Day 2
Tucson, AZ, WPH Press, 8/20/23
Players were greeted by ideal temperatures and an overcast sky for Sunday’s finals, but would have to battle tremendous wind gusts that moved the ball and wreaked havoc on shot selection.
Pro Small Ball Singles
History would be made on Sunday at the Ice Bowl, as the Men’s Pro Small Ball singles would be assured of a first-time winner, as former Icebreaker finalists Shorty Ruiz and Danos Cordova clashed after both dominated their three opponents on Saturday. Ruiz defeated Danos in a tiebreaker at July’s Clarkbreaker, but Danos entered the final in tremendous form, having ousted Leo Canales and his brother Lucho to book a spot in Sunday’s final.
Danos directed traffic from the outset in the final, keeping Ruiz off-balance with a deep power hop serve to the right and mixing in sharp angle power serves that barely crossed the short line, clipping the right side wall and jumping into the left wall. “I feel like I had to mix my serves up,” stated Danos. “I’d hit one deep then throw in a short one.”
Game one took just fourteen minutes, including three Ruiz timeouts and a referee change. Game two would not be any different, as Danos seized control. “When I was getting the ball to my right in the deep court I just told myself to go for the kills,” stated Danos, who executed a number of thirty-plus foot right corner kills.
Danos ended the match with an ace, winning his first Icebreaker singles title and dropping Ruiz to 0-5 in Icebreaker singles finals.
“I have not really been playing a lot but mentally I’ve been thinking about my game and my shots,” stated Danos, who appears to be playing as well as he ever has.
Final: Danos def Ruiz 21-1, 21-4
Pro Small Ball Singles Finishes
1st: Danos
2nd: Ruiz
3rd: Lucho/Fink
5th: Esser
6th: Canales
7th: Burgos/Bike
9th: D. Perez
Pro Big Ball Singles
Anthony “Chopper” Hernandez advanced to his second WPH big ball singles final in seven days, having played in the WPH Outdoor CA Bowl final last week in Southern California. Phoenix’s Alberto Pizano was appearing in his first major final, defeating big ball stars Samzon Hernandez and Ivan Chapa on Saturday.
“Chopper” Hernandez and Alberto Pizano were both competing for their first Icebreaker singles title in the final. With the match being played in Hurricane Hilary winds that gusted up to forty miles per hour, the game plan for both changed. “The ball was moving around a lot,” Pizano would later say. “I felt like I had to play more safe.”
Both players were content to play the ball high on the wall and wait for mistakes, which is how the first two games played out. Pizano took a 5-0 lead in game won but Chopper rallied, winning twelve of the final fifteen rallies (points) of the game. Pizano stood just two points from being eliminated from the final late in game two, but several Chopper errors opened the door for a tiebreaker. “Chopper just started making a bunch of mistakes, that was the difference,” stated referee and big ball ambassador Tom Flores.
Chopper played more aggressively in the third, taking control early and playing with confidence after taking an early lead. “Alberto stopped going for kills in the third and that took a lot of pressure off me,” Chopper would later say. “When he was going for kills I was never comfortable, but when he stopped going for kills, I could go for the kill.”
Final: Chopper def Pizano 12-10, 10-12, 12-5
Pro Big Ball Finishes
1st: Chopper
2nd: Pizano
3rd: Chapa/Rosales
5th: Rocha
6th: Arenas
7th: Medina/Hernandez
Pro Big Ball Doubles
The Big Ball doubles final was the last match and most exciting match of the tournament. Chopper appeared to be on the verge of the big ball slam, as Team Chopper/Hernandez took game one 12-8 and led 10-5 in game two. Chopper missed a right-handed fly kill opportunity that would have given his team match point at 10-5, giving Team Boxer/Medina a slight opening. Team Chopper/Hernandez arrived at match point at 11-9, needing to win just one of the next three rallies to clinch the title. Chopper missed a setup from ten feet from the wall at 11-9. “I went for a rollout,” screamed Chopper, shaking his head. Three-time Icebreaker big ball singles champion Brian Medina and former 3WallBall big ball slam king Boxer Rosales capitalized, scoring three consecutive points to force a third.
The third game produced the highest drama of the event, with Team Boxer/Medina serving at 8-4 after facing three match points in game two. Team Chopper/Hernandez scored five straight points to take the lead at 9-8, but an out serve from Chopper left the teams tied at nine. Three fifteen-plus shot rallies ensued, with Chopper redeeming himself with a kill shot to end the match.
“I never thought I’d make the final,” stated Medina, who suffered a serious leg injury three months on his motorcycle. “I don’t feel comfortable playing singles but in doubles I don’t have to move as much.”
Final: Team Chopper/Pizano def Team Boxer/Medina 12-8, 11-12, 12-10
Thank you!
Thank you to the WPH for another outstanding Icebreaker and continuing to provide players of all levels and ages with the opportunity to compete and enjoy the sport we all love. Thank you to the players for traveling and competing and showcasing our great game on the world’s premiere outdoor courts.
Follow all of the brackets from the 2023 WPH Icebreaker HERE
David Fink
WPH Senior Writer