Tucson, AZ, WPH Press, 7/17/22
Men’s Small Ball Singles
Lucho was seeking his first Icebreaker title at Clark Park to add to his four Race 4 Eight titles. Former Icebreaker finalist Erik Torres led Lucho 11-7 in game one of their 7 am semifinal, controlling the rallies with deep drives and solid returns. Lucho turned the match around, tying the score at 12 and ending the first game with consecutive aces. “Erik is really strong in the overhand game and that’s not really my strength, so I just started playing more of a small ball game with low serves and hitting the ball hard,” stated Lucho.
Lucho continued his hot streak in game two, ending the match on a 23-4 run to advance to his second Icebreaker final.
The bottom bracket semifinal pitted multiple-time Icebreaker finalist Shorty Ruiz against R48 #6 Sam Esser. After dropping the first two points, Ruiz scored 11 straight points with a combination of deep hop serves, paddle kills, and power ceilings. Well known on tour as a slow starter, Esser worked his way back into the game by defending Ruiz’s ceiling drives, eventually tying the score at 11. “My serve got hot there and I started to get into the rallies,” stated Esser.
Ruiz appeared to be in control of most of the rallies late in the game, but was unable to end the rallies, mostly due to Esser’s ability to defend deep ceiling balls with both hands. “I was scrambling and he missed a few,” stated Esser. Esser closed out the game with a left-handed kill and took control of the match, cruising in game two to make his first Icebreaker final.
Lucho overwhelmed Esser in the final, needing just 16 minutes to clinch his first Icebreaker title. “It feels really good to win,” stated Lucho. “I was serving really well and swinging hard. I’ve been playing Fronton so I’m used to playing in the sun and my conditioning is good.”
Semifinals
Lucho def Torres 15-12, 15-3
Esser def Ruiz 15-13, 15-7
Final: Lucho def Esser 15-4, 15-0
Small Ball Icebreaker Finishes
1st: Lucho
2nd: Esser
3rd: Ruiz/Torres
5th: D. Hernandez
6th: J. Chapman
Big Ball
After standing one shot from being knocked out of the event in the first round, Brian Medina defeated Shorty Ruiz for the second time at Clark Park in the upper bracket semifinal, pushing Ruiz from side to side and ending rallies with corner kills and wrong direction passes.
An exhausted Lucho Cordova was aiming for an unprecedented small ball/big ball slam, but would have to overcome second-seeded Alberto Pizano to advance to the final. Cordova took game one and led 14-12 in game two, needing to win just one of the next three rallies to advance to the final (big ball used rally scoring). Pizano won the next two rallies to tie the score at 14. “I was so tired at 14-14 that I could not breathe,” Lucho would later say. The 14-14 point was the rally of the tournament, as Lucho and Pizano traded drives and kill shot attempts. Lucho ended the rally and the match on the twenty-second shot of the rally, advancing to the final in his seventh match of the event.
Brian Medina showcased his tremendous big ball skills in the final, taking an exhausted Lucho on a 20-minute tour of the court. Medina was in control throughout the two-game final, never relinquishing his lead en route to his second Icebreaker title. “Lucho plays a lot differently than most of the big ball players,” stated Medina. “He is intense and in great shape and can get to everything. I love coming to these Icebreakers because the vibe is so great – people are so nice and humble and it’s a great environment. I look forward to coming back next month.”
Semifinals
Medina def Ruiz 15-11, 15-10
Lucho def Pizano 15-8, 15-14
Final: Medina def Lucho 15-8, 15-8
Big Ball Icebreaker Finishes
1st: Medina
2nd: Lucho
3rd: Pizano
4th: Ruiz
Special thanks to WPH head referee Jesse Aranda for refereeing most of the event’s marquee matches
2020/21 Icebreaker Fun Facts HERE
Follow all of the results HERE
Enter the August 20 Icebreaker HERE
David Fink
WPH Senior Writer