Preview of 2023 IRT KWM Gutterman Minnesota Hall of Fame Event

The International Racquetball Tour (IRT) is back in action this weekend with play starting later today in Minneapolis, Minnesota at the KWM Gutterman Minnesota Hall of Fame Event. There are 25 players in the field, so it's a bit smaller than usual, but 9 of the top 10 are there, so there will be plenty of good matches. Leading the way will be IRT #1 Daniel De La Rosa, whose win in Georgia two weeks ago put him ahead of Conrrado Moscoso, who’s now #2.

De La Rosa and Moscoso have split the three events so far this year with De La Rosa winning two and Moscoso one. They’ve faced off in two of the three finals, splitting them one a piece. But two weeks ago Moscoso wasn’t at the event in Georgia, where De La Rosa defeated Jake Bredenbeck in the final.

De La Rosa and Moscoso are teaming up for doubles, where they are the 2nd seeds behind Javier Mar and Rodrigo Montoya. Either Mar or Montoya has won each of the three doubles events this season. They did so once together, and once with another partner (Mar with De La Rosa and Montoya with Andree Parrilla), when they both weren’t at the tournament.

A Mar and Montoya versus De La Rosa and Moscoso match is the likely doubles final on Sunday, although a few other teams will try to prevent that - such as 3rd seeds Andrés Acuña and Eduardo Portillo, 4th seeds Adam Manilla and Samuel Murray and 5th seeds Jake Bredenbeck and Sam Bredenbeck, but it would be fun to see the top seeds face off.

Of note, Alejandro Landa, who had a crazy incident two weeks ago, during a doubles match with De La Rosa and against Jake Bredenbeck and Murray, isn’t playing doubles this weekend. We’re uncertain if he chose not to play doubles or he couldn’t find a doubles partner.

You can see some of the IRT action via the usual IRT media outlets: The IRT YouTube channel or the IRT Facebook page. Singles play begins Thursday afternoon and there will be one doubles match Thursday night at 7 PM. The singles Round of 16 will be Friday morning at 10 and 11 AM with the doubles quarterfinals at 2 PM. The singles final is Sunday at 11 AM with doubles to follow at 1 PM. All times Central.

2023 KWM Gutterman Minnesota Hall of Fame Event
March 2-5, 2023 - Minneapolis, Minnesota

IRT Singles - Round of 32 - Thursday

Daniel De La Rosa - BYE
16) Jim Douglas v. 17) John Goth - 6 PM

9) Andrés Acuña v. 24) Lee Meinerz - 4 PM
8) Adam Manilla v. 25) Derek Ott - 4 PM

5) Alejandro Landa - BYE
12) Alan Natera v. 21) Kurtis Cullen - 6 PM

13) Robert Collins v. 20) Rodrigo Salgado Jr. - 6 PM
4) Jake Bredenbeck - BYE

3) Eduardo Portillo - BYE
14) Sam Bredenbeck v. 19) Diego Gatica - 5 PM

11) Javier Mar v. 22) Samuel Schulze - 5 PM
6) Rodrigo Montoya - BYE

7) Samuel Murray - BYE
10) Thomas Carter v. 23) Blake Hansen - 5 PM

15) Kadim Carrasco v. 18) Andrés Gómez - 4 PM
2) Conrrado Moscoso - BYE

IRT Doubles - Round of 16 - Thursday

1) Javier Mar & Rodrigo Montoya - BYE
8) Blake Hansen & Derek Ott v. 9) Lee Meinerz & Carlos Pando - 7 PM

5) Jake Bredenbeck & Sam Bredenbeck - BYE
4) Adam Manilla & Samuel Murray - BYE

3) Andrés Acuña & Eduardo Portillo - BYE
6) Kadim Carrasco & Alan Natera - BYE

7) Diego Gatica & Rodrigo Salgado Jr. - BYE
2) Daniel De La Rosa & Conrrado Moscoso - BYE

Follow the bouncing ball….

De La Rosa, Montoya & Parrilla win at 2023 IRT Williams Accounting & Consulting Open

The top seeds won both singles and doubles at the 2023 International Racquetball Tour (IRT) Williams Accounting & Consulting Open in Lilburn, Georgia on Sunday. In singles, top seed Daniel De La Rosa beat 3rd seed Jake Bredenbeck, 15-10, 15-12, while in doubles top seeds Rodrigo Montoya and Andree Parrilla defeated 2nd seeds De La Rosa and Alejandro Landa, 15-12, 13-15, 11-5. De La Rosa has been in all three singles finals this year, winning two of them. Also, Montoya’s been in two doubles finals in 2023, winning both times, while Landa has been in all three doubles finals this year, but has yet to win one.

In three IRT events this year, no one has won both singles and doubles at the same event.

De La Rosa led for most of game one versus Bredenbeck, and he got to game point at 14-7. But Bredenbeck fought off four game points, and got a few points of his own before De La Rosa ended it by forcing Bredenbeck into skipping a forehand return off a drive jam serve to the left side.

Bredenbeck carried that late game momentum over into game two, taking a 5-0 lead. He maintained the lead up to 9-9, and when De La Rosa won the next point to lead 10-9, Bredenbeck called a timeout.

The timeout didn’t turn the tide, as De La Rosa lengthened his lead to 13-9, but Bredenebck did come back to within one at 13-12. Bredenbeck gave De La Rosa his 14th point when he skipped a backhand shot that he tried to kill from waist high.

De La Rosa got the win on the next rally, although there was a bit a controversy to the end. De La Rosa hit a forehand shot down the right side that went off the side wall to the front wall, and rolled. But it hit the side wall at around floor level a couple feet from the front, so it seemed like it was a skip. That is, it seemed it rolled in, as well as out, and the referee called it a skip. But De La Rosa, who had fist pumped after making the shot, appealed the call, and the line judges both disagreed with the referee’s call, so it was overturned; the shot was judged to be good. Match over.

Bredenbeck looked stunned at the call being overturned.

Afterwards, De La Rosa congratulated Bredenbeck, saying “he played amazing. He gives everything on the court.”

For his part, Bredenbeck said “Daniel’s a hell of a player. Obviously one of the best in the world [and he] continues to prove that.” Bredenbeck said he was “just a little bit off and at this level that doesn’t work,” and “I didn’t feel like I was hitting the ball clean, like I was yesterday.” He was a little frustrated to not perform how he wanted.

But overall Bredenbeck feels he’s “starting to put the pieces together,” and still feels “like I’m learning and growing and getting better. Hopefully, I can continue to improve and start getting wins instead of 2nd places.”

In the doubles final, Montoya and Parrilla jumped out to a 11-0 lead in game one, and got to game point at 14-7. De La Rosa and Landa did fight back and get within two at 14-12, but couldn’t complete the comeback.

In game two, De La Rosa and Landa led early, 5-1 and 8-2, but Montoya and Parrilla led late, 12-9 and 13-11. Yet they couldn’t finish it out, as De La Rosa and Landa came back to win 15-13, as Landa hit a winning forehand cross court shot, and hobbled off the court.

Credit to Landa for gutting it out through the match, as he was clearly showing the effects of the ankle injury he suffered in the quarterfinals against Samuel Murray.

Early in the tie-breaker, it seemed that Landa’s perseverance was going to be rewarded with a win, as he and De La Rosa took a 5-1 lead. But unfortunately for them, that’s all the points they got, as Montoya and Parrilla scored ten unanswered points to win the breaker 11-5, and take the title.

The match winner came as Landa pushed a shot down the line from the front court, and Parrilla was there in before Landa could get out of the way. Parrilla held up and an avoidable was called. De La Rosa and Landa appealed, but the line judges - this time - agreed with the referee’s call, ending the match. Unlike De La Rosa and Landa's semi-final, there was no protest at the outcome of that appeal.

The IRT will next play in Minneapolis for the Minnesota Hall of Fame event, March 2-5, 2023. If you missed any of the action from Georgia, check out IRT YouTube channel.

2023 IRT Williams Accounting & Consulting Open
February 16-19, 2023 - Lilburn, Georgia

Final - Sunday

1) Daniel De La Rosa d. 3) Jake Bredenbeck, 15-10, 15-12

IRT Doubles - Final - Sunday

1) Rodrigo Montoya & Andree Parrilla d. 2) Daniel De La Rosa & Alejandro Landa, 15-12, 13-15, 11-5

Follow the bouncing ball….

Mejia, Longoria & Rajsich win at 2023 LPRT at Arizona State Doubles Championships

It appears there’s a new sheriff in town, or at least on the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT), as Montserrat Mejia won for the third straight time on Saturday. She came back from a game down to defeat Maria Jose Vargas, 12-15, 15-2, 11-4, to win the LPRT at the Arizona State Doubles Championships title in Tempe, Arizona. The win is the 4th of Mejia’s career, one fewer than Vargas’s five titles, and 15th most overall in LPRT history.

Two of the winningest women in pro racquetball - Paola Longoria and Rhonda Rajsich - teamed up in doubles and won the title. They defeated Valeria Centellas and Natalia Mendez, 15-8, 15-12, to win their second title together. The first came back in October 2016 at the Boston Open.

Both Longoria and Rajsich have other usual partners, but neither of their partners were in Tempe, so they paired up, which proved to be a successful decision.

The LPRT will next be in action at The Boston Open, March 3-5 in Boston, Massachusetts. If you missed any of the action from Arizona - and there were several upsets worth checking out - go to the LPRT YouTube channel.

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

Final - Saturday

3) Montserrat Mejia d. 16) Maria Jose Vargas, 12-15, 15-2, 11-4

Doubles - Final - Saturday

3) Paola Longoria & Rhonda Rajsich d. 4) Valeria Centellas & Natalia Mendez, 15-8, 15-12

Follow the bouncing ball….