The Daily Racquet Established 1996 OCTOBER 6th, 2017 Volume 22, Issue 2 FRIDAY FAMILIAR FACES REMAIN In Play Friday... October 6, 2017 Player Registration LIFE TIME - Target Center 7:30 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. Three Qualifiers Crash the The Top Seeds Hold Steady to Force USAR Amateur Matches 8:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. Quaterfinals Party Familiar Match-ups All LIFE TIME Venues #4 Alvaro Beltran vs. Q Sudsy Monchik #4 Alexandra Herrera vs. #5 Rhonda Rajsich - Target Center (LFTC) 10:00 a.m. – LIFE TIME - Target Center 10:00 a.m. – LIFE TIME - Target Center - Minneapolis A.C. (MAC) 80 years... That’s the combined age of these two Alexandra comes in as the seeded favorite for this - Fridley (ML) racquetball legends! At the age of 42, Sudsy’s match. However, the experience of winning 4 previous comeback tour continues, but it has taken him four US OPENs will give Rhonda - the lone American left Ticket Session #4 matches to get here. As a top-four seed, the 38-year- - the edge today. These two have played in 5 career IRT Quarterfinal 1 & 2 old Beltran will have the fresher legs today. LPRT match-ups and Rhonda has won them all. LPRT Quarterfinal 1 & 2 LIFE TIME - Target Center 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. #3 Daniel De La Rosa vs. #11 Alejandro Landa #3 Frédérique Lambert vs. #6 Cristina Amaya 11:00 a.m. – LIFE TIME - Target Center 11:00 a.m. – LIFE TIME - Target Center Ticket Session #5 This pair of speedsters both possess a power game. This match will be a battle of two top players from IRT Quarterfinal 3 & 4 In career matches, they are knotted up at 3 wins their respective countries. Frédérique (Canada) and LPRT Quarterfinal 3 & 4 each. Alejandro benefited from his part of the draw Cristina (Colombia) have faced off against each other LIFE TIME - Target Center opening up to get here, but he still has the game to 11 times on the LPRT. Lambert holds a slim all-time 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. make today’s match competitive. advantage at 6-5. Ticket Session #6 #2 Rocky Carson vs. Q Javier Mar #2 Jessica Parrilla vs. #7 Natalia Mendez Pro Doubles Semifinals 1:00 p.m. – LIFE TIME - Target Center 1:00 p.m. – LIFE TIME - Target Center LIFE TIME - Target Center As a qualifier to the Main Draw, Mexico’s Javier Mar Jessica and Natalia have both made a quick rise up 5:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. has already played 4 matches to reach this point the LPRT rankings over the last year. Parrilla (Mexico) (plus a couple more doubles matches besides). holds a strong position as the current No. 2 player Rocky has played just one match this week thanks in the World. After a successful rookie year, Mendez PLAYER to a forfeit. Carson wins in three straight! (Argentina) is in the Top 8. #1 Kane Waselenchuk vs. Q Conrrado Moscoso #1 Paola Longoria vs. #9 Adriana Riveros PARTY 2:00 p.m. – LIFE TIME - Target Center 2:00 p.m. – LIFE TIME - Target Center CITYWORKS It was late and long night of racquetball on Thursday At the age of just 21, Adriana has already reached (In the Mayo Clinic Square for Bolivia’s Conrrado Moscoso. His Round of 16 the quarterfinals on the LPRT 7 times, including one Building at 7th & Hennepin) match lasted more than two and a half hours and semifinal appearance. To reach that career best 10:00 p.m. - 1:00 a.m. ended after 10:00 p.m. He then had to play two more showing again today will be daunting. The World #1 doubles matches! King Kane cruises today. is giving up just two points a game this week. 10% Off your ENTIRE BILL when you mention the US OPEN Friday Night Fireworks! Cheryl Kirk’s Daily Blog When you put FOUR of the World’s best racquetball Were you lucky enough to be asked Cheryl’s US OPEN players into the All-Glass Stadium Court, anything ‘Question of the Day’? Click into her Daily can happen! Don’t miss a great night of Pro Doubles Blog to see what memorable racquetball MEDIA TEAM played at the sport’s highest - and fastest - level! moments made the list! And be on the lookout for Cheryl and her notepad today... Jeff Oliver Ticket Session #6 You might be next! Media Manager Women’s Semifinals: 4:30 & 6:30 p.m. Leo Vasquez Men’s Semifinals: 5:30 & 7:30 p.m. bit.ly/usopenblog Social Media Manager Cheryl Kirk Staff Writer Freddy Ramirez Photographer Roby Partovich Photographer If you have a great story, idea or thought, please feel free to contact us... E-Mail: [email protected] Established 1996 FRIDAY, OCTOBER 6th, 2017 Volume 22, Issue 2 The 2017 UnitedHealthcare US OPEN By The Numbers: 726 1,247 Number of players competing in the 2017 UnitedHealthcare Matches scheduled to be played among the three US OPEN Racquetball Championships LIFE TIME clubs and University of Minnesota this week 15 Countries represented at this year’s US OPEN (ARG, BOL, 25 CAN, COL, CRI, ECU, GBR, GUA, JPN, KOR, MEX, PAK, PER, The average age of the players remaining in the Ladies USA & VEN) Professional Quarterfinals (LPRT) 79.6% 10:00 p.m. Sudsy Monchik’s new career winning percentage on the Time the Player Party starts tonight at CITYWORKS - just a Men’s Professional Tour with his 4 wins already this week block from the Target Center at 7th & Hennepin Avenue Former US OPEN Finalist María Vargas Alvaro Beltran and John Scott are all smiles For the 16th time, Rocky Carson has reached returns to the Stadium Court after seeing racquetball on ESPN this week at least the US OPEN Quarterfinals UnitedHealthcare’s Dr. Hound had to check Cristina Amaya has her eyes focused on Daniel on daddy duty while Michelle played Hudson’s heart after Ben’s thrilling match another trip to the US OPEN Semifinals her LPRT Round of 32 match USA RACQUETBALL SILENT AUCTION FOR Q&A SESSION CHARITY ROLLS ON... Join Jason Thoerner, USA Racquetball’s Executive Director, The best Silent Auction the sport of racquetball has ever seen and Board and staff members from the National Office for is going strong this week in the Player’s Village! 196 amazing this open Q&A Session. Learn more about current and items are up for bid by not only those here in Minneapolis, upcoming programs and initiatives to help grow the sport you but by anybody in the World. That’s right, be sure to tell all love. Locations for future National Championship events will your friends back home about all the great deals and how the also be announced. proceeds from every item goes directly to support three great children’s charities! Bidding ends on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. TODAY at 10:00 a.m. www.auctionusopen.com in the PLAYER’S VILLAGE FOLLOW THE US OPEN ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Search for: @USOpenRB @USOPENRacquetball @USARacquetball US OPEN Racquetball.