Saturday
Tucson, AZ, WPH Press, 9/21/24
Day 1 recap from the 2024 Memorial HERE
The kickoff to the 2024/25 Race 4 Eight season continued on Saturday, with players and fans packing the Tucson Racquet Club to catch a glimpse of the best handball players in the world.
R48 Men’s Pro
Quarterfinals
Martin Mulkerrins met Ivan Burgos for the third time in the quarterfinals in the last eleven months, having defeated Burgos in the first two encounters. Mulkerrins continued his undefeated streak against Burgos, playing mistake-free handball on his way to the semifinals.
Leo Canales and David Fink met for the fifth time in the last six events, with the top five pros splitting the four encounters. Canales was too strong for Fink, controlling the front court and keeping Fink off-balance. Canales advanced to his fourth semifinal in his last six Race starts with a comprehensive sweep.
10-time Race 4 Eight champion Lucho Cordova faced the tour’s hottest sensation Ray Ure for a spot in the final four. Lucho was in control in game one, using his power and speed to keep Ure off-balance. Ure gained control of the match in game two, blitzing Lucho 15-4. Ure continued to be in control in the third, building a 10-5 lead, a 25-9 scoring streak since the start of the third game. Ure inexplicably self-destructed with the win in his sights, making nine right-handed errors to lose the final ten points of the match.
“I know when I clamp down it’s hard to score on me so that’s what was going through my mind when I was down 10-5 in the tiebreaker,” stated Lucho. “I felt like when I was hitting a little harder he was having issues so I started putting on a little more pressure on him. Nothing really surprised me about him, he’s got the whole package.”
Danos Cordova and Mark Doyle split lopsided games in the final quarterfinal of the day to set up the second consecutive quarterfinal tiebreaker. Danos raced to a 10-3 lead when Doyle appeared to suffer leg cramps. Moving gingerly and as little as possible, Doyle mounted a charge, cutting the deficit to one at 12-13. Danos was able to put Doyle away, moving into the semifinals. “It’s hard to play against someone who is injured like that,” Danos would later say.
Semifinals
Martin Mulkerrins turned his semifinal into a highlight reel, hitting perfect shots from everywhere on the court against a bewildered Canales. Canales found a spark midway through the second game after trailing 3-15, 1-9. Canales capitalized on his openings, eventually serving at 10-13. Martin would ultimately close out the R48 #4. “Definitely felt good to put that one away,” Mulkerrins would later say to ESPN’s Kara Mack. “From 9-1 Leo had all of the momentum. The games are so fast to 15 and the game is never over. He was playing so well in the second half of the second game. I made a mistake at 9-1 but I have to try to get back in quickly and focus on the next one.”
Lucho Cordova never allowed his brother into the second semifinal. Lucho executed his laser kills and passes down the right wall, pushing Danos into the back court and forcing him to scramble.
“I saw Danos play earlier and I felt like he wasn’t very precise so he would not be able to hit my lob returns down the wall,” Lucho would later say. “We know what to expect when we play each other. (For tomorrow) I just have to put pressure on Martin tomorrow and make my shots.”
Quarterfinals
Mulkerrins def Burgos 15-8, 15-1
Canales def Fink 15-7, 15-5
Lucho def Ure 15-9, 4-15, 15-10
Danos def Doyle 15-6, 6-15, 15-12
Semifinals
Mulkerrins def Canales 15-3, 15-10
Lucho def Danos 15-6, 15-8
Final (Sunday, 11:15 am PST): M. Mulkerrins vs. Lucho
WR48
Clodagh Munroe overcame current women’s 4-Wall national champion Danielle Daskalakis in an impressive quarterfinal performance to face the Memorial’s top seed Mikaila Esser. Esser dominated game one, hitting the ball with power and driving Munroe into the back corners. “I love hitting the ball overhand because I was a front hitter in volleyball and it feels similar,” stated Esser.
Munroe played from the front foot in game two, pushing Esser side-to-side and striking right hand kills to even the match.
The thirty-five minute third game was one of the WR48’s most exciting, as the WR pros played past exhaustion, diving and scrambling all over the court. Esser eventually separated herself, leading 13-7, just two points from her first final. Munroe staged an improbable and dramatic comeback, scoring the final eight points of the match when it seemed Esser was just moments from the final.
“Just keep playing until the final whistle,” stated Munroe. “It feels amazing. I thought the game was gone. Hopefully I come in strong tomorrow. If you can come back from that you can come back from anything. It would be a dream to take the title. It would be brilliant. Excellent.”
Ciana Ni Churraoin completely dominated the bottom half of the draw, outscoring Emma Kinane and Ashely Ruiz by a combined score of 60-6. “It’s a lot of fun to come over and play here,” CNC would tell ESPN’s Kara Mack. “It can be difficult in terms of sleep, but I’m feeling good. I like to train so that makes it easy. A lot of strength training and I like to tell people about it. It helps a lot with my game. I studied sport psychology at Mankato and that helps me stay more present. Frustration is what I feel most when things are not going as well. Not necessarily focusing on the score and giving everything I can to the next rally.
Quarterfinals
Esser def Minogue 15-2, 15-13
Munroe def Daskalakis 15-5, 15-9
Ruiz def Holden 15-9, 16-14
Ni Churraoin def Kinane 15-1, 15-4
Semifinals
Munroe def Esser 2-15, 15-6, 15-13
Ni Churraoin def Ruiz 15-1, 15-0
Final (Sunday, 10:30 am PST): Munroe vs. Ni Churraoin
SR48
David Fink maintained his undefeated SR48 semifinal streak, defeating California’s Alex Garcia to advance to the final.
SR48 newcomer Sal Duenas made huge waves in his SR48 debut, first ousting 2023 SR48 Memorial finalist Kyle English in the quarterfinals and pushing 2024 SR48 Chapman finalist Dave Munson in the semifinals before losing in two games. “My lob serve was frustrating him and I had a lot of chances,” stated Duenas, who had the support of Jerry “Bear” Vicencio and the rest of his big ball brotherhood. “My calves cramped up so I couldn’t make my shots. I should not have played in the big ball.”
Quarterfinals
Fink def M. Ortega 15-3, 15-9
Garcia def Castro 15-7, 15-7
Duenas def English 15-9, 15-10
Munson def Martinez 16-14, 15-7
Semifinals
Fink def Garcia 15-1, 15-2
Munson def Duenas 15-7, 15-10
Final (Sunday, 9 am PST): Fink vs. Munson
Follow the draws and results from the 2024 Race 4 Eight Tucson Memorial HERE
David Fink
WPH Senior Writer
unday, Sep 22, 2024 – All Times Mountain Standard Time (MST)
0900 Senior 40+ Final – Fink vs Munson
0945 Men’s 5th Place Final – Burgos vs Ure
1030 Women’s Pro Final – Munroe vs Ni Churroain
1115 Men’s Pro Final Final – Mulkerrins vs L. Cordova
1200 Men’s Big Ball Pro Doubles Final (if time permits) – Cordova/Cordova vs Cruz/Suarez
1245 Men’s Big Ball B Doubles Final (if time permits) Guardado/Moreno vs TBD
ESPN Broadcast window Saturday: 9am to 630pm (MST); Sunday: 9am to 130pm (MST)
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