Thursday, October 4, 2018

LPRT Round of 32 at 2018 UnitedHealthcare US Open

The Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) singles Round of 32 has begun at the 2018 UnitedHeathcare US Open Racquetball Championships in Minneapolis, and there have been some upsets. The bracket with the 7 & 10 seeds is blown up, as both seeds lost in the 32s. Jenny Daza took out the 7th seed Maria Jose Vargas, 11-5, 3-11, 11-8, 11-7, and 23rd seed Yazmine Sabja pulled out a five game win over 10th seed Carla Muñoz, 11-4, 7-11, 10-12, 11-1, 11-5. Thus, they will play each other for a spot in the quarterfinals.

Top seed and seven time defending champion, Paola Longoria beat Erika Manilla in three games, 11-0, 11-0, 13-11. Longoria will play 17th seed Montserrat Mejia in the Round of 16, as Meija won the 16/17 match against 16th seed Cassi Lee, 11-1, 11-1, 11-2.

Second seed Frédérique Lambert needed four games to fend off young American Hollie Scott, 11-8, 8-11, 11-7, 11-7, so she'll play Ana Laura Flores, another young player but from Mexico, in the 16s, as Flores upset 15th seed and left handed veteran Susana Acosta, 12-10, 14-12, 6-11, 11-1.

In other action, 20th seed Brenda Laime defeated 13th seed Sheryl Lotts, 11-7, 11-5, 1-11, 11-6, and 19th seed Montserrat Perez came back from two games down to beat 14th seed Adrienne Haynes, 2-11, 5-11, 11-8, 11-4, 11-2.

Laime will next play 4th seed Alexandra Herrera who outlasted 29th seed - but a former LPRT top 10 player - Michelle De La Rosa, 16-14, 8-11, 14-12, 3-11, 12-10. Herrera and De La Rosa were close throughout their tie-breaker, including being tied at 8-8. De La Rosa got to 10 first at 10-8, but only served for the match once. Herrera denied that chance with a forehand pinch serve return of a De La Rosa 1/2 lob serve.

Perez will play 3rd seed Samantha Salas, who was a straight game winner over Kelani Lawrence, 11-3, 11-5, 11-1.

The LPRT will have its own streaming from Minneapolis for the first time. Check out the LPRT Live link on their website.

2018 UnitedHealthcare US Open
Minneapolis, Minnesota - October 3-7, 2018


LPRT Singles - Round of 32 - Thursday

1) Paola Longoria d. Erika Manilla, 11-0, 11-0, 13-11
17) Montserrat Mejia d. 16) Cassi Lee, 11-1, 11-1, 11-2

9) Cristina Amaya d. 24) Cecilia Pratt, 11-6, 11-1, 11-3
8) Natalia Mendez d. Anna Rivera, 11-4, 11-8, 11-5

5) Nancy Enriquez d. Angelica Barrios, 12-10, 11-9, 9-11, 11-4
12) Gabriela Martinez d. 21) Erin Groves, 11-6, 11-4, 11-6

20) Brenda Laime d. 13) Sheryl Lotts, 11-7, 11-5, 1-11, 11-6
4) Alexandra Herrera d. Michelle De La Rosa, 16-14, 8-11, 14-12, 3-11, 12-10

3) Samantha Salas d. Kelani Lawrence, 11-3, 11-5, 11-1
19) Montserrat Perez d. 14) Adrienne Haynes, 2-11, 5-11, 11-8, 11-4, 11-2

11) Adriana Riveros v. 22) Masiel Rivera, 11-7, 9-11, 11-2, 11-3
6) Rhonda Rajsich d. Denisse Maldonado, 11-4, 11-3, 6-11, 11-0

Jenny Daza d. 7) Maria Jose Vargas, 11-5, 3-11, 11-8, 11-7
23) Yazmine Sabja d. 10) Carla Muñoz, 11-4, 7-11, 10-12, 11-1, 11-5

18) Ana Laura Flores d. 15) Susana Acosta, 12-10, 14-12, 6-11, 11-1
2) Frédérique Lambert d. Hollie Scott, 11-8, 8-11, 11-7, 11-7

LPRT Singles - Round of 16 - Thursday

1) Paola Longoria v. 17) Montserrat Mejia - 5:00 PM
8) Natalia Mendez v. 9) Cristina Amaya - 5:00 PM

5) Nancy Enriquez v. 12) Gabriela Martinez - 1:30 PM
4) Alexandra Herrera v. 20) Brenda Laime - 1:30 PM

3) Samantha Salas v. 19) Montserrat Perez - 2:40 PM
6) Rhonda Rajsich v. 11) Adriana Riveros - 2:40 PM

23) Yazmine Sabja v. Jenny Daza - 3:50 PM
2) Frédérique Lambert v. 18) Ana Laura Flores - 3:50 PM

LPRT Doubles - Quarterfinals - Thursday

1) Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas v. Susana Acosta & Kelani Lawrence - 8:30 PM
4) Natalia Mendez & Maria Jose Vargas v. Nancy Enriquez & Yazmine Sabja - 7:20 PM

3) Cristina Amaya & Adriana Riveros v. Angelica Barrios & Jenny Daza - 7:20 PM
2) Alexandra Herrera & Montserrat Mejia v. Daniela Molina & Masiel Rivera - 8:30 PM

Follow the bouncing ball….

All will play three! - 2018 UnitedHealthcare US Open IRT Doubles

All four of the last four International Racquetball Tour (IRT) doubles qualifying matches at the 2018 UnitedHeathcare US Open Racquetball Championships in Minneapolis went tie-breaker: a testament to the competitiveness this year. The closest match saw Jake Bredenbeck and Jose Diaz defeat Andres Acuña and Felipe Camacho, 15-13, 11-15, 11-8. That after both teams won close tie-breakers last night.

David Horn and Mauro Rojas also won a close tie-breaker, as they saw off Maurice Miller and Troy Warigon, 15-8, 2-15, 11-9. But shout out to Miller and Warigon, who won the last match of last night, upsetting Gerardo Franco and Andree Parrilla.

In the other matches, Roland Keller and Conrrado Moscoso beat Thomas Carter and Kyle Ulliman, 11-15, 15-6, 11-0, and Javier Mar and Rodrigo Montoya defeated Adam Manilla and Nicholas Riffel, 15-5, 14-15, 11-4.

That sets up the quarterfinals for Thursday evening. Top seeds and defending champions Ben Croft and Kane Waselenchuk will take on Horn and Rojas. Second seeds Alvaro Beltran and Daniel De La Rosa go up against Roland Keller and Conrrado Moscoso, in what will be a rematch of the World Championship semi-finals in August that Beltran and De La Rosa won.

Also tonight, Sebastian Franco and Mario Mercado will play Bredenbeck and Diaz with Alejandro Landa and Samuel Murray playing Mar and Montoya.

Look for IRT action live from Minneapolis via their various outlets. Check out the IRT Network, IRT Facebook page and IRT YouTube channel.

2018 UnitedHealthcare US Open
Minneapolis, Minnesota - October 3-7, 2018


IRT - Doubles - Qualifying - Round Three - Thursday

Q1 - Jake Bredenbeck & Jose Diaz d. Andres Acuña & Felipe Camacho, 15-13, 11-15, 11-8
Q4 - David Horn & Mauro Rojas d. Maurice Miller & Troy Warigon, 15-8, 2-15, 11-9

Q3 - Roland Keller & Conrrado Moscoso d. Thomas Carter & Kyle Ulliman, 11-15, 15-6, 11-0
Q2 - Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya d. Adam Manilla & Nicholas Riffel, 15-5, 14-15, 11-4

IRT - Doubles - Quarterfinals - Thursday

1) Ben Croft & Kane Waselenchuk v. David Horn & Mauro Rojas - 8:30 PM
4) Sebastian Franco & Mario Mercado v. Jake Bredenbeck & Jose Diaz - 8:30 PM

3) Alejandro Landa & Samuel Murray v. Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya - 7:20 PM
2) Alvaro Beltran & Daniel De La Rosa v. Roland Keller & Conrrado Moscoso - 7:20 PM

Follow the bouncing ball….

Wednesday, October 3, 2018

IRT Round of 64 at 2018 UnitedHealthcare US Open

The first matches are done in the second round of qualifying in the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) division of the 2018 UnitedHeathcare US Open Racquetball Championships in Minneapolis, and already there are upsets. Diego Garcia defeated Nicholas Riffel, the 20th ranked IRT player, 15-9, 15-13. Garcia is still a junior player, who was a semi-finalist in Boy's U16 at last year's World Junior Championships. Garcia will play Charlie Pratt in the Round of 32, and Pratt may be familiar with Garcia's game from his role as head coach of the Team USA at last year's World Juniors.

Also an upset, Rodrigo Rodriguez beat Christian Wer, 15-11, 15-11. Rodriguez, who hails from Mexico, will play the best Mexican player ever in the 32s, as he'll face Alvaro Beltran.

What are the odds of going breaker after losing the first game at 0? And the odds of winning a match when you failed to score in the first game? You'd have to think they would be pretty long, but regardless of what they are, Thomas Carter defied them Wednesday as he came back from being blanked in game one to defeat Daniel Maldonado, 0-15, 15-12, 11-7, and move on to the Round of 32, where he'll play Felipe Camacho.

Earlier today we said there would be a classic match up of a wily veteran and a good young player with Japanese veteran Hiroshi Shimizu playing current U18 Boy's World Junior Champion Mauro Rojas, and youthful exuberance came out on top, but needed a tie-breaker to do so, winning 11-15, 15-4, 11-7.

Never say never, or the last point is the hardest Dept.

Jake Bredenbeck and Jose Diaz, former US Open Doubles finalists, squeaked out a win over teenagers Sebastian Fernandez and Diego Garcia, 15-11, 12-15, 11-10. It was all the more remarkable, because Fernandez and Garcia were up 10-0 in the tie-breaker. They served for the match seven times, but weren't able to get that last point, as Bredenbeck and Diaz came all the way back to take by one.

Their reward is an 8 AM match with Andres Acuña and Felipe Camacho, who also needed a tie-breaker to get past Charles Pratt and Dylan Reid, 7-15, 15-11, 11-9. The sportsmanship award of the day could go to Pratt, who overturned a referee's call of a skip shot on a Camacho forehand, when he and Reid were leading 8-6 in game three. Camacho's shot did look good, and the referee was on Camacho's side, yet he still called it down before Pratt changed it.

Pratt and Reid won the next rally to lead 9-6. But Acuña and Camacho got a side out at that point, and served it out with five straight points. Pratt and Reid called a timeout at 9-9, but to no avail. Acuña scored the last three points with pinch shots to the front left corner, the last being a forehand reverse shot.

The IRT has been having some issues setting up their live streaming, as they had travel difficulties in getting to Minneapolis. They should have them all sorted out by the time we get to Thursday, so look for IRT action live from Minneapolis via their various outlets. Check out the IRT Network, IRT Facebook page and IRT YouTube channel.

2018 UnitedHealthcare US Open
Minneapolis, Minnesota - October 3-7, 2018


Round Two - Wednesday

Q1 - Thomas Carter d. Daniel Maldonado, 0-15, 15-12, 11-7
Q16 - Dylan Reid d. Edwin Galicia, 15-9, 8-15, 11-8

Q9 - Scott McClellan d. Sergio Acuña, 5-15, 15-12, 11-9
Q8 - Rodrigo Montoya d. Eric Garcia, 15-6, 15-7

Q5 - Gerardo Franco d. Christian Longoria, 15-8, 4-15, 11-0
Q12 - Rodrigo Rodriguez d. Christian Wer, 15-11, 15-11

Q13 - Ricardo Diaz d. Troy Warigon, 15-9, 15-9
Q4 - Diego Garcia d. Nicholas Riffel, 15-9, 15-13

Q3 - Javier Mar d. Kadim Carrasco, 15-1, 15-7
Q14 - Sebastian Fernandez d. Jay Munoz, 15-7, 15-6

Q11 - Mauro Rojas d. Hiroshi Shimizu, 11-15, 15-4, 11-7
Q6 - Andres Acuña d. Juan Jose Salvatierra, 15-0, 15-9

Q7 - Justus Benson d. Erik Mendoza, 15-12, 15-11
Q10 - Conrrado Moscoso d. Kyle Ulliman, 15-4, 15-10

Q15 - Maurice Miller d. Alexander Pirie, 15-8, 15-4
Q2 - Robert Collins d. Alejandro Herrera, 15-12, 15-14

Round of 32 - Thursday

1) Rocky Carson v. Dylan Reid - 1:30 PM
16) Felipe Camacho v. Thomas Carter - 1:30 PM

9) Jansen Allen v. Rodrigo Montoya - 1:30 PM
8) Mario Mercado v. Scott McClellan - 1:30 PM

5) Alvaro Beltran v. Rodrigo Rodriguez - 10 AM
12) Jose Diaz v. Gerardo Franco - 10 AM

13) Charles Pratt v. Diego Garcia - 10 AM
4) Daniel De La Rosa v. Ricardo Diaz - 10 AM

3) Kane Waselenchuk v. Sebastian Fernandez - 11:10 AM
14) Adam Manilla v. Javier Mar - 11:10 AM

11) David Horn v. Andres Acuña - 11:10 AM
6) Sebastian Franco v. Mauro Rojas - 11:10 AM

7) Samuel Murray v. Conrrado Moscoso - 12:20 PM
10) Andree Parrilla v. Justus Benson - 12:20 PM

15) Jake Bredenbeck v. Robert Collins - 12:20 PM
2) Alejandro Landa v. Maurice Miller - 12:20 PM

IRT - Doubles - Qualifying - Wednesday

Round One

Sebastian Fernandez & Diego Garcia d. Keith Minor & Jeff Stark, 15-9, 15-9
Joe Kelley & Samuel Kelley d. Michael Phillips & Tyler Thielen, 15-13, 15-1
Mike Harmon & Alejandro Herrera d. Gabriel Garcia & Alexander Pirie, 15-8, 9-15, 11-6

Round Two - Wednesday

Jake Bredenbeck & Jose Diaz d. Sebastian Fernandez & Diego Garcia, 15-11, 12-15, 11-10
Andres Acuña & Felipe Camacho d. Charles Pratt & Dylan Reid, 7-15, 15-11, 11-9

Maurice Miller & Troy Warigon d. Gerardo Franco & Andree Parrilla, 15-14, 5-15, 11-6
David Horn & Mauro Rojas d. Justus Benson & Eric Garcia, 10-15, 15-7, 11-6

Roland Keller & Conrrado Moscoso d. Joe Kelley & Samuel Kelley, 15-7, 15-8
Thomas Carter & Kyle Ulliman d. Jansen Allen & Nick Montalbano, 15-11, 7-15, 11-6

Adam Manilla & Nicholas Riffel d. Tim Herman & Michael Myers, 15-5, 15-0
Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya d. Mike Harmon & Alejandro Herrera, 15-6, 15-14

Round Three - Thursday

Q1 - Jake Bredenbeck & Jose Diaz v. Andres Acuña & Felipe Camacho - 8 AM
Q4 - Maurice Miller & Troy Warigon v. David Horn & Mauro Rojas - 9 AM

Q3 - Roland Keller & Conrrado Moscoso v. Thomas Carter & Kyle Ulliman - 8 AM
Q2 - Adam Manilla & Nicholas Riffel v. Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya - 9 AM

IRT - Doubles - Quarterfinals - Thursday

1) Ben Croft & Kane Waselenchuk v. Q4 - 8:30 PM
4) Sebastian Franco & Mario Mercado v. Q1 - 8:30 PM

3) Alejandro Landa & Samuel Murray v. Q2 - 7:20 PM
2) Alvaro Beltran & Daniel De La Rosa v. Q3 - 7:20 PM

Follow the bouncing ball….