Friday
Tucson, AZ, WPH Press, 9/20/24
The ninth annual 2024 Tucson Memorial and the thirteenth Race 4 Eight season kicked off on Friday, with the R48 Men’s Pro, WR48, and SR48 pros kicking off their seasons.
The Tucson Memorial was created in 2015 to honor handball friends and family who were sadly lost, a tradition that has evoked wonderful memories of handball players and fans who spent their lifetimes playing and supporting in the sport.
R48 Men’s Pro
The 2024/25 R48 Men’s Pro season kicked off with one of the strongest draws in recent tour history, with twenty-one ranked pros and a number of dangerous floaters.
The top three seeds advanced to Saturday’s quarterfinals without dropping a game, as R48 #1 and current R48 Player’s Cup champion Martin Mulkerrins defeated Max Langmack in two games in the round of 16. R48 #2 Lucho Cordova defeated Taylor Schmitt in two games, and R48 #3 and defending Memorial champion Danos Cordova defeated R48 and SR48 star Dave Munson in two games. “Martin’s serve was just too much,” Langmack would later say.
The remaining players in the Memorial’s Elite 8 were all pushed to tiebreakers in the round of 16.
R48 #4 Leo Canales won the first against Diarmuid Mulkerrins but only managed to score four points in the second. Just as he had done throughout last season, Mulkerrins knocked on the door but could not open it, as Leo’s experience carried him to Saturday.
R48 #5 David Fink entered his quarterfinal undefeated against Niall O’Connor but that streak was in serious jeopardy with Niall serving at 15-12, 14-12. With the match on his hand, O’Connor missed a huge setup to win the match. Fink rallied, becoming the thirty-fourth player in Race 4 Eight history to face match point and win, taking control of the tiebreaker from the outset.
R48 #6 Sam Esser appeared to be on the verge of a routine two-game sweep against Mark Doyle, leading 15-6, 12-7. Doyle charged back, outscoring Esser 23-6 to end the match.
R48 #7 Vic Perez faced Ray Ure for the first time on the tour. Ure has compiled wins against virtually every player in the Race 4 Eight Elite 8 since March. After dominating the first, Perez slowed the game down to force a third, but Ure raced to a 12-3 tiebreaker lead and added Perez to his list of top eight slayed.
R48 #8 Sean Lenning returned to the court for the first time since the early summer to face Tucson’s Ivan Burgos. Lenning looked impenetrable in the first, overpowering Burgos with power serves and kills. Burgos gained control of the match in the second, leading 11-2. Burgos held off a second-game Lenning charge to force a third and quickly built a 9-1 lead in the decider. Lenning worked his way into the tiebreaker, cutting the deficit to two at 11-13. After a timeout, Burgos quickly scored two points to advance to Saturday’s quarterfinals.
Round of 16
Mulkerrins def Langmack 15-4, 15-8
Lucho def T. Schmitt 15-3, 15-5
Danos def D. Munson 15-3, 15-8
Canales def D. Mulkerrins 15-9, 4-15, 15-9
Fink def O’Connor 12-15, 16-14, 15-4
Doyle def Esser 6-15, 15-12, 15-5
Ure def Perez 15-8, 12-15, 15-6
Burgos def Lenning 7-15, 15-6, 15-11
Round of 8 (Saturday, all times PST)
Mulkerrins vs. Burgos 9 am
Canales vs. Fink 9:45 am
Lucho vs. Ure 10:30 am
Danos vs. Doyle 11:30 am
The SR48 semifinals will start at 12:15, followed by the WR48 semifinals at 1:45 pm.
2024 Tucson Memorial Broadcast Schedule: Saturday, September 21, 9 am-6 pm PST, Sunday, September 22, 9 am-1 pm PST
2024 Tucson Memorial Press Release HERE
Follow the draws and results from the 2024 Race 4 Eight Tucson Memorial HERE
Current Race 4 Eight rankings HERE
Race 4 Eight Fun Facts HERE
Race 4 Eight History of Champions HERE
Race 4 Eight Pro Player Bios HERE
WPH Destination Series Tucson HERE
Handball Terminology + Instruction and R48 Rules HERE
WPH Coaching Center Instructional Videos HERE
Support the sport and become a WPH Patreon HERE
The Race 4 Eight: A Family Affair HERE
2024/25 Race 4 Eight Schedule and Entries HERE
WPH RACE 4 EIGHT: The World Players of Handball’s 2024/25 Race 4 Eight XIV Powered by ESPN features Race 4 Eight stops from California to Mexico, all culminating with The Player’s Championship. Similar to NASCAR’s Nextel Cup and the FedEx PGA Playoffs, players earn points in the Race 4 Eight’s regular season stops to qualify for the season-ending Player’s Championship and bonus prizes.
For more information on the WPH Race 4 Eight title sponsor opportunity, please contact World Players of Handball Executive Director David Vincent at dave.vincent@wphlive.tv or World Players of Handball Development Director David Fink at david.fink@wphlive.tv. For more information on the World Players of Handball, please visit wphlive.tv
David Fink
WPH Senior Writer
Watch all the action on ESPN+ as you follow the schedule below. Can’t get ESPN? WPH Patreon supporters will get interviews, exclusives and extras at patreon.com/wphlive
Saturday, Sep 21, 2024 – All Times Mountain Standard Time (MST)
0900 Men’s Pro Quarterfinal – Burgos (AZ) vs Mulkerrins (IRE)
0945 Men’s Pro Quarterfinal – Fink (AZ) vs Canales (AZ)
1030 Men’s Pro Quarterfinal – Ure (IL) vs L. Cordova (MEX)
1115 Men’s Pro Quarterfinal – Doyle (IRE) vs D. Cordova (Tex)
1215 Senior 40+ Semi – Fink (AZ) vs Garcia (CA)
1300 Senior 40+ Semi – Duenas (CA) vs Munson (IL)
1345 Women’s Pro Semi – Esser (AZ) vs Monroe (IRE) or Daskalakis (NY)
1430 Women’s Pro Semi – Ruiz (AZ) or Holden (IRE) vs Kinane (IL) or Ni Churraoin (IRE)
1530 Men’s Pro Semifinal (TBD)
1630 Men’s Pro Semifinal (TBD)
Sunday, Sep 22, 2024 – All Times Mountain Standard Time (MST)
0900 Senior 40+ Final (TBD)
0945 Men’s 5th or 9th Place Final (TBD)
1030 Women’s Pro Final (TBD)
1115 Men’s Pro Final Final (TBD)
1200 Men’s Big Ball Pro Doubles Final (if time permits) TBD
1245 Men’s Big Ball B Doubles Final (if time permits) TBD