WPH Press, 2/10/22
Enter the 2022 Houston R48/WR48 and Texas State Doubles Championships HERE
The Houston Handball Club has hosted six Race 4 Eight events since the inaugural Houston Race stop in 2013 and will proudly host its seventh Race 4 Eight stop at the Tellepsen Downtown Family YMCA from February 18-20, 2022.
Previous versions of the Houston Race 4 Eight have featured the R48 Men’s Pro and Senior Race 4 Eight, while the 2022 Houston Race 4 Eight will welcome the best players on the WR48 tour for the first time, in addition to the top men’s R48 stars.
“We can’t wait to watch the top women competing in Houston,” stated Houston Race 4 Eight co-host Chuck Reeve.
Houston Race 4 Eight Fun Facts
- Most Houston R48 titles: Carroll (2)
- Houston featured the first R48 Men’s final to go into overtime (2013)
- Max Langmack (6”9) became the tallest pro in R48 and pro handball history when he qualified at the 2018 R48 7 Houston
- Tyler Hamel became the only player to have played in a R48 qualifier and never lost one point (Houston ’14)
- Mando Ortiz became the first R48 pro to defeat four former or current WPH #1 pros in his maiden R48 title in Houston 2016: Emmett Peixoto (2008), Allan Garner (2009), Paul Brady (2016), Sean Lenning (2012)
- Marcos Chavez became the first player in Race 4 Eight history to defeat doctors in consecutive matches at the 2016 SR48 Houston (Dr. Dan Zimet and Dr. Tyler Hamel)
- Mando Ortiz became the first player to defeat Paul Brady in international singles play and win the tournament since 2004 at the 2016 Houston R48
- Mando Ortiz became the first R48 champion to win back-to-back tiebreakers by the minimum margin of two points in the semifinals and finals of a R48 event (Houston 2016: 15-13 x 2)
- Houston Race 4 Eight host Ron Cole has hosted the most pre-tournament Thursday night welcome parties of any Race 4 Eight host (6)
Houston R48 Men’s Pro Champions and Finalists
2013 R48: Houston (TX): Charly Shanks (IRE) def Naty Alvarado, Jr. (CA) 15-11, 20-18
2014 R48: Houston (TX): Luis Moreno (AZ) def Diarmaid Nash (IRE) 21-12, 21-15
2015 R48: Houston (TX): Paul Brady (IRE) def Sean Lenning (AZ) 15-5, 15-7
2016 R48: Houston (TX): Mando Ortiz (CA) def Sean Lenning (AZ) 15-0, 7-15, 15-13
2017 R48: Houston (TX): Killian Carroll (IRE) def Luis Moreno (AZ) 15-7, 15-4
2018 R48: Houston (TX): Killian Carroll (IRE) def Sean Lenning (WA) 15-1, 16-14
Houston SR48 Men’s Pro Champions and Finalists
2013 SR48: Houston (TX): Naty Alvarado, Jr. (CA) def Tyler Hamel (TX)
2014 SR48: Houston (TX): Marcos Chavez (CA) def Tyler Hamel (TX) 25-23
2015 SR48: Houston (TX): Naty Alvarado, Jr. (CA) def Tyler Hamel (TX) 25-20
2016 SR48: Houston (TX): Marcos Chavez (CA) def Tyler Hamel (TX) 25-14
2018 SR48: Houston (TX): David Fink (AZ) def Marcos Chavez (CA) 25-3
Enter the 2022 Houston R48/WR48 and Texas State Doubles Championships HERE
2022 Houston Race 4 Eight + Texas State Doubles press release HERE
David Fink
WPH Senior Writer