The WPH Outdoor V Gold Cup Stop #1 kicked off the fifth season of WPH Outdoor 3-Wall Big Ball handball. The top WPH Outdoor stars competed in singles and doubles brackets for yellow jerseys and valuable Player’s Cup ranking points on the Race to Vegas at Los Nietes Park in Santa Fe Springs, CA.
Samzon Hernandez entered the Gold Cup Series singles as the #1 seed by virtue of finishing the WPH Outdoor IV season as the top-ranked player but was forced to withdraw in the quarterfinals, opening the door for first-time WPH Outdoor semifinalists and finalists. Pedro Carmona advanced his first WPH Outdoor Cup Series singles semifinal with impressive victories against Shorty Ruiz and Flash Tojin, followed by a forfeit against Hernandez. The WPH Outdoor top lefty, Kevin Gonzalez, awaited Carmona in the upper bracket semifinal after dispatching Edgar Vizcaino and Sal Duenas in tiebreakers. Gonzalez advanced to his first WPH Outdoor Cup Series singles final with his third consecutive tiebreaker victory against Carmona in their semifinal clash.
Three-time defending WPH Outdoor Champion Juan Santos entered Santa Fe as the #2 seed and faced a difficult road to the finals in the bottom bracket. Santos started his WPH Outdoor V campaign in mid-season form, dropping David Hinojosa and two-time WPH Outdoor IV finalist Alfredo Morales in straight sets. Santos was then awarded a forfeit in the semifinals after winning game one against Gman Velazquez.
Santos continued his stellar play in the final, eliminating his frequent doubles and practice partner Kevin Gonzalez in two games. With the victory, Santos regained the WPH Outdoor #1 ranking and leads the pack in the Race to Vegas in September.
Manny Suarez and Manuel Capullo entered the Cup Series doubles as the eighth seed and won three tiebreakers en route to the title, defeating Flash Tojin and Fuji Hernandez in an exciting three-game final. Capullo announced himself as a big ball star at the 2015 Simple Green U.S. Open and proved that he is a force in capturing the first WPH Outdoor Pro Doubles event of the season.
32 junior handball players under the age of 19 entered junior brackets at Santa Fe Springs, with each junior playing multiple matches throughout the weekend alongside their big ball heroes.
For brackets and results from all divisions in Santa Fe Springs, click here
WPH Outdoor Player’s Cup: The World Player’s of Handball’s WPH Outdoor Player’s Cup Series was formed in 2012 to showcase the game’s best 3-Wall Big Ball Stars. Since 2012, the WPH Outdoor Player’s Cup Series has hosted 23 events in California, Mexico and Nevada, creating the stage for hundreds of top big ball stars to compete against one another in professional, competitive and family-friendly events that promote sportsmanship and community spirit while inspiring the next generation of players. The WPH Outdoor V season features six events in Southern California, Utah, and Nevada. To see the fill schedule, click here. All WPH Outdoor events host Junior WPH clinics with WPH Outdoor Elite players serving as mentors and coaches and junior tournament divisions starting at nine-and-under for boys and girls.
For more information on the WPH Outdoor Player’s Cup Series, please contact World Players of Handball Executive Director David Vincent at wph@race4eight.com, World Players of Handball Development Director David Fink at fink@race4eight.com or WPH Outdoor Director Tom Flores at flores@wphlive.tv. For more information on the World Players of Handball, please visit wphlive.tv