32nd Annual Christmas Classic

In the 32s:
Erika Manilla made a winning return to the tour, topping newlywed Maria Renee Rodríguez 11,7 in the opener. She fell to Vargas in the next round, but she's back on tour, which is the best news following her 10-month injury absence.
Frederique Lambert blasted Michelle Key 6,1 in a surprise first round matchup. Key is coming off taking Longoria to a breaker in the last event but was handled easily by the part-time player/ER doctor Lambert.
Jessica Parrilla topped Laura Brandt 0,4 to move on. Notable only because Brant's appearance on tour at age 62 was the 3rd oldest known tour appearance in the history of the Ladies pro tour. https://rball.pro/nyi
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In the 16s:
- #9 Carla Muñoz turned the tide on a recent lost to Cristina Amaya Cassino , topping the #8 seed in a breaker. This could be a fun rivalry for a while.
- #3 Mejia was pressed by Valeria Centellas but moved on 10,14.
- #11 Parrilla got a solid win over #6 @Kelani Lawrence to earn a rare quarter final.
- #7 @Natalia Mendez kept her recent streak alive over #10 Samantha Salas Solis , going breaker to advance.
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In the Quarters
- #1 Maria Jose Vargas moved past Munoz 1,11
- #4 Ana Ana Gabriela Martínez held off #5 Laime in a close 10,12 match.
- #3 Mejia moved past country-woman Parrilla with ease 4,5
- #2 Longoria was not troubled by Mendez, winning 6,8
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In the Semis
- Vargas and Gaby went down to the wire, with Gaby having a match point at 10-10 but was unable to convert. This was just the opening Vargas needed, as she rolled off a couple points 9-10 down to win the semi 11-10 and move on. Heartbreak for the Guatemalan.
- Longoria continued her recent mastery over Mejia on the singles court 13,5 to earn another final.
In the Finals, Vargas and Longoria had another back-and-forth affair, this time with the long-time #1 coming out on top.
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Doubles review
Manilla and her Team USA teammate Michelle Key topped the #2 and #3 seeds to earn a final but lost to the #1 seeds Mejia & Laime there. Still, a great result.
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Open Singles, other notable draws
- Women's Open Singles: Centellas got the title, with a win over MRR in the final. MRR had topped Parrilla in the semis for a solid win.
- Men's Open Singles: Local IRT veterans Mario Mercado and MoMo Zelada met in the final, taken by Zelada in three.
- Mens Open doubles: IRT staff member Samuel Schulze and local Maryland player John Behm shocked Mercado/Zelada in the Open doubles final.
- The Simmons Father/daughter duo took the Mixed Open/Elite doubles title, topping two local players Imani Valentine & Chris Ruano in the final.