2022 January Classic R48 Pro and Women’s Singles Daily Recaps
WPH Press, Tucson, AZ 1/16/22
Day 3
R48 Final: Carroll vs. Danos
Killian Carroll and Danos Cordova met in the final two Icebreaker finals in the summer of 2021, with Carroll winning both. Sunday’s January Classic was Carroll’s third final of the season, with Carroll winning his first two starts of the season with wins against Lucho Cordova at the 2021 Tucson Memorial and Paul Brady at the 2021 USHA Four Wall Nationals. Danos Cordova was appearing in his first final of the 2021/22 R48 X season, having lost in the semifinals of the 2021 Tucson Memorial and the semifinals of the 2021 USHA Four Wall Nationals.
Killian Carroll raced out of the gates in the final, despite admitting before the match that he was sore. Carroll charged to a 14-1 lead, despite reinjuring his finger on his right, but needed eight more service innings to finally close out Danos, 15-6.
Danos carried his late game one momentum into game two, taking a 5-2 lead with well-placed off-speed shots. Killian regained control with his dominating serve and shoot game, eventually leading 13-8. Danos was resilient, earning several side outs and serving at 9-13. Danos looked as though he would score his tenth point, but a diving Carroll erased a would-be Danos kill shot with a re kill into the left corner. Killian closed out the match with an ace and a kill down the right.
“Just especially coming off the Nationals, it’s always hard getting another win,” Carroll said to ESPN’s Kara Mack after his eighteenth Race 4 Eight win and fifth in a row. “I wish I performed better and I’m sure Daniel does as well. Daniel played a bit differently and placed balls with very little power, which I wasn’t expecting. He played well in that sense. He didn’t move that much and he used his hands. The benefit of playing on the tour is being in this situation and playing as many tournaments as possible, so we’re adapting to playing this many matches (in a weekend). Playing outside (in WPH Icebreakers) has helped me improve my power, my left hand, and my deep court shots. I would still like to fly kill better.”
Final: Carroll def D. Cordova 15-6, 15-9
5th Place Final: Esser vs. Montijo
Sam Esser and Abraham Montijo played a sensational fifth place final, with the Tucsonans battling for nearly an hour in the one game to 25 final. With the score tied at 18, Esser caught fire, flat rolling several back wall revolving door kills to separate himself from his in-city rival to earn his career-best Race 4 Eight finish.
“Feels good, I really had to work for it,” stated Esser to ESPN sideline reporter Kara Mack. “Abe tracks down a lot of balls and we know each other’s games really well. I think I was a little more fresh than Abe today and my back wall was really on today. Winning fifth means a lot, it’s really special, my goal was to finish (an event) in the top five when the season started.”
Esser def Montijo 25-18
9th Place Final: Langmack vs. Streibig
Max Langmack dismantled Midwest star Jeff Streibig in one of the quickest playoff finals in history, showcasing his all-around skillset en route to a 25-4 victory.
“I felt like I was in the zone today and I let what I practiced and my mechanics take over,” stated Langmack. “It’s huge because with these playoffs you’re never out of it and the playoffs are all about earning it, fighting tooth and nail.”
Langmack def Streibig 25-4
R48 January Classic Finishes
1st: Carroll
2nd: D. Cordova
3rd: L. Cordova/Cooney
5th: Esser
6th: Montijo
7th: Canales Jr./Mehilos
9th: Langmack
10th: Streibig
*The top 10 R48 January Classic finishers receive R48 X ranking points
Round of 16
Carroll def Schiller 15-8, 15-9
Montijo def Langmack 16-14, 15-6
Mehilos def Ruiz 15-10, 15-4
Cooney def D. Perez 15-9, 15-3
Cordova def Gaulton 15-10, 15-5
Canales, Jr. def Pesch 15-1, 17-15
Esser def Streibig 15-9, 15-4
Cordova def Canales, Sr. 15-1, 15-7
Quarterfinals
Carroll def Montijo 15-1, 15-4
Cooney def Mehilos 15-7, 15-0
Cordova def Canales, Jr. 15-2, 15-5
Cordova def Esser 15-7, 15-9
Semifinals
Carroll def Cooney 15-6, 15-9
Danos def Lucho 12-15, 15-9, 15-12
Final: Carroll def Danos 15-6, 15-9
Women’s Pro Singles
Final: Daskalakis vs. Tuohey
Danielle Daskalakis won the first WR48 stop of the 2021/22 WR48 season at the 2021 USHA Four Wall Nationals, making her the current WR48 #1. The weekend prior to the 2021 USHA Four Wall Nationals, Daskalakis lost to Aimee Tuohey in the finals of the 2021 Milwaukee Classic. “When I saw Aimee had entered this tournament, I made my ticket right away because I really wanted to play her again,” stated Daskalakis.
The pair looked destined for a repeat of their three-game classic from their Milwaukee encounter last month, with Danielle and Aimee tied at 11 in game one. Danielle broke the tie with a series of ace serves and fly kills, scoring the final four points of the game to take a one-game lead.
Danielle continued her streak in game two, scoring the first four points of the game to take control. Danielle’s pressure and speed forced Tuohey into a number of errors, as Danielle was able to take the title, 15-11, 15-4.
“Pretty cool to hear the loud glass pounding (after the win),” stated Daskalakis. “I’m very, very happy I was able to make it through. I had to change my serve and my back wall was pretty nice so I was happy about that. To win in Tucson was pretty cool. I’m happy to return the favor after Aimee beat me in Milwaukee. She was serving a lot to my right in Milwaukee when she beat me so I practiced those returns. I was trying to move around to deal with her power. This is definitely one for the books, it’s going on my instagram.”
Semifinals
Daskalakis def Esser 15-8, 14-16, 15-13
Tuohey def Moler 15-2, 15-5
Final: Daskalakis def Tuohey 15-11, 15-4
Ashley Moler bounced back from her semifinal loss to defeat Mikaila Esser for third, overcoming Esser with her trademark fist kills and overhand drives.
Third place final: Moler def Esser 25-14
Women’s Pro Singles Finishes
1st: Daskalakis
2nd: Tuohey
3rd: Moler
Follow all of the brackets from the 2022 January Classic HERE
Watch replays of the WPH January Classic on ESPN3 HERE
Special thanks to Fred Banfield, Doug Clark (Mesch Clark & Rothchild), Jeff Healam (Tucson Rolling Shutters), Tucson Racquet & Fitness (staff, volunteers, employees and crew, Renee Sitter, Bill Selby), Ashley Moler, Abraham Montijo, Shorty Ruiz, Kyra Vidas, Race4Eight Pros, Kris Gurrad, Dave Fink, Linda Manning, Che Lowenstein, Lolita De Vincent, Kara Mack, USHA, WPH BOD and the countless volunteers, supporters, members and Patreon supporters of the WPH that pulled this event together.
Thank you ESPN for allowing handball on your network.
David Fink
WPH Senior Writer
WPH Press, Tucson, AZ 1/15/22
Saturday’s Recap
Day 2
Day 2 featured the R48 Men’s Pro and Women’s Pro singles quarterfinals and semifinals at the Tucson Racquet Club. The action-packed Saturday showcased the best players in North America on the ESPN stage.
R48 X January Classic Quarterfinals
The top four seeds cruised to the R48 January Classic semifinals on Saturday, as 17-time R48 champion Killian Carroll needed just 21 minutes to overcome Abraham Montijo, Stephen Cooney scored 29 of the final 30 points of the match after trailing 1-6 against Bill Mehilos (Cooney suffered a fall late in game one where he sled head-on into the left side-wall. Luckily, WPH Doctor, Ashley Moler, stepped in to check concussion protocols before clearing Cooney to continue play), Luis Cordova overpowered Sam Esser, and Daniel Cordova outmaneuvered Leo Canales, Jr.
What did the pros have to say about their quarterfinal wins?
Stephen Cooney: “After I banged my head in the first game I don’t think Bill scored again, but to be fair, he skipped a lot of balls he was making last night.”
Luis Cordova: “I did not feel I had to reassess anything after the first game, what I was doing was working. It seemed like my power was bothering him.”
Daniel Cordova: “Leo is coming on in every tournament, so I am figuring out how to play him. I figured out some angles he didn’t like and I’ll continue to use those strategies in upcoming matches against him.”
Carroll def Montijo 15-1, 15-4
Cooney def Mehilos 15-7, 15-0
Cordova def Canales, Jr. 15-2, 15-5
Cordova def Esser 15-7, 15-9
Semifinals
Irish rivals Killian Carroll and Stephen Cooney battled in the upper bracket semifinal, with Cooney playing some of the best ball of his Race 4 Eight career in his first Race 4 Eight semifinal. Cooney pushed Carroll throughout the match and held a tie for several consecutive side outs at 8-8 in game two before Carroll was ultimately able to pull away.
“Conditioning was really the difference and it allowed Killian to make the serves at the end,” stated ESPN color analyst Abraham Montijo.
“The serve was the difference, usually I don’t go for the side wall crack serve but I went for it and helped me finish off the game,” stated Carroll to ESPN sideline reporter Kara Mack. “Stephen was playing very well and very smart so I said to myself to turn it up a notch and changed a small bit and it worked.”
The Flying Cordovas faced one another for the second time in the semifinals this season, with Lucho winning their first R48 X semifinal encounter in two games en route to the first of his two R48 X finals thus far in the season. Lucho entered the January Classic with a troublesome right shoulder that appeared to have received some relief from a cortisone shot earlier in the week, while Danos entered the Classic with the flu.
Danos Cordova looked as though he may run away with the match, holding a 12-6 lead in game one. That lead quickly vanished with a Lucho run, as Lucho eventually tied the game and stunningly took game one, 12-9.
Danos led 12-8 in game two and was able to maintain his advantage to force a third game.
Danos led 10-1 in the decider and it appeared Lucho would be heading east to El Paso in a matter of seconds. “Never count Lucho out,” stated ESPN color analyst Leo Canales, Jr. Just as he had done in game one, Lucho stormed back, tying Daniel at 10 and eventually seizing the momentum by taking a 12-10 lead. “Lucho started to hit his lob serve and if my return wasn’t perfect, he was in control of the rally,” stated Danos after the match.
Neither player was able to convert a high percentage of kill shots late in the third game, with many of the rallies extending well into 20 or more shots. Despite battling obvious fatigue, Danos was able to find the bottom board to end rallies, eventually scoring the final five points of the match to advance to his first R48 final of the season.
“No freebies here, he (Lucho) can get into a rhythm with his lob serve,” stated Danos after the match. “It’s a lot of pressure, we’re both not super precise right now but we both have a lot of power so there is not much time to set up to hit kills. I just needed not to get tense. It definitely takes awhile to get over it once one of us beats one another because we make sure to always say who is the better player after we play.”
“This was everything you can ask for on a Saturday night in Tucson, both of these guys giving it their all on every point,” stated Leo Canales.
Carroll def Cooney 15-6, 15-9
Danos def Lucho 12-15, 15-9, 15-12
Women’s Pro Singles
Mikaila Esser notched her biggest 4-Wall win against Tracy Davis in the opening round, defeating Davis in a thriller, 6-15, 15-12, 15-13.
Esser had just a few hours to relax after her biggest indoor victory before facing the current national 4-Wall champion and current WR48 #1 Danielle Daskalakis. Daskalakis took game one comfortably but was unable to close the door on Esser, as Esser forced a tiebreaker in overtime.
Esser took a seemingly commanding lead at 12-8 in the decider, only to see her lead evaporate with a flurry of Daskalakis left-handed kills. Daskalakis was able to complete the comeback with a sensational left-hand cross court kill to end the match. “I know Mikaila gets stronger as the math goes on and she keeps making gets and putting the ball away,” Danielle stated to ESPN sideline reporter Kara Mack. “I kept telling myself the mantra I’ve used since 2015 ‘ ‘Get her down, score a point.’ This means a lot to me because handball means so much to me – all of my jobs, traveling and friends are a result of handball.”
Aimee Tuohey overwhelmed Ashley Moler in the bottom bracket semifinals, racing to an early lead and never allowing Moler into the game. “Aimee started fast and just had Ashley on the move throughout the match,” stated ESPN color analyst Luis Cordova. “Sometimes you feel like you’re playing badly, but when you can never get your feet set, you are not going to play well.”
“I only play about once or twice a week just to have fun so I was surprised at how well I played,” stated Tuohey. “My goal was for my right hand to not be as bad as it has been for the last few years and I think I accomplished that.”
Semifinals
Daskalakis def Esser 15-8, 14-16, 15-13
Tuohey def Moler 15-2, 15-5
Sunday Lineup Live on ESPN3 & WatchESPN App
9th place final: Streibig vs. Langmack
5th place final: Montijo vs. Esser
Women’s Final: Daskalakis vs. Tuohey
Men’s Final: Carroll vs. Danos
Follow all of the brackets from the 2022 January Classic HERE
Watch Saturday’s action live on ESPN3 HERE
David Fink
WPH Senior Writer
2022 January Classic R48 Pro and Women’s Singles Daily Recaps
Friday’s Recap
WPH Press, Tucson, AZ 1/14/22
Day 1
The Race 4 Eight X’s first event of 2022 and fourth event of the 2021/22 R48 X season kicked off on Friday at the Tucson Racquet Club, with the Race 4 Eight’s battling for the inaugural January Classic title.
17-time Race 4 Eight champion Killian Carroll was aiming to stay undefeated on the season in his third R48 X start, while Lucho Cordova was aiming for his first title of the season after making the finals in his first two R48 X starts, Danos Cordova was seeking his fourth R48 title and first R48 X final and a hungry group of challengers were aiming for their R48 breakthroughs.
Six of the top eight seeds cruised to Saturday’s quarterfinals with two-game sweeps, as Carroll, the Flying Cordovas, Stephen Cooney, Leo Canales, Jr., and Sam Esser all advanced. Abraham Montijo avenged his December Icebreaker loss to Max Langmack, dropping the Kansas product in two games to advance to his second R48 X quarterfinal. Bill Mehilos, making his third consecutive Race 4 Eight start, scored the upset of the day, defeating fifth-seeded Shorty Ruiz in two games to advance to his first Race 4 Eight quarterfinal.
Saturday will feature the R48 Pro quarterfinals and semifinals, R48 playoff action, and Women’s Pro singles, all live on ESPN3.
Round of 16 (Friday)
Carroll def Schiller 15-8, 15-9
Montijo def Langmack 16-14, 15-6
Mehilos def Ruiz 15-10, 15-4
Cooney def D. Perez 15-9, 15-3
Cordova def Gaulton 15-10, 15-5
Canales, Jr. def Pesch 15-1, 17-15
Esser def Streibig 15-9, 15-4
Cordova def Canales, Sr. 15-1, 15-7
Round of 8 (Saturday) LIVE ON ESPN3 & WATCHESPN APP
Carroll vs. Montijo 10 am MST
Cooney vs. Mehilos 11 am MST
Cordova vs. Canales, Jr. 1 pm MST
Cordova vs. Esser noon MST
Follow all of the brackets from the 2022 January Classic HERE
Watch Saturday’s action live on ESPN3 HERE
David Fink
WPH Senior Writer