Photos above by
Vicki Hughes, 2001 & 2002 U.S. OPEN
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Rajsich
wins her first U.S.
OPEN Title
In a remarkable turn of events, former
champion Christie Van Hees re-surfaced from a three-year hiatus from
the game, to take out the long-reigning top-seed and reach the final of
the Choice Hotels 8th U.S. OPEN championships. At the same time, her
opponent in the 2001 final, Rhonda Rajsich, has also attained her best
finish this season by reaching that same current final, for a rematch of
the 2002 face-off. Then, Van Hees defeated Rajsich for the title, but
Sunday's match was just the opposite, with Rajsich winning in four games
of 6-11, 11-7, 11-4, 11-7.
Over 50 women from all over the world entered the initial LPRA draw, with 16 of them advancing through a qualifying round -- including Van Hees -- to earn one of eight open spots in the main draw. It was perhaps the strongest draw in LPRA history, led by defending champion and No.1 ranked Cheryl Gudinas, and Kerri Wachtel, No.2 on the tour and 2001 U.S. Open Champion, who have faced each other in the finals of each of the first three stops of the season.
The road to the finals was slightly tougher for Van Hees, who had to qualify before reaching the main draw, then face a tough round of 32 pick in No.5 Kim Russell. Following that upset, Christie took out #12 Susana Acosta, and #20 Tammy Brown (who had logged her own upset over #4 Kersten Hallander in the preceding round). At that point, Van Hees had to go up against long-time U.S. rival Gudinas, and come out ahead in a down-to-the-wire five-game tiebreaker to upset the defending champion. Rhonda Rajsich's run began in the main draw, from the No.3 seed position, and she advanced by eliminating #14 Laura Fenton, #22 Angela Grisar and #7 Kristen Walsh (who had upset No.2 Wachtel in the quarterfinal). [ LPRA drawsheet | all drawsheets | event website ]
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Come Play ... and win in Paradise ... The Hawaii Athletic Racquetball Association to host First-Ever Pro Tournament in Honolulu! HARA recently announced that they will host Hawaii's first ever LPRA/Military tournament with a total cash purse exceeding $34,000.00 in early January ... [ more | download entry ] |
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News Archive: LPRA in Paradise ... Meet Anita Court ... Past Champions |
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2003-2004 Season Schedule [Previous Seasons] |
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| Date | City | State |
| 2004 | ||
| January 16-18 | Honolulu | Hawaii |
| February 6-8 | Coral Springs | Florida |
| February 20-22 | Salt Lake City | Utah |
| March 12-14 | Nashville | Tennessee |
| March 19-21 | Baltimore | Maryland |
| April 29* | Pro National in Tempe | Arizona |
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* LPRA events held in conjunction with IRT stops will feature their finals on Saturday (with the exception of the Choice U.S. OPEN in Memphis). All others will conclude on Sunday. |
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| LPRA 2003-2004 Scorecard | |
| Event/Draw | Final Match Result |
| Rosarito Beach | Cheryl Gudinas def. Kerri Wachtel 11-6, 10-12, 11-8, 11-4 |
| Charlotte | Cheryl Gudinas def. Kerri Wachtel 11-7, 11-4, 5-11, 11-7 |
| Albuquerque | Cheryl Gudinas def. Kerri Wachtel 11-5, 11-8, 9-11, 11-1 |
| Memphis | Rhonda Rajsich def. Christie Van Hees 6-11, 11-7, 11-4, 11-7 |
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Want to See the U.S. OPEN Again ... ? If you missed ESPN2's broadcast of the the Choice Hotels U.S. OPEN -- or just want to see it again -- you can now purchase a videotape or DVD version for your own personal library, at www.usrastore.com. [ order | earlier rounds ] |
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Read LPRA tour coverage and features in RACQUETBALL Magazine Online To view articles specified as ".pdf" you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader software available [download it here]. |
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