2020 3Wallball World Championships
FINAL DAY (10/18/20) LAS VEGAS — Championship Sunday started with the 3-Wall small ball doubles open final between Daniel/Luis Cordova and Carlos Flores/Isidro Garcia. The Cordova brothers were in full control of the first game, never letting Carlos Flores/Isidro Garcia get on the scoreboard; however, game two was a different story. Carlos Flores/Isidro Garcia came out hot, using the short sidewalls to their advantage. They were able to hold off the Cordova brothers and win 12-10. In the tiebreaker, the Cordovas returned to their first game form, keeping Carlos Flores/Isidro Garcia off-balance with great serves and kill shots, never letting up until they won championship point in the tiebreaker, 12-3. The Cordovas continue to show that no matter what type of court they play on, they are a force to be reckoned with.
In the 1-Wall big ball open singles final, Tywan Cook continued his hot streak taking down James Aguilera 25-13. Cook then teamed up with his partner Nazir Marston to take down Aguilera and Samuel Sandford to slam the one wall division. Cook has been lights out this summer, winning the USHA One-Wall small ball nationals last month and now winning a 3wallball world title.
To finish off the day, Josef Gotsch and Anthony Hernandez took down Carlos Marin and Chris Tojin to win the 3-Wall big ball open doubles title. It capped off an incredible run by Gotsch and Hernandez, who hadn’t played together before this fall and entered the draw as the 13 seed.
It was a job well done by the Vegas tournament staff and volunteers to put on a great and safe tournament for everyone. With 200 Handball players and 400 Racquetball players entered, they had their hands full but were well-prepared and up for the task.
You can see the results of all of the brackets here. Thank you!
DAY 2 (10/17/20) – LAS VEGAS— Day 2 in Las Vegas was another long day of handball in the sun with players taking the court at 8:30 a.m. and playing late into the evening.
The highlight of the day was the 3-Wall small ball singles finals, where brothers Daniel and Luis Cordova faced off. Daniel was able to dominate the first game with deep hop serves that earned him easy setups in the frontcourt. He held off a late comeback from Luis to win the first game 12-6. The second game Luis stepped it up, hitting deep power serves and putting down the ball nearly every time he went for a kill shot. Luis took the second game 12-7. The tiebreaker was tight the whole game, but Luis was able to use the short sidewalls (they only go to the short line) to his advantage, making Daniel run side to side. He was able to finish off Daniel 12-8 and take home the title. The brothers will team up tomorrow to take on Carlos Flores and Isidro Garcia for the 3-Wall small ball doubles title.
In the 3-Wall big ball doubles, the 13 seed Josef Gotsch and Anthony Hernandez made an incredible run to the finals upsetting everyone in their path. They will take on the 2 seed Carlos Marin and Chris Tojin tomorrow for the championship.
The 1-Wall Big Ball doubles finals will be between the defending USHA small ball 1-wall champion Tywan Cook and his partner Nazir Marston vs James Aguilera and Samuel Sandford. Both teams have made the trip down from New York and have represented their state well in Vegas. Tywan will also compete for the 1-Wall singles championship tomorrow.
Lastly, in the open Big Ball 3-Wall singles division, 4 players remain, and they will kick off the day tomorrow with their semifinals. All of the top 4 seeds have been eliminated so it will be an upset regardless of who wins.
Check-in tomorrow afternoon for the final results of the tournament. You can see every bracket here.
DAY 1 (10/16/20) – LAS VEGAS — The 3 WallBall World Handball Championships kicked off today in Las Vegas at 9:30 am across the street from the stratosphere hotel. It was a long day at the courts, with the final games finishing up just after midnight. A limited capacity of fans were allowed in to watch, and everyone not playing had to social distance and wear a mask.
Due to the big draw, games were only played to 12 points, including the tiebreaker. Players competed in 3-Wall and 1-Wall with both the small ball and the big ball.
One of the biggest upsets of the day came in the 3-Wall small ball doubles where the 7 seed Carlos Flores and Isidro Garcia took down the 2 seed Max Langmack and Sam Esser. Other than that, most of the top seeds were able to advance. Some of the finals will be played tomorrow, including the 3-Wall small ball open singles.
It will be another early start Saturday, with play beginning at 8:30 a.m. You can follow along with the draws here.
LAS VEGAS — The tentative times and draws are now available here. As always, make sure to double-check your times the day of the tournament.
If you are participating in the tournament, remember to read the Safe Play Flyer here.
Don’t forget that lensed eyewear will be required. Good luck to all of the competitors and you can follow along here for daily recaps from the tournament.