2021/22 Matches of the Season Series: The Flying Cordovas Face Off at the 2022 R48 January Classic
WPH Showcase, Tucson, AZ
As the 2022 Icebreaker Series and the 2022/23 Race 4 Eight Tour are set to kick off, the WPH is thrilled to introduce WPH 2021/22 Matches of the Season Series, featuring the best match from each of the major stops during the 2021/22 pro handball season.
2022 R48 January Classic: Lucho vs. Danos
The Flying Cordovas faced one another for the second time during the 2021/22 R48 season at the 2022 R48 January Classic, with Lucho winning their first encounter in two games at the 2021 R48 Memorial. Lucho entered the January Classic with a troublesome right shoulder that appeared to have received some relief from a cortisone shot earlier in the week, while Danos entered the Classic with the flu.
Danos Cordova looked as though he may run away with the match, holding a 12-6 lead in game one. That lead quickly vanished with a Lucho run, as Lucho eventually tied the game and stunningly took game one, 15-12.
Danos led 12-8 in game two and was able to maintain his advantage to force a third game.
Danos led 10-1 in the decider and it appeared Lucho’s tournament was nearing an end. “Never count Lucho out,” stated ESPN color analyst Leo Canales, Jr.
Just as he had done in game one, Lucho stormed back, tying Daniel at 10 and eventually seizing the momentum by taking a 12-10 lead. “Lucho started to hit his lob serve and if my return wasn’t perfect, he was in control of the rally,” stated Danos after the match.
Neither player was able to convert a high percentage of kill shots late in the third game, with many of the rallies extending well past 20 shots. As R48 New Orleans tournament director Bob Caluda famously stated while watching the Cordovas battle in a R48 Mardi Gras final, “If the ball isn’t rolling, the Cordovas will get it.”
Despite battling obvious fatigue, Danos was able to find the bottom board to end rallies late in the tiebreaker, eventually scoring the final five points of the match to advance to his first R48 final of the season.
“No freebies here, he (Lucho) can get into a rhythm with his lob serve,” stated Danos after the match. “It’s a lot of pressure, we’re both not super precise right now but we both have a lot of power so there is not much time to set up to hit kills. I just needed not to get tense. It definitely takes awhile to get over it once one of us beats one another because we make sure to always say who is the better player after we play.”
“This was everything you can ask for on a Saturday night in Tucson, both of these guys giving it their all on every point,” stated Leo Canales.
Final: Danos def Lucho 12-15, 15-9, 15-12
Stay tuned for upcoming WPH 2021/22 Matches of the Season Series features.
David Fink
WPH Senior Writer