Seattle, WA, WPH Press, 1/21/24
The famed Washington Athletic Club in downtown Seattle played host to the 39th annual WAC Classic, one of the country’s most historic events at one of the country’s most storied venues.
Race 4 Eight pros Kyle English and Niall O’Connor headlined the seventeen-player Men’s Open singles field that also included Pacific Northwest and California stars Rene Lopez, Maxx Bennett and Ryan Grossenbacher.
Vancouver-based uber talent Niall O’Connor overwhelmed the upper bracket as the fifth seed, defeating Sean Haley, Rene Lopez and Ryan Grossenbacher to reach the final. Kyle English bounced back from a disappointing Race 4 Eight Chapman Memorial showing last week by dominating the bottom bracket, defeating Chris Cardinal, Matt Steele and Pete Svennungsen to reach the final.
In a matchup between one of the game’s best shot makers and one of the game’s most athletic players, O’Connor took the first and English rallied with his speed and court coverage to take the second. O’Connor regained control in the third, taking his first WAC Classic. “Niall was good,” stated English. “Very tough. I rolled my ankle hard in the second game but came back and got him. Just didn’t have enough for the tiebreaker.”
“The tournament ran really well, about as smoothly as possible,” stated WAC handball ambassador Randy Multack. “Darin Barr of the Washington Athletic Club does a great job of keeping it all moving so well and he makes sure that beer is poured from first serve to final point. And then some. The players all had a great time and the new players who had not previously played in the WAC Classic were blown away by the club, the competition and the hospitality – the whole event. Without question these guys will be back next year.”
Semifinals
O’Connor def Grossenbacher 21-5, 21-5
English def Svennungsen 21-9, 21-16
Final: O’Connor def English 21-9, 18-21, 11-2
Men’s Open Doubles final: Bennett/Lopez def R. Santerre/O’Connor 21-16, 21-20
Thank you to tournament director Darin Barr for organizing and running an outstanding event.
Follow all of the draws from the 2024 WAC Classic HERE
David Fink
WPH Senior Writer