Nashville, TN, WPH Press, 6/2/19- Nashville’s Downtown YMCA hosted Race 4 Eight pros Sean Lenning (#2), Danos Cordova (#3), Lucho Cordova (#4), and Emmett Peixoto (#8) alongside the 2019 USHA Southeast Regionals, providing Tennessee handball enthusiasts with the opportunity to watch the world’s best.
Semifinals
The upper bracket Nashville Pro Exhibition semifinal featured 20-year rivals Sean Lenning and Emmett Peixoto. Peixoto showed signs of his top form after a disappointing second half of his Race season, pushing the R48 #2 to a tiebreaker. “I played better than I have been but still didn’t play too well when I was under pressure,” stated Peixoto. Lenning would bounce back from losing game two to win the tiebreaker to advance.
Southeast fan favorites the “Flying Cordovas” met in the bottom bracket of the Nashville Pro Exhibition, with Lucho extending his winning streak against younger brother Danos to three matches (Des Moines, Juarez, Nashville). Lucho raced to a 21-7, 15-5 lead, overpowering Danos and defending Dano’s sensational serve. Danos rallied, forcing a tiebreaker by outscoring his older brother 16-3. Lucho regained control in the tiebreaker, dominating the action as he had done in the first game and a half.
Final
Lucho Cordova defeated Sean Lenning for the second consecutive weekend (Tucson Armed Forces Tribute) in the Nashville final, dominating game one and pulling away late in game two. “Lucho played well all weekend,” reported Peixoto. “Sean did his thing, serving really well and taking over the front court but tired fast.”
Peixoto earned his best win in more than a year in the third place playoff, defeating Danos Cordova in a tiebreaker. Peixoto will aim to carry his Nashville confidence into the Nationals in three weeks, an event that has seen “The Rock” advance to the finals.
Lenning def Peixoto 21-10, 13-21, 11-3
Lucho def Danos 21-7, 18-21, 11-3
Third place final: Peixoto def Danos 15-21, 21-6, 11-8
Final: Lucho def Lenning 21-6, 21-16
Thank you to WPH reporter Emmett Peixoto for the updates from Nashville.
Thank you to WPH mega supporter Joel O’Connor for serving as the event director and bringing the pros to “Music City.”
To watch the Nashville Pro Exhibition, courtesy of Art Haffner and Team Cleveland Handball, go to Team Cleveland Handball on Facebook HERE
To follow all of the brackets from the 2019 USHA Southeast Regionals, go HERE
David Fink
WPH Senior Writer