Day 2
St. Louis, MO, WPH Press, 1/31/26
Saturday in St. Louis produced electrifying handball in front of one of the largest crowds in the 100th Race event in history.
R48
Quarterfinals
Mark Doyle stunned Martin Mulkerrins in the first quarterfinal of the day, surviving a nightmare 0-11 start in the first game to lead 14-0 in the second. Doyle took control of the tiebreaker from the start, leading 4-0 and 9-3. Doyle overcame several ace serves and nervous play that saw Mulkerrins climb to within one at 8-9, scoring six of the final eight points of the match to earn the best win of his career.
“I felt like I was a bit stuck in the first game but I knew I was getting chances,” Doyle would tell ESPN’s Kara Mack. “I wasn’t too worried in the first game, just working my way into it. I didn’t think I’d ever beat Martin in my life. I’ll take the win but we know that wasn’t the real Martin. I’ll call my mother and father and Mike Wells. When I came out here (to the tour), I just wanted to be in the court with Martin and never thought I would beat him.”
Ray Ure defeated Ivan Burgos with surgical precision, playing nearly every shot off the front foot and forcing Burgos to scramble.
“You always want to have as little time in the court as possible when you play round after round,” stated Ure. “There is always a little bit of pressure. I still don’t think of myself as the person to beat. I was trying to keep Ivan moving. Anytime someone is moving there are going to be more mistakes.”
Lucho Cordova dropped the first game in overtime against Sean Lenning and trailed in game two before forcing a tiebreaker. Trailing 5-8 in the tiebreaker, the sure-handed Cordova played mistake-free ball for the remainder of the tiebreaker, ending the match on a 10-0 run and extending his seven-year winning streak against Lenning.
“(I have) No confidence against Sean ever and I am always on my toes, always grinding,” Lucho told ESPN’s Kara Mack. “In tight situations it’s very stressful because he can crack it out. I expect his shots, but he can still roll them right in front of me. I tell beginners to swing as hard as you can every time and you will miss a few but you will eventually control it. You have to swing hard. That’s my mentality. The court was good and not tough to see. For an all 3-Wall glass wall it’s the best one I’ve ever been on.”
Leo Canales entered his third consecutive Race quarterfinal against Danos Cordova having split their last two encounters, including a two-hour match-point-down comeback at the last stop in Tucson. Leo would not need two hours or a comeback in their rubber match, dominating the match with a strong serve and offense to advance to his second semifinal of the season.
Semifinals
Ray Ure started slowly against Mark Doyle in the first semifinal, trailing 3-9 in the first game before rallying to take the lead at 12-11. Doyle regrouped, scoring the final three points of the game. Ure hit another gear to start game two and remained there for the remainder of the match, overwhelming Doyle with his serve, back wall kills, and power.
“Similar to last night (after losing the first game), just stay relaxed, work on the fundamentals so you are not making mistakes,” Ure told ESPN’s Kara Mack. “Losing the collegiates (to Mark) will never go away. I was close to tears and took a couple of weeks away from handball after that. Having Mark to play (in Mankato) is a great rivalry. Mark kills every ball in the left corner with his left hand. The serve started clicking in the second and third games. (On wearing his Memorial DigiFlex gloves) The gloves worked, sometimes new gloves have more grip.”
Current Player’s Cup champion Lucho Cordova advanced to his first final of the season in the bottom bracket, relying on his error-free and steady brand of ball to dominate a cramping Leo Canales.
“It means a lot (to win this match),” the now 27-time Race finalist Lucho told Kara Mack. “It’s just of bitter sweet. I came in here thinking I was going to lose in the first round and I almost did. I don’t know what happened but when I get in the court, I end up playing well. I started firing on all cylinders in the second round against John Chapman. I kept the momentum up against Sean.”
Quarterfinals
Doyle def Mulkerrins 5-15, 15-4, 15-10
Ure def Burgos 15-4, 15-4
Canales def Danos 15-4, 15-10
Lucho def Lenning 14-16, 15-10, 15-8
Semifinals
Ure def Doyle 12-15, 15-2, 15-3
Lucho def Canales 15-5, 15-7
Final (Sunday, 11:30 am CST): Ure vs. Lucho
WR48
Semifinals
Niamh Heffernan entered her semifinal match with local favorite Suz Entzeroth riding a two-tournament, eight-match WR48 winning streak. Heffernan extended her streak against Suz, taking control of rallies with her power serves and extending points with her speed.
“Just kind of get the serves going and go for the kill,” the WR48 #1 told Kara Mack. “I’ve been working on my serves, getting them as low as I can and making them bounce twice. It’s a lovely, lovely court. It’s fabulous. I’m used to the big crowds and I’m glad I got a good game on it. I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”
In a rematch of the longest match in WR48 history in the semifinals of the 2025 Memorial, Clodagh Munroe overcame the demons of her loss against Aoife Holden, building a 15-4, 12-3 lead and surviving a late Holden rally to win in two games.
“I was kind of nervous there because I blew a big lead in Tucson against her,” Munroe told ESPN’s Kara Mack. “The game in Tucson hurt me a lot. Mike Wells always tells me to go for the crack on match point. I think my fitness was a big problem in Tucson. I’ve been running in the gym and playing a lot of handball since. Niamh is a different player than Aoife. She is good at everything. I’m just going to play my own game and hope it works out. Hopefully many more tournaments to come here at this club.”
Quarterfinals
Heffernan def Pecaut 15-7, 15-8
Suz def Ruiz 15-9, 15-8
Munroe def Rumping 15-0, 15-9
Holden def Bell 15-2, 15-9
Semifinals
Heffernan def Suz 15-3, 15-6
Munroe def Holden 15-4, 15-12
Final (Sunday, 10:45 am CST): Heffernan vs. Munroe
Follow the 2026 Race 4 Eight St. Louis brackets HERE
David Fink
WPH Senior Writer
Sunday, February 1st, 2026 – All Times Central Standard Time (CST)
1000 Men’s Pro 9th or Pro 5th Place Final – TBD
1045 Women’s Final – Munroe vs Heffernan
1130 Men’s Pro Final – L. Cordova vs Ure