WPH Tucson 4-Man Icebreaker at Clark Park
Semifinal #2: David Fink vs. Abraham Montijo Full Recap + Crunched Stats
WPH Press, 9/26/20
The WPH is proud to present the WPH Tucson 4-Man Icebreaker, the first official WPH event since February.
“We want to show people that we could safely hold an event with all of the COVID protocols in place,” stated WPH Executive Director David Vincent. “We closed the park, the referee wore a mask, we allowed a limited number of masked, socially distant fans, while ensuring the players were distanced as much as possible.”
Tucsonans David Fink, Shorty Ruiz, Abraham Montijo and Sam Esser kicked off the first Icebreaker, proudly demonstrating that handball can be played safely during this pandemic.
Semifinal #2: David Fink vs. Abraham Montijo
David Fink met Abraham Montijo in the Icebreaker’s second semifinal, matching four-time R48 finalist and the second-most winning player in R48 history David Fink against the 2019 USHA 3-Wall national finalist Abraham Montijo.
Fink was sharp from the start, scoring 32 of the first 33 points of the match. “I just couldn’t get going, Dave was playing too strong,” Montijo would later say.
Fink blended power with offense and a steady overhand game to close out the match in two games and advance to the final to face Shorty Ruiz.
“I was definitely nervous before this tournament and during this match,” stated Fink. “I haven’t played a tournament match since March and even though I’ve been practicing and playing after taking a break, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was happy with how I played. I’m looking forward to playing Shorty in the final.”
Final: Fink def Montijo 21-1, 21-5
Crunching the Numbers: Fink vs. Montijo at the 2020 Icebreaker
Game 1 and 2 Combined Stats
Aces
Fink: 11
Montijo: 2
Fink’s serve provided a huge advantage, as he out-aced Montijo 11-2. “I know Abe had a great serve in 3-Wall so I was trying to defend his deep power hop serve and not give away any free points,” stated Fink.
Fink mixed up short and deep serves with natural and reverse hops, handcuffing and fooling Montijo regularly
First Strike Kills
Fink: 13
Montijo: 0
Fink took advantage of serve that came back, punishing weak returns with 13 first strike kills. Fink won 24 of his 42 points (57%) with his first or second shot. Nothing came easily for Montijo, who was not able to execute any first strike points and made just two aces
Return of Serve Kills
Fink: 0
Montijo: 0
Right Hand Rally-Enders
Fink: 12
Montijo: 3
Left Hand Rally Enders
Fink: 19
Montijo: 0
Montijo is known for having one of the best right hands in the sport but was never able to get on track with his right-hand offense in this match, being out-killed by Fink’s right 12-3 and out-killed overall 31/3
6+ Shot Rallies Won
Fink: 17
Montijo: 8
The Tucsonans played a number of 6+ shot rallies in the 100-degree desert sun, with Fink winning 68% of those 6+ shot rally exchanges. “I was tired after the first long rally on the first point of the match, I need to get in shape,” stated Montijo
Errors
Fink: 6
Montijo: 7
Fly Kills:
Fink: 9
Montijo: 0
Fink was looking to be aggressive, taking as many balls out of the air as possible. “Applying pressure is how you win in handball, and the best way to apply pressure to is to take time away from your opponent by taking the ball off the wall with him behind you,” stated Fink
Hinders: 0
Time: 33:45
Final: Fink def Montijo 21-1, 21-5
Total Points Scored: 48
Game 1 Stats
Aces
Fink: 4
Montijo: 0
First Strike Kills
Fink: 9
Montijo: 0
Return of Serve Kills
Fink: 0
Montijo: 0
Right Hand Rally-Enders
Fink: 5
Montijo: 1
Left Hand Rally Enders
Fink: 10
Montijo: 0
6+ Shot Rallies Won
Fink: 5
Montijo: 2
Errors
Fink: 1
Montijo: 4
Fly Kills:
Fink: 6
Montijo: 0
Hinders: 0
Time: 11:30
Final: Fink def Montijo 21-1
Total Points Scored: 22
Game 2 Stats
Aces
Fink: 7
Montijo: 2
First Strike Kills
Fink: 4
Montijo: 0
Return of Serve Kills
Fink: 0
Montijo: 0
Right Hand Rally-Enders
Fink: 7
Montijo: 2
Left Hand Rally Enders
Fink: 9
Montijo: 0
6+ Shot Rallies Won
Fink: 12
Montijo: 6
Errors
Fink: 5
Montijo: 3
Fly Kills:
Fink: 3
Montijo: 0
Hinders: 0
Time: 19:13
Final: Fink def Montijo 21-5
Total Points Scored: 26
-Sr Writer David Fink