San Francisco, CA, WPH Press, 10/22/23
The Olympic Club hosted its Annual OC Handball Invitational as a R48 Pre-Qualifier for the World Players of Handball’s 2023/24 Race 4 Eight Pro Tour season, with the winner receiving a $300 travel stipend to a 2023/24 Race 4 Eight event.
The NYAC’s R48 #14 Stephen Cooney won the 2022 edition of the OC Invitational R48 Pre-Qualifier and would be aiming to defend his title against a stout field that included the Olympic Club’s Loren Collado and Renee Lopez, NorCal’s Erik Torres, Javier Badillo and Rene Lopez, the LAAC’s Dylan Hernandez, John Wayne Cortez, Faustro Castro and Ryan Watkins, Washington’s Pete Svennungsen and Ireland’s Tadhg O’Neill, amongst others.
“The Olympic Club’s second ever pre-qualifier for the R48 tour this weekend was the most competitive singles tournament in the Bay Area since the OC hosted the Race 4 Eight Men’s and WR48 in 2019,” stated tournament director and R48 #17 Loren Collado.
Stephen Cooney advanced to the final with a close two-game sweep against Erik Torres in the upper bracket semifinals, converting enough paddle and back wall kills to knock Torres out of his hometown event.
Dylan Hernandez overcame the sport’s hardest hitter Tadhg O’Neill in the bottom bracket semifinals, relying on his steady play and experience to overcome a one-game deficit against the ultra-talented O’Neill.
In a rematch of September’s Gilbert Singles (HERE) won by Hernandez in two games, Cooney seized the early advantage in game one against Hernandez in the final.
“Stephen started hot in the first game and Dylan closed the gap at 14-13 before Cooney pulled out the game,” stated tournament director Collado, who lost in a tiebreaker to Tadhg O’Neill in the quarterfinals.
Dylan was able to play with a lead throughout most of the second before Cooney ultimately caught him at fourteen.
“It was cat and mouse all the way to 14-all,” stated Collado. “They traded leads all the way till 18-16. Cooney took it by an inch.”
“It was a good game,” stated Cooney. “Dylan is playing very consistently. Very high standard hard-fought handball all weekend. Happy to come out alive. Good preparation for Tucson.”
Semifinals
Cooney def Torres 15-5, 15-14
Hernandez def O’Neill 5-15, 15-8, 15-9
Final: Cooney def Hernandez 15-13, 18-16
Stephen Cooney now joins Diarmuid Mulkerrins (IRE) as the first two Race 4 Eight Pre Qualifier champions of the season.
Thank you to Race 4 Eight pro Loren Collado for organizing and running the highly successful OC Handball Invitational Race 4 Eight Pre-Qualifier
Since 2017, R48 Pre Qualifiers have been held in Pittsburgh, Tucson, Austin, L.A., San Francisco, Salt Lake City, College Station 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.
Enter the November 3-5 Race 4 Eight Tucson Memorial HERE
David Fink
WPH Senior Writer