The USA Racquetball (USAR) National Junior Festival and Championships happened up last week in Pleasanton, California, and there were some fun results which will be used to select players for the 2023 International Racquetball Federation World Junior Championships in Tarija, Bolivia, November 10-18. One hundred and eleven players competed in California, which is more than in the last two post-pandemic events, but down from years before that. The boy-girl numbers were 70-41 this year, which is a lower ratio of girls than the last two years, but about the same in actual numbers (41 this year is the same as last year & there were 38 in 2021).
This was the second year with U21 divisions, as the IRF introduced U21 at World Junior Championships last year. Also, there were Mixed Doubles categories, as the World Juniors has those categories also. Interestingly, a best of 3 games match format was used with side-out scoring, rather than the IRF match format of best of 5 games with rally scoring, which will be used for the World Juniors. The IRF match format used at last year’s USAR Junior Championships.
The results in Boys U21 was crazy, as from the quarterfinals on the lower seeded player won every match, except the 3rd place match. Moreover, three of the last year’s top four U21 finishers were back: Cody Elkins (Los Angeles), Assuan Castaneda (Hialeah, FL) and Samuel Schulze (Ocala, FL), but none of them made it past the quarters.
Instead, 10th seed Krish Thakur of Tracy, CA won title, defeating 8th seed Iain Dunn (Simi Valley, CA), 10-15, 15-6, 11-6, in the final. Thakur won all four of his matches in tie-breakers, including an 11-10 breaker in his semi-final match against 6th seed Julius Ellis (Stockton, CA), 15-8, 4-15, 11-10. In the other semi, Dunn beat 5th seed Tucker Elkins (Salem, OR), 15-11, 15-10. Elkins defeated Ellis, 15-5, 15-11, in the 3rd place match.
In contrast, the Girls U21 division was as expected, with top seed and defending champion Annie Roberts (Gresham, OR) defeating last year’s runner up Shane Diaz (San Antonio), 15-7, 15-4, in the final. In the semi-finals, Roberts beat 4th seed Erin Slutzky (Chesterfield, MO), 15-5, 15-9, while Diaz, the 3rd seed, upset 2nd seed Graci Wargo (Clearwater, FL), 15-7, 15-11.
Roberts’s win was her sixth consecutive USA Junior Championship in singles going back to a U14 win in 2017. That’s more consecutive titles than any other girl except Adrienne Haynes (née Fisher), who won seven titles from 1998 to 2004 (the first was a U12 title), which we believe to be the girls’ record for consecutive titles.
Roberts and Thakur faced off in the finals of U21 Mixed Doubles with Roberts and DJ Mendoza (San Antonio) getting the better of Thakur and Heather Mahoney (Penngrove, CA) and Krish Thakur (Tracy, CA), 15-7, 15-8. In the semi-finals, Robert and Mendoza defeated Dunn and Estfania Perez Picon (Manteca, CA), 15-12, 15-11, while Thakur and Mahoney beat siblings Nikita and Vedant Chauhan (San Ramon, CA), 15-7, 15-7.
Dunn did get a win in Boy’s U21 Doubles with Paul Saraceno (Simi Valley, CA), as they came out on top of a six team round robin with Ellis and Assuan Castaneda (Hialeah, FL) coming 2nd. Both had 4-1 records, but in their head to head match, which was one of the first matches of the tournament, Dunn and Saraceno defeated Ellis and Castaneda, 15-10, 15-14.
Diaz and Wargo won Girl’s U21 Doubles, as they defeated runners up Roberts and Khyathi Velpuri (Castle Rock, CO), 6-15, 15-14, 11-9. They also needed a breaker to beat Perez Picon and Erin Slutzky, 15-1, 13-15, 11-10.
Maybe the Boy’s U18 Doubles title should be renamed the Shea Cup, because for the fourth (4th!) consecutive time Josh Shea of Cortlandt Manor, New York won it and for the 2nd time in three years he did it with Vedant Chauhan (San Ramon, CA), as they went undefeated in a six team round robin. But they did need a couple of tie-breakers to do it. They had to come back from a game down to defeat Mendoza and Cole Sendrey (Frisco, TX), 8-15, 15-10, 11-6, and they eked out a win over Saraceno - who was Shea’s U18 doubles partner last year - and Benjamin Horner (Ankeny, IA), 15-6, 14-15, 11-10.
However, Shea lost in the Boy’s U18 Singles final, as Nikhil Prasad (Fremont, CA) defeated him 15-12, 15-11. In the semi-finals, Prasad, the 3rd seed, came back to narrowly defeat 2nd seed Sendry, 10-15, 15-10, 11-10, and Shea beat Mendoza, 15-14, 15-4. Prasad’s win is his 4th consecutive USAR Junior Nationals singles title.
Heather Mahoney of Penngrove, California and Naomi Ros of San Antonio won Girl’s U18 Doubles with three wins and no defeats against the other three teams. Indeed, they only surrendered six points in their three matches. Ros was also dominant in winning Girl’s U18 Singles as her opponents only got 8 points against her across four matches, and no more than 3 points in any one match.
Eshan Ali of Union City, CA was also impressive in winning Boy’s U16 Singles, as he won his matches in two straight games and didn’t give up more than 9 points in a game en route to the title, defeating Grant Williams (Wildwood, MO), 15-5, 15-6, in the final. In the semi-finals, Ali, the 3rd seed, upset 2nd seed London Townsend (Sherman Oaks, CA), 15-4, 15-5, while Williams knocked off top seed Juan Herrera II (Freeport, IL), 15-12, 8-15, 11-5. Of note, Williams was playing up in U16, as he came 3rd in Boy’s U14.
Ali also won Boy's U16 Doubles with Townsend, as they won a three team round robin, but they did need a tie-breaker to defeat Preston Anderson (Salem, OR) and Herrera, 14-15, 15-3, 11-6.
Top seed Sonya Shetty (Fremont, CA) won Girl’s U16 Singles by beating 2nd seed Thea Mattfeldt (Glendale, AZ), 15-4, 15-11. Shetty needed three games to defeat 4th seed Victoria Rodriguez (Anaheim, CA), 15-2, 11-15, 11-7, in the semis, while Mattfeldt beat 6th seed Alexus DeDios (Tyler, TX), 15-14, 15-5. Shetty and Rodriguez won Girl’s U16 Doubles, which was a three team round robin.
Given those boys and girls U16 results, you won’t be surprised that Ali and Shetty won U16 Mixed Doubles, beating Herrera and Mattfeldt, 15-4, 15-6, in the final. In the semis, Ali and Shetty defeated Alexus DeDios and Townsend, 15-3, 15-4, and Herrera and Mattfeldt beat Preston Anderson (Salem, OR) and Natalee DeDios (Tyler, TX), 15-13, 15-9.
Finally, the 2023 USAR National Junior Championships had some great matches. If you want to look back on some of the action, check out the USA Racquetball YouTube channel for a playlist of matches from Pleasanton.
2023 USA Racquetball National Junior Festival and Championships
June 21-25, 2023 - Pleasanton, California
Boy's U21 Singles - Final
10) Krish Thakur (Tracy, CA) d. 8) Iain Dunn (Simi Valley, CA), 10-15, 15-6, 11-6
3rd Place
5) Tucker Elkins (Salem, OR) d. 6) Julius Ellis (Stockton, CA), 15-5, 15-11
Semi-finals
8) Iain Dunn (Simi Valley, CA) d. 5) Tucker Elkins (Salem, OR), 15-11, 15-10
10) Krish Thakur (Tracy, CA) d. 6) Julius Ellis (Stockton, CA), 15-8, 4-15, 11-10
Boy's U18 Singles - Final
3) Nikhil Prasad (Fremont, CA) d. 1) Josh Shea (Cortlandt Manor, NY), 15-12, 15-11
3rd Place
2) Cole Sendrey (Frisco, TX) d. 4) DJ Mendoza (San Antonio, TX), 15-8, 15-8
Semi-finals
3) Nikhil Prasad (Fremont, CA) d. 2) Cole Sendrey (Frisco, TX), 10-15, 15-10, 11-10
1) Josh Shea (Cortlandt Manor, NY) d. 4) DJ Mendoza (San Antonio, TX), 15-4, 15-4
Boy's U16 Singles - Final
3) Eshan Ali (Union City, CA) d. 5) Grant Williams (Wildwood, MO), 15-5, 15-6
3rd Place
1) Juan Herrera II (Freeport, IL) d. 2) London Townsend (Sherman Oaks, CA), 15-10, 15-14
Semi-finals
5) Grant Williams (Wildwood, MO) d. 1) Juan Herrera II (Freeport, IL), 15-12, 8-15, 11-5
3) Eshan Ali (Union City, CA) d. 2) London Townsend (Sherman Oaks, CA), 15-4, 15-5
Boy's U14 Singles - Final
1) Nathan Rykhus (Stockton, CA) d. 2) Vaishant Mangalampalli (Fremont, CA), 15-7, 15-11
3rd Place
5) Grant Williams (Wildwood, MO) d. 3) Paul Delaney (Wildwood, MO), 15-14, 15-9
Semi-finals
1) Nathan Rykhus (Stockton, CA) d. 5) Grant Williams (Wildwood, MO), 15-7, 15-1
2) Vaishant Mangalampalli (Fremont, CA) d. 3) Paul Delaney (Wildwood, MO), 15-6, 15-1
Girl's U21 Singles - Final
1) Annie Roberts (Gresham, OR) d. 3) Shane Diaz (San Antonio), 15-7, 15-4
3rd Place
4) Erin Slutzky (Chesterfield, MO) d. 2) Graci Wargo (Clearwater, FL), forfeit
Semi-finals
1) Annie Roberts (Gresham, OR) d. 4) Erin Slutzky (Chesterfield, MO), 15-5, 15-9
3) Shane Diaz (San Antonio) d. 2) Graci Wargo (Clearwater, FL), 15-7, 15-11
Girl's U18 Singles - Round Robin
1. Naomi Ros (San Antonio) - 4-0
2. Brielle Fernando (Wheaton, IL) - 3-1
3. Gabbie Roseman (Des Peres, MO) - 2-2
Girl's U16 Singles - Final
1) Sonya Shetty (Fremont, CA) d. 2) Thea Mattfeldt (Glendale, AZ), 15-4, 15-11
3rd Place
4) Victoria Rodriguez (Anaheim, CA) d. 6) Alexus DeDios (Tyler, TX), 15-6, 15-13
Semi-finals
1) Sonya Shetty (Fremont, CA) d. 4) Victoria Rodriguez (Anaheim, CA), 15-2, 11-15, 11-7
2) Thea Mattfeldt (Glendale, AZ) d. 6) Alexus DeDios (Tyler, TX), 15-14, 15-5
Girl's U14 Singles - Final
1) Andrea Perez-Picon (Manteca, CA) d. 3) Aanshi Thakur (Tracy, CA), 15-1, 15-13
3rd Place
2) Elizabeth Denier (Champlin, MN) d. 4) Aarya Shetty (Fremont, CA), 15-14, 14-15, 11-7
Semi-finals
1) Andrea Perez-Picon (Manteca, CA) d. 4) Aarya Shetty (Fremont, CA), 15-2, 15-6
3) Aanshi Thakur (Tracy, CA) d. 2) Elizabeth Denier (Champlin, MN), 15-11, 15-9
Boy's U21 Doubles - Round Robin
1) Iain Dunn (Simi Valley, CA) & Paul Saraceno (Simi Valley, CA) - 4-1
2) Julius Ellis (Stockton, CA) & Assuan Castaneda (Hialeah, FL) - 4-1
3) Josh Shea (Cortlandt Manor, NY) & Krish Thakur (Tracy, CA) - 3-2
Boy's U18 Doubles - Round Robin
1) Vedant Chauhan (San Ramon, CA) & Josh Shea (Cortlandt Manor, NY) - 5-0
2) Nikhil Prasad (Fremont, CA) & Gatlin Sutherland (Great Falls, MT) - 4-1
3) DJ Mendoza (San Antonio) & Cole Sendrey (Frisco, TX) - 3-2
Boy's U16 Doubles - Round Robin
1) Eshan Ali (Union City, CA) & London Townsend (Sherman Oaks, CA) - 2-0
2) Preston Anderson (Salem, OR) & Juan Herrera II (Freeport, IL) - 1-1
3) Dominik Berghof (Irvine, CA) & Riley Edwards (Gresham, OR) - 0-2
Girl's U21 Doubles - Round Robin
1) Shane Diaz (San Antonio) & Graci Wargo (Clearwater, FL) 2-0
2) Annie Roberts (Gresham, OR) & Khyathi Velpuri (Castle Rock, CO) - 1-1
3) Estfania Perez Picon (Manteca, CA) & Erin Slutzky (Chesterfield, MO) - 0-2
Girl's U18 Doubles - Round Robin
1) Heather Mahoney (Penngrove, CA) & Naomi Ros (San Antonio) - 3-0
2) Brielle Fernando (Wheaton, IL) & Gabbie Roseman (Des Peres, MO) - 2-1
3) Kyla Davis (Wildwood, MO) & Thea Mattfeldt (Glendale, AZ) - 1-2
Girl's U16 Doubles - Round Robin
1) Victoria Rodriguez (Anaheim, CA) & Sonya Shetty (Fremont, CA) - 2-0
2) Alexus DeDios (Tyler, TX) & Natalee DeDios (Tyler, TX) - 1-1
3) Elizabeth Denier (Champlin, MN) & Montserrat Torres (Bellwood, IL) - 0-2
Mixed U21 Doubles - Final
2) DJ Mendoza (San Antonio) & Annie Roberts (Gresham, OR) d. 5) Heather Mahoney (Penngrove, CA) & Krish Thakur (Tracy, CA), 15-7, 15-8
3rd Place
8) Nikita Chauhan (San Ramon, CA) & Vedant Chauhan (San Ramon, CA) d. 3) Iain Dunn (Simi Valley, CA) & 3) Estfania Perez Picon (Manteca, CA), forfeit
Semi-finals
5) Heather Mahoney (Penngrove, CA) & Krish Thakur (Tracy, CA) d. 8) Nikita Chauhan (San Ramon, CA) & Vedant Chauhan (San Ramon, CA), 15-7, 15-7
2) DJ Mendoza (San Antonio) & Annie Roberts (Gresham, OR) d. 3) Iain Dunn (Simi Valley, CA) & Estfania Perez Picon (Manteca, CA), 15-12, 15-11
Mixed U18 Doubles - Round Robin
1) Naomi Ros (San Antonio) & Cole Sendrey (Frisco, TX) - 2-0
2) Vedant Chauhan (San Ramon, CA) & Heather Mahoney (Penngrove, CA) - 1-1
3) Brielle Fernando (Wheaton, IL) & Benjamin Horner (Ankeny, IA) - 0-2
Mixed U16 Doubles - Final
1) Eshan Ali (Union City, CA) & Sonya Shetty (Fremont, CA) d. 2) Juan Herrera II (Freeport, IL) & Thea Mattfeldt (Glendale, AZ), 15-4, 15-6
3rd Place
5) Alexus DeDios (Tyler, TX) & London Townsend (Sherman Oaks, CA) d. 3) Preston Anderson (Salem, OR) & Natalee DeDios (Tyler, TX), 9-15, 15-12, 11-10
Semi-finals
1) Eshan Ali (Union City, CA) & Sonya Shetty (Fremont, CA) d. 5) Alexus DeDios (Tyler, TX) & London Townsend (Sherman Oaks, CA), 15-3, 15-4
2) Juan Herrera II (Freeport, IL) & Thea Mattfeldt (Glendale, AZ) d. 3) Preston Anderson (Salem, OR) & Natalee DeDios (Tyler, TX), 15-13, 15-9
Follow the bouncing ball….
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