Tucson, AZ, WPH Press, 4/25/18– The 2017-2018 WR48 season has featured two different champions in three events, as well as an influx of veterans on the comeback and talented newcomers. The 2017-2018 WR48 season has produced a number of incredible matches through the first three events of the season, as very little separates the WR48 #2 and WR48 #9 pros. The best women handball pros in the world will head to Salt Lake City May 4-6, where WR48 #1 Catriona Casey will be aiming for her fifth consecutive WR48 Player’s Championship. Check out all of the stats from this season’s WR48 through the NYAC ’18.
Catriona Casey
Best Finish: 1st (Las Vegas)
Notable wins: Peixoto de Melo, Tuohey, Moler
Combined score vs. opponents in R48 7 main draw and playoffs: 298-67 (82%)
Tucson: 118-51
Las Vegas: 90-9
NYAC: 90-7
R48 7 main draw/playoff record: 9-1
Current ranking: 1
Highest R48 ranking: 1 (since 2014)
Best Finish: 2nd (Las Vegas)
Notable wins: Davis, Tuohey, Moler
Combined score vs. opponents in R48 7 main draw and playoffs: 264-235 (53%)
Tucson: 95-84
Las Vegas: 75-80
NYAC: 94-71
R48 7 main draw/playoff record: 8-4
Current ranking: 2
Highest R48 ranking: 2 (current)
Best Finish: 3rd (Las Vegas)
Notable wins: Moler, Koehler, Peixoto de Melo, Davis
Combined score vs. opponents in R48 7 main draw and playoffs: 260-236 (52%)
Tucson: 81-78
Las Vegas: 93-86
NYAC: 86-72
R48 7 main draw/playoff record: 7-4
Current ranking: 2
Highest R48 ranking: 2 (current)
Best Finish: 3rd (Tucson)
Notable wins: Tuohey, Koehler
Combined score vs. opponents in R48 7 main draw and playoffs: 202-194 (51%)
Tucson: 87-67
Las Vegas: 70-72
NYAC: 45-55
R48 7 main draw/playoff record: 5-4
Current ranking: 4
Highest R48 ranking: 2 (2015)
Best Finish: 1st (Tucson)
Notable wins: Casey, Rushe
Combined score vs. opponents in R48 7 main draw and playoffs: 134-33 (80%)
Tucson: 134-33 (80%)
Las Vegas: n/a
NYAC: n/a
R48 7 main draw/playoff record: 4-0
Current ranking: 4
Highest R48 ranking: 2 (2017)
Best Finish: 3rd (NYAC)
Notable wins: McCarthy, Peixoto de Melo
Combined score vs. opponents in R48 7 main draw and playoffs: 161-206 (44%)
Tucson: 26-56
Las Vegas: 101-92
NYAC: 34-58
R48 7 main draw/playoff record: 3-4
Current ranking: 6
Highest R48 ranking: 6 (current)
Best Finish: 3rd (NYAC)
Notable wins: Davis, Daskalakis
Combined score vs. opponents in R48 7 main draw and playoffs: 303-272 (53%)
Tucson: 83-73
Las Vegas: 113-105
NYAC: 107-94
R48 7 main draw/playoff record: 5-6
Current ranking: 6
Highest R48 ranking: 6 (current)
Best Finish: 3rd (Las Vegas)
Notable wins: McCarthy
Combined score vs. opponents in R48 7 main draw and playoffs: 152-174 (47%)
Tucson: 59-82
Las Vegas: 93-92
NYAC: n/a
R48 7 main draw/playoff record: 3-4
Current ranking: 6
Highest R48 ranking: 6 (current)
Best Finish: 3rd (NYAC)
Notable wins: Tuohey
Combined score vs. opponents in R48 7 main draw and playoffs: 97-62 (61%)
Tucson: n/a
Las Vegas: n/a
NYAC: 97-62 (61%)
R48 7 main draw/playoff record: 2-1
Current ranking: 4
Highest R48 ranking: 4 (2016)
- Catriona Casey has won 14 of 16 WR48 events held since the inception of the WR48 tour at the Simple Green U.S. Open ‘13
- No U.S. born player has won a WR48 event: Casey (14), Reilly (1), McMahon (1)
- Courtney Peixoto de Melo started the 2017-2018 WR48 season with no ranking and having not played in a WR48 event since San Francisco ’15. After three events on the 2017-2018 WR48, CPM has climbed to #2 on the WR48 rankings
- Suz Koehler had never finished better than 7th in her WR48 career before the NYAC ’18. Suz advanced to the final at the NYAC ’18 with wins against current WR48 #4 Tracy Davis and former WR48 #4 Danielle Daskalakis
- Martina McMahon is the highest ranked WR48 pro (#4) that has played just one event (win at the Tucson Memorial ’17)
- Aimee Tuohey lost before the semifinals for the first time in her WR48 career at the NYAC ’18 (Daskalakis)
- Courtney Peixoto de Melo and Tracy Davis are the only moms on the WR48 (CPM: two children, Trey Dey: one child)
- Ashley Moler advanced to the first WR48 semifinal of her career at the WR48 Las Vegas ’18, defeating then WR48 #7 Aoife McCarthy in the quarterfinals
- All 16 WR48 events have been won by a WR48 pro sporting a ponytail (no R48 or SR48 champions have had a ponytail)
- Tracy Davis is the only WR48 pro in her 40’s (41). Courtney Peixoto de Melo and Dr. Ashley Moler are the only WR48 pros in their 30’s
- Martina McMahon is the only undefeated player on the 2017-2018 WR48 (4-0 at the Tucson Memorial ’17)
- At 20 years, 2 months, Catriona Casey became the youngest R48 or WR48 champion in the history of the Race 4 Eight (Simple Green U.S. Open ’13)
- Suz Koehler is the current USHA Women’s Classic champion, current MO State Women’s Champion, and the most interesting woman in the world (here)
- Martina McMahon is the only left-handed player to ever win a R48 or WR48 title in a combined 63 R48 (47) and WR48 (16) events (1.6%). According to MSN, 10% of the population is said to be left-handed
- Two of the nine ranked WR48 pros (McMahon and Daskalakis) are left-handed (22%). Two of the 30 ranked R48 pros (Fink, Nash) are left-handed (6.7%)
- Catriona Casey pitched the only perfect game in the history of a Race 4 Eight final in not allowing a point or a side out in the final of the San Francisco Olympic Club Del Grande Dealer Group ’15
- Three of the nine WR48 pros are from Ireland (Casey, McMahon, Rushe). The remaining six WR48 pros are from the U.S. Two of the six U.S. based WR48 pros live in the same state (Peixoto de Melo, Davis)
- Catriona Casey is the only WR48 pro to play in all 16 WR48 events (has appeared in all 16 WR48 finals)
- In the 16 WR48 events held since the inception of the tour at the Simple Green U.S. Open ’13, there have been three different champions: Casey (14), Reilly (1), McMahon (1). In the last 16 R48 Men’s pro events, starting with NYAC ’16, there have been six different champions: Carroll (9), Brady (3), McCarthy (1), Ortiz (1), Moreno (1), Lenning (1). In the last 16 women’s tennis Grand Slams, starting with the 2014 French Open, there have been nine different champions: S. Williams (6), Kvitova (1), Sharapova (1), Pennetta (1), Muguruza (2), Kerber (2), Ostapenko (1), Stephens (1), Wozniacki (1)
- The average age of the WR48 top nine is 29.4
- The average height of the WR48 top nine is 5’6 4/5
- The tallest WR48 pro is Hilary Rushe (5’11)
David Fink
WR48 Statistician