Brooklyn, NY, 6/28/21
The USHA proudly hosted the 2021 USHA WallBall Nationals at the famous Coney Island West 5th Street & Surf Ave. Courts on the last weekend of June, featuring 153 of WallBall’s best players.
Men’s Pro
Timbo Gonzalez entered the 38-player Men’s Pro field as the number one seed but on the comeback trail, being forced into a 15-month break due to knee issues. “I am coming back and trying to play in as many tournaments as I can to get that competitiveness back,” stated Timbo.
The rust was not evident in Timbo’s upper bracket romp to the final, as the multiple-time national champion was dominant in his four wins to the final, including impressive victories against Joshua Garcia (25-15) in the quarterfinals and Los Pena (25-11) in the semifinals. “Los has been winning all of the tournaments in New York,” stated Timbo, who splits time in New York and South Florida. “I seem to match up well against him.”
If Timbo was dominant in the upper bracket, second-seeded Tywan Cook was sensational in the bottom bracket, outscoring his three opponents by a combined score of 75-19. Tywan was granted a forfeit against Hector Velez in the quarterfinals due to Velez’s lower back pain.
Timbo and Tywan showcased WallBall at the highest level in the final, trading incredible shots and retrieves throughout. Tywan pulled away late, earning the 2021 WallBall National title. Tywan now holds the USHA Small Ball Pro singles title and the USHA WallBall Pro singles title simultaneously. “Tywan had an amazing day of playing and landed all of his shots, I can’t that away from him,” stated Timbo. “I played extremely well and smart and gave him a tough game, but when someone’s on fire they are on fire, no matter how good you play.”
Semifinals
Gonzalez def Pena 25-11
Cook def Troncoso 25-4
Final: Cook def Gonzalez 25-19
Tywan teamed with his semifinal opponent Eddy Troncoso to slam, defeating Carlin Rosa and Mickey Osorio in the final.
Women’s Pro
Jenny Qu entered the Women’s Pro as the number one seed and looked unstoppable en route to the final, outscoring her two opponents by a combined score of 50-4, including a 25-3 semifinal victory against Jessenia Garate.
Melanie Garate played impressive ball in the bottom half of the draw, defeating Eifia Leander (25-9) and multiple-time national champion Sandy Ng (25-12) to advance to the final.
Melanie avenged her twin sister’s semifinal loss, dropping Qu for the title.
Semifinals
Qu def J. Garate 25-3
Garate def Ng 25-12
Final: M. Garate def Qu 25-14
Melanie teamed with her twin sister Jessenia to slam with the doubles title, as the sisters overcame Jenny Qu and Danielle Daskalakis in the semifinals (25-17) and Ruby Lloyd and Biridiana Garcia in the final (25-12).
To view all of the draws from the 2021 USHA WallBall Nationals, go HERE
For much more on the 2021 USHA WallBall Nationals, visit the USHA homepage at ushandball.org
Pictures courtesy of Alethia Mendez and Melanie Garate
David Fink
WPH Senior Writer