Saturday, February 18, 2023

Vargas faces Meija in final of 2023 LPRT at the Arizona State Doubles Championships

Maria Jose Vargas has returned to the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) with a vengence, as she’s put herself into the final at the LPRT at the Arizona State Doubles Championships in Tempe, Arizona. She’s playing in just her first LPRT event of the season after taking time off to have her third child. Yet she showed no signs of rust, as Vargas defeated Natalia Mendez, 15-7, 15-7.

In the final, Vargas will face 3rd seed Montserrat Mejia as Mejia defeated 10th seed Angelica Barrios, 15-6, 15-5, in Arizona Friday.

While the singles semi-finals weren’t close, the doubles finals were. One of them was nominally an upset, although we’re reluctant to call a win by a team comprised of the LPRT’s current #1 player and a former #1 player, although Paola Longoria (current #1) and Rhonda Rajsich (former #1) were seeded 3rd behind 2nd seeds Gabriela Martinez and Maria Renee Rodriguez. Yet Longoria and Rajsich came out on top in three games, winning 15-11, 10-15, 11-3.

In the final, Longoria and Rajsich will play 4th seeds Valeria Centellas and Natalia Mendez, who defeated 8th seeds Angelica Barrios and Brenda Laime in two straight games, 15-14, 15-5.

You can watch the finals live from Arizona via the LPRT YouTube channel. The singles final will be Saturday at 1 PM with the doubles final to follow at 2 PM. All times MST.

2023 LPRT at Arizona State Doubles Championships
February 15-19, 2023 - Tempe, Arizona

Semi-finals - Friday

16) Maria Jose Vargas d. 5) Natalia Mendez, 15-7, 15-7
3) Montserrat Mejia d. 10) Angelica Barrios, 15-6, 15-5

Final - Saturday

3) Montserrat Mejia d. 16) Maria Jose Vargas - 1 PM

Doubles - Semi-finals - Friday

4) Valeria Centellas & Natalia Mendez d. 8) Angelica Barrios & Brenda Laime, 15-14, 15-5
3) Paola Longoria & Rhonda Rajsich d. 2) Gabriela Martinez & Maria Renee Rodriguez, 15-11, 10-15, 11-3

Doubles - Final - Saturday

3) Paola Longoria & Rhonda Rajsich v. 4) Valeria Centellas & Natalia Mendez - 2 PM

Follow the bouncing ball….

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