January - February 2002
Vol. 13, No. 1 | Contents
By Woody Clouse
Drawsheet
This year’s annual stop in the “The Windy City” marked the first time that tournament director Dave Negrete also had to shoulder the responsibility of IRT commissioner. The Negrete family has always represented what is right with racquetball, and this year was no exception. All 200+ participants were treated like family throughout the first tier of the IRT’s Grand Slam.The draw was the biggest and deepest of the season, with the qualifying match ups producing some of the best play. Sudsy Monchik’s return was a definite buzz, as was the chase for the number one ranking. With the points from this event representing 2.5 times the value of a regular stop, it was a great opportunity for anyone to make a huge leap in the standings.
The round of 16 saw four tiebreakers, along with four upsets. The first was a bit of a shocker that put everyone to the edge of their seats as Brian Istace took a two-game lead against Cliff Swain. After squeaking out the third 11-9, Swain did an about-face and only gave up one point in the next two games. It’s matches like these that make Cliff the champion that he is.
The second five gamer was simply an epic battle between to of the classiest players on the tour, with Mike Guidry receiving a donut in the fourth from Tim Doyle, only to come back to win the fifth 12-10. The thirdbreak was a seesaw affair between Derek Robinson and Woody Clouse, but Robinson made some key shots to ruin any chance of Clouse earning the upset. The last tiebreaker of the 16’s saw a “present vs. future” playoff between Sudsy Monchik and rookie Jack Huczek, as they battled to a 11-7 finish, with Monchik enforcing his will when needed. But Huczek’s knocking on the door is getting louder and louder.
The biggest upset of the 16’s came at the expense of Jason Mannino via Kane Waselenchuk, who provided some brilliant play against a lethargic Mannino. Kane never allowed Jason a chance to build any momentum as he advanced in a not-so-close three games.
The second upset of the 16’s came at the hands of another Canadian, this one by the name of Mike Green. Considering that in the preceding stop Green’s opponent, Alvaro Beltran, reached the finals and Green lost in the 32’s, it’s clear that the IRT has gained depth. Green played huge when he had to, after losing the first he stormed back to win the next two, 12-10 each, then closed it out 11-5 in the fourth.
The last upset of the day featured a very sharp Dan Fowler defeating Rocky Carson, who seemed too willing to contribute to his own demise with a bad case of the skippies.
In the quarterfinals, a merciless Swain ousted the tired-out Mike Guidry, who simply did not have enough gas in the tank after his battle with Doyle to put up any major resistance. John Ellis did much the same with a very efficient, high level of play against Derek Robinson, who was unable to get anything started in their three-game match. Then an all-Canada match-up pitted Mike Green and Kane Waselenchuk, who dominated the first and slipped by 12-10 in the second, then closed the match out in three. The last quarter of the day saw Sudsy Monchik outlast a pesky Dan Fowler. After getting zero in the first game, Fowler fought back to take game two 11-9. Sudsy came up big in the third to return the favor 11-9, and close out the fourth 11-3, seeming to get even stronger as the match came to a close.
In the semis, it would be four great players ready for some classic battles, right? Well, think again. The first match up between Swain and Ellis was a quick three-gamer, where Ellis used unimaginable power along with precise shot selection to keep Swain off balance the entire match, and win a lopsided victory of 11-3, 11-6, 11-6.
The next semi had the “Canadian Kid” face current pro champion Sudsy Monchik. After coming up big in the first to win 12-10 Kane simply took over, with an answer for everything Sudsy threw at him. It was one of those days where Kane was in a zone that he was not leaving, and the next two games ended 11-6, 11-6. For the crowd, they left knowing that the future of racquetball is going to include Kane.
The stage was set: Waselenchuk in his debut final, and Ellis trying to position himself for a shot at his first year end #1 ranking. The first two games were an extension of Kane’s match with Sudsy, he simply did not come out of the zone as he dominated 11-4, 11-4. Being a seasoned veteran, John did everything he needed to do to edge back into the match, stealing the third in an instant-classic, 14-12 war. John continued to chip away to a 11-8 victory in game four, but Kane maintained his composure and kept plugging away to fight off a determined Ellis and capture his first title, 11-8. This match proved once and for all what many of the top pros have known for a long time; Kane is the real deal, he can do it all, and he’s definitely “able!”
The IRT would like to send out a special thanks to Dennis Negrete, Howard Miller, Pat Taylor, Leo Klimaitis, Matt Brown, Frank and Diane Bunker, whose support and effort makes this event extra special, every year. Thank you for everything you have done to make this event all that it is.
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