Day 3: Sunday, 3/6/22
R48 March Madness Final: Carroll vs. Lucho
Killian Carroll met Lucho Cordova in the final for the second time this season, with Carroll taking their first clash in two games at the R48 X Stop 1 Tucson Memorial. “Every time Killian takes the court he is making history,” stated ESPN play-by-play announcer Dave Vincent. “It’s either most match wins in a row, most titles, or some historic milestone.”
Sunday would be no different, as Carroll was seeking his tenth consecutive WPH pro singles title and seventh consecutive R48 title.
Killian Carroll started fast in game one, blitzing Lucho Cordova 15-4 in just eight minutes after trailing 1-3. Lucho changed gears in game two, hitting a lob serve to the left that befuddled Carroll. Carroll appeared to be out of sorts, as Cordova kept him in the back court and forced errors. “Similar situation to Houston where Nash got me out of my rhythm with the slow serve and played smart,” stated Carroll. “That’s my weakness and it’s something I’m going to try to improve.”
Carroll reasserted himself in the third, scoring the first six points of the tiebreaker before Lucho served. Carroll was relentless, never allowing Lucho into the game and cruising to his twentieth title.
“In the third, I went to the middle of the court to drill the serve down wall,” stated Carroll. “I don’t get as many aces from the middle, but I can run the ball down the walls and whenever I got a setup just went for the bottom brick. Number 20 means something. “I’m still chasing Catriona. This win meant a lot because it’s the first time I’ll be going into the Player’s Championship undefeated.”
Final: Carroll def Lucho 15-4, 8-15, 15-1
R48 March Madness Playoffs
5th place final: Esser vs. Canales
Sam Esser and Leo Canales met for the third consecutive event, with Esser winning their last two encounters in Tucson and Houston in the fifth place playoffs and Canales winning their first matchup at the December Icebreaker.
Esser and Canales staged another thriller in their third straight matchup this season. Never separated by more than four points until 19-18 in the second half, Esser took control, rattling off kills and aces to clinch his third straight fifth place finish.
“It’s always close when I play Leo,” stated Esser. “The difference was that I was able to put down the kills at the end, which I have to do because Leo is so quick. It’s never comfortable against Leo and I have to be 100% focused because he can always get on a roll. If you would have told me two months ago that I would have won three fifth place finals in a row I would’ve taken it.”
Final: Esser def Canales 25-19
9th place final: Langmack vs. Ure
Ray Ure was making his second R48 start of the season and notched impressive 9th place playoff wins against Loren Collado and Bill Mehilos after dropping his round of 16 match to Same Esser, while Max Langmack continued to shine in the playoffs, dropping Andres Cordova and Dylan Hernandez en route to his meeting with Ure.
Langmack started hot in the ninth place final, racing to a 9-0 lead. A double fault derailed the Langmack express, as Ray scored nine consecutive points to tie the match. Langmack regained control, taking a 15-11 halftime lead and carrying his momentum into the second half with highlight reel kills and blasts.
“I wanted to start string and start fast and I think I did that,” stated Langmack. “I wanted to show Ray it was going to be a dogfight today. I just wanted to find my level and not overthink everything. The ninth place match is a great start to the day and sets the tone for the tone and gives the fans a look at new talent and new faces so everyone should tune in. These matches are a chance to stay in contention.”
Final: Langmack def Ure 25-12
R48 March Madness Finishes
1st: Carroll
2nd: Lucho
3rd: Fink/Danos
5th: Esser
6th: Canales
7th: Ruiz/Montijo
9th: Langmack
10th: Ure
JR WPH Clinic
19-time R48 champion and current R48 #1 Killian Carroll led a JR WPH Clinic for a dozen handball-crazed youngsters from Tucson, El Paso, and Juarez. “The two most important things in handball are watching the ball and cupping your hand when you hit so the ball cannot go through your fingers,” stated Carroll to the awestruck group of youngsters. Coach Carroll had the youngsters practice their serves with both hands, then played each in points. Despite being in between the quarterfinals and semifinals, Carroll flashed his patented dives and speed against his 10-year-old opponents. “Only Killian would dive in a junior clinic,” laughed ESPN cameraman Che Lowenstein.
Thank you to Killian Carroll for an outstanding clinic and donating his time to inspire the next generation of players.
USHA Hall of Fame Finishes
Women’s Open Singles Champion: Ashley Moler
Men’s Open Doubles Champions: Leo Canales, Jr./Sebastian Canales
Men’s A Singles Champion: Isaac Roldan
Men’s B Singles Champion: Miguel Sandoval
Men’s Masters (40+) Singles Champion: Zach Gault
Men’s Masters (60+) Singles Champion: Greg Demos
Men’s Masters (60+) Doubles Champions: Gary Eisenbooth/Glenn Carden
Men’s Masters (75+) Doubles Champions: Terry Nett/Rob Nichols
Men’s Hall of Fame Doubles Champions: John Henning/James Oviedo
Boy’s 17-and-under Singles Champion: Moses Gardea
Boy’s 13-and-under Singles Champion: Tonalli Valencia
Boy’s 11`-and-under Singles Champion: Brenden Beturne
Thanks!
Thank you to the WPH staff and broadcast crew, the USHA, the Tucson Racquet Club, and all of the players and fans for an amazing event.
Final brackets from the 2022 R48 X Stop 6: March Madness & USHA Hall of Fame Tournament HERE
David Fink
WPH Senior Writer