Alejandro Herrera Dominated Sarasota!

This weekend "Top  Play Gear" participated in the Sarasota Fall Tournament held at the Bath & Racquet Club coordinated by Chad Baily and his group.

Players could participate in a myriad categories from class C to Open including a Small Ball tournament. The main attraction, however, was by far the Singles Men Pro and Doubles Men Pro. Again, there was a strong Latino presence on the courts. One tournament at a time, the Latino players were determined on taking the top spots in the world rankings.

Alejandro Herrera Reigns!

Alejo (as he’s known on the courts) is ranked 19 in the USRA. He went into the Sarasota Fall Tournament as a favorite which made him a target throughout the opening rounds in the tourney.  Among the ranks were competitive players such as Thomas Payne and Toby St. Pierre. Both are serious players who play to the max.  Alejo’s first game would be against Toby St. Pierre. Alejo struggled and lost the first game 15-13.

Perhaps for a moment St. Pierre thougt he had a good chance of winning, but Alejo wasn’t having it. Although he lost the first game, Alejo walked back onto the court with grit and and focus. His experience and competitive nature gave the spectators a great expo of how the game of racquetball  is supposed to be played. He eliminated St. Pierre by winning the other two games 15-2 and 11-9. Alejo would move on to his next opponent Agustin Tristan.

Agustin Tristan is from a town in Mexico called San Luis de Potosi where it’s said that the best racquetball in the world is played. An exceptional player with a charisma that makes him a crowd favorite,  he played in the tournament after recently recuperating from a knee surgery.

 

ALEJO vs. AGUSS was a much anticipated match,  an emotional game that both players were hell bent on winning. Agustin dominated the match at first making Alejo use his first time out in the first 5 minutes of the game.  The game was a continuous shift in strategies by both players which made the game exciting to the crowd, but pushed the players to their limits. Alejo wooed the crowd with incredible dives forcing Agustin  to match his intensity despite his knee injury .

 

Alejo vs. Aguss turned out to be the best match of the tournament. The final result was  a victory for Alejandro.  Agustin, however, made his point. Everyone knew that he was back in game!

Alejo played the final against  B. Slocum. Alejo was once again victorious winning 15-3, 15-5. Enough Said.

 

Alejo wasn't finished yet! He also played and won in the Men’s Doubles along with his partner Andres Ramires. Alejo and Andres defeated Slocum/ Schneider in the semi-finals. In the Doubles Final they lost the first game against Harmon/ St.Piere 14-15. It was an intense game, but Alejo and Andres finally pulled out a win 15-5, 11-7 .

As if that wasn’t enough, Alejo also won 2nd place in the Small Ball tournament. By far, it was Alejo’s weekend. He goes into the New Year with great possibilities of becoming one of the top 10 players.