3WallBall World Outdoor Championships
LPRT
Oct 19, 2020
The 3WallBall World Outdoor Championships went off under some new guidelines for the year of Covid-19. Although the pandemic delayed some of racquetball's grandest indoor events, the Vegas 3WallBall Team, lead by Mike Coulter, managed to pull off a success.
Amazing matches were played on the annually constructed courts in the STRAT parking lot. We saw a mix of WOR legends and Hall of Famers playing with some indoor legends and first time 3WallBall players. We saw short wall, one wall, singles, doubles, paddle ball, and handball, all played in front of the iconic hotel.
Longoria Claims WOR Singles and Doubles Titles
Mexican Paola Longoria continued to rack up titles by claiming both the singles and women's doubles divisions. In the singles final, USA opponent Rhonda Rajsich came out on fire, winning the first game 15-4. But Longoria found her groove in the second game, winning it 15-4 and the tiebreaker 11-4.
In doubles, #3 seeds Longoria and partner Janel Tisinger-Ledkins faced a stiff test in the final against the #1 seeds De La Rosa and Munoz. They lost the first 15-12, but responded in game two, pulling away to win it 15-9. The tiebreaker could have gone either way, but Longoria and Tisinger-Ledkins continued their good form, claiming it and the title 11-5.
One of the great story lines from this tournament was the success of outdoor legend Janel Tisinger-Ledkins. Seven months pregnant and having never played with her doubles partner Longoria before, she demonstrated why she is one of the very best female outdoor players to ever play the game. She added another title to what is already an incredible list of accomplishments. Thank you to Janel, who also spent several hours providing insightful commentary on our live stream.
Mixed doubles is always full of entertaining match-ups, and this year proved no exception. Fifteen teams battled for the title, and only two of the top four seeds advanced to the semis. The Colombian duo of Mercado and Riveros had a close tiebreaker win in the quarterfinals, but eased past the #3 seeds of Rajsich and Koll into the final. There they faced the one seeds and defending champions of De La Rosa and De La Rosa who advanced to the final against surprise semifinalists Riffel and Neils. The De La Rosas demonstrated why they are the #1 mixed doubles team on the planet, winning 15-8, 15-0.
In total, we broadcasted over 25 matches which could not be done without the logistical support of many people. We would like to say thank you to Mike Coulter and the entire 3WB staff who worked under such challenging conditions this year to make the tournament such a success. Thank you to USA Racquetball (USAR) and World Outdoor Racquetball (WOR) for supporting the LPRT main court stream again this year.