Top 8 Highlights From the 2023 Race 4 Eight Mardi Gras

New Orleans, LA, WPH Press, 1/17/23

The 2023 Race 4 Eight New Orleans Mardi Gras Open produced a number of highlights, from incredible matches, first-time winners, stunning comebacks, New Orleans cuisine and much more. Check out the Top 8 Highlights from the 2023 Mardi Gras.

Top 8 Highlights From the 2023 Race 4 Eight Mardi Gras

1. Clodagh Munroe makes the WR48 final in her first WR48 start, upsetting top-seeded Ashley Ruiz in a tiebreaker in the semifinals
2. Aimee Tuohey plays flawlessly in the New Orleans final, becoming the fifth woman to win a WR48 title in the twenty-seven WR48 events
3. 80% of the draw in the 2023 Mardi Gras were under 31, more than half of the draw were current collegiate players. More on the New Orleans Mardi Gras collegiate participation HERE
4. Martin Mulkerrins played arguably perfect handball for the first 20 minutes of the men’s final, outscoring R48 #1 Lucho Cordova 25-2 in the first 27 points of the match before entering what Mulkerrins called the “melting pot” after a late Lucho run cut Martin’s second game lead to 11-13 – Mulkerrins closed out the match with consecutive ace serves
5. Multiple-time Irish junior national champion Mark Doyle stuns fourth-seeded David Fink by overcoming four match points to win the second and third games in overtime to announce himself as a force on the Race 4 Eight tour
6. The Saturday New Orleans tournament buffet, complete with seafood gumbo, fried catfish, fresh rolls and much more
7. John Bike take 17^th in the R48 Men’s Pro with impressive wins over Dylan Schmitt and John Chapman
8. Mulkerrins and Lucho officially announce the hottest rivalry in the sport – Mulkerrins leads Lucho 2-1 in their three head-to-head finals matchups on the 2022/23 R48 tour – Mulkerrins has outscored Lucho 75-55 in those three matches (58%)

David Fink

WPH Senior Writer