2025 Race 4 Eight Portland Classic: Burgos dives his way to first R48 Final
Day 2: Saturday
Portland, OR, WPH Press, 10/11/25
Round of 8
Lucho Cordova and Sean Lenning kicked off the 2025/26 ESPN season with a scintillating match. Lucho led 6-0 to start game one, only to fall victim to a Lenning offensive onslaught that saw Lenning strike sixteen kills and outscore Lucho 15-4 in the final nineteen points to take the first game.
Lucho built a seemingly comfortable 7-1 lead in the second, only to see Lenning charge back to tie the game at ten. Lenning continued to pour on the kills, running his second game total to twenty. Lenning served for the match at 14-13 but could not convert three opportunities in the rally. Appearing to be completely exhausted, Lenning served again for the match at 15-14. Lenning appeared to have won the match, pushing a paddle shot down the right wall and out of Lucho’s reach, but inexplicably hit himself with the ball before the second bounce. Given a lifeline, Lucho took advantage of his good fortune and dominated the rest of overtime and the third game to become the forty-first player in the history of the tour to face match point and come back to win.
“After losing a game like that it just feels like the balloon has deflated,” ESPN broadcaster Dave Vincent stated after Lenning’s near win.
“I’m not really making adjustments (against Sean),” Lucho would tell ESPN’s Kara Mack. “Just stay focused, hit hard, and wait on him to get a little tired. Playing him, you get nervous. You get set ups and you can’t put them away. You never know what to expect with Sean, any time he can beat anyone. This was the quarters and it could have been a final. Being number one or two or three or whatever does not change anything. I come here to win.”
Ivan Burgos faced the white-hot Jeff Streibig in the second quarterfinal of the day. Burgos blitzed Streibig in game one, striking ten kills to Streibig’s two. Streibig quickly turned the match around in game two, hitting ten kills and three aces to force a third. A between games phone call from his coach spurred Burgos to take his game to another level, playing with dominating intensity and booking his spot in the semifinals in a nine-minute tiebreaker.
Mulkerrins was steady in his two-game blowout win against Jab Bike, striking eight aces, fifteen kills, seven passes, and just five errors.
“I took a two-week long break after the Nationals,” stated Martin to ESPN’s Kara Mack. “I played some interclub, big alley, and Senior Doubles in the six weeks I spent in Ireland. It didn’t feel like training. I was consistent last season but I think in the second half of the season, Lucho really turned it up a notch. I’ve been reflecting on the peaking of things. Picking and choosing a little but more and reflecting on tournaments. I focused on my serve and kill because those weren’t good enough in Salt Lake City. Good memories in Portland. It was my first ever trip to the U.S. The facility is beautiful.”
Danos Cordova met Leo Canales in their first 4-Wall Race encounter since 2024. Danos kept Canales off-balance in the first game, fooling Canales with hops and pushing him back with hard drives. Danos was not as sharp in the second, falling behind early and never recovering. “I was playing really lackadaisical in the second game,” Danos would later say. “I told myself in the second game that I got that out of my system. I needed to get my feet moving.”
Danos turned the match in his favor in the third, reasserting himself with power and intention to advance to the semifinals. “I used to make a lot of semifinals and I took it for granted,” expressed an emotional Danos. “It means a lot.”
R48 #1 Lucho overwhelmed Burgos in the first game of the semifinal, holding the Canadian to just one point. “Leaving the court (after the first game), I needed to call my dad to get some insight. He told me to stop shooting from the back.”
Burgos completely changed the momentum and trajectory of the match in the second, holding Lucho to just three points with an offensive barrage that saw Burgos catch fire with both hands.
Knowing that Lucho was a perfect 10-0 in tiebreakers last season, Burgos continued to apply pressure in the third, building a 12-5 and 14-6 lead. Lucho was never able to threaten, as Burgos advanced to his first R48 final.
“Feels awesome (to make my first final),” stated Burgos. “Hard to put into words. You don’t take days off. It (making a final) changes your career. Thank you, dad. I love you. I am just going to try to take it all in tonight and forget about it tomorrow. It’s (the training) a lot of early mornings and late nights. It’s a lifestyle. I love this sport so much because it has made my dad and I so close. It gives me purpose in life. My mentality (against Lucho) was I had nothing to lose. I was not the one with the pressure on. (A former boxer, Burgos was asked to compare boxing to handball) In handball you take losses, which hurt just as much as hits in boxing.”
Mulkerrins was flawless against Danos in the second semifinal, continuing his unbeaten streak in Race play at the MAC. After a first game clinic that saw Danos score just one point, Martin scuffled until the second game’s midpoint. Following a series of errors and poorly executed shots, Martin regained control at 9-6, scoring the final six points of the match.
“Just happy with the performance,” Martin told ESPN’s Kara Mack. “Game two was more what I expected. At this level you need to be the full package, skills of the game, fitness, and the mental side. (Discussing the mental side of the game) The mental side is massive. It’s something I’ve worked at. It plays a key part. I want to be flexible with my serve. The low power serves seem to be going well. Ivan’s off-hand is very deadly. Today he had a very mature performance. He has gotten a lot stronger mentally. He’s the real deal. He’s had some very good wins and hard losses. If you are in the final, you deserve to be there.”
Scores
Quarterfinals
Lucho def Lenning 10-15, 17-15, 15-6
Burgos def Streibig 15-4, 6-15, 15-1
Mulkerrins def Bike 15-7, 15-4
Danos def Canales 15-8, 6-15, 15-6
Semifinals
Burgos def Lucho 1-15, 15-3, 15-8
Mulkerrins def Danos 15-1, 15-6
Final: Mulkerrins vs. Burgos 11:30 am PST
5th place final: Streibig vs. Canales 10:45 PST
9th place final: Esser vs. Langmack 10 am PST
Follow the draws and results from the 2025 Race 4 Eight Portland Classic HERE
David Fink
WPH Senior Writer