A couple of upsets in the qualifying rounds Thursday at the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) 2016 New York City Pro-Am on Long Island, New York, as two 19 year olds - Canadian Nicolas Bousquet and Mexican Andree Parrilla - have reached the Round of 16 with two wins on Thursday.
Bousquet defeated 12th seed Matthew Majxner, 11-6, 11-6, 9-11, 11-7, and Parrilla beat 13th seed Sebastian Franco, 11-5, 11-8, 11-9, which is a big win, as Franco has been a semi-finalist twice this season.
In the Round of 16, Bousquet will play 5th seed Jose Rojas, while Parrilla will be up against 4th seed Daniel De La Rosa.
Kane Waselenchuk, the #1 IRT player, will start the NYC Pro-Am against Alejandro Herrera in the 16s Friday, as Herrera beat Troy Warigon, 11-8, 11-6, 11-8, Thursday. IRT #2 Rocky Carson plays Jake Bredenbeck, who survived a showdown with Jose Diaz that was close, as we expected, with Bredenbeck winning in four games, 12-10, 9-11, 11-8, 11-7.
Third seed Alvaro Beltran will also have a tough match, as he’s up against young Bolivian Mario Mercado, who was a semi-finalist at the last IRT event in St Louis back in November.
The other Round of 16 matches are Charlie Pratt versus Felipe Camacho, Jansen Allen against Mauricio Zelada, and Marco Rojas plays Robert Collins.
The 16s begin at 10 AM Friday, and will be streamed live via the IRT Network with the quarterfinals Friday afternoon and evening. The semi-finals are scheduled for 4 PM and 5 PM Saturday with the final on Sunday at 11 AM. All times eastern.
2016 New York City Open, January 14-17
Long Island, New York
Qualifying Round 1
Jonathan Justice d. Marquis Miller, 11-5, 11-2, 11-5
Nicolas Bousquet d. Mitch Posner, 11-0, 11-3, 11-0
Andree Parrilla d. Joe Polazzo, forfeit
Maurice Miller d. Bradley Williams, 11-4, 11-1, 11-1
John Behm d. Michael Leduc, 11-7, 11-5, 11-1
Jonathan Clay d. Kamyron Meeks, 11-5, 6-11, 12-10, 11-6
Qualifying Round 2
Q8) Alejandro Herrera d. Troy Warigon, 11-8, 11-6, 11-8
Q1) Charlie Pratt d. Jonathan Justice, 11-2, 11-3, 11-2
Q4) Nicolas Bousquet d. Matthew Majxner, 11-6, 11-6, 9-11, 11-7
Q5) Andree Parrilla d. Sebastian Franco, 11-5, 11-8, 11-9
Q6) Mario Mercado d. Maurice Miller, 11-7, 11-0, 11-9
Q3) Mauricio Zelada d. John Behm, 11-6, 9-11, 11-7, 11-9
Q2) Robert Collins d. Jonathan Clay, 11-6, 11-2, 11-9
Q7) Jake Bredenbeck d. Jose Diaz, 12-10, 9-11, 11-8, 11-7
Round of 16 - Friday
1) Kane Waselenchuk v. Alejandro Herrera
8) Felipe Camacho v. Charlie Pratt
5) Jose Rojas v. Nicolas Bousquet
4) Daniel De La Rosa v. Andree Parrilla
3) Alvaro Beltran v. Mario Mercado
6) Jansen Allen v. Mauricio Zelada
7) Marco Rojas v. Robert Collins
2) Rocky Carson v. Jake Bredenbeck
Follow the bouncing ball….
Thursday, January 14, 2016
2016 IRT New York City Pro-Am - Preview
The International Racquetball Tour (IRT) is back in action this weekend with the 2016 New York City Pro-Am on Long Island, New York. Kane Waselenchuk, the #1 IRT player, is gunning to win another event, and everyone else will be looking to stop him.
There are two rounds of action on Thursday before Waselenchuk and the other top 8 IRT players begin play in the Round of 16 on Friday morning. The highlight of the preliminary rounds is a battle between Jose Diaz and Jake Bredenbeck, who played doubles together at last year’s US Open. This will be a replay of the 2015 Pan American Championships final, which Diaz won in two straight games. But in that competition, they were limited to one serve, and Bredenbeck’s drive serve is one of his big weapons. Will the 2 serve rule on the IRT shift the balance to Bredenbeck? It will be fun to see how this one plays out.
IRT #2 Rocky Carson will play the winner of Diaz-Bredenbeck in the 16s, while Waselenchuk will play the winner of Troy Warigon and Alejandro Herrera.
Another match we anticipate to be good is Sebastian Franco versus Andree Parrilla, although Parrilla needs to beat Joe Polazzo to set that up. Then the winner of that will face 4th seed Daniel De La Rosa in a Round of 16 match, which should also be good.
Other Round of 16 matches we anticipate to be good are 3rd seed Alvaro Beltran versus young Bolivian Mario Mercado, Charlie Pratt versus Felipe Camacho, and Jansen Allen against Mauricio Zelada.
The IRT Round of 16 will be streamed live Friday from 10 AM via the IRT Network with the quarterfinals Friday afternoon and evening. The semi-finals are scheduled for 4 PM and 5 PM Saturday with the final on Sunday at 11 AM. All times eastern.
2016 New York City Open, January 14-17
Long Island, New York
Qualifying Round 1
Jonathan Justice v. Marquis Miller
Mitch Posner v. Kamyron Meeks
Andree Parrilla v. Joe Polazzo
Maurice Miller v. Bradley Williams
John Behm v. Michael Leduc
Jonathan Clay v. Nicolas Bousquet
Qualifying Round 2
Q8) Troy Warigon v. Alejandro Herrera
Q1) Charlie Pratt v. Jonathan Justice or Marquis Miller
Q4) Matthew Majxner v. Mitch Posner or Kamyron Meeks
Q5) Sebastian Franco v. Andree Parrilla or Joe Polazzo
Q6) Mario Mercado v. Maurice Miller or Bradley Williams
Q3) Mauricio Zelada v. John Behm or Michael Leduc
Q2) Robert Collins v. Jonathan Clay or Nicolas Bousquet
Q7) Jose Diaz v. Jake Bredenbeck
Round of 16 - Friday
1) Kane Waselenchuk v. Q8
8) Felipe Camacho v. Q1
5) Jose Rojas v. Q4
4) Daniel De La Rosa v. Q5
3) Alvaro Beltran v. Q6
6) Jansen Allen v. Q3
7) Marco Rojas v. Q2
2) Rocky Carson v. Q7
Follow the bouncing ball….
There are two rounds of action on Thursday before Waselenchuk and the other top 8 IRT players begin play in the Round of 16 on Friday morning. The highlight of the preliminary rounds is a battle between Jose Diaz and Jake Bredenbeck, who played doubles together at last year’s US Open. This will be a replay of the 2015 Pan American Championships final, which Diaz won in two straight games. But in that competition, they were limited to one serve, and Bredenbeck’s drive serve is one of his big weapons. Will the 2 serve rule on the IRT shift the balance to Bredenbeck? It will be fun to see how this one plays out.
IRT #2 Rocky Carson will play the winner of Diaz-Bredenbeck in the 16s, while Waselenchuk will play the winner of Troy Warigon and Alejandro Herrera.
Another match we anticipate to be good is Sebastian Franco versus Andree Parrilla, although Parrilla needs to beat Joe Polazzo to set that up. Then the winner of that will face 4th seed Daniel De La Rosa in a Round of 16 match, which should also be good.
Other Round of 16 matches we anticipate to be good are 3rd seed Alvaro Beltran versus young Bolivian Mario Mercado, Charlie Pratt versus Felipe Camacho, and Jansen Allen against Mauricio Zelada.
The IRT Round of 16 will be streamed live Friday from 10 AM via the IRT Network with the quarterfinals Friday afternoon and evening. The semi-finals are scheduled for 4 PM and 5 PM Saturday with the final on Sunday at 11 AM. All times eastern.
2016 New York City Open, January 14-17
Long Island, New York
Qualifying Round 1
Jonathan Justice v. Marquis Miller
Mitch Posner v. Kamyron Meeks
Andree Parrilla v. Joe Polazzo
Maurice Miller v. Bradley Williams
John Behm v. Michael Leduc
Jonathan Clay v. Nicolas Bousquet
Qualifying Round 2
Q8) Troy Warigon v. Alejandro Herrera
Q1) Charlie Pratt v. Jonathan Justice or Marquis Miller
Q4) Matthew Majxner v. Mitch Posner or Kamyron Meeks
Q5) Sebastian Franco v. Andree Parrilla or Joe Polazzo
Q6) Mario Mercado v. Maurice Miller or Bradley Williams
Q3) Mauricio Zelada v. John Behm or Michael Leduc
Q2) Robert Collins v. Jonathan Clay or Nicolas Bousquet
Q7) Jose Diaz v. Jake Bredenbeck
Round of 16 - Friday
1) Kane Waselenchuk v. Q8
8) Felipe Camacho v. Q1
5) Jose Rojas v. Q4
4) Daniel De La Rosa v. Q5
3) Alvaro Beltran v. Q6
6) Jansen Allen v. Q3
7) Marco Rojas v. Q2
2) Rocky Carson v. Q7
Follow the bouncing ball….
Tuesday, January 12, 2016
2015-16 IRT First Half Season Review
The International Racquetball Tour (IRT) begins the second half of its 2015-16 season this weekend with the NYC Open on Long Island, New York, and will be followed immediately with the Lewis Drug Pro-Am next weekend in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Thus, it's a good time to look back on the first half of the season.
With five wins over seven events, Kane Waselenchuk is clearly the #1 IRT player this season. The two events he didn't win are events he didn't play in, although the record has him as losing in Davison, that was a late withdrawal. Waselenchuk also won the US Open doubles event for the second year, as he and Ben Croft successfully defended their title from a year ago.
Similarly, Rocky Carson is a solid #2 with one win and five runner up finishes in the first half of the season. But after Carson, it's a muddy picture. Alvaro Beltran is the only other winner this season, but he's also lost in the Round of 16 three times. Daniel De La Rosa reached the US Open final for the first time in his career, but has also lost in the 16s twice and only been a semi-finalist twice. Jose Rojas only has one loss in the 16s and a runner up finish to Carson, so he's arguably ahead of Beltran and De La Rosa, although it's really splitting hairs between the three.
The first half of the season also saw some breakthrough results, as Felipe Camacho, Sebastian Franco, Mario Mercado and Brad Schopieray all reached the semi-finals for the first times in their careers. Franco was a semi-finalist twice. Those four players are from four different countries, giving the IRT a real international flavour. Camacho is Costa Rican, Franco Colombian, Mercado Bolivian and Schopieray is American.
At the other end of the spectrum, Cliff Swain reached the semi-finals for the 163rd time in his career, when he got the semis in Davison. In most of his semi-final appearances (110 times), the six time IRT #1 Swain advanced to the final, but this year the now 49 year old lost to Rocky Carson. Swain's 163 semi-final or better IRT appearances alone would tie him for 8th on the all time appearances list with Chris Crowther. Swain's 285 appearances overall is by far the most career IRT appearances. Ruben Gonzalez is a distant second at 216.
Schedule
What marked the first half of the IRT season was five Tier 1 events on consecutive weekends, which is a crazy schedule. Only 8 players played in all seven first half events: Carson, Jose Rojas, Beltran, Jansen Allen, Felipe Camacho, Robert Collins, Mauricio Zelada, and Mario Mercado. De La Rosa was technically in all seven events, but he was a late withdrawal from the Garden City event.
The second half schedule is more forgiving, as there are back to back events twice, with the first ones this weekend and next. Then there's two months until the IRT is in action again with back to back events in early March in Edinburg, Texas and Lombard, Illinois.
After that the IRT will be in Huber Heights, Ohio for the 2016 Raising Some Racquet for Kids, in Minneapolis, which will host the IRT Pro Nationals, in Sarasota for the Florida IRT Pro-Am, and then finishes up in Portland Oregon with the Pro Kennex Tournament of Champions.
Thus, there are 15 events on the IRT schedule this season, which will make for a good racquetball season.
2015-16 IRT Season - Event Summary
Event - Final - Semi-Finalists
Kansas City: Kane Waselenchuk d. Rocky Carson - SF: Jose Rojas & Felipe Camacho
US Open: Waselenchuk d. Daniel De La Rosa - SF: Alvaro Beltran & Carson
US Open Doubles: Waselenchuk & Ben Croft d. Jake Bredenbeck & Jose Diaz - SF: Jose Rojas & Marco Rojas and Jansen Allen & Charlie Pratt
San Marcos: Waselenchuk d. Carson - SF: Beltran & Sebastian Franco
Atlanta: Beltran d. Carson - SF: De La Rosa & J. Rojas
Davison: Carson d. J. Rojas - SF: Cliff Swain & Brad Schopieray
Garden City: Waselenchuk d. Carson - SF: Franco & Beltran
St Louis: Waselenchuk d. Carson - SF: De La Roas & Mario Mercado
Top 20 IRT rankings - January 12, 2016
Rank - Player - Country - Points
1) Kane Waselenchuk (Canada): 4440
2) Rocky Carson (USA): 3738
3) Alvaro Beltran (Mexico): 2486
4) Daniel De La Rosa (Mexico): 2346
5) Jose Rojas (USA): 2187
6) Jansen Allen (USA): 1833
7) Marco Rojas (USA): 1688
8) Felipe Camacho (Costa Rica): 1254
9) Charlie Pratt (USA): 1179
10) Robert Collins (USA): 1124
11) Ben Croft (USA): 933
12) Mauricio Zelada (USA): 838
13) Matthew Majxner (USA): 817
14) Sebastian Franco (Colombia): 769
15) Mario Mercado (Bolivia): 736
16) Jose Diaz (USA): 582
17) Scott McClellan (USA): 580
18) Brad Schopieray (USA): 494
19) Filip Vesely (USA): 432
20) Tim Landeryou (Canada): 362
The 2015-16 IRT Statistical Abstract (first half of season)
Total matches played: 210
Percentage of 3 game matches: 60.5 (127 of 210)
Percentage of 4 game matches: 22.4 (47)
Percentage of 5 game matches: 14.3 (30)
Percentage of matches that were defaults or data was incomplete: 2.9 (6)
Most 5 game matches played: 7 - Daniel De La Rosa (4 wins, 3 losses)
2nd most 5 game matches played: 6 - Alvaro Beltran (4 wins, 2 losses)
Most points for in a victory: 53 - Thomas Fuhrmann d. Mario Mercado, 11-2, 8-11, 11-8, 9-11, 14-12, at the US Open
Most points scored in a loss: 50 - Rocky Carson loses to Daniel De La Rosa, 11-9, 10-12, 8-11, 11-8, 12-10, at the US Open
Most points in a 5 game match: 102 - Daniel De La Rosa d. Rocky Carson, 11-9, 10-12, 8-11, 11-8, 12-10, at the US Open
Most points in a 4 game match: 80 - Andree Parrilla d. Mario Mercado, 9-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-9 in San Marcos
Most points in a 3 game match: 72 - Matthew Majxner d. Brian Simpson, 11-9, 13-11, 15-13, in St Louis
Largest margin of victory 5 game match: 19 - Matthew Majxner d. Jonathan Justice, 11-4, 11-3, 10-12, 8-11, 11-2, in Atlanta
Largest margin of victory 4 game match: 24 - Kane Waselenchuk d. Rocky Carson, 11-5, 11-0, 11-13, 11-2, in Kansas City
Largest margin of victory 3 game match: 32 - Rocky Carson d. Jeremy Best, 11-1, 11-0, 11-0, in Atlanta
Smallest margin of victory 5 game match: -9 - Teobaldo Fumero d. Fernando Rios, 11-9, 1-11, 3-11, 11-6, 11-9, at the US Open
Smallest margin of victory 4 game match: 3 - Mauricio Zelada d. Dylan Reid, 13-11, 2-11, 11-6, 11-6, in St Louis
Smallest margin of victory 3 game match: 6 - Matthew Majxner d. Brian Simpson, 11-9, 13-11, 15-13, in St Louis
Follow the bouncing ball....
With five wins over seven events, Kane Waselenchuk is clearly the #1 IRT player this season. The two events he didn't win are events he didn't play in, although the record has him as losing in Davison, that was a late withdrawal. Waselenchuk also won the US Open doubles event for the second year, as he and Ben Croft successfully defended their title from a year ago.
Similarly, Rocky Carson is a solid #2 with one win and five runner up finishes in the first half of the season. But after Carson, it's a muddy picture. Alvaro Beltran is the only other winner this season, but he's also lost in the Round of 16 three times. Daniel De La Rosa reached the US Open final for the first time in his career, but has also lost in the 16s twice and only been a semi-finalist twice. Jose Rojas only has one loss in the 16s and a runner up finish to Carson, so he's arguably ahead of Beltran and De La Rosa, although it's really splitting hairs between the three.
The first half of the season also saw some breakthrough results, as Felipe Camacho, Sebastian Franco, Mario Mercado and Brad Schopieray all reached the semi-finals for the first times in their careers. Franco was a semi-finalist twice. Those four players are from four different countries, giving the IRT a real international flavour. Camacho is Costa Rican, Franco Colombian, Mercado Bolivian and Schopieray is American.
At the other end of the spectrum, Cliff Swain reached the semi-finals for the 163rd time in his career, when he got the semis in Davison. In most of his semi-final appearances (110 times), the six time IRT #1 Swain advanced to the final, but this year the now 49 year old lost to Rocky Carson. Swain's 163 semi-final or better IRT appearances alone would tie him for 8th on the all time appearances list with Chris Crowther. Swain's 285 appearances overall is by far the most career IRT appearances. Ruben Gonzalez is a distant second at 216.
Schedule
What marked the first half of the IRT season was five Tier 1 events on consecutive weekends, which is a crazy schedule. Only 8 players played in all seven first half events: Carson, Jose Rojas, Beltran, Jansen Allen, Felipe Camacho, Robert Collins, Mauricio Zelada, and Mario Mercado. De La Rosa was technically in all seven events, but he was a late withdrawal from the Garden City event.
The second half schedule is more forgiving, as there are back to back events twice, with the first ones this weekend and next. Then there's two months until the IRT is in action again with back to back events in early March in Edinburg, Texas and Lombard, Illinois.
After that the IRT will be in Huber Heights, Ohio for the 2016 Raising Some Racquet for Kids, in Minneapolis, which will host the IRT Pro Nationals, in Sarasota for the Florida IRT Pro-Am, and then finishes up in Portland Oregon with the Pro Kennex Tournament of Champions.
Thus, there are 15 events on the IRT schedule this season, which will make for a good racquetball season.
2015-16 IRT Season - Event Summary
Event - Final - Semi-Finalists
Kansas City: Kane Waselenchuk d. Rocky Carson - SF: Jose Rojas & Felipe Camacho
US Open: Waselenchuk d. Daniel De La Rosa - SF: Alvaro Beltran & Carson
US Open Doubles: Waselenchuk & Ben Croft d. Jake Bredenbeck & Jose Diaz - SF: Jose Rojas & Marco Rojas and Jansen Allen & Charlie Pratt
San Marcos: Waselenchuk d. Carson - SF: Beltran & Sebastian Franco
Atlanta: Beltran d. Carson - SF: De La Rosa & J. Rojas
Davison: Carson d. J. Rojas - SF: Cliff Swain & Brad Schopieray
Garden City: Waselenchuk d. Carson - SF: Franco & Beltran
St Louis: Waselenchuk d. Carson - SF: De La Roas & Mario Mercado
Top 20 IRT rankings - January 12, 2016
Rank - Player - Country - Points
1) Kane Waselenchuk (Canada): 4440
2) Rocky Carson (USA): 3738
3) Alvaro Beltran (Mexico): 2486
4) Daniel De La Rosa (Mexico): 2346
5) Jose Rojas (USA): 2187
6) Jansen Allen (USA): 1833
7) Marco Rojas (USA): 1688
8) Felipe Camacho (Costa Rica): 1254
9) Charlie Pratt (USA): 1179
10) Robert Collins (USA): 1124
11) Ben Croft (USA): 933
12) Mauricio Zelada (USA): 838
13) Matthew Majxner (USA): 817
14) Sebastian Franco (Colombia): 769
15) Mario Mercado (Bolivia): 736
16) Jose Diaz (USA): 582
17) Scott McClellan (USA): 580
18) Brad Schopieray (USA): 494
19) Filip Vesely (USA): 432
20) Tim Landeryou (Canada): 362
The 2015-16 IRT Statistical Abstract (first half of season)
Total matches played: 210
Percentage of 3 game matches: 60.5 (127 of 210)
Percentage of 4 game matches: 22.4 (47)
Percentage of 5 game matches: 14.3 (30)
Percentage of matches that were defaults or data was incomplete: 2.9 (6)
Most 5 game matches played: 7 - Daniel De La Rosa (4 wins, 3 losses)
2nd most 5 game matches played: 6 - Alvaro Beltran (4 wins, 2 losses)
Most points for in a victory: 53 - Thomas Fuhrmann d. Mario Mercado, 11-2, 8-11, 11-8, 9-11, 14-12, at the US Open
Most points scored in a loss: 50 - Rocky Carson loses to Daniel De La Rosa, 11-9, 10-12, 8-11, 11-8, 12-10, at the US Open
Most points in a 5 game match: 102 - Daniel De La Rosa d. Rocky Carson, 11-9, 10-12, 8-11, 11-8, 12-10, at the US Open
Most points in a 4 game match: 80 - Andree Parrilla d. Mario Mercado, 9-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-9 in San Marcos
Most points in a 3 game match: 72 - Matthew Majxner d. Brian Simpson, 11-9, 13-11, 15-13, in St Louis
Largest margin of victory 5 game match: 19 - Matthew Majxner d. Jonathan Justice, 11-4, 11-3, 10-12, 8-11, 11-2, in Atlanta
Largest margin of victory 4 game match: 24 - Kane Waselenchuk d. Rocky Carson, 11-5, 11-0, 11-13, 11-2, in Kansas City
Largest margin of victory 3 game match: 32 - Rocky Carson d. Jeremy Best, 11-1, 11-0, 11-0, in Atlanta
Smallest margin of victory 5 game match: -9 - Teobaldo Fumero d. Fernando Rios, 11-9, 1-11, 3-11, 11-6, 11-9, at the US Open
Smallest margin of victory 4 game match: 3 - Mauricio Zelada d. Dylan Reid, 13-11, 2-11, 11-6, 11-6, in St Louis
Smallest margin of victory 3 game match: 6 - Matthew Majxner d. Brian Simpson, 11-9, 13-11, 15-13, in St Louis
Follow the bouncing ball....
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