Tucson, AZ, WPH Press, 4/10/24
After a slow start to the 2023/24 season that saw the 2023 Player’s Championship finalist Leo Canales skip the first event in Portland then finish thirteenth and ninth in his first two starts in at the 2023 Tucson Memorial and 2023 R48 Icebreaker, Canales has turned around his season, becoming the tour’s hottest player.
A sixth-place finish at the 2024 Chapman ignited the now Phoenix-based engineer, as Canales then rattled off consecutive finals appearances at the 2024 Red Death (February) and the 2024 Juarez (March).
Canales entered the 2024 Red Death on a mission, overcoming then R48 #4 David Fink for the first time in their six-year rivalry, followed by a tiebreaker win against former R48 finalist Vic Perez.
“I was really hungry for this one (Red Death),” stated Canales. “The St. Louis (quarterfinal) loss really hurt. I came into this event with a strategy to play more aggressively, as opposed to the earlier events in this season where I just showed up to play. Going into the Red Death, I told myself to take more chances and to play with more intensity. I went in with a serve and shoot strategy and was able to convert on a lot of my kill shot attempts. My goal is always to be more consistent.”
Inspired by a raucous home crowd, Canales continued his stellar play in Juarez, winning one of the best matches in Race 4 Eight history in his quarterfinal match against Ray Ure that saw Canales save three match points in a 20-18 third game overtime classic that featured the loudest crowd in the history of the tour. Canales then tamed Ivan Burgos in the semifinal to advance to his second consecutive final and third final in ten months, earning him the nickname “Big Game Canales.”
“I began playing two-three times a week, and at least five to six games every time I played,” stated Canales. “I feel like that really helped me gain more confidence in my shots and helped with my endurance. Along with practice matches, I have been practicing at least two days by myself. Mainly focusing on my serve, back wall shot and my fly kill. All the court time has helped me start making better contact with the ball.”
Canales will be the player to watch in the 2023/24 Race 4 Eight regular season finale at the Hall of Fame R48LTE as he aims for his third consecutive final.
Follow all of the brackets from the 2024 R48LTE USHA Hall of Fame HERE
2024 R48LTE USHA Hall of Fame press release HERE
2024 R48LTE USHA Hall of Fame Full Preview HERE
David Fink
WPH Senior Writer