WPH Press, Arvada, CO, 3/10/24
Apex Racquetball and Fitness Center played host to the 2024 Colorado State Singles, featuring more than seventy players from CO, NY, TX, NM, KS, CA, MT, WA, WY and FL.
Defending CO State champion CJ Laffey highlighted the strong Men’s Open singles field, which also included Race 4 Eight pro John Chapman, U.S. military hero Jonathan Hingey, Ryley Kloss, SR48 stars George Repine and Kevin Price and a strong group of contenders aiming for the CO state title.
Laffey returned to the finals for the second consecutive year with wins against Isaac Acosta and Hingey in the upper bracket, while Race 4 Eight #22 pro John Chapman met Laffey in the final with two game sweeps against former Senior Race 4 Eight pros George Repine and Kevin Price in the bottom bracket. “John has a great fly kill game and gets to everything up front,” stated Price after his semifinal battle with Chapman. “ I thought I had at least two or three great kill shots that he ended up getting.”
Chapman put himself in position to win the coveted CO State Singles in the final, battling to win game two in overtime after dropping the first and taking a seemingly commanding 13-10 lead in the third. “I was up 13-10 in the tiebreaker and felt like I was in control most of the game and just couldn’t finish and he scored on every mistake I made,” stated Chapman. “Just couldn’t get a comfortable shot, CJ’s power is unreal. I was looking forward to the rematch since last year and put myself in a position to win and couldn’t get it done. You just can’t make mistakes at this level. I feel like I’m getting better constantly but just can’t take that next step, I set people up too much and just need a better left still. Was a frustrating loss but I have more to work on. Overall a good tournament and a lot of good players.”
Semifinals
Laffey def Hingey 15-4, 15-0
Chapman def K. Price 15-10, 15-13
Final: Laffey def Chapman 15-10, 14-16, 15-13
Thank you to WPH correspondent and WPH mega volunteer John Chapman for pictures, updates and his thoughts from the 2024 Colorado State Singles tournament.
Thank you to 2024 Colorado State Singles tournament director Sarah Craig for organizing and running an outstanding tournament.
2023 CO State Singles recap HERE
Follow all of the draws from the 2024 CO State Singles HERE
David Fink
WPH Senior Writer