What an Exciting Weekend of Racquetball! Team USA was well represented in both the singles and doubles finals, showcasing incredible talent and determination.
Here’s a recap of the action:
Thomas Carter: In Round 32, Thomas Carter defeated Edwin Galicia 15-6, 15-8. However, in Round 16, Carter fell short against No. 8 seed Alan Natera, 15-13, 15-11. This marks the end of Carter’s 2024 campaign, and he finishes with a career-high season-ending ranking of 10th on the IRT rankings.
Jake Bredenbeck: Jake Bredenbeck started strong, defeating Blase Zera 15-1, 15-3 in Round 32. He fought hard in the Round of 16 but came up short against Javier Mar, 11-15, 15-12, 11-2. Bredenbeck ends the 2024 season ranked 8th on the tour and looks to make a strong comeback in 2025.
Nicholas Regan
Adam Manilla: As the Event Director, Adam Manilla entered the tournament with doubters, but he silenced them with an inspiring run. Manilla defeated No. 3 seed Rodrigo Montoya in the quarterfinals and followed up with a thrilling semifinal win over Lalo Portillo in an emotional 11-10 tiebreaker. The dream run ended in the final, where Manilla fell to top-seeded Kane Waselenchuk, 15-11, 15-8. Manilla finishes the 2024 season ranked 4th on the tour. Congratulations to Adam on a fantastic event and his first IRT singles final!
Nicholas Regan
Manilla/Bredenbeck (Doubles): In doubles, Jake Bredenbeck and Adam Manilla were seen as the biggest threat to the top teams in the world, Javier Mar and Rodrigo Montoya. The American duo lived up to the hype by defeating Portillo/Parilla in the semifinals, 15-10, 15-11. Unfortunately, they came up short in the final against Mar/Montoya, losing a hard-fought match, 15-6, 15-12.
It was a thrilling and memorable weekend of racquetball!
If you missed any of the action, visit the IRT Facebook or YouTube page for all the live streams: Facebook or YouTube
