Juarez, MEX, WPH Press, 9/7/25
The vibrant Juarez handball community and the World Players of Handball were proud to present the 2025 Abierto Mexicano de Handball & R48 Pre Qualifier on the first weekend of September, featuring many of the game’s best players, Juarez’s army of passionate fans, and a number of juniors watching and playing in the event.
R48 Pre Qualifier at the Abierto Mexicano de Handball
The 2025 Abierto Mexicano de Handball & R48 Pre Qualifier featured the first 25-and-under R48 Pre Qualifier, featuring many of the best 25-and-under players in North America competing for a 2025/26 Race 4 Eight travel stipend. “One of our principal initiatives during the 2025/26 Race 4 Eight season is to provide opportunities for the game’s young stars to attend Race events,” stated the WPH’s David Fink. “The Abierto Mexicano de Handball R48 Pre Qualifier ensures that one of those top young players will be competing on the tour this season.”
The Juarez stars shined in the 25-and-under Abierto R48 Pre Qualifier, as current R48 pro and top-seed Andres Cordova advanced to the final by defeating Alejandro Garcia in two games in the upper bracket semifinals, while Moises Garcia scored one of his best career wins in the bottom bracket semifinal, ousting junior national champion Eli Gutierrez in the final.
Andres continued his outstanding play in the final, earning the 2025/26 Race 4 Eight travel stipend by defeating Gardea in two games. Cordova’s game continues to improve, combining exceptional left-handed power and offense with court coverage and a steady right.
“It was a good final,” Andres would later say. “We were both running all over the court making changes when it was needed.”
Semifinals
Cordova def Alej. Garcia 15-9, 15-9
Gardea def E. Gutierrez 15-10, 15-10
Final: A. Cordova def Gardea 15-7, 15-8
Pro Singles at the Abierto Mexicano de Handball
The pro singles field at the Abierto Mexicano de Handball featured a sensational field, to include R48 #2 Martin Mulkerrins, R48 #3 Leo Canales, R48 #5 Ivan Burgos, R48 #7 Danos Cordova, in addition to current and future Race stars John Chapman, Andres Cordova, Moises Gardea, and Eli and Jon Gutierrez.
“It will be good to get good matches in to prepare for the upcoming Race season,” stated Canales before the event, who like many of his pro peers will be transitioning from 3-Wall to 4-Wall for the season’s first event in Portland on October 10.
Canales survived the gauntlet in the upper bracket to make the final, defeating Jon Gutierrez in the quarterfinal and rallying to defeat Ivan Burgos in the semifinals. Trailing by a game and on the brink of being knocked out of the event in the second game, Canales held off Burgos to force a third and eventually win the tiebreaker. “Ivan was playing well, serving and shooting,” Canales would later say. “When Ivan gets going, there are zero rallies.”
Mulkerrins scored the Cordova slam in the bottom bracket, defeating Andres in the quarterfinals and Danos in the semifinals to meet Canales in the final.
Mulkerrins entered the final unbeaten in his Juarez career and unbeaten in his head-to-head with Canales. Mulkerrrins kept both streaks intact in Sunday’s final, neutralizing Canales’s serve-and-shoot style with precision fist-to-the-ceiling return-of-serves and executing his patented power serve and back wall kills to near perfection (see Mulkerrins Back Wall kill WPH Coaching Center HERE).
With his Abierto pro singles title, Mulkerrins extended his unbeaten streak in Juarez to eighteen matches and four tournaments.
“Martin was playing very well today,” stated hometown hero Leo Canales.
“Overall, I thought I played well today,” stated Mulkerrins. I was happy with how I served this weekend and improved round by round.”
Quarterfinals
Canales def J. Gutierrez 15-6, 15-6
Mulkerrins def A. Cordova 15-11, 15-1
Cordova def J. Chapman 15-12, 15-11
Burgos def E. Cordova
Semifinals
Canales def Burgos 13-15, 15-12, 15-8
Mulkerrins def D. Cordova 15-10, 15-11
Final: M. Mulkerrins def Canales 15-10, 15-3
Danos and Burgos battled for third, with Danos racing to a 15-3 halftime lead. Danos held off Burgos in the second half, earning a momentum-building win heading into the upcoming Race 4 Eight season
Third place final: Danos def Burgos 25-16
Pro doubles final: Team Chapman/Burgos def Team Danos/Fernandez 11-15, 15-10, 15-13
JR WPH King of the Court
Race 4 Eight pros Danos Cordova, Martin Mulkerrins, and John Chapman played “King of the Court” big ball singles with nearly a dozen Juarez juniors on the event’s opening night, proving an opportunity for the young players to play points against the game’s greatest names. What a thrill for the aspiring Juarez youngsters!
Thank you!
Thank you to Luis Cordova, Sr. for his unmatched passion for growing the game and supporting the junior, amateur, pro players, and the WPH. Thank you to all of the volunteers and fans at the Abierto Mexicano de Handball who makes every event in Juarez so special.
Follow all of the brackets from the 2025 Abierto Mexicano de Handball & R48 Pre Qualifier HERE
Pictures courtesy of Richie “Drft” Fernandez
R48 Pre Qualifier Explained HERE
2025/26 Race 4 Eight Schedule HERE
WPH RACE 4 EIGHT: The World Players of Handball’s 2025/26 Race 4 Eight Tour features Race 4 Eight stops from California to Mexico, all culminating with The Player’s Championship. Similar to NASCAR’s Nextel Cup and the FedEx PGA Playoffs, players earn points in the Race 4 Eight’s regular season stops to qualify for the season-ending Player’s Championship and bonus prizes.
For more information on the WPH Race 4 Eight title sponsor opportunity, please contact World Players of Handball Executive Director David Vincent at dave.vincent@wphlive.tv or World Players of Handball Development Director David Fink at david.fink@wphlive.tv. For more information on the World Players of Handball, please visit wphlive.tv
David Fink
WPH Senior Writer