WPH Press, Tucson, AZ, 3/16/24
The WPH hosted its second doubles event in four weeks at the Tucson Racquet Club, as tournament director Dr. Ashley Ruiz organized the WPH Tucson Pro/A doubles, pairing six Race 4 Eight pro players with six A players.
Tucson’s Race 4 Eight pros Ivan Burgos, Shorty Ruiz, Sam Esser, Max Langmack and Abraham Montijo were joined by 2023 Race 4 Eight Player’s Championship finalist and current R48 #5 Leo Canales (Phoenix), with Dave Vincent (S. Ruiz), John Henning (esser), James Bardwell (Montijo), Matt Vollink (Canales), Mikaila Esser (Langmack) and Carlos Espinoza (Burgos).
The six teams were divided into two round robin groups, with the winners from each group playing for the title.
Team Canales/Vollink swept Group 1 without dropping a game to advance to the final, while Team Burgos/Espinoza also swept their two opponents in Group 2 to meet Team Canales/Vollink in the final.
Team Canales/Vollink dominated the final, taking the top spot.
“The tournament was fun with some good games,” stated Canales. “Matt and I played well in all our matches. We got off to a big lead in the final but Ivan and Carlos came back and made it close. The second game they were a bit tired and we were able to win in two games.”
Final: Team Canales/Vollink def Team Burgos/Espinoza 15-11, 15-5
“The next WPH doubles event will be in late June,” stated Dr. Ruiz. “It will be a pro auction event – the highest bidder plays with the pro of his/her choice.”
Thank you to all of the players and tournament director Dr. Ashley Ruiz for a great event.
February 2023 WPH Pro/Am Doubles recap HERE
David Fink
WPH Senior Writer