Day three: Sunday

Las Vegas, NV, WPH Press, 2/11/18- Sunday featured four WPH pro finals, as the R48, WR48, SR48, and WPH Outdoor crowned its Royal Flush champions on an electric day in Las Vegas.

R48 Finals: Carroll vs. Lenning

Killian Carroll and Sean Lenning met for the third time this season and eighth time in their R48 careers. Lenning won their first encounter at the 2015 U.S. Open, but Carroll had won their last six matchups.

Killian Carroll picked up where he left off in Saturday night’s semifinals, racing to a 9-1 lead in game one. Lenning was unable to build any momentum, scoring one point at a time and never seriously threatening the “K Train” in a straightforward game one win for Carroll.

Lenning turned up the heat in game two as he had in his semifinal win, erasing a first-game disappointment to take control in game two. Lenning dazzled the raucous gallery with shots that only he can make: left-handed overhand punch fly kills, left-handed kills into the right corner, and right hand flat kills off his back foot from 38 feet. Lenning took a 13-6 lead and clinched the game with a right hand kill to force a third.

Carroll had lost just one second game in the past 16 months on the R48 and proved why in the third, sprinting to a 9-0 lead with a barrage of ace serves, bottom-board kills with both hands, and nimble retrieves. Lenning appeared to be exhausted and burned his last timeout while trailing 3-9. Just as it appeared that Carroll would clinch his fourth R48 title in four R48 7 events, Lenning surged. Lenning put Carroll under pressure with virtually every shot for the remainder of the match, pushing Carroll side to side with punch fist drives and blasting sizzling kills. Lenning erased the deficit by scoring nine of the next 12 points, punctuating the comeback with a back wall rollout. With the pro-Lenning crowd in a frenzy, “The Freak” delivered the knockout blow, scoring the final three points of the match, including a left-handed game winner down the left wall.

“I think my serve was working for me today,” stated an exhausted and elated Lenning to ESPN’s Kara Mack. “My left is finally back after hurting it a year ago. Killian is still the champ, I just got one on him today.”

Following the post match interview, Lenning was hoisted on the shoulders of his friends and fans. Wow!

Final: Lenning def Carroll 7-15, 9-15, 15-12

Watch the Comeback:

Want to Watch Lenning’s big comeback after being down 0-9?  WPH Members can!  Go to the Members-Only Page, add your password and look for the “Special Moments” Section.  You can watch the last 18 points of the breaker and witness history!  Not a member?  Become one at www.thehandballstore.com.

R48 Playoffs

Daniel Cordova served two aces and hit three kills to break a 20-20 tie in the 5^th place final to defeat Marcos Chavez in Chavez’s seventh match of the tournament, while Vic Perez cruised past Stephen Cooney for 9^th.

5^th: D. Cordova def Chavez 25-20

9^th: Perez def Cooney 25-9

R48 Royal Flush Finishes

1^st: Lenning

2^nd: Carroll

3^rd: Fink/L. Cordova

5^th: D. Cordova

6^th: Chavez

7^th: Peixoto, Ortiz

9^th: Perez

10^th: Cooney

11^th: Montijo/Beall/Torres/Ruiz

13^th: Moreno/Pat. Funchion/

WR48 Finals: Casey vs. Peixoto de Melo

Catriona Casey was aiming to bounce back from her second WR48 loss in 14 starts in Tucson three months ago, while Courtney Peixoto de Melo was appearing in her first WR48 final on the heels of impressive WR48 victories against top five WR48 pros Tracy Davis and Aimee Tuohey. Casey and Peixoto de Melo met for the first time at the WR48 5 Tucson Memorial, with Casey winning in two entertaining games.

Casey continued her ruthless assault on the WR48 draw in Vegas, holding CPM scoreless in game one allowing just three points in game two for a three-round total of 90-9, Casey’s second-most dominant win in her WR48 career.

“There is simply no one on the level of Catriona right now, maybe ever,” stated WPH referee Pete Papathemetrios.

Final: Casey def Peixoto de Melo 15-0, 15-3

WR48 Playoffs

Aimee Tuohey ousted Dr. Ashley Moler for third, while Tracy Davis clinched fifth with an exciting win against Suz Koehler

3^rd: Tuohey def Moler 25-12

5^th: Davis def Koehler 25-19

WR48 Royal Flush Finishes

1^st: Casey

2^nd: Peixoto de Melo

3^rd: Tuohey

4^th: Moler

5^th: Davis

6^th: Koehler

SR48 Finals: Chavez vs. Fink

Marcos Chavez was seeking his 10^th SR48 title, while David Fink was appearing in his first SR48 event. Chavez and Fink met in the quarterfinals of the R48 draw on Saturday, making the pair the first players to play singles against one another twice in the same event.

Fink attacked Chavez from the outset, never allowing the nine-time SR48 champion to become comfortable. Fink utilized his fly kill and two-way serve to race to a 15-5 halftime lead in just 12 minutes. Fink did not slow down in the second half, maintaining his aggressive style, clinching his first SR48 title and yellow jersey.

“I wasn’t sure I’d want to play in the SR48 but I’m really glad I did,” stated Fink. “The guys are really tough in this bracket and I really enjoyed playing against them.

SR48 Playoffs

Royal Flush tournament host faced Dr. Dan Zimet for the first time in 4-Wall singles. The match was moved to ESPN at 13-all and the two SR48 superstars put on an incredible show for the ESPN viewers. Harris trailed 17-18 and caught fire, connecting on diving re kills, back wall kills, and ace serves to score the final seven points of the match. George Garcia Jr. ousted Kevin Price for fifth

SR48 Royal Flush Finishes

1^st: Fink

2^nd: Chavez

3^rd: Harris

4^th: Zimet

5^th: Garcia Jr.

WPH Outdoor Finals: Team Shimbo vs. Team Samzon/Duenas

Shorty Ruiz and Timbo Gonzalez have been the most dominant doubles team in WPH Outdoor history and the only team to have won WPH Outdoor doubles titles in 1-Wall, 3-Wall, and 4-Wall. Team Shimbo cruised through the upper half of the draw to advance to the final. Team Hernandez and Duenas have played together sparingly in doubles, but had little difficulty advancing to the final in the bottom half of the draw.

Team Shimbo and Team SoCal played a sensational match, with the average rally just north of 19 shots. Not surprisingly, controversy erupted with Team SoCal leading 14-13 in game one. Duenas hit a back wall kill to win the game, which Team Shimbo contended skipped. Both the referee and linesman called the ball good, giving Team SoCal a one-game lead. Game two was close throughout, with neither team able to build a lead of more than three points. With Team SoCal leading 14-13, a furious rally ensued, with Timbo making just his third error of the match to give Team SoCal the title.

“We’ve been teaming for 10 years and we never win together,” stating Samzon referencing his win with Duenas. “”I’m really happy we were able to win together.”

“I lost here in the final last year and I’ve been thinking about it and looking forward to trying to win this title for a year,” stated Duenas. “I want to thank the WPH for a great event.”

WPH Outdoor Royal Flush Doubles Finishes

1^st: Hernandez/Duenas

2^nd: Gonzalez/Ruiz

Final: Hernandez/Duenas def Team Shimbo 15-13,15-13

Pro-am Doubles

Vic Perez added another doubles title to his mantle, teaming with R48 Salt Lake City Aces tournament director and WPH ambassador Ruben Garza to defeat R48 pro Erik Torres and Jorge Lopez.

Final: Team Perez/Garza def Team Torres/Lopez 15-10, 15-10

Thank you!

David Fink

WPH Senior Writer

The Bob Harris Royal Flush in Las Vegas, wraps up

Find Sunday’s Results HERE:  https://goo.gl/MAVVFR

Women’s Final

Catriona Casey over Courtney Peixoto De Melo 15-0, 15-3

Men’s Senior 40+ Final

David Fink gets past Marcos Chavez 25-7

Men’s Big Ball Doubles Final

Sal Duenas/Samzon Hernandez are the victors over Braulio Ruiz/Timothy Gonzalez 15-13, 15-14 

Men’s Singles Final:

Killian Carroll vs Sean Lenning

Day two of #TheBob: Saturday’s Wrap

(Editor’s Note:  Broadcast Schedule of the Sunday’s Final Day on ESPN is posted below)

Las Vegas, NV, WPH Press, 2/10/18- Saturday featured the second consecutive day of wall-to-wall handball in Sin City, as the R48, WR48, SR48, and WPH Outdoor pros continued their quests for yellow jerseys, ranking points, and Vegas titles.

R48 Quarterfinals

Carroll vs. Peixoto

R48 #1 Killian Carroll faced former R48 #2 Emmett Peixoto in Saturday’s R48 quarterfinal. Carroll entered the match with “The Rock” having defeated the Watsonville native in three of their four head to head match-ups, with each of those matches being close and grueling affairs. Peixoto rallied from a 4-8 deficit to tie the score at eight in game one, but Carroll found another gear, scoring seven of the final 10 points of the game to take a one game lead. Carroll cruised in game two, advancing to the semifinals with ease.

Fink vs. Chavez

David Fink and Marcos Chavez staged the oldest quarterfinal affair in R48 history, as the two veterans combined for 83 years. Fink led their R48 head to head record 2-1, with all three of the matches featuring shenanigans and close finishes. Fink raced to as 7-0 first game lead with “first-strike” handball and maintained his advantage en route to a one-game lead. Fink led 8-3 in game two when Chavez caught fire, serving two aces and striking three back wall kills to tie the score at eight. Fink surged to a 12-8 lead with his own offensive firepower and held off a determined Chavez to advance in two. “He was lucky I missed some of my back walls,” stated Chavez.

Lenning vs. D. Cordova

Sean Lenning looked dominant in his opening round win against the “San Francisco Kid” Erik Torres and aimed to continue to his fine form against “Danos” Cordova, against whom he had never lost in three R48 encounters. Danos grabbed a 9-6 first game lead before Lenning switched to fifth gear. Lenning turned up the velocity and the accuracy of his shots, scoring 24 of the final 31 points of the match to maintain his undefeated record against Danos.

Ortiz vs. L. Cordova

Mando Ortiz and Luis Cordova both survived first-game losses to win in tiebreakers in Vegas’ opening round. Despite a number of close matches in their R48 history, Ortiz led “Lucho” 5-1 in their R48 head to head matchups. Lucho dominated game one but Ortiz rallied in game two to force a tiebreaker. Cordova’s serve was the difference in the tiebreaker, as the Juarez product consistently found the right wall crack on his power serve to earn points and setups. Cordova would need five serves at 14-6 to win the match, sealing the win with a trademark kill down the right. “I just couldn’t get focused and be decisive,” lamented Ortiz after losing before the semifinals for the first time this season.

R48 Semifinals

Carroll vs. Fink

Carroll and Fink met for the second time in R48 play, with Carroll staging a dramatic comeback in their finals clash in New Orleans 12 months ago to win the Nola title. Carroll was in peak form from the outset, serving aces and killing nearly every ball en route to a 7-1 lead. “I have never seen Killian start this fast,” stated WPH referee Pete Papathemetrios. “Killian was determined to end rallies as quickly as possible.”

Fink would stage his own offensive display, climbing to 10-14 before Carroll closed out the first game, 15-10. Fink played nearly perfect handball en route to a 12-6 lead in game two, utilizing a power serve to the left and right to earn setups and points. Carroll halted Fink’s momentum with six-inch high serves that double-bounced the back wall and one inch high kills to take game two and advance to his fourth final of the season.

Lenning vs. L. Cordova

Sean Lenning dropped game one to Luis Cordova in just 11 minutes, appearing to be out of sorts and unable to find his range in the service box. “I just couldn’t get my wing warmed up,” Lenning would later say. Lenning started to dictate play in game two, attempting rally-ending shots with virtually every swing and connecting on a high percentage. Lenning would force a tiebreaker, with the winner making his first final of the season. Cordova scored the first four points of the tiebreaker and appeared have the momentum. Lenning quickly tied the score at four and never looked back, scoring the final 15 points of the match to make his first final of the season. “It seems like I always lose to Luis so it’s nice to beat him,” quipped Lenning.

Quarterfinals

Carroll def Peixoto 15-11, 15-5

Fink def Chavez 15-7, 15-10

Lenning def D. Cordova 15-11, 15-6

Cordova def Ortiz 15-7, 11-15, 15-6

Semifinals

Carroll def Fink 15-10, 15-12

Lenning def L. Cordova 5-15, 15-8, 15-4

Final (Sunday): Carroll vs. Lenning

WR48

The WR48 Royal Flush featured three Irish stars and five Americans, with each women’s star aiming to win the first WR48 stop vin Las Vegas.

WR48 Quarterfinals

Catriona Casey cruised past Hilary Rushe, needing just 11 minutes to advance to her 15^th WR48 semifinal.

Dr. Ashley Moler was seeking her first WR48 semifinal and faced Irish rival Aoife McCarthy for a spot in the semis. Moler seized a 14-10 first-game lead but could not finish the game, as McCarthy forced overtime and ultimately won, 16-14. Despite the first game setback, Moler dominated the next two games to emphatically enter the WR48 semifinals.

Courtney Peixoto de Melo faced Northern California sparring partner and longtime women’s pro rival Tracy Davis for a chance at her first WR48 semifinal. The clash of similar styles produced great rallies, with both women stars playing exceptional handball. Peixoto’s serve proved to be the difference, as she scored the final five points of both games with ace serves and first-strike kills.

Aimee Tuohey faced WR48 top 10 pro Suz Koehler for the first time and found herself trailing by a game in her quest to advance to her fourth consecutive WR48 semifinal in four WR48 starts. Tuohey changed her plan of attack in game two against the Pride of St. Louis, keeping Koehler in the back court with a lob serve to the left and driving pass shots. After leveling the match at one game apiece, Tuohey relied on her experience to keep her WR48 semifinal streak intact. “Aimee just played really smart and didn’t give me any opportunities after the first game,” stated Koehler. 

WR48 Semifinals

Catriona Casey continued to steamroll the women’s draw, dispatching Dr. Moler in two quick games. Casey made just five errors against 43 kill shots in her two matches on Saturday

Peixoto de Melo and Tuohey met for the first time, with both ladies seeking their first WR48 final. Tuohey clinched a close first game that saw 17 rallies of 25 shots or more. PDM turned the tables in game two, shooting the ball with ball hands and shortening the rallies to force a third game. PDM continued to dictate play in game three, pushing Tuohey from side to side and executing several of her patented diving re kills. PDM built a 13-8 lead and held off Tuohey for her first WR48 finals appearance.

WR48 Quarterfinals

Casey def Rushe

Moler def McCarthy 14-16, 15-7, 15-4

Peixoto de Melo def Davis 15-10, 15-10

Tuohey def Koehler 8-15, 15-10, 15-7

WR48 Semifinals

Casey def Moler 15-1, 15-3

Peixoto de Melo def Tuohey 12-15, 15-6, 15-9

WR48 Final (Sunday): Casey vs. Peixoto de Melo

SR48

Nine-time SR48 champion Marcos Chavez eased past Tom Stone to face Dr. Dan Zimet in the upper bracket SR48 semifinal. Dr. Z played superbly in ousting 40+ national champion George Garcia in the quarterfinals and continued his solid play against the SR48 #1 in the semifinal. Zimet took a 5-1 lead and eventually trailed 14-15 at the half. “I just couldn’t shake Dan,” stated an impressed Chavez. “Each time I’d take a lead, Dan would score four or five points to tie me.” Chavez led 21-18 and located an underhand lob to Zimet’s left that Zimet was unable to defend, as Chavez was able to score the final four points of the match to advance. “It feels like just a matter of time before Marcos finds a weakness in my game and he did with that serve,” stated Zimet.

R48 #3 David Fink was making his first SR48 start and advanced to the final with wins against 40+ national finalist Kevin Price and Royal Flush tournament director Joe Harris. “I wasn’t sure what to expect on the senior tour but it’s a lot of fun and these guys can really play,” barked Fink.

SR48 Quarterfinals

Chavez vs. Stone 25-14

Zimet def Garcia Jr. 25-17

Harris def Armijo 25-19

Fink def Price 25-9

SR48 Semifinals

Chavez def Zimet 25-18

Fink def Harris 25-9

Final (Sunday): Chavez vs. Fink

WPH Outdoor

Team Shimbo reunited at the Royal Flush, as WPH Outdoor superstars Shorty Ruiz and Timbo Gonzalez earned the top seed in the WPH Outdoor Royal Flush 4-Wall Big Ball doubles. Team Shimbo had little difficulty in the top bracket, dominating Adrian Ortiz and John Wayne Cortez in the quarterfinals and Esteban Erazo and Oscar Siordia, Jr. in the semifinals. “Shorty killed seven balls in a row in the semis, I’ve never seen anything like it,” declared Gonzalez.

Samzon Hernandez and Sal Duenas entered the Royal Flush as the number two seeds and swept through the bottom bracket with ease, defeating Adrian Contreras and Noe Garcia in the quarterfinals and Antonio Chavez and Manuel Chavez in the semifinals.

“Sal and Samzon have never beaten me in doubles and they won’t tomorrow,” predicted Gonzalez.

Semifinals

Team Shimbo def Erazo/Siordia 15-9, 15-10

Team Hernandez/Duenas def Team Chavez 15-5, 15-9

Final (Sunday): Team Shimbo vs. Team Hernandez/Duenas

To follow all of the draws and results from the Royal Flush ’18, go here

David Fink

WPH Senior Writer

WPH Bob Harris Royal Flush Open from Las Vegas continues, as the Race4Eight Professional Handball Tour and ESPN3 film the Elite Players on the main show court.  Do you want to watch?

Watch LIVE Sunday, February 11th, 2018 beginning at 9am on www.watchespn.com (pacific time).

Sunday’s Broadcast Schedule:

Women’s Final

10am  Courtney Peixoto De Melo vs Catriona Casey

Men’s Senior 40+ Final

10:45am  David Fink vs Marcos Chavez

Men’s Big Ball Doubles Final

11:30am  Braulio Ruiz/Timothy Gonzalez vs Sal Duenas/Samzon Hernandez

Men’s Singles Final:

12:15pm  Killian Carroll vs Sean Lenning

Tournament results, HERE>

Saturday’s Broadcast Schedule & Friday’s Wrap-Up:

WPH WATCHESPN BROADCAST SCHEDULE FOR SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 10^TH

CHANNEL ESPN3

WOMEN’S SELECT PRO QUARTERS:

1000AM               ASHLEY MOLER VS AIOFE McCARTHY

1045AM               TRACY DAVIS VS COURTNEY PEIXOTO

MEN’S ELITE PRO QUARTERS:

1130AM               DAVID FINK VS MARCOS CHAVEZ

1215PM                KILLIAN CARROLL VS EMMETT PEIXOTO

220PM                  ARMANDO ORTIZ VS LUIS CORDOVA

330PM                  SEAN LENNING VS DANIEL CORDOVA

WOMEN’S PRO SEMIFINALS:

430PM                  C. CASEY  A. MOLER

515PM                  C. PEIXOTO VS A. TUOHEY

MEN’S ELITE PRO SEMIFINALS:

6PM                  K. CARROLL  VS D. FINK 

7PM                 S. LENNING OR D. CORDOVA VS L. CORDOVA 

***ALL TIMES ARE PACIFIC AND MATCHES CAN BE BUMPED, DELAYED, RE-SCHEDULED, MOVED DEPENDING ON TIME CONSTRAINTS AND OTHER FACTORS.

***WPHLIVE.TV IS BROADCASTING SATURDAY’S MATCHES TO ESPN3 & WATCHESPN APP BEGINNING AT 10AM UNTIL 8:30PM.  WATCH AT WWW.WATCHESPN.COM

Friday’s Wrap Up

Las Vegas, NV, WPH Press, 2/9/18- The first Race 4 Eight event in Las Vegas kicked off on Friday morning with a special “six-pack” qualifier, featuring 32 of the world’s best players competing for six coveted spots in the R48 Royal Flush main draw. The WR48 kicked off its second event of the 2017-2018 WR48 5 wraparound season, while the SR48 began its sixth season on Friday afternoon. The WPH Outdoor 4-Wall Big Ball doubles also began on Friday, as the top 4-Wall Big Ball teams in the world collided in opening round action on an action-packed weekend in Las Vegas.

R48 Qualifier

Emmett Peixoto and Stephen Cooney pre-qualified for spots in the Royal Flush main draw with R48 Pre Qualifier wins in Pittsburgh and San Francisco, respectively. The Rock and Coon Dogg’s pre-qualified spots left just six available spots for 32 qualifier hopefuls from California, Arizona, Oregon, Texas, Missouri, New York, Illinois, Canada, Mexico, and Ireland.

Top-seeded qualifier and R48 #9 Vic Perez cruised to the main draw win a routine win against Chicago’s Charlie Lemus.

Second-seeded qualifier Peter Funchion faced 6-time Oregon State champion and R48 # 24 Dalton Beall. “I wasn’t happy with how I played in Montana (last month) and I’m ready for this one and I’ll play a lot better,” stated Beall before the match. Beall needed his best game against the rising Irish star and found it, taking a 24-22 lead. Funchion earned a side out with a Beall error and scored two quick points to send the match to overtime. Three consecutive 25-shot rallies went the way of Beall, who earned one of the best R48 wins of his career.

Third-seeded qualifier Abraham Montijo faced a scare from 2017 WPH Outdoor #1 and cross over star Samzon Hernandez in the opening round of the qualifier, trailing 9-15 at the half and 13-18 in the second half, with Hernandez controlling the front court by never allowing the ball to get behind him and applying constant pressure against the Tucsonan. Montijo started to find his range, tying the score at 19 by pushing Hernandez back and executing kills with both hands. Montijo closed out the match on a 12-2 run and faced WPH Outdoor Ironman Sal Duenas in the qualifier final. Montijo was prepared for the Big Ball cross over style in the final, dictating the match to qualify for the fourth consecutive event this season.

Shorty Ruiz faced Midwestern scrapper Jeff Streibig in his bid to join Montijo as the only four-time qualifier this season but found himself trailing 14-21 against the diving, lunging, hungry first-time qualifier hopeful. “My back started to cramp before the match and I just felt like I couldn’t move, plus Jeff was killing everything.” Ruiz used his experience and clutch shot making to tie the match at 21 and continued his streak to the main draw, scoring the final 11 points of the match to avoid the upset.

Adam Bernhard was making his first start of the R48 7 season and offered little resistance against Ireland’s Patrick Funchion, as the Irishman took the Texan apart to qualify for the first time.

Erik Torres was sharp in his first start of the R48 7, playing effortless ball en route to defeating R48 #23 Ryan Pesch and John Wayne Cortez in the qualifier final.

Qualifier Finals

Peixoto via R48 Pre Qualifier OC Singles win

Cooney via R48 Pre Qualifier Pittsburgh win

Perez def Lemus 25-6

Beall def Pet. Funchion 26-24

Montijo def Duenas 25-13

Ruiz def Streibig 25-21

Pat. Funchion def Bernhard 25-9

Torres def Cortez 25-11

R48 Round of 16

Killian Carroll continued his sensational form in his opening round in Las Vegas, dismantling Dalton Beall in the first game and cruising in game two to advance to Saturday’s quarterfinals.

Former R48 Elite 8 staple and new dad Emmett Peixoto faced longtime rival Luis Moreno in a battle of two former top two R48 stars in the opening round. Moreno recovered from his Montana flu and hit the ball crisply and accurately en route to an 8-3 first-game lead. Peixoto worked his way into the match with his feet and his shots, scoring 12 of the final 13 points of the first take to take a one-game lead. Peixoto led in game two throughout, taking a 12-6 lead with an array of back wall kills and bounce-pass winners. Moreno cut the deficit to 10-14 but could not climb any closer, as he dropped his second consecutive first-round match.

Former Southern California rivals Marcos Chavez and Shorty Ruiz staged a classic for a spot in the quarterfinals. Ruiz took a 14-11 lead in game one but was unable to close the door, as the crafty Chavez tied the game at 14 to force overtime and took the first game, 17-15. Ruiz took a 14-11 lead in game two and held on to force a third. The 41-minute tiebreaker featured a number of momentum changes, with both players finding numerous ways to end rallies. Ruiz worked his way to match point at 15-14 and nearly served an ace into the deep right crack. Chavez flipped a 3-Wall return with the ball just inches from the ground, with the 3-Wall return giving Ruiz a swing at the match from 32-feet. Ruiz’s attempt fell just short, handing Chavez the serve. Chavez scored the final three points of the match to give Ruiz his second consecutive round of 16 third game loss by two points.

David Fink faced the NYAC’s Stephen Cooney in a rivalry that has gone back and forth since 2014. Cooney took a 5-1 lead in game one, but Fink tied the score at seven. Both players appeared to be on edge, with both making several uncharacteristic errors. Fink took a 12-9 lead and scored his 13^th point on a misplayed Cooney lob serve return. Another error at 14 gave Fink a one-game lead. Fink controlled the action in game two, taking a 12-4 lead and holding off a feisty Cooney to advance to Saturday’s quarterfinal.

Sean Lenning had little difficulty with the Olympic Club’s Erik Torres, warming up midway through game one and crushing the “San Francisco Kid” in game two.

Daniel Cordova and Vic Perez met for the second consecutive weekend, with Perez defeating Danos last weekend in the (non R48) Gorilla Open in Colorado. “I’m definitely looking forward to my rematch,” stated Danos. Cordova outlasted Perez in a 42-minute first game and was in control in game two, clinching his third quarterfinal appearance in four R48 7 starts.

Abraham Montijo stunned R48 #6 Luis Cordova in game one of their quarterfinal clash, allowing “Lucho” just three points en route to a one-game lead. Cordova regrouped, taking a 10-3 lead in game two. “I was just asleep in game one and Abe was playing really well,” stated Lucho. “I got up 10-3 in game two and he came back all the way to nine and I was definitely getting worried.” Cordova closed out game two and dominated game three by serving aces, tracking down nearly all of Montijo’s best shots and finding the bottom board with regularity.

Two-time R48 7 finalist Mando Ortiz faced first-time R48 qualifier Patrick Funchion and found himself in a one-game hole. “He was playing good but I was just tentative,” stated Ortiz. Ortiz started finding his stroke in game two, leveling the match. Ortiz carried his game two momentum into the third game and avoided a first round loss. “The tiebreaker was close, but I was able to pull away,” stated Ortiz.

Carroll def Beall 15-0, 15-8

Peixoto def Moreno 15-9, 15-10

Chavez def Ruiz 17-15, 11-15, 17-15

Fink def Cooney 15-9, 15-7

Lenning def Torres 15-6, 15-2

1. Cordova def Perez 15-13, 15-10
2. Cordova def Montijo 3-15, 15-9, 15-2

Ortiz def Pat. Funchion 13-15, 15-7, 15-9

Round of 8 matchups (Saturday)

Carroll vs. Peixoto

Fink vs. Chavez

Lenning vs. D. Cordova

Ortiz vs. L. Cordova

WR48

The WR48 kicked off its second event of the 2017-2018 WR48 5 season with round of 16 action on Friday night.

Suz Koehler dropped game one and found herself two points from being knocked out of the event against first-time WR48 pro Elise McCrory. Koehler relied on her WR48 experience to force a third and escaped the first-round setback.

Hilary Rushe had little trouble with the Denver Athletic Club’s Aimee Fadden to advance in the top half of the draw.

WR48 Round of 16

Koehler def McCrory 3-15, 15-13, 15-9

Rushe def Fadden 15-0, 15-3

WR48 Saturday matchups

Casey vs. Rushe

Moler vs. McCarthy

Davis vs. Peixoto de Melo

Tuohey vs. Koehler

SR48

Tom Stone, Dr. Dan Zimet, Royal Flush tournament director Joe Harris, and Kevin Price cruised to the SR48 quarterfinals with straightforward round of 16 victories.

SR48 Quarterfinal Matchups

Chavez vs. Stone

Garcia Jr. vs. Zimet

Armijo vs. Harris

Fink vs. Price

WPH Outdoor

Round of 8 Matchups (Saturday)

Ruiz/Gonzalez vs. Ortiz/Cortez

Erazo/Siordia Jr vs. Medina/Flores

Arreloa/Cordova vs. Chavez/Chavez

Duenas/Hernandez vs. Contreras/Garcia

David Fink

WPH Senior Writer