Tucson, AZ, WPH Press, 11/22/24
After a nightmare start to his 2024/25 Race 4 Eight season that saw Sam Esser lose tiebreakers in the round of 16 to Mark Doyle (Memorial) and Ray Ure (Portland) in the season’s first two events and an equally disappointing showing at Ireland’s World Championships, Esser has rediscovered the form that has seen him rise as high as number five on the Race 4 Eight tour.
Esser rattled off consecutive November wins at the Dr. Burnett Bear Bash (HERE) at his alma mater in Springfield, MO, then flew home to Tucson to win the inaugural Gatos Classic (HERE) at the University of Arizona.
“Sam is just killing everything,” Bash victim Jab Bike would later say.
“Sam was serving very well and shooting very well with both hands,” stated R48 #4 Leo Canales after losing to Esser in the Gatos final. “He didn’t even let me get into the match today.”
“This is the closest I’ve ever felt to playing “The Blonde Bombshell” Allan Garner,” vanquished Gatos semifinalist David Fink would later say. “Sam is killing the ball consistently with either hand from everywhere on the court.”
Esser on Fire Stats
- Two straight titles (Bash and Gatos)
- Two titles in seven days
- Traveled 12,486 miles in three weeks (Ireland, Bash, Gatos)
- Three consecutive tiebreakers won (Doyle, Langmack, Fink)
- One match won from match point down (Langmack – faced five match points)
- Defeated five consecutive ranked pros (Bike, Doyle, Langmack, Fink, Canales)
- Defeated two pros in the top five (Fink, Canales)
Esser will shift his focus to 3-Wall for the upcoming December 14-15 Race 4 Eight Icebreaker in Tucson. Esser made the finals in his last 3-Wall Icebreaker start in August, so expect the hot streak to continue.
David Fink
WPH Senior Writer