. He was down 9-3 in game one, but came back to lead 11-9. However, Bredenbeck couldn’t finish it off, as Moscoso got six unanswered points to win it, 15-11.

Game two has a similar storyline, except it was Bredenbeck who led early at 7-3. But again Moscoso got 12 unanswered points to win it, 15-7. Moscoso is a power player, but late in game one he began serving soft, hitting lobs rather the drive serves he was doing early in the match. It was an effective change.

Afterwards, Moscoso said he was “so happy for the match and tournament,” and congratulated Bredenbeck on having good tournament also. With four IRT tournament wins, Moscoso is tied for 20th all time with Alejandro Landa, Steve Keeley, and USA Racquetball Hall of Famers Gregg Peck and Steve Serot.

Samuel Murray and Andree Parrilla won the doubles title in Califoria, as they defeated Andrés Acuña and Eduardo Portillo, 15-10, 15-12. Murray was carrying a right knee injury, so Parrilla played on the left side, which was a change from last weekend’s US Open when Murray played the left side. For much of the match, it seemed like Parrilla was playing two on one, as he took the majority of the shots. Yet they got it to work.

When Murray was asked how he felt after the match, he said “feeling all right enough to win.”

Parrilla added that “I feel comfortable with Sam,” and he’s comfortable with me, and that made for a “really good tournament for us.” They haven’t been playing together for very long, so having success early in a partnership is impressive.

Like the singles final, the match could have gone the other way, as Acuña and Portillo had leads in both games. They couldn’t finish them though. In game one, they led early at 6-2 and 7-5, but Murray and Parrilla came back and took the lead at 10-7.

They wouldn’t relinquish that lead, although Acuña and Portillo did get within one at 11-10. Murray got a side out with a forehand reverse pinch shot, which led to two more points for his side off back to back winners by Parrilla, making the score 13-10.

Acuña and Portillo took a timeout at that point, and they did get the serve back when play resumed. But they couldn’t score, as Parrilla again hit back to back winners.

Another Parrilla winner - a backhand cross court shot - put his side on game point at 14-10. He won it for them when the ball came off the back wall with a big bounce into the front court, where Parrilla just touched it softly to the front wall.

The game two storyline was similar to game one, as Acuña and Portillo led early and for most of the game. When it was 12-8, you have a feeling that a tie-breaker was going to be needed to decide the match. Murray and Parrilla then took a timeout.

When play resumed an Acuña forehand shot was called good by the referee, but Murray and Parrilla appealed that it actually skipped. Both line judges disagreed with the referee’s call, overturning the play and putting Murray and Parrilla in the service box.

They served it out, winning seven straight points. Murray hit three winners, Parrilla two, and Portillo skipped a lob serve return, which all combined to put Murray and Parrilla on match point at 14-12.

Murray hit a lob to Portillo, which started a 26 shot rally during which Murray was on the floor twice - making two shots from the floor - and it ended when Acuña moved around to hit a forehand shot from left to right, but he skipped it. That gave Murray and Parrilla their 15th point, and a win in two straight games.

The win is Murray’s 3rd IRT doubles title in 9 doubles finals. Surprisingly, it was only the 3rd time Parrilla has been in an IRT doubles final, and it’s his 2nd win.

The IRT will play in the 3WallBall Outdoor World Championships in Las Vegas, Nevada October 26-30. The next big indoor IRT event will be the Dovetail Open in Sarasota, Florida, November 3-6. If you missed any of the action from the 2022 IRT Golden State Open, then check out the usual IRT media outlets: The IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page.

2022 IRT Golden State Open, October 6-9, 2022
Pleasanton, California

Final - Sunday

1) Conrrado Moscoso d. 6) Jake Bredenbeck, 15-11, 15-7

Doubles - Final - Sunday

2) Samuel Murray & Andree Parrilla d. 4) Andrés Acuña & Eduardo Portillo, 15-10, 15-12

Follow the bouncing ball….

Bredenbeck in 2nd IRT final at 2022 Golden State Open

Jake Bredenbeck is into his 2nd career final on the International Racquetball Tour (IRT), as he defeated Mario Mercado, 15-9, 15-9, in the semi-finals of the 2022 IRT Golden State Open in Pleasanton, California on Saturday night. Earlier on Saturday, he beat Jaime Martell in the quarterfinals, 2-15, 15-3, 11-2.

Mercado had the big upset of the quarterfinals, as he knocked off the #2 seed Andree Parrilla, 15-12, 15-14.

In the final, Bredenbeck will face the most in form player on the IRT in Conrrado Moscoso, who won the US Open last weekend, and two months ago won the ()International Racquetball Federation (IRF) Men’s Singles World Championship for the first time. Despite that success Moscoso got to the final by the narrowest of margins, and had to comeback to do it. He eked out a win over Eduardo Portillo, 7-15, 15-13, 11-10, in what was a battle of the two most recent winners on the IRT.

Portillo controlled game one, and although they were close in game two, Moscoso led for most of it, eventually winning it to force a tie-breaker. In the breaker, Portillo went up 5-2, and Moscoso came back and tied it 5-5.

Yet Portillo again went ahead at 7-5, and although Moscoso tied it at 7-7 with a drive serve ace to the left side, Portillo got to 10 first with a 10-7 lead.

Moscoso staved off Portillo’s first match point with a backhand kill shot, and then serves up an ace drive serve to the left side to make it 10-8. Portillo got the serve back with a backhand pinch shot winner, as Moscoso went for another ace. With the serve secured and ahead of his second match point, Portillo called a timeout.

Often the player who calls a timeout wins the first rally coming out of the timeout. But that didn't happen this time, as when play resumed Moscoso got the serve back with a backhand cross court return of Portillo’s drive serve to the left. He got within one at 10-9 by making a forehand rekill, and then Moscoso tied it at 10-10 with a forehand pinch shot.

That gave Moscoso his first match point, and he didn’t need a second, as he ended the rally with a forehand winner down the line that was well out of Portillo’s reach.

Portillo failed to reach the singles final, but he will be in the doubles final Sunday, as he and Andrés Acuña - the 4th seeds - upset top seeds Javier Mar and Rodrigo Montoya, 15-12, 15-1, in the doubles semi-finals. They’ll play 2nd seeds Samuel Murray and Andree Parrilla in the final, as Murray and Parrilla held on to defeat 6th seeds Sebastian Fernandez and Adam Manilla, 15-8, 13-15, 11-10. Murray and Parrilla were down 10-5 in the breaker, but won six consecutive rallies to squeak out the breaker, 11-10.

You can see the 2022 IRT Golden State Open finals via the usual IRT media outlets: The IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page. The singles final will be Sunday at 11:30 AM with the doubles final to follow at at 12:15 PM. All times Pacific.

2022 IRT Golden State Open, October 6-9, 2022
Pleasanton, California

Quarterfinals - Saturday

1) Conrrado Moscoso d. 8) Adam Manilla, 15-11, 15-5
4) Eduardo Portillo d. Diego Garcia, 15-2, 15-5

6) Jake Bredenbeck d. Jaime Martell, 2-15, 15-3, 11-2
7) Mario Mercado d. 2) Andree Parrilla, 15-13, 15-14

Semi-finals - Saturday

1) Conrrado Moscoso d. 4) Eduardo Portillo, 7-15, 15-13, 11-10
6) Jake Bredenbeck d. 7) Mario Mercado, 15-9, 15-9

Final - Sunday

1) Conrrado Moscoso v. 6) Jake Bredenbeck - 11:30 AM

Doubles - Semi-finals - Saturday

4) Andrés Acuña & Eduardo Portillo d. 1) Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya, 15-12, 15-1
2) Samuel Murray & Andree Parrilla d. 6) Sebastian Fernandez & Adam Manilla, 15-8, 13-15, 11-10

Doubles - Final - Sunday

2) Samuel Murray & Andree Parrilla v. 4) Andrés Acuña & Eduardo Portillo - 12:15 PM

Follow the bouncing ball….

Friday, October 7, 2022

Garcia & Martell surprise quarterfinalists at 2022 IRT Golden State Open

Diego Garcia and Jaime Martell have come through Thursday qualifying and made it into the Saturday quarterfinals at the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) Golden State Open in Pleasanton, California. Garcia upset former IRT #1 Rocky Carson in the Round of 16, 11-15, 15-7, 11-5, while Martell knocked off IRT #4 Samuel Murray, 15-8, 15-14.

Top seed Conrrado Moscoso and #2 seed Andree Parrilla both won their matches in the 16s in two straight games. Moscoso defeat Alan Natera, 15-5, 15-5, and Parrilla beat Kadim Carrasco, 15-10, 15-8. In the quarterfinals, Moscoso will play 8th seed Adam Manilla, who went tie-breaker with Carlos Keller in the 16s, winning 11-15, 15-11, 11-7, while Parrilla will play Mario Mercado, who defeated Rodrigo Montoya, 15-11, 15-11.

Earlier, Garcia eked out a victory over Javier Mar, winning 15-14, 10-15, 11-10. He got to 10 first in the breaker when he hit a drive serve ace to the left side that made it 10-7, but Mar fought off match point with a backhand serve return.

Mar then scored three points to tie it at 10-10. Garcia gave Mar his 10th point with a big unforced error when he plowed a backhand shot into the floor. Some of The Racquetball Blog staff thought that error would cost him the match, but the young Argentine player got the serve back when an 11 shot rally ended with an avoidable call against Mar, who was getting up from his second dive of the rally, as the ball came past him as Garcia was poised to take a shot. It seemed like a good call.

Garcia won the match by ending a 15 shot rally with a backhand splat roll out from 38’. It was an all or nothing shot that often you see from young guns like Garcia. Shots that would drive coaches crazy, but this time it worked beautifully.

Mar got a measure of payback on Garcia, as he and Rodrigo Montoya beat Garcia and Mercado, 15-2, 15-10, in the doubles quarterfinals. Mar and Montoya are the top seeds, and they’ll play 4th seeds Andrés Acuña and Eduardo Portillo in the semi-finals Saturday, as Acuña and Portillo came back to defeat last weekend's US Open finalists and this weekend's 5th seeds Jake and Sam Bredenbeck, 7-15, 15-6, 11-2.

On the other side of the doubles draw, 2nd seeds Murray and Parrilla defeated 7th seeds Carrasco and Carlos Keller in two straight games, 15-8, 15-11. Of note, Parrilla was playing on the left side and Murray on the right, which is a switch from how they played at the US Open last weekend, when they got to the semi-finals. In tomorrow's semis, they’ll play 6th seeds Sebastian Fernandez and Adam Manilla, who were the only upset winners Friday, as they took out 3rd seeds Conrrado Moscoso and Roland Keller, 14-15, 15-11, 11-5.

You can see the 2022 IRT Golden State Open matches via the usual IRT media outlets: The IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page. The singles quarterfinals will begin Saturday morning with the semi-finals Saturday evening. The final will be Sunday at 11:30 AM. The doubles the semi-finals Saturday afternoon, and final Sunday at 12:15 PM. All times Pacific.

2022 IRT Golden State Open, October 6-9, 2022
Pleasanton, California

Round of 32 - Friday

1) Conrrado Moscoso - BYE
Alan Natera d. 16) Robert Collins, 12-15, 15-11, 11-5

9) Carlos Keller d. Nicholas Riffel, 15-6, 12-15, 11-7
8) Adam Manilla - BYE

5) Rocky Carson - BYE
Diego Garcia d. 12) Javier Mar, 15-14, 10-15, 11-10

13) Thomas Carter d. Jim Douglas, 15-1, 15-1
4) Eduardo Portillo - BYE

3) Samuel Murray - BYE
Jaime Martell d. 14) Sebastian Fernandez, 11-15, 15-10, 11-5

11) Andrés Acuña d. Anthony Martin, 15-5, 15-5
6) Jake Bredenbeck - BYE

7) Mario Mercado - BYE
10) Rodrigo Montoya d. Rodrigo Mendoza, 15-8, 15-1

15) Kadim Carrasco d. Sam Bredenbeck, 7-15, 15-4, 11-6
2) Andree Parrilla - BYE

Round of 16 - Friday

1) Conrrado Moscoso d. Alan Natera, 15-5, 15-5
8) Adam Manilla d. 9) Carlos Keller, 11-15, 15-11, 11-7

Diego Garcia d. 5) Rocky Carson, 11-15, 15-7, 11-5
4) Eduardo Portillo d. 13) Thomas Carter, 15-3, 15-8

Jaime Martell d. 3) Samuel Murray, 15-8, 15-14
6) Jake Bredenbeck d. 11) Andrés Acuña, 15-10, 15-3

7) Mario Mercado d. 10) Rodrigo Montoya, 15-11, 15-11
2) Andree Parrilla d. 15) Kadim Carrasco, 15-10, 15-8

Quarterfinals - Saturday

1) Conrrado Moscoso v. 8) Adam Manilla - 1:15 PM
4) Eduardo Portillo v. Diego Garcia - 12:30 PM

6) Jake Bredenbeck v. Jaime Martell - 10:15 AM
2) Andree Parrilla v. 7) Mario Mercado - 11 AM

Doubles - Quarterfinals - Friday

1) Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya d. 8) Diego Garcia & Mario Mercado, 15-2, 15-10
4) Andrés Acuña & Eduardo Portillo d. 5) Jake Bredenbeck & Sam Bredenbeck, 7-15, 15-6, 11-2

6) Sebastian Fernandez & Adam Manilla d. 3) Conrrado Moscoso & Roland Keller, 14-15, 15-11, 11-5
2) Samuel Murray & Andree Parrilla d. 7) Kadim Carrasco & Carlos Keller, 15-8, 15-11

Doubles - Semi-finals - Saturday

1) Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya v. 4) Andrés Acuña & Eduardo Portillo - 4:15 PM
2) Samuel Murray & Andree Parrilla v. 6) Sebastian Fernandez & Adam Manilla - 3:30 PM

Follow the bouncing ball….

Thursday, October 6, 2022

2022 IRT Golden State Open - Rounds of 128 & 64

On the first day of the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) Golden State Open in Pleasanton, California there were a few tie-breakers in the Round of 64, one of which resulted in an upset. Anthony Martin defeated young Bolivian Ezequiel Subieta, 15-11, 6-15, 11-7, and will play Andrés Acuña in the Round of 32 on Friday.

Also, Nicholas Riffel, who we’ve not seen on the IRT since last year's US Open, held on to defeat Colombian Andrés Gómez, 15-11, 10-15, 11-3. Riffel will be up against Carlos Keller in the 32s on Friday. Finally, Jaime Martell came back from a game down to defeat Jhonatan Flores, 9-15 15-12, 11-6.

Other Friday morning matches to look forward to are: Alan Natera versus Robert Collins, Diego Garcia versus Javier Mar, as well as Sam Bredenbeck against Kadim Carrasco, and Martell against Sebastian Fernandez.

You can see the 2022 IRT Golden State Open matches via the usual IRT media outlets: The IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page. The Round of 32 will be Friday morning with the Round of 16 in the afternoon. The final will be Sunday at 11:30 AM. The doubles quarterfinals will be Friday evening and the semi-finals Saturday afternoon, and final Sunday at 12:15 PM. All times Pacific.

2022 IRT Golden State Open, October 6-9, 2022
Pleasanton, California

Round of 128 - Thursday

Nathan Rykhus d. Jose Perez, 15-14, 15-11

Round of 64 - Thursday

Q1 - Alan Natera d. Nathan Rykhus, 15-0, 15-2
Q8 - Nicholas Riffel d. Andrés Gómez, 15-11, 10-15, 11-3

Q5 - Diego Garcia d. Cody Elkins, 15-3, 15-1
Q4 - Jim Douglas d. Charles Rankin, forfeit

Q3 - Jaime Martell d. Jhonatan Flores, 9-15, 15-12, 11-6
Q6 - Anthony Martin d. Ezequiel Subieta, 15-11, 6-15, 11-7

Q7 - Rodrigo Mendoza d. John Wolfe, forfeit
Q2 - Sam Bredenbeck d. Walter Ramos Jr., 15-2, 15-10

Round of 32 - Friday

1) Conrrado Moscoso - BYE
16) Robert Collins v. Alan Natera - 11:45 AM

9) Carlos Keller v. Nicholas Riffel - 11:45 AM
8) Adam Manilla - BYE

5) Rocky Carson - BYE
12) Javier Mar v. Diego Garcia - 11:45 AM

13) Thomas Carter v. Jim Douglas - 11:45 AM
4) Eduardo Portillo - BYE

3) Samuel Murray - BYE
14) Sebastian Fernandez v. Jaime Martell - 11 AM

11) Andrés Acuña v. Anthony Martin - 11 AM
6) Jake Bredenbeck - BYE

7) Mario Mercado - BYE
10) Rodrigo Montoya v. Rodrigo Mendoza - 11 AM

15) Kadim Carrasco v. Sam Bredenbeck - 11 AM
2) Andree Parrilla - BYE

Doubles - Round of 16 - Thursday

1) Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya - BYE
8) Diego Garcia & Mario Mercado d. 9) Jhonatan Flores & Alan Natera, 15-12, 15-11

5) Jake Bredenbeck & Sam Bredenbeck - BYE
4) Andrés Acuña & Eduardo Portillo - BYE

3) Conrrado Moscoso & Roland Keller - BYE
6) Sebastian Fernandez & Adam Manilla - BYE

7) Kadim Carrasco & Carlos Keller - BYE
2) Samuel Murray & Andree Parrilla - BYE

Doubles - Quarterfinals - Friday

1) Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya v. 8) Diego Garcia & Mario Mercado - 6:30 PM
4) Andrés Acuña & Eduardo Portillo v. 5) Jake Bredenbeck & Sam Bredenbeck - 6:30 PM

3) Conrrado Moscoso & Roland Keller v. 6) Sebastian Fernandez & Adam Manilla - 7:15 PM
2) Samuel Murray & Andree Parrilla v. 7) Kadim Carrasco & Carlos Keller - 7:15 PM

Follow the bouncing ball….

2022 IRT Golden State Open - Preview

Only days after the 2022 US Open concluded, the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) will be back in action, as the Golden State Open begins today in Pleasanton, California. There are 33 players in the draw, as well as 9 doubles teams, although a few players of the top players are missing, including IRT #1 Daniel De La Rosa.

However, US Open Champion Conrrado Moscoso is in California, as is runner up Rodrigo Montoya. Moscoso is the top seed this weekend, although Montoya is seeded 10th, as his IRT ranking is only 13th.

The tournament starts with the Rounds of 128, which is only one match this week: Jose Perez plays Nathan Rykhus this afternoon with the winner to face Alan Natera later today. Natera is one of the interesting players in qualifying, and if he wins today he’ll play Robert Collins in the Round of 32 Friday with the winner going up against Moscosco.

Other qualifying players of note are Diego Garcia, who could face Javier Mar in the 32s, as well as Sam Bredenbeck, and Jaime Martell. If Bredenbeck wins today he’ll play Kadim Carrasco Friday with the winner up against 2nd seed Andree Parrilla. Martell could play Sebastian Fernandez Friday, and the winner faces 3rd seed Samuel Murray.

If the Round of 32 matches go according to seeding, then there will be some interesting Round of 16 matches. Veteran Rocky Carson could face Javier Mar, runner up at the IRT event in Maryland last month. Also, Jake Bredenbeck could take on Andrés Acuña, Mario Mercado will likely play Montoya, and the 8/9 match will likely be Adam Manilla against Carlos Keller.

Javier Mar and Rodrigo Montoya are the top seeded doubles team with Murray and Parrilla the 2nd seeds. Moscoso and Roland Keller are seeded 3rd with Andrés Acuña and Eduardo Portillo 4th. In the quarterfinals, Acuña and Portillo will play brothers Jake and Sam Bredenbeck, who were finalists at the US Open, losing to De La Rosa and Alvaro Beltran.

You can see the 2022 IRT Golden State Open matches via the usual IRT media outlets: The IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page. Play begins Thursday afternoon with the Round of 128 at 2 PM, and the Round of 64 at 5 and 5:45 PM. The Round of 32 will be Friday morning with the Round of 16 in the afternoon. The final will be Sunday at 11:30 AM. The doubles quarterfinals will be Friday evening and the semi-finals Saturday afternoon, and final Sunday at 12:15 PM. All times Pacific.

2022 IRT Golden State Open, October 6-9, 2022
Pleasanton, California

Round of 128 - Thursday

Jose Perez v. Nathan Rykhus - 2 PM

Round of 64 - Thursday

Q1 - Alan Natera v. Jose Perez or Nathan Rykhus - 5:45 PM
Q8 - Andrés Gómez v. Nicholas Riffel - 5:45 PM

Q5 - Diego Garcia v. Cody Elkins - 5:45 PM
Q4 - Jim Douglas v. Charles Rankin - 5:45 PM

Q3 - Jaime Martell v. Jhonatan Flores - 5 PM
Q6 - Ezequiel Subieta v. Anthony Martin - 5 PM

Q7 - Rodrigo Mendoza v. John Wolfe - 5 PM
Q2 - Sam Bredenbeck v. Walter Ramos Jr. - 5 PM

Round of 32 - Friday

1) Conrrado Moscoso - BYE
16) Robert Collins v. Q1 - 11:45 AM

9) Carlos Keller v. Q8 - 11:45 AM
8) Adam Manilla - BYE

5) Rocky Carson - BYE
12) Javier Mar v. Q5 - 11:45 AM

13) Thomas Carter v. Q4 - 11:45 AM
4) Eduardo Portillo - BYE

3) Samuel Murray - BYE
14) Sebastian Fernandez v. Q3 - 11 AM

11) Andrés Acuña v. Q6 - 11 AM
6) Jake Bredenbeck - BYE

7) Mario Mercado - BYE
10) Rodrigo Montoya v. Q7 - 11 AM

15) Kadim Carrasco v. Q2 - 11 AM
2) Andree Parrilla - BYE

Doubles - Round of 16 - Thursday

1) Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya - BYE
8) Diego Garcia & Mario Mercado v. 9) Jhonatan Flores & Alan Natera - 7:15 PM

5) Jake Bredenbeck & Sam Bredenbeck - BYE
4) Andrés Acuña & Eduardo Portillo - BYE

3) Conrrado Moscoso & Roland Keller - BYE
6) Sebastian Fernandez & Adam Manilla - BYE

7) Kadim Carrasco & Carlos Keller - BYE
2) Samuel Murray & Andree Parrilla - BYE

Doubles - Quarterfinals - Friday

1) Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya v. 8) Diego Garcia & Mario Mercado or 9) Jhonatan Flores & Alan Natera - 6:30 PM
4) Andrés Acuña & Eduardo Portillo v. 5) Jake Bredenbeck & Sam Bredenbeck - 6:30 PM

3) Conrrado Moscoso & Roland Keller v. 6) Sebastian Fernandez & Adam Manilla - 7:15 PM
2) Samuel Murray & Andree Parrilla v. 7) Kadim Carrasco & Carlos Keller - 7:15 PM

Follow the bouncing ball….

Monday, October 3, 2022

Moscoso wins his 1st US Open title

Conrrado Moscoso beat Rodrigo Montoya, 15-8, 15-4, to win his first International Racquetball Tour (IRT) US Open title on Sunday at the 2022 USA Racquetball US Open at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. Moscoso becomes the first Bolivian and first South American player to win a US Open.

Moscoso was playing in his second US Open final, while Montoya was in his first IRT final ever. However, Montoya has plenty of international experience, and this was the first US Open IRT final between two players who have won Men’s Singles at the International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Championships. Moscoso did so in August, while Montoya won it in 2018.

Moscoso’s performance was dominant in the final. Consider that of Montoya’s 12 points, 8 were scored by Moscoso skipping shots, including 5 on consecutive rallies that allowed Montoya to get within one point of Moscoso at 7-6 in game one.

Moscoso took a 7-1 lead in game one before that streak of skips, and after it he again outscored Montoya, 8-2, to win it 15-8.

Game two was similar. Moscoso took a 4-0, and then skipped a couple of shots, so his lead was cut to 4-2. He then upped the lead to 8-2, including hitting two drive serve aces to the left side (Montoya’s backhand). Moscoso’s serving was outstanding in the final, as he his six aces overall.

Following a timeout, Montoya did claw a couple points back to make the score 8-4, but that’s as much as he got, as Moscoso went on to win 15-4. Montoya did serve in that stretch - three times, in fact - but Moscoso fended off two of those serves with winning returns and hit a forehand winner to deny Montoya on the other rally.

The win is Moscoso's third on the IRT, which ties him for 24th most in IRT history with Alvaro Beltran, Ed Andrews and Steve Strandemo.

The IRT will be back in action this weekend. Yes, they’ll play four days after the end of the US Open. This scheduling is rare, as usually tours take an understandable break after the Open. Nonetheless, the Golden State Open will begin October 6 in Pleasanton, California.

If you missed any of the US Open IRT action, you can check it out by going to the IRT YouTube channel or their Facebook page.

2022 US Open - University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
September 28-October 2, 2022

IRT Singles - Final - Sunday

6) Conrrado Moscoso d. 16) Rodrigo Montoya, 15-8, 15-4

Follow the bouncing ball…..

Sunday, October 2, 2022

Longoria wins LPRT US Open for 12th time

Paola Longoria, the #1 player on the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT), won her 12th US Open - and 11th consecutive - on Sunday, when she defeated 3rd seed Erika Manilla, 13-15, 15-5, 11-3, in the final of the 2022 USA Racquetball US Open at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. After the last rally was over, Longoria jumped for joy.

Manilla is first player to win the first game of a US Open final against Longoria, so Longoria had to play from behind to win her 12th title.

Manilla took the early lead in game one at 4-0, but Longoria came back to tie it at 4-4. She led for most of the mid game, at 5-4 and 8-6. But Manilla then got five straight points to lead 11-8. She maintained that lead to win game one 15-13, when Longoria was unable to keep a rally going after Manilla hit a forehand down the right side.

We expected a response from Longoria in game two, and we got it, as she went out to a 7-0 lead. Manilla served three times in that period, but couldn’t score. She also took a timeout at 5-0, but that didn’t stop Longoria’s streak.

However, there’s no quit in Manilla, and once she did score, she kept scoring and got within two at 7-5. There was an exchange of sideouts at that point, which ended when Longoria hit a service winner to the left side to make it 8-5.

Six more points followed on as many rallies, as she went from 7-5 to 14-5. Manilla did fight off the first game point with a backhand winner off a lob serve to left side, but Longoria immediately got the serve back with a forehand pinch shot. On the second game point, Longoria hit a forehand down the line to end the game at 15-5.

Manilla was likely disappointed to not win game two, but at the same time, she was 11 points from her first US Open title. However, standing in her way was the 11 time champion Longoria, who similarly 11 points from her 12th title.

The tie-breaker started slowly. Sixteen rallies in and it was just 2-2. Longoria took control from there, as she put up six unanswered points. Manilla took both her timeouts during that stretch, but didn’t stop it.

She did get a point to make it 8-3, but was then forced into a skipping a forehand shot by Longoria, who then called timeout. When play resumed Longoria won the next three rallies, with the last two coming directly off drive serves to the left side - Manilla’s backhand - and the game and match were over, as Longoria won her 12th US Open title.

This was the 26th US Open, and Longoria has won almost half of the women’s pro titles. Astonishing.

If you missed any of the LPRT US Open action from Minneapolis, you can watch it by going to the LPRT YouTube channel or their Facebook page.

2022 US Open - University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
September 28-October 2, 2022

LPRT Singles - Final - Sunday

1) Paola Longoria d. 3) Erika Manilla, 13-15, 15-5, 11-3

Follow the bouncing ball…..

Moscoso & Montoya to contest 2022 IRT US Open final

Conrrado Moscoso and Rodrigo Montoya will vie for their first International Racquetball Tour (IRT) US Open title on Sunday, as they won their respective semi-final matches at the 2022 USA Racquetball US Open at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis on Saturday. Both players won their semi-finals comfortably. Moscoso defeated Andree Parrilla, 15-6, 15-5, and Montoya beat Alejandro Landa, 15-5, 15-6.

Moscoso will play his second US Open final Sunday. He was in the 2019 final, when he lost to Kane Waselenchuk. Montoya was a first time US Open semi-finalist, so he’s in his first final.

Both Moscoso and Montoya have won Men’s Singles at the International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Championships, and it’s the first time two IRF World Champions have met in the IRT final. The 2007 final - won by Rocky Carson over Jack Huczek - was between two players who would be IRF World Champions. Huczek was then the three time Men’s Singles World Champion, and Carson would win his first of five World Championships in 2008.

The Moscoso-Montoya final is also the second straight final between a Bolivian and a Mexican. Last year, Mexican Daniel De La Rosa beat Bolivian Carlos Keller in the final. Can Mexican Montoya, who has won IRF World Championships in Men’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles as well as Men’s Singles, add a US Open title to his trophy case? Or will Bolivian Moscoso, who won Worlds less than two months ago, back up that international title with the IRT’s biggest prize?

Those questions will be answered Sunday afternoon in Minneapolis.

The IRT final will be Sunday at 1:10 PM.

You can watch the US Open IRT action from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis by going to the IRT YouTube channels or their Facebook page.

2022 US Open - University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
September 28-October 2, 2022

IRT Singles - Semi-finals - Saturday

16) Rodrigo Montoya d. 5) Alejandro Landa, 15-5, 15-6
6) Conrrado Moscoso d. 2) Andree Parrilla, 15-6, 15-5

IRT Singles - Final - Sunday

6) Conrrado Moscoso v. 16) Rodrigo Montoya - 1:10 PM

Follow the bouncing ball…..

Beltran & De La Rosa successfully defend IRT Doubles title at 2022 US Open

Alvaro Beltran and Daniel De La Rosa won the 2022 US Open International Racquetball Tour (IRT) doubles title at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis on Saturday by defeating brothers Jake and Sam Bredenbeck, the 7th seeds, 14-15, 15-10, 11-4. Beltran and De La Rosa’s win was their third in the last four US Opens.

Their win goes with the International Racquetball Federation (IRF) Men’s Doubles World Championship Beltran and De La Rosa won for Mexico back in August. It was their 2nd World Championship together.

But in the team competition at Worlds, Sam Bredenbeck did defeat Beltran and De La Rosa in doubles, although his partner then was Charlie Pratt. Still that would have given the Bredenbecks confidence going into the final.

And in the final they started brightly, going out to an early lead at 5-2, and carrying that lead into the end game of game one. But they did stall at 13-9, as the defending champions came back to tie it at 13-13, and then go ahead 14-13.

But Sam Bredenbeck hit a backhand winner to get his side back into the service box. They got to 14-14 when Jake Bredenbeck hit a forehand reverse pinch, and then Sam hit the game winner on the next rally - a forehand cross court kill shot, ending the game at 15-14.

The brothers stayed on the front foot in game two, holding the lead into the mid game, but Beltran and De La Rosa tied it at 7-7. They pushed ahead to lead 11-7. The Bredenbecks got back within two at 11-9, and again at 12-10, but could get no closer as the World Champs won it 15-10.

But the main story of game two was the court conditions. There were long delays to wipe the court floor, so that players were not slipping. Some of The Racquetball Blog staff wondered if they would be able to finish the match on that court.

But they kept playing on the U of M’s Court 1.

In the the tie-breaker, Beltran and De La Rosa got off to a great start going up 7-1. Most of those points were off their winners, not errors by the Bredenbecks, so the lead was well earned. The brothers got a few points back, but after that start the writing was on the wall, and Beltran and De La Rosa completed the story when they won the game 11-4, and the match 2-1.

So the championship goes to Beltran and De La Rosa, but Sam Bredenbeck is the story, as he’s emerged as a strong player on Team USA, competing in Men’s Doubles at both the Pan American Championships and the World Championships this year, medaling at both. One might think he’s a doubles specialist, which is fine, but the odd thing is that such players are usually right side players, and Sam Bredenbeck plays the left side.

If you missed any of the US Open IRT action from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, go to the IRT YouTube channel or their Facebook page.

2022 US Open - University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
September 28-October 2, 2022

IRT Doubles - Final - Saturday

1) Alvaro Beltran & Daniel De La Rosa d. 7) Jake Bredenbeck & Sam Bredenbeck, 14-15, 15-10, 15-4

Follow the bouncing ball…..

Saturday, October 1, 2022

Manilla & Mendez win 2022 LPRT US Open Doubles Championship

Erika Manilla and Natalia Mendez won the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) 2022 USA Racquetball US Open Doubles Championship at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis by defeating top seeds and defending champions Paola Longoria and Samantha Salas, 15-14, 7-15, 11-4, Saturday night.

The win is the first US Open title for Manilla and Mendez. They have won LPRT doubles titles in the past - Mendez three times, and Manilla once - but never together.

Longoria and Salas got the first points of the match to lead 2-0, but then Manilla and Mendez responded with 10 unanswered points to lead 10-2. That streak ended when Mendez couldn’t keep a ball in play by hitting into the back wall.

Longoria and Salas don’t need much of an opening to take the advantage, and that was enough for them, as the current International Racquetball Federation (IRF) Women’s Doubles World Champions went on a streak of their own to get within one at 10-9.

From there it was back and forth. They were tied at 11-11, but then Manilla and Mendez scored three points - over 13 rallies - to reach game point at 14-11. But Mendez, who was playing the left side with Manilla on the right, skipped a forehand shot to give up the serve.

Longoria and Salas pounced again, scoring three points over four rallies (one court hinder) to tie the game at 14-14. But Salas then skipped a forehand shot. Mendez followed that with a backhand cross court winning return off a lob serve that got her side the serve back.

There was a hinder on the next rally, as Longoria held up with Manilla in front of her. The referee called a hinder, but not a penalty hinder, which maybe should have been the call. Longoria and Salas would have appealed that call, but they were out of appeals, so the call stood. On the next rally, Longoria hit Salas with the ball to end the game at 15-14.

No good player or team goes quietly, and Longoria and Salas are more than good: they’re great. So, you knew that they were going to come out strong in game two. They did take the early lead at 4-2. But the young team was not to be put off, as Manilla and Mendez came back to lead 7-4.

However, they wouldn’t score any more as the defending champs won 11 points to win game two, 15-7. They didn’t surrender serve during that streak.

Thus, momentum was clearly on the defending champs side going into the tie-breaker. But the crowd was clearly on the side of the young underdogs, cheering for each good shot - and some bad ones, if the other team hit them.

Longoria and Salas served first in the breaker, but a Manilla forehand cross court shot immediately took them out of the service box. She and Mendez then reeled off four straight points to lead 4-0.

They continued to pile up the points, and deny Longoria and Salas scoring opportunities, extending the lead to 7-1. Longoria and Salas made it 7-3, and then 11 serves went by without anyone scoring.

A Mendez skip broke the deadlock, and gave Longoria and Salas their 4th point. It would be their last. Salas skipped shots on the next two rallies, which surrendered the serve to Manilla and Mendez.

They proceeded to serve it out. A Manilla forehand reverse pinch shot made it 8-4. Mendez made it 8-5 with a backhand pinch shot. Then Salas hit one winner to put them half out, but followed that with a skipped reverse pinch shot putting Manilla and Mendez on match point at 10-4.

They only needed the one opportunity, as Mendez hit a backhand winner on the next rally that was just out of Longoria's reach.

Manilla will have chance to do the double on Sunday: winning both singles and doubles, as she is in the LPRT singles final against Longoria. That will be at 12:10 PM CDT Sunday.

If you missed the final, and want to see it - and you do want to see it, go to the LPRT YouTube channel or their Facebook page.

2022 US Open - University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
September 28-October 2, 2022

LPRT Doubles - Final - Saturday

3) Erika Manilla & Natalia Mendez d. 1) Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas, 15-14, 7-15, 11-4

Follow the bouncing ball…..

Longoria goes for title #12 at the 2022 US Open

Paola Longoria, the #1 player on the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT), will have a chance to win her 12th US Open - and 11th consecutive - on Sunday, as she defeated 5th seed Jessica Parrilla, 15-4, 15-5, in the semifinals of the 2022 USA Racquetball US Open at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis on Saturday.

Third seed Erika Manilla will be Longoria’s opponent in the final, as she beat LPRT #2 Alexandra Herrera, 15-6, 15-6, in the other semi-final.

The Longoria/Parrilla semi was pretty straight forward. Longoria went out to a 9-0 lead in game one, and maintained that lead to win 15-4. Game two was similar, as Longoria led 4-0, although in that case Parrilla came back to make it 4-4, and briefly took the lead at 5-4.

That was about all Parrilla would get, however, as Longoria went on to win it 15-5. Parrilla did get to six points at 7-6, but was later assessed a technical penalty 13-6 as a result of excessive complaining to the referee, so her score was reduced to five points.

Manilla and Herrera’s match not as competitive as one would anticipate when the 2nd the 3rd seeds face off. In game one, Herrera got the first three points, only to see Manilla score the next seven. Herrera did get within one at 7-6, but Manilla never relinquished the lead nor did Herrera score any more point, as Manilla won 15-6.

Game two had a similar storyline, as they were tied at 3-3, and then Manilla went up 8-3 on five straight rallies. A Herrera timeout at 7-3 didn’t stop Manilla scoring, and the closest Herrera got was 8-4, as Manilla went on to win it 15-6.

Longoria and Manilla have met at the US Open three times, and six times on tour overall. Longoria has won all of their matches, including in last year’s US Open semi-finals. In that match, an unfortunate incident happened when Longoria hit Manilla with the ball from a short distance.

Hopefully, something like that won’t happen again.

The LPRT singles final will be Sunday at 12:10 PM Central time.

You can watch the US Open LPRT action from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis by going to the LPRT YouTube channel or their Facebook page.

2022 US Open - University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
September 28-October 2, 2022

LPRT Singles - Semi-finals - Saturday

1) Paola Longoria d. 5) Jessica Parrilla, 15-4, 15-5
3) Erika Manilla d. 2) Alexandra Herrera, 15-6, 15-6

LPRT Singles - Final - Sunday

1) Paola Longoria v. 3) Erika Manilla - 12:10 PM

Follow the bouncing ball…..