Hernandez Fights Off Cortez
Los Angeles, CA, WPH Press, 12/3/22 – The Los Angeles Athletic Club and the World Players of Handball were thrilled to present the 2022 LAAC R48 Pre Qualifier at the famed Los Angeles Athletic Club. The winner of the 2022 LAAC R48 Pre Qualifier earned a $300 travel stipend to the 2022/23 R48 XI event of his choice.
“We were very proud to host our second R48 Pre Qualifier at the LAAC,” stated LAAC R48 Pre Qualifier tournament director and former top five R48 pro Vic Perez. “There is a lot of talent in SoCal and beyond and we were very excited to showcase it and give the players a chance to earn a R48 trip.”
On the heels of top ten Race 4 Eight finishes in his last two Race 4 Eight starts (2022 Player’s Champion, 2022 Memorial), Dylan Hernandez entered the LAAC R48 Pre Qualifier as the top seed. Hernandez cruised to the final without dropping a game, surviving a charge from former R48 pro Carlos Chavez before advancing in overtime in the second game of the upper bracket semifinal.
John Wayne Cortez scored one of the season’s biggest upsets of the season at November’s Tucson Memorial, defeating then R48 #6 Sam Esser, and entered the LAAC R48 Pre Qualifier as the second seed. Cortez advanced to the semifinals to face former R48 Elite 8 invitee and LAAC #2 seed Stephen Cooney, who has his sights set on reclaiming R48 elite status. Cooney led 14-11 in game one of their bottom bracket semifinal, but Cortez charged back, scoring the final five points of the game and dominating game two to meet Hernandez in the final.
Playing the final just minutes after completing the semifinals, both Hernandez and Cortez were fatigued. Hernandez capitalized in game one, blitzing Cortez 15-3. Cortez found his second wind in game two, evening the match at one-game apiece with fist drives and fly kills. Hernandez regained control on the decider, building a lead and clinching the LAAC title and R48 travel stipend.
“I came out strong in the first game, hitting my serves and kills both hands,” stated Hernandez. “John came back in the second game playing that SoCal big ball style – hitting tomahawk fist shots and tremendous dives, out hustled me in the second game. (In the) tiebreaker I had to play smart. My power serve wasn’t working so I went to the underhand lob serve and ceiling game and that gave John a lot of problems and I just executed my kills and ceiling shots and took the tiebreaker.”
Semifinals
Hernandez def C. Chavez 15-7, 17-15
Cortez def Cooney 16-14, 15-7
Final: Hernandez def Cortez 15-3, 9-15, 11-4
Follow the 2022 LAAC R48 Pre Qualifier brackets HERE
Thank you to the LAAC and tournament host Vic Perez for a great event.
Since 2017, R48 Pre Qualifiers have been held in Pittsburgh, Tucson, Austin, College Station, L.A., San Francisco, Salt Lake City, and Portland, creating tremendous excitement for players and fans. The WPH is proud to provide extensive promotion, real-time and post coverage of all R48 Pre Qualifiers.
R48 Pre Qualifier explained HERE
2022/23 Race 4 Eight Pre Qualifier Champions Through the LAAC R48 Pre Qualifier
Martin Mulkerrins – The Davidson, College Station, TX, October 2022 HERE
Adam Bernhard – The UT Pre Qualifier, Austin, TX, November 2022 HERE
Kristen Hughes – The UT Pre Qualifier, Austin, TX, November 2022 HERE
Dylan Hernandez – The LAAC Pre Qualifier, Los Angeles, CA, December 2022 HERE
David Fink
WPH Senior Writer