Saturday at the 2026 R48 Montana Red
Missoula, MT, WPH Press, 9/19/26
Quarterfinals
Martin Mulkerrins opened Saturday at the 2026 R48 Red with a two-game sweep against Dylan Hernandez. Mulkerrins won game one in just fifteen minutes, but Hernandez surged in game two, leading 10-9 and earning a number of chances to extend the lead. Mulkerrins was steady, relying on his defense and experience to score the final six points of the game.
“A lot of it now was great play from Dylan,” Mulkerrins would say after defeating Hernandez to advance to the semifinals. “I got a very hot start and he settled in at the end of the first game. I just needed to slow it down and just let the ball drop. He had chances. Credit to Dylan. It could have gone either way there. I think I’m moving fast (from 1-Wall). I was taking the back wall a lot bit high. I’m in the semifinals, which is where I want to be.”
Mark Doyle advanced to his third consecutive Race semifinal with a two-game sweep against Ivan Burgos. Texas Dolly dominated game one and led 7-0 in the second when Burgos switched to a left-hand power serve from the right side of the service box, scoring ten consecutive points. Burgos’s ten-point streak ended with a left-handed error and six more errors sunk the Burgos ship.
“That was tough in there,” Texas Dolly would tell ESPN’s Kara Mack. “The court conditions were tough. I kept my composure pretty well. I regrouped and came out of it. Ivan has a great fight and fights to the end. I struggled with my serve but I’m happy enough.”
Ray Ure played Coleman McGrath for the first time in McGrath’s second consecutive quarterfinal on the Race. McGrath seized control of the match early, building a 5-1 lead. Ure worked his way into the match, aided by his devastating serve, which yielded five aces in the first game. McGrath led 12-11 late in the first and struck a right-handed kill shot attempt that would have put him just two points from a one-game lead. Ure barely scooped the kill and hit a re kill, changing the trajectory and momentum of the match. Ure quickly scored the final four points of the first and cruised in game two.
“Just keep playing and stay relaxed and playing point by point,” stated Ure. “Just moving around the court, being more patient for the next shot to finish the rally on. If it’s close, it’s reassuring that I can keep playing (because of my fitness). Handball is different from a marathon, it feels like there is less on the line in the marathon. I feel like each game is a little bit smoother and smarter with my shot selection.”
Lucho and Danos played for the first time in the quarterfinals in their Race careers. Danos built a 5-0 first game lead but saw his lead and control of the match quickly evaporate, as Lucho scored 15 straight points and took a 6-1 lead in the second. Serving at just 45% in the first game and a half, Danos started to find his serve and tied Lucho at nine in the second. Lucho regained control, switching to a power serve and flawless shot selection to score six of the last eight points of the match.
“I don’t notice a difference in my game when I play my brother,” stated Lucho. “I want to beat everybody, so I don’t want to beat him any differently than anyone else. I don’t feel like I played well at all last season, so it’s important to me to show I can play better this season. Danos has not been playing well this season, but it was still a battle.”
Round of 8
Mulkerrins def Hernandez 15-5, 15-10
Doyle def Burgos 15-8, 15-10
Ure def McGrath 15-12, 15-6
Lucho def Danos 15-5, 15-11
Semifinals
*Best Match in Race History Contender*
Aiming for his second Race title in six days and his first R48 Red title, Martin Mulkerrins faced his newest Texas A&M student and R48 #5 Mark Doyle for a spot in the final. Doyle overcame a number of first game errors, including four back wall return of serve errors to defeat Mulkerrins in the first. Mulkerrins dominated the second to force a tiebreaker.
With the tiebreaker tied at six, Mulkerrins raced ahead, methodically using the ceiling and a mix of serves to take a seemingly commanding 10-6 lead. Doyle started to close the gap, using his brilliant spins and front court kills to pull within two at 11-13, despite twisting his foot and hobbling for several rallies. Doyle earned what appeared to be a back wall setup in the back left corner but was unable to make a swing, indicating to the referee that the ball slid. The referee did not see a slide, handing the side out to Mulkerrins, who promptly scored the fourteenth point to serve for the match at 14-11. Mulkerrins could not convert his match point, which turned out to be his only match point. Doyle tied the game at 14, diving, paddling, and back wall killing his way to overtime. Mulkerrins would serve again at 14, this time trailing 14-15, but could not score. Doyle ended the match with an ace to the left.
“Very, very, very lucky, delighted,” Doyle would tell ESPN’s Kara Mack. “Got out of jail there. I knew it would be tighter in the third. In the third game I got used to his serve. I sensed he got a little bit tight there in the third. I had to go and win the game and not wait for him to lose it. The tiebreaker was in and out. I knew if I stuck in there and gave myself a chance, you never know what can happen. Every time we play in practice it got worse for me. That is a different game than anything we’ve had in practice. I knew my serve was there even though it felt like I was hitting 80% shorts.”
Ray Ure and Lucho Cordova renewed their rivalry in the bottom bracket semifinal, with Ure winning their last matchup in a thrilling 11-9 tiebreaker on his way to claiming his first USHA Four Wall National title.
Ure started fast in the last match of the evening, building a 6-0 lead. Lucho slowed the game down and kept Ure off-balance for the remainder of the game, ending the game on a 15-4 run.
Lucho could not sustain his gameplan, as Ure’s serve, power, and offense were too much for Lucho to overcome. Ure advanced to the final in two lopsided games, as he closes in on the #1 Race ranking.
“I stayed calm and executed some shots better, better footwork,” Ure told ESPN’s Kara Mack. “It feels good hitting good shots and it opens up other things. At 16 or 17 (years old) I realized that I could do something (in handball). It’s (handball) the greatest and most challenging sport out there. I don’t think I’ve ever beat Lucho in a 15-point tiebreaker, so mentally I don’t have to think about that again. Just keep the momentum going tomorrow. It’s awesome the support (from my mom and dad). My brother and sister-in-law are always watching as well.
Semifinals
Doyle def Mulkerrins 15-10, 3-15, 16-14
Ure def Lucho 10-15, 15-4, 15-4
Final (11:30 MST): Doyle vs. Ure
Watch Sunday’s action from the 2026 R48 Red on the ESPN APP starting at 10 am MST
2026 R48 Red brackets HERE
David Fink
WPH Senior Writer
Saturday, September 19th, 2026 (Mountain Daylight Time)
10:00 Men’s Pro Singles Martin Mulkerrins (IRE) def Dylan Hernandez (CA) 5, 10
11:00 Men’s Pro Singles Mark Doyle (IRE) def Ivan Burgos (AZ) 8, 10
12:00 Men’s Pro Singles Ray Ure (IL) def Coleman McGrath (CA) 12, 6
1:00 Men’s Pro Singles Lucho Cordova (MEX/TX) def Daniel Cordova (TX/MEX) 5, 11
2:45 9th Semifinals John Chapman (CO) def Jeff Streibig (MO) 26-24
3:30 Men’s Pro Singles Doyle def Mulkerrins 10, (3), 14
4:30 Men’s Pro Singles Ure def L. Cordova (10), 4, 4
Sunday, September 20th, 2026 (Mountain Daylight Time)
10:00 WPH ESPN+ Pregame Show
10:15 Men’s 5th Place Final Hernandez vs McGrath
11:30 Men’s Pro Singles Ure vs Doyle