Race Stop #4: Fresno
Day 2:
The Top 12 dazzled hundreds of awestruck fans in Fresno with incredible athleticism and riveting matches. Fresno’s Fox Sports KMPH Channel 26 arrived at 4:30 am to cover the event, breaking to four live segments per hour throughout the day. KMPH reached over one million local viewers, dozens of whom rushed to the event to play and watch handball for the first time.
Emmett Peixoto kicked off Friday’s action and continued his comeback with a thrilling 25-22, 25-22 win over #8 seed Tommy Little. Fans and players experienced rally scoring for the first time in the Peixoto win. The format was unanimously supported because of the compelling conclusions in both games.
Local favorite Chip Morales pulled off the biggest upset of the event by cruising past sixth ranked Charly Shanks. Chip controlled the action in both games with a devastating serve, never allowing Shanks into the match.
Eighth ranked David Fink faced local legend Anton Wilson in one of the most highly anticipated matchups of the day. Buoyed by the support of dozens of family and friends, Wilson nearly upset the seventh seed in the second game before falling 25-14, 25-22.
Armando Ortiz overwhelmed fellow Southern Californian and frequent practice partner Carlos Chavez 25-20, 25-11 to advance to the Elite Eight.
Emmett Peixoto renewed his rivalry with top-ranked Sean Lenning in the first quarterfinal in the Elite Eight. Lenning displayed why he is the top player in the world in the fist game with an incredible display of offensive and power handball. Lenning captured game one 25-4 in just six minutes. Peixoto rallied in game two, playing fairly even with “The Freak”, but Sean was too aggressive and precise, advancing to the semifinal with a 25-4, 25-20 victory.
Chip Morales was poised to continue his Cinderella run against current national champion David Chapman. Playing the best handball of his life, Morales captured a breathtaking first game 25-23 with gutsy deepcourt kills and fearless serves. Morales and Chapman exchanged the lead eight times in game two. The enthusiastic Fresno crowd tried to urge Chip to his monumental victory. Serving at 24-24, Morales was just two points from winning the match. Chapman relied on his experience and uncanny shotmaking to score consecutive points to force the tiebreaker. Morales appeared slightly flat in the decisive game, and Chapman methodically executed his gameplan to a 25-21 tiebreaker win to advance to his second consecutive Race semifinal showdown against Sean Lenning.
David Fink challenged Naty Alvarado, Jr. in what has been a completely one-sided rivalry. Alvarado jumped to a 16-0 lead behind two-inch high unreturnable serves. Fink rallied to respectability, but Alvarado closed out the game with a decisive 25-14 victory. The second game was more of the same as Alvarado recorded 13 aces to advance to the semifinals 25-14, 25-14.
Young superstars Luis Moreno and Armando Ortiz delighted the gallery with spectacular skill and agility in the final quarterfinal of the day. Ortiz played like a man possessed trying to notch his first ever win against Moreno in game one. Moreno appeared to be completely out of sorts as Ortiz captured game one 25-23. Moreno trailed early in game two before discovering his commanding serve. Moreno won 10 of 12 rallies to build an insurmountable second game lead, ultimately winning 25-17. Ortiz appeared to be physically drained in the tiebreaker, unable to sit down into his pre-shot position. Ortiz failed to capitalize on a number of opportunities early in the decisive game, allowing Moreno to build a comfortable lead. Moreno held on to advance to his fourth consecutive Race semifinal to face heated rival Naty Alvarado, Jr.
Super Saturday features the top four seeds in the semifinals in what promises to be a spectacular day of handball. The top Southern California big ball players also made the four-hour trip north to Fresno for the Pro Big Ball Doubles Championship. Catch all of the action live at http://www.race4eight.com. Every point counts so log in early and enjoy Super Saturday from Fresno!
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