The second International Racquetball Tour (IRT) event of 2023 starts today in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where the 43rd Annual Lewis Drug Pro-Am takes place. Thirty players are in Sioux Falls, led by the new IRT #1 Conrrado Moscoso. IRT #2 Daniel De La Rosa won the 1st event of the season - the Longhorn Open in Austin, Texas - two weeks ago, when he beat Moscoso in the final, which was a great match.
When Moscoso was announced as the new #1 in the week following the Longhorn, some people freaked out, as De La Rosa had been #1 and beat Moscoso in Austin, so some were baffled how Moscoso could go ahead of De La Rosa. But rankings are done on a revolving 12 month basis, and Moscoso played 8 of the 9 events in 2022, while De La Rosa played 6 of 9.
They both won twice last year, and were in two semi-finals. But Moscoso was in four quarterfinals to De La Rosa’s one and De La Rosa also had a loss in the Round of 16. That all amounts to advantage Moscoso.
Rankings are a measure of how well AND how often players have played. One can quibble with them, if one likes. And sometimes what people think are inaccuracies can occur. Serena Williams was arguably the best women’s tennis player for close to two decades, but she wasn’t always the #1 player during that period, as she had some injuries, and also didn’t play as much as some other players.
But you knew that when Williams was in the draw, she was a threat to win the tournament. That’s the case with De La Rosa now. He may not be #1, but no one would be surprised if he wins on Sunday.
De La Rosa is seeded #1 in doubles with Javier Mar, as Mar’s usual partner - Rodrigo Montoya - isn’t in Sioux Falls. Moscoso and Alejandro Landa are the 2nd seeds in doubles. They were the runners up two weeks ago, losing to Mar and Montoya in the final in Austin.
You can see some of the IRT action via the usual IRT media outlets: The IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page. The opening round is Thursday afternoon from 2 PM with the Round of 32 on Thursday night at 6 and 7 PM. The Round of 16 will be Friday morning at 10 and 11 AM. The quarterfinals will be Friday night starting at 5 PM with the semi-finals Saturday afternoon at 4 and 5 PM. The final is Sunday at 11 AM. All times Central.
43rd Annual Lewis Drug IRT Pro-Am
January 19-22, 2023 - Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Men’s Singles
Qualifying Round 1 - Thursday
Q1: Diego Garcia - BYE
Q8: Gerson Miranda Martinez v. Matthew Majxner - 3 PM
Q5: John Goth v. Tanner Prentice - 3 PM
Q4: Diego Gastelum v. Lee Connell - 3 PM
Q3: Anthony Martin v. Tanner Gross - 2 PM
Q6: Carlos Ramirez v. Kurtis Cullen - 2 PM
Q7: Jordan Barth v. Ty Hedalen - 2 PM
Q2: Rodrigo Mendoza - BYE
Round of 32 - Thursday
1) Conrrado Moscoso - BYE
16) Sam Bredenbeck v. 17) Diego Garcia - 7 PM
9) Adam Manilla v. Q8 - 7 PM
8) Mario Mercado - BYE
5) Alejandro Landa - BYE
12) Javier Mar v. Q5 - 7 PM
13) Erick Trujillo v. Q4 - 7 PM
4) Eduardo Portillo - BYE
3) Andree Parrilla - BYE
14) Alan Natera v. Q3 - 6 PM
11) Thomas Carter v. Q6 - 6 PM
6) Jake Bredenbeck - BYE
7) Samuel Murray - BYE
10) Andrés Acuña v. Q7 - 6 PM
15) Robert Collins v. 18) Rodrigo Mendoza - 6 PM
2) Daniel De La Rosa - BYE
Men’s Doubles
Round of 16 - Thursday
1) Daniel De La Rosa & Javier Mar - BYE
8) Diego Garcia & Gerson Miranda Martinez v. Lee Connell & Kurtis Cullen - 9 PM
5) Alan Natera & Andree Parrilla - BYE
4) Jake Bredenbeck & Sam Bredenbeck - BYE
3) Andrés Acuña & Eduardo Portillo - BYE
6) Adam Manilla & Mario Mercado - BYE
7) Robert Collins & Erick Trujillo v. 10) Michael Gage & Tanner Gross - 9 PM
2) Alejandro Landa & Conrrado Moscoso - BYE
Follow the bouncing ball….
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