Weekend Round Up - Jackson, Mercado, Cullen & Varadarajan win

Sharon Jackson won Women’s Open at the 2016 Mercedes-Benz of Cincinnati Pro-Am in Cincinnati, Ohio on the weekend by defeating Carla Muñoz, 15-7, 3-15, 11-9, in the final. In the semi-finals, Jackson defeated Adriana Riveros, and Muñoz beat Lucia Gonzalez, 15-13, 10-15, 11-9.

Also in Cincinnati, Mario Mercado won the Men’s Open division with a win over Mauricio Zelada, 15-10, 15-9, in the final. In the semi-finals, Mercado beat Christian Longoria, 15-10, 15-2, and Zelada defeated Troy Warigon, 15-12, 15-2.

In Brandon, Manitoba, Kurtis Cullen won Grumpy Garry’s Racquetball Extravaganza 2 - Still Grumpy, which is a Tier 5 International Racquetball Tour (IRT) event - by defeating Lee Connell, 12-10, 11-5, 11-9, in the final. Cameron Wachs finished 3rd with a win over Samuel Morrissette, 12-10, 11-8, 11-9, and Pat Madill was 5th, defeating Jay Cadman, 11-4, 11-5, 5-11, 11-5.

A shout out to the 37 players in the Lanco Hills India Open Racquetball Championships in Hyderabad, India. Rajiv Varadarajan won the Men’s Open / Team Qualifying division by going undefeated through a five player round robin. Arun Baskaran narrowly came second by defeating Pavan Kumar Kora, 11-15, 15-10, 11-10 to finish with a 3-1 record with Kora at 2-2.

Upcoming events

Coming up this week is Racquetball Canada’s National Team Selection Event in Grande Prairie, Alberta. Then next week the 2016 USA Racquetball National Doubles Championships happen in Tempe, Arizona, and the Campeonato Nacional Mexicano de Racquetbol Selectivo 2016 happens in Chihuahua, Mexico for the selection of the Mexican National Team.

The next professional racquetball events are the LPRT 2016 Winter Classic in Overland Park, Kansas, February 19-21. The next IRT Tier 1 event is the Shamrock Shootout Pro/Am in Lombard, Illinois, March 10-13. The World Racquetball Tour (WRT) will be in action February 18-21 at the Mt Rainier Open in Seattle.

2016 Mercedes-Benz of Cincinnati Pro-Am, January 29-31
Cincinnati, Ohio

Women’s Open Final

Sharon Jackson d. Carla Muñoz, 15-7, 3-15, 11-9

Semi-finals

Sharon Jackson d. Adriana Riveros
Carla Muñoz d. Lucia Gonzalez, 15-13, 10-15, 11-9

Quarterfinals

Sharon Jackson d. Natalie Domelle, 15-7, 15-4
Adriana Riveros Maria Renee Rodriguez, 15-3, 15-11

Carla Muñoz d. Andrea Martinez Gonzalez, 15-6, 15-6
Lucia Gonzalez d. Sofia Soley, 4-15, 15-13, 11-1

Men’s Open Final

Mario Mercado d. Mauricio Zelada, 15-10, 15-9

Semi-finals

Mauricio Zelada d. Troy Warigon, 15-12, 15-2
Mario Mercado d. Christian Longoria, 15-10, 15-2

Grumpy Garry’s Racquetball Extravaganza 2: Still Grumpy - IRT Tier 5
Brandon, Manitoba - January 29-31, 2016

1st Place - Kurtis Cullen d. Lee Connell, 12-10, 11-5, 11-9
3rd Place - Cameron Wachs d. Samuel Morrissette, 12-10, 11-8, 11-9
5th Place - Pat Madill d. Jay Cadman, 11-4, 11-5, 5-11, 11-5

Lanco Hills India Open Racquetball Championships
Hyderabad, India - January 29-31, 2016

Men’s Open / Team Qualifying

1st - Rajiv Varadarajan
2nd - Arun Baskaran
3rd - Pavan Kumar Kora
4th - Srikaran Kandadai
5th - Joshua Fonseca

Follow the bouncing ball….

Weekend Round Up - 1st ever racquetball tournament in India

There were a few racquetball events on the weekend, but none with more significance going forward than the Lanco Hills India Open in Hyderbad, India, as it's the first ever racquetball event in India. It could be the start of something big if racquetball can catch on in India.

Thirty nine players competed across six divisions, including an 18 and under division. In the Men's Open division, Raaj Mohan came out on top by defeating Srikaran Kandadai in the final, 15-8, 15-7.

In the semi-finals, Mohan beat Srikanth Murthy, 15-6, 15-2, and Kandadai defeated Chacko Cherian, 15-14, 15-9.

With the Olympics last month, many people were talking about why racquetball isn't in the Olympics, and one of the primary reasons is that racquetball isn't played in enough countries. Thus, the first ever racquetball tournament in India is a step towards growing the game in a new country, and it's exciting.

Meanwhile, back in the USA

Ben Croft won the 8th Annual Carl Myers Memorial Tournament - a Tier 2 International Racquetball Tour (IRT) event - in Garden City, Kansas, but it wasn't an easy victory, as Charlie Pratt pushed Croft to five games before the IRT's #5 player came out on top, 6-11, 11-9, 11-8, 6-11, 11-6.

Pratt played two close matches to get to the final, as he needed a tie-breaker to get past Felipe Camacho in the quarter-finals, 11-7, 7-11, 11-2, 9-11, 11-5, and then beat Jansen Allen in three close games, 12-10, 11-9, 11-7, in the semi-finals. Croft defeated Brad Schopieray, 11-2, 11-2, 11-6, in the other semi.

Polo Gutierrez won the Pleasanton Open in Pleasanton, Calif. - a World Racquetball Tour event, as he defeated Alejandro Cardona, 15-10, 15-6, in the final. Gutierrez beat Jake Bredenbeck, 15-6, 15-7, in one semi-final while Cardona beat Anthony Herrera, 15-13, 15-6, in the other.

Lanco Hills India Open - Hyderbad, India

Men's Open - Final

Raaj Mohan d. Srikaran Kandadai, 15-8, 15-7.

Semi-finals

Raaj Mohan d. Srikanth Murthy, 15-6, 15-2
Srikaran Kandadai d. Chacko Cherian, 15-14, 15-9

8th Annual Carl Myers Memorial Tournament - Garden City, Kansas

Final

Ben Croft d. Charlie Pratt, 6-11, 11-9, 11-8, 6-11, 11-6

Semi-finals

Ben Croft d. Brad Schopieray, 11-2, 11-2, 11-6
Charlie Pratt d. Jansen Allen, 12-10, 11-9, 11-7

Quarter-finals

Ben Croft d. Tyler Stone
Brad Schopieray d. Thomas Fuhrmann, 11-3, 11-1, 11-3
Charlie Pratt d. Felipe Camacho, 11-7, 7-11, 11-2, 9-11, 11-5
Jansen Allen d. Logan Reese, 11-1, 11-4, 11-2

2014 Pleasanton Open, Pleasanton, California

Final

Polo Gutierrez d. Alejandro Cardona, 15-10, 15-6

Semi-finals

Polo Gutierrez d. Jake Bredenbeck, 15-6, 15-7
Alejandro Cardona d. Anthony Herrera, 15-13, 15-6

Quarter-finals

Polo Gutierrez d. Coby Iwaasa, 15-8, 15-11
Jake Bredenbeck d. David Horn, 15-12, 15-13
Anthony Herrera d. Brad Kirch, 15-12, 15-9
Alejandro Cardona d. Nicolai Miramontes, 15-6, 15-10

Follow the bouncing ball….