Archive for November, 2007
By the time Rocky and Jack took to the court, the capacity crowd at the Racquet Club of Memphis had been treated to some absolutely fantastic racquetball. First, by Ruben and Woody in the CPRT Finals, won by Ruben in 5, then by Rhonda and Cheryl in the WPRO finals. So Rocky and Jack had a lot to live up to as they entered the stadium court at the 12th Choice Hotels US OPEN. Luckily, they didn’t disappoint.
Rocky came out on fire and simply could not miss. Most people around me were saying that he was “in the zone” and I would heartily agree. While Jack was playing well, he simply couldn’t keep up with Rocky in the first game and the 11-3 scoreline is both a testament to how well Rocky played and how tough a competitor Jack is…the fact that he was able to score any points with the way Rocky was hitting proves that Jack is truly worthy of his Number 1 ranking.
Further proof was delivered in the second game. The crowd was definitely feeling a Rocky sweep after that first game, but Jack refused to allow that to happen. He changed things up and kept attacking Rocky every chance he got. Although Rocky was still playing very solidly, Jack just refused to lose this game. They were together throughout until Jack closed it late to tie things up 11-7 to Jack.
Now the crowd decided it would be best to settle in and just enjoy the moment. Getting riled up for the TV Cameras seemed to have pumped up both of the competitors as they were definitely playing some amazing racquetball.
As the third game started, it was pretty obvious that both players were going to try and impose their will on this game in order to get the 2-1 lead and obtain the better odds of clinching the title and having their name etched on the Champions Cup of the Choice Hotels US OPEN. Points seemed very hard to come by as both players spent a lot of time diving and hitting to the ceiling to keep the ball in play. When the dust settled, though, Rocky had strung together enough at the end to squeak out the game 11-8.
At this point, Rocky could sense his time was coming. However, Jack has earned that number 1 ranking and he wasn’t about to potentially give it up without a major fight. Both players traded points early in the game until Rocky went on a run that would bring him to the verge of the title. He got the score to 10-5 and then he stalled…or more appropriately, Jack really turned his own game up. Rocky served for the match at least 6 different times, but at the same time, he only gave up one more point himself during this long stretch of time. Rocky did have one moment when he thought that he had finally ended it with a dive in the right side front court, but side Referee, Andy Hawthorne called it two bounces and so the celebration was postponed. Each time Rocky stepped into the service box, the crowd started chanting, “Rocky, Rocky” so when he finally ended things it was only natural that the theme song from the movie would boom out in the stadi um court area.
As to my earlier report on the women’s final, I did see Rhonda as I was leaving the club for the airport and she mentioned that on that tough play in the 3rd game, when she hit Cheryl on her backswing, it threw her off quite a bit and after she had hit the ball, her own racqet came up and caught her in the nose. All I can say is that it was very bloody.
This concludes my Choice Hotels US OPEN experience.
The US Junior Team heads to Cochabamba, Bolivia for the IRF Junior Worlds in about 3 weeks. A few of the team members made the trip to Memphis and they all appear very eager to get down there and start playing. I will do the best I can to get updates out to everyone as I receive word from those that will be there.
Next up for me, potentially, will be National Doubles in February in Tempe, AZ. Still not 100% certain, but we’ll see.
Anyway, I just got home, and I haven’t had a chance to upload the pictures that I did take from my camera and won’t be doing that tonight. When I have, I will send some out to everyone…I am not a Geoff Thomsen or Mike Boatman by any means, so please keep that in mind.
In the meantime, I hope everyone has a very Happy Thanksgiving this coming week!
November 19th, 2007
by Adam Katz
If I have some time later, I will put something out about the IRT Final between Rocky Carson and Jack Huczek, but before I do that I just wanted to put my final thoughts down as I try to do at the end of each tournament I attend. I won’t be giving out my unofficial awards of the tournament because there were so many amazing matches throughout the week that it would truly be unfair to distinguish them. I would just remind everyone that many of the IRT matches will be seen in January and February on the Tennis Channel, please check them out, you won’t regret it.
First and foremost, to Doug Ganim…THANK YOU for inviting me to be a part of this 12th Choice Hotels US OPEN Racquetball Championships. It was a great honor to me and I sincerely hope that I will be back for many years to come. It was by far, the best racquetball experience of my life!
To the Media Staff and it’s leaders, Jeff Oliver, Leo Vasquez, Geoff Thomsen and Mike Boatman, and all the rest…you all are the best, we definitely had some fun times in the media center and I couldn’t imagine a better team to work with.
To the Event Staff and everyone that helped put it all together. Words cannot express how much I truly respect and appreciate all that you do. From changing the Racquet Club of Memphis into the greatest racquetball show on Earth, to all the little things that are far too numerous to mention, you did it all with a smile on your face and made it look far easier than it really was. Eddie Meredith, I just want you to know that I sat back amazed all week at how you and your team took care of every last detail.
Also, please let me encourage everyone to check out some of the early photos that were taken at the event. There are two sites you’ll want to check out.
http://www.choicehotelsusopen.com which has a slide show of more than 50 photos by both Geoff Thomsen and Mike Boatman.
And, of course, I cannot thank Angela Grisar, Pablo Farje, Jo Shattuck, and Denny Erardi enough for bringing racquetballonline.tv to Memphis so that everyone could see the best matches on the Stadium Court.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, if you’ve never been to Memphis for the Choice Hotels US OPEN, get here. They are moving the tournament up to October 22-26, 2008, so I would HIGHLY ENCOURAGE everybody to make plans to be there.
November 19th, 2007
by Adam Katz
This one was billed as Rhonda’s Athleticism versus Cheryl’s Focus and this one definitely lived up to all the hype.
Cheryl came out strong shooting extremely well and Rhonda seemed to come out a little slower, but her great athletic talent kept her right there with her. Both players traded side outs early in the first game trading serves at 1-1 and 2-2 for several serves. Rhonda then started to click and built her lead to 5-2 before Cheryl could regain the all important serve. However, once back in the service box Rhonda would go on the run that would get her to the brink of the first game. Cheryl would fight back to 6, but would go no further as Rhonda closed out the first game and gave a quick fist pump.
In the second game, Rhonda started to catch fire as she jumped to a 4-1 lead. Cheryl is a true champion and she wasn’t about to give this one away, so it surprised nobody in the house when she closed the score to 4-5. Rhonda could sense the momentum changing and as she stepped into the service box, she took a quick, deep breath to get ready for the moment. It certainly worked as she went on a run to 9-4 playing her usual aggressive style. Cheryl as able to add one more point before the end, but Rhonda looked to be on a mission and she finished the second game 11-5 for the 2 game lead.
The third game would prove to be a great test of both players’ nerves. Rhonda was clearly fired up and was looking to go for the kill and the sweep. As such, she sprinted to a 3-0 lead. Cheryl came into the service box and hit one of the best drive serves to the right side that I’ve seen in a while and totally sent Rhonda the wrong way. That brought big momentum back to Cheryl, and she used it to tie the game at 3. They would then go point for point right up to the pivotal moment of the match. Rhonda serving 7-6, good rally, Rhonda set up on the side wall glass both p layers playing very close. Rhonda hit Cheryl on her backswing and continued to hit a very close pinch shot. The referee called the shot good instead of calling the avoidable. Also, something happened to Rhonda at that moment. I cannot tell you exactly what that was, she either hit Cheryl’s body, Cheryl’s racquet, the side wall, or her own racquet with her nose. Any way you look at it, she was seriously bloodied and needed an injury timeout. When all was said and done Cheryl was serving and Rhonda was not happy. Cheryl used that to her advantage and strung together some very tough shots to grab the third game 11-8.
The crowd was starting the sense that this one might go five, but Rhonda had other ideas. Cheryl did manage to take a 2-0 lead, but Rhonda wasn’t going to let this opportunity slip away that easily. She came into the box and built her own 4-2 lead. Both ladies could somehow feel that this game probably meant the title and Cheryl used that knowledge to come back for a 7-4 lead. Once again, Rhonda refused to give in. The crowd could clearly see that she was hurting, but she just kept plugging away, and with her amazing athletic ability to make impossible shots seem routine, she built her lead to match point. Cheryl refused to give in, as always, and came back one last time to 9-10, but serving for match for the third time, Rhonda finally ended things with a well placed backhand down the left side out of Cheryl’s reach. Cheryl was only able to look at the shot and nod knowing that the match was over. 11-9 to the 12th Choice Hotels US OPEN Racquetball Champion and now 2 time winner Rhonda Rajsich.
November 18th, 2007
by Adam Katz
Kane Waselenchuk joins Shawn Royster and Woody Clouse behind the Tennis Channel announcers’ table at the 2007 US OPEN Racquetball Championships:
November 17th, 2007
by Geoff Thomsen
Cheryl Gudinas Holmes versus Christie Van Hees
Cheryl began this match with a short serve, and that gave Christie a little momentum out of the gate. Jumping ahead 2-0 and then 5-2, it looked like Christie would be more than happy to relive last year’s final. However, Cheryl had other ideas and came back to tie the score each time. Tied at 5, Christie decided it was time to take one more lead and once she had it she closed it out.
That only served to fire Cheryl up. She’s been playing very well in recent events and that certainly continued today. The players took turns grabbing one point leads early in Game 2 until Cheryl led 4-3. At that point, there was a close call on the left side wall. That particular call went Christie’s way, but Cheryl used that and regained the momentum quickly. She built her lead to 7-3 before Christie was able to get the service back. Cheryl then kept the pressure up and built her advantage to 10-5. Christie then went on a run to bring it back to 9-10, but that was as close as she would get. Cheryl closed it out on her next service to even the game count at 1.
Each player knew they needed game three to put additional pressure on their opponent, and both players came out firing. Cheryl built a quick 2-0 lead, but Christie came right back and strung together five points for a 5-2 lead. Cheryl then pushed it up to another level and stormed back with nine straight points to close it out.
Cheryl now sensed her moment, but Christie came out for a quick 2-0 lead. Cheryl erased that right away with four straight points. At that point, they started trading points with some amazing shots. At 10-8, Cheryl served another short serve, but quickly regrouped with a side out. She would end in on her next serve and now looks forward to another championship final on the stadium court at the 12th Choice Hotels US OPEN.
Rhonda Rajsich versus Angela Grisar
This one started fairly slow as both players adapted to their surroundings on the stadium court. Eventually Rhonda put a run together to grab a 7-1 lead, but Angela started to calm her nerves and got back into the game at 4-7. Playing on the stadium court seemed to hinder Angela’s usual precise shots as she had a few serves go out of bounds on the fly for side outs and Rhonda continued to take advantage. Building her lead, very slowly Rhonda inched her way to game one 11-7.
Game two was a back and forth affair as Angela was able to grab her first lead of the match. Playing very controlled and smooth, she built a 7-3 lead before she stalled. Rhonda increased the pressure with some incredible diving kills and was able to end the game with an 8-1 run.
Rhonda’s momentum seemed to be building but Angela refused to go down without a fight. She grabbed a quick 2-0 lead, but now Rhonda sensed her opportunity. She knew she didn’t want to let Angela get comfortable and she moved the score to 2-2 with another great show of athleticism. Angela briefly grabbed a 3-2 lead, but once Rhonda got the lead back, she wouldn’t give it up. 11-3 to Rhonda and onward to the finals here at the 12th Choice Hotels US OPEN Racquetball Championships.
Rocky Carson vs Jason Mannino
Rocky came into this one very focused. Brimming with confidence from his recent win in Albuquerque combined with his first Grand Slam title in Colorado Springs, he could see the ultimate prize out there and he decided to grab it. keeping Jason on the defensive from the outset, Rocky stormed out to a 2 games lead. But Stadium Court at the Racquet Club of Memphis is like a second home for Jason and he wasn’t about to let some outsider in. Being the only former champion in the draw, he didn’t want to see someone else’s name go on the Silver Champions Cup and he blitzed Rocky in the third game 11-1. The crowd started to sense a comeback, but it was not to be. Rocky regrouped and managed to pull out a point for point battle in the 4th game to take the match and earn his second successive Choice Hotels US OPEN Final berth.
Jack Huczek vs Shane Vanderson
Shane had another amazing battle with Alvaro yesterday, and that seemed to take something out of him. And when you have to play the number 1 player that’s not a good thing. Jack took advantage of a slightly sluggish Shane and closed this one in 3. Shane did put up a good fight and probably should have won the second, but Jack proved that his ranking is a true reflection of his character. He’s onto the final tomorrow of the 12th Choice Hotels US OPEN.
November 17th, 2007
by Adam Katz
The WPRO worked overtime today as the ladies played both their round of16 and Quarterfinals.
First up on the Stadium Court here at the Choice Hotels US OPEN was 4th seed Kerri Wachtel of Ohio taking on Mexico’s Susana Acosta. Both young ladies have represented their respective countries on many occasions, so the added pressure of being on the stadium court didn’t seem to affect either player as they both came out strong in this one. 11 points just weren’t going to be enough to settle this first game as Susana stepped into the service at 11-11. She was able to close that one out, but Kerri changed th ings up and grabbed two games 11-7 and 11-4. Needing a win to stay in, Susana fought back and once again went extra time for the 12-10 fourth game win to force the tiebreaker. However, in that breaker, Kerri came out on fire and stormed to the win 11-2. That win earned Kerri a quarterfinal berth with Chile’s Angela Grisar.
On Thursday, when the IRT played two rounds in one day, 13 of the 16 matches were won in three games. Today, Angela took her lead from that as she took on Maryland’s Doreen Fowler this morning. Knowing that there would be another match later on today, Angela got on and off in 3 games to conserve some energy for the battle ahead. Doreen played hard throughout, but it seemed that Angela had just a bit more at the end of each game to close it out and move on.
Utah’s Kristen Bellows came out very strong in her match with Indiana’s Diane Moore. Diane had a 5 game battle yesterday and that seemed to take something out of her. Combined with Kristen’s strong accuracy, Diane just couldn’t seem to find the right shot. She fought bravely throughout but Kristen closed it out in three to move on to a quarterfinal match with third seed Cheryl Gudinas Holmes.
Cheryl came into her match with former US Junior Team member, Adrienne Fisher knowing that she would have a fight on her hands and this one did not disappoint. Both players looked sharp early, but Cheryl was able to get that all important first game win 11-5. Not one to get down on herself, Adrienne regrouped quickly and came out firing in game two. When the dust settled, they were tied 1 game apiece after an 11-9 shootout for Adrienne. At this point Cheryl got fired up and proceeded to bring everything in her arsenal as she was able to close out the next two games 11-4 and 11-8 to claim her spot in the quarterfinals.
Defending Champion, Christie Van Hees of Canada, continued her strong play today claiming a 3 game win over fellow Canadian, Jen Saunders on the stadium court. Christie looked extremely sharp from the outset and never allowed Jen to get comfortable in this one. This win sets up a rematch of one of last year’s semifinals here at the Choice Hotels US OPEN when she’ll face off with South Carolina’s Brenda Kyzer in the quarterfinals.
Brenda advanced to the quarterfinals by virtue of a truly hard fought 4 game battle with Mexico’s Samantha Salas. Each game was very close, but Brenda used her veteran savvy towards the end of each game. Samantha did manage to squeak out the third game, but Brenda appeared to be really well focused in this one and closed it out in four to move on.
The final quarter features top seed Rhonda Rajsich from Arizona who advanced with a tough 3 game victory over a very determined Candi Hostovich of Virginia. Playing on the stadium court for the first time, Candi came out firing to a 3-0 lead. But Rhonda slowly inched her way back and was able to end each game like the professional that she is. In that quarterfinal, she’ll face one of the new faces of the WPRO in Mexican teenager, Paola Longoria, the current 16 and Under World Champion.
Paola advanced to the quarters with a very tough 4 game victory over Keely Franks of Texas. Keely came out very strong in this one and seemed to surprise Paola with her shot making ability as she took the first game 11-9. However, Paola dug deep and managed to sweep the next three games to set up a rematch of the final from this season’s very first stop the Outback Steakhouse Blast It! In that event, Paola surprised everyone to win her first ever WPRO event.
The first quarterfinal match was the Angela Grisar-Kerri Wachtel battle and this one did not disappoint. Angela came out shooting smart and Kerri was right there with her as the crowd was treated to a point for point struggle from the outset. In the end, Angela was able to create a few more offensive opportunities and was able to capitalize on them for a hard fought four game victory. This sets up a semifinal meeting on Saturday with top seed, Rhonda Rajsich.
Rhonda and Paola Longoria have enjoyed some great matches so far this season on the WPRO tour, and this one would prove to be another memorable one. This one was close throughout, but Rhonda’s experience seemed to come to the fore at the critical moments of each game. Although Paola did manage to gain the game two victory, Rhonda would come back to sweep the final two games to earn her place in the semifinals on Saturday afternoon.
The match up between Cheryl Gudinas Holmes and Kristen Bellows was another in a series of close matches between these two ladies, but Cheryl was able to close things out at the end of each of the three games to earn a semifinal match with Canada’s Christie Van Hees.
Christie and Brenda Kyzer played in the semifinals of the 2006 Choice Hotels US OPEN, and Brenda was looking for a better result. However, Christie had other ideas on her mind as she came out strong keeping the pressure from the beginning. Brenda did come out strong in the second game, but Christie changed tactics midway through and continued that momentum throughout the remainder of the match.
On the Men’s side, the top two seeds won three game matches today while the other two matches seemed to be absolute wars from start to finish.
First up was the Shane Vanderson - Alvaro Beltran match, and they got the quarters started with great flare as they have played some of the absolute best matches of the tour season so far. Each match has been a classic and each match seems to go 5 games and today was no exception.
It didn’t start out looking like that would be the case as Shane charged out of the gates to grab the first two games. At that point, I have to admit I started thinking about a comment Jason Mannino had made at the very start of the match. He said that Shane would take the first two, Alvaro the next two and the breaker would be anyone’s guess. Considering how well Shane played those first two, I doubted Jason’s prediction…my mistake. Alvaro stormed back to take the next two and the tiebreaker turned out to be one for the ages. Both players had mulitple match points before Shane was able to take the 12-10 win and the spot in the semifinals against Jack Huczek.
Jack played his usual controlled game and cruised past Jason Thoerner in three. Perhaps being the ref for the previous 3 quarters had taken their toll on Jason before they even stepped on the court.
The second match on the stadium court today was the other war Jason Mannino and Mitch Williams. Jason came out really strong in this one and Mitch seemed to be skipping a lot as Jason flew (sometimes literally) to the 11-4 win. The first one may have appeared easy, but nothing of what turned out to be three remaining games proved to be that way as both players were able to turn their own respective games up a notch. Jason gutted out the 11-9 second game win, but just when you thought this was only going three Mitch stormed back to squeak out the fourth game 11-9. That only served to fire Jason up even more than he already was. The fourth game was an all out war as both players left it all on the court. In the end, Jason’s experience on the Stadium Court at the Choice Hotels US OPEN proved beneficial as he came away with the fourth game and the match 11-9. That earns him a semifinal match with R ocky Carson.
Rocky played Andy Hawthorne in the quarters for the second year in a row and once again Rocky was able to earn a sweep. Andy has had some good results at various Pro Stops, but he still seems a step below the big guns of the IRT Tour.
The Tennis Channel was out here today filming the quarterfinals and I can promise you that you don’t want to miss it when they air. The current slate is for sometime in January and I will do my best to keep everyone updated of dates and times.
Tomorrow is billed as SUPER SATURDAY and it will definitely live up to the hype. Both Women’s and Men’s semifinals…plus I will be on the stadium court for 3 rallies against a pro as they are doing a fund raiser for the St Jude Children’s Research Hospital…I know I can’t wait.
More later.
November 16th, 2007
by Adam Katz
Rhonda was ALL business during her round of 16 match:
November 16th, 2007
by Geoff Thomsen
Fans enjoying some action at the stadium court:
November 16th, 2007
by Geoff Thomsen
Action getting started on the Stadium Court:
November 16th, 2007
by Geoff Thomsen
Racquetball enthusiasts enjoying the player’s village at the 2007 US OPEN Racquetball Championships:
November 16th, 2007
by Geoff Thomsen
Rumored to have been trying new training regiments including Yoga, Jason Maninno was definitely looking more lean and muscular:
November 16th, 2007
by Geoff Thomsen
Some of the longest, loudest, and hardest fought matches in the US OPEN have taken place in the back courts at the Memphis Racquet Club. Thursday night was no exception. Andy Hawthorne vs. Ben Croft in the near court.
November 16th, 2007
by Geoff Thomsen
During an “all Gearbox” match with Alvaro Beltran, Javier Moreno somehow kicked himself in the nuts with his own shoe. Ouch.
November 16th, 2007
by Geoff Thomsen
I finally had a chance to catch John Ellis on the stadium court, and he didn’t disappoint ..
November 16th, 2007
by Geoff Thomsen
ChuckCity delights the crowd during a Men’s Open matchup:
November 16th, 2007
by Geoff Thomsen
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