The tournament Schedule:
January 18, 2019: Two play in matches:
Gordon (z back) v Landeta (d front)
Brefel (z back) v Garate (d front)
January 26, 2019.
Winner of first play in match v Necol (seeded in) (d front)
Winner of second play in match v Urrutia (seeded in) (z back)
February 1, 2019
Quarter finals:
Winner of January 26 match 1 v Fusto (seeded in) (d front)
Winner of January 26 match 2 v Ibargarai (seeded in (z back)
February 9, 2019
Semi-finals:
Winner of 1st Quarter final v Gaubeka (seeded in) (d front)
Winner of 2nd Quarter final v Ibai-Perez (seeded in) (z back)
Feburary 15, 2019
Final
Complete tournament information (.pdf format, 9p), including match schedule and tournament ladder, rules of the tournament, and a listing of past winners going back to 2007. (Source: Munduko Pilota Batzarra via manista.com). (added March 26, 2019).
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Previous Tournament winners: (various sources)
1995: Oskar Insausti
1996: Insausti
1997: No competition
1998: Insausti
1999: Insausti
2000: Insausti
2001:?
2002: Insausti
Source for 1995-2002: Jose Javier Albisu blog post (scroll to Insausti article).
2003: Gaubeka (Diario Vasco)
2004: Gaubeka (Diario Vasco)
2005:?
2006 Lujan 35 Rekalde 26 (Match article--includes linescore and partial scoring) (Javier Albisu Perez blog post--scroll to the article on Lujan--post includes short articles on 9 great Palistas) Match article (Deia)
2007: Imanol 35 Lujan 29 Match article (El Correo)
2008: Gaubeka 35 Fusto 27 Match article (El Confidencial)
2009: Fusto 35 Gaubeka 20 Match article (Naiz); Final point video (Fusto Youtube)
2010: Gaubeka 35 Ziskar II 18 Match article (manista.com)
2011: No tournament
2012: Fusto 3 Lujan 0 (10-8, 10-2, 10-8) (30-20) Complete Tournament Ladder (Innpala)
Individual joko (set) scores (Innpala Twitter feed)
2013: Fusto 3 Gaubeka 0 (10-7, 10-3, 10-8) (30-18) Complete Tournament Ladder (Innpala); Match article (marca.com) Video: final point (EITB)
2014: Fusto 3 Ibargarai 0 (10-5; 10-3; 10-4) (30-12) Complete Tournament Ladder (Innpala); Match article (El Correo); Match video highlights (Rober Areizaga Ollobarren Youtube); Match video highlights (EITB) Complete Illustrated Tournament coverage (Haixeder Blog); Illustrated Final match article (Haixeder blog)
2015: Fusto 3 Ibargarai 0 (10-3; 10-5; 10-8) (30-16) Match schedule (Innpala); Match article (La Vanguardia) Mundo Pilota Batzarra "Dossier" (.pdf format, 5p.)
2016: Fusto 3 Gaubeka 0 (10-6; 10-5; 10-8?) (30-19?) Match schedule (Innpala); Match article (Munduko Pilota Batzarra) Match article with 3rd joko score (Naiz); first two joko scores (Innpala Twitter feed)
2017: Ibai-Perez 3 Ibargarai 0 (10-3, 10-8, 10-6) (30-17) Match schedule (Innpala); Complete coverage of the entire tournament (this blog) Note: video links in blog coverage have been removed by EITB
2018: Gaubeka 3 Zubiri 2 (10-9; 10-8; 7-10; 2-10; 10-8) (39-45) Match schedule and players (Mundo Pilota Batzarra) Complete tournament coverage (Munduko Pilota Batzarra); Final: full match video (EITB)
Most Tournaments won since 1995: Oskar Insausti--7 Fusto--6, Gaubeka--5. Most tournament championships played: Oscar Insausti (?) Fusto--7, Gaubeka 7. From 2012-2016 Fusto won each final in straight jokos--15 consecutive jokos. Points: 150-85.
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Below is an account of the entire tournament, match by match, in reverse chronological order.
Preview article (Deia)
Tournament Info (Innpala)
Meet the players (EITB video)
February 15, 2019
Final
Ibargarai (z back) (3-0) 3 Gaubeka (d front) (1-1) 2 (EITB Full match video)
(8-10, 10-6, 9-10, 10-9, 10-8) (47-43)
Scoring: (EITB)
Ibargarai +31 (including 4 service aces) -20
Gaubeka +23 -16
Balls in play: 540 (I 272, G 268). Time of match: 1:36:53
Complete linescore, joko (set) by joko, point by point:
Key: Server, Number of Balls in Play, Score, Comments. Note: match winner is always listed first. !=interesting or excellent points. Note: EITB considers service faults as 1 ball in play.
Gaubeka (Red); Ibargarai (Blue)
Gaubeka (Red); Ibargarai (Blue)
Gaubeka won the toss and served:
"chic-chac" below refers to a deep shot that hits the floor and back wall and then rebounds out too low to be successfully returned. The term is commonly used in Cesta-Punta/Jai Alai but I am not sure if it is used in Pala. "Rebote" is a rebound shot off the back wall. "Cortada" is a hard, low, sidearm shot, very difficult to return when executed properly.
"chic-chac" below refers to a deep shot that hits the floor and back wall and then rebounds out too low to be successfully returned. The term is commonly used in Cesta-Punta/Jai Alai but I am not sure if it is used in Pala. "Rebote" is a rebound shot off the back wall. "Cortada" is a hard, low, sidearm shot, very difficult to return when executed properly.
JOKO 1: G, 5, 0-1; G, 3, 0-2; G, 4, 1-2; I, 2, 1-3; G, 1, 2-3; I, 11, 3-3; I, 7, 4-3, (I--chic-chac); I, 8, 4-4; G, 6, 5-4, (I--passing shot); I, 12, 5-5 (G--deep pass); G, 3, 5-6 (G--great shot from the outside); G, 11, 5-7; G, 7, 5-8; G, 6, 6-8; I, 17! 7-8; I, 6, 7-9; G, 4, 8-9; I, 1, 8-10. (114 balls in play) (3 equalities, 2 lead changes) (largest lead: G 5-8) (largest run: G 3; I 3)
JOKO 2: I, 1, 0-1; G, 10, 1-1; I, 3, 2-1 (I--chic-chac); I, 9, 3-1; I, 5, 4-1 (possible I obstruction--not called); I, 3, 5-1 (I--chic-chac); I, 3, 6-1 (I--chic chac); I, 3, 7-1; I, 2, 7-2; G, 2, 8-2; I, 3, 9-2; (I--rushes in from the deep and wins with deep pass); I, 2, 9-3; G, 5, 9-4 (G--two wall); G, 5, 9-5 (G--two wall); G, 5, 9-6 (G--two wall); G, 2, 10-6 (I--service return outside pass--foreshadows match saving shot in J4) (63 bip) (1 equality, 1 lead change); (largest lead: I 7-1); (largest run: I 7)
JOKO 3: G, 5, 0-1; G, 4, 1-1; I, 24!, 1-2; G, 5, 1-3; G, 4, 2-3 (I--two wall); I, 4, 2-4 (G--excellent rebote); G, 3, 2-5; G, 2, 3-5; I, 1, 4-5; I, 17! 5-5 (I--left wall shot); I, 2 5-6 (G--two wall); G, 9! 5-7 (G--goes off court to return I two wall--scores); G, 5, 5-8 (G--excellent rebote); G, 6, 6-8; I, 3, 7-8; I, 4, 7-9 (G--two wall--front to side); G, 6, 8-9 (I--two wall); I, 7, 9-9; I, 4, 9-10 (115 bip) (3 equalities) (largest lead: G 2-5, 5-8) (largest run: G 3; I 3)
JOKO 4: I, 8, 0-1; G, 3, 0-2; G, 2, 1-2 (I--chic-chac); I, 12, 1-3; G, 25!, 1-4 (longest point of the match); G, 5, 1-5; G, 8, 2-5; I, 3, 3-5; I, 1, 4-5; I, 1, 5-5; I, 10, 5-6 (G--chic chac); G, 16!, 6-6 (I--chic-chac); I, 3, 7-6 (I--outside passing shot); I, 17!, 8-6 (G--missed two wall); I, 2, 8-7; G, 7!, 8-8 (G--two wall); G, 11, 8-9; G, 2!!!, 9-9 (I--service return outside deep passing shot, lands inches in bounds, shot of the match in my opinion--1:17:44--1:18:16 on the video); I, 1 10-9 (137 bip) (4 equalities, 3 lead changes) (largest lead: G 2-5) (largest run: I 4)
JOKO 5: G, 8, 1-0; I, 23! 2-0 (I--deep shot), I, 9, 3-0; I, 9, 4-0; I, 5, 5-0; I, 4, 5-1 (G--excellent running two wall); G, 6, 6-1 (I--cortada); I, 2 6-2; G, 3, 6-3; G, 4, 7-3; I, 3, 8-3 (I--outside passing shot); I, 6, 8-4; G, 5, 8-5 (G--outside passing shot); G, 4, 9-5; I, 6, 9-6 (G--low shot); G, 9, 9-7; G, 3, 9-8; G, 2, 10-8 (111 bip) (largest lead: I 5-0, 6-1, 8-3) (largest run: I 5)
For the match: 11 equalities, 6 lead changes
For the match: largest lead: Joko 2: I 7-1; largest run: Joko 2: I 7
Match preview (Deia)
JOKO 4: I, 8, 0-1; G, 3, 0-2; G, 2, 1-2 (I--chic-chac); I, 12, 1-3; G, 25!, 1-4 (longest point of the match); G, 5, 1-5; G, 8, 2-5; I, 3, 3-5; I, 1, 4-5; I, 1, 5-5; I, 10, 5-6 (G--chic chac); G, 16!, 6-6 (I--chic-chac); I, 3, 7-6 (I--outside passing shot); I, 17!, 8-6 (G--missed two wall); I, 2, 8-7; G, 7!, 8-8 (G--two wall); G, 11, 8-9; G, 2!!!, 9-9 (I--service return outside deep passing shot, lands inches in bounds, shot of the match in my opinion--1:17:44--1:18:16 on the video); I, 1 10-9 (137 bip) (4 equalities, 3 lead changes) (largest lead: G 2-5) (largest run: I 4)
JOKO 5: G, 8, 1-0; I, 23! 2-0 (I--deep shot), I, 9, 3-0; I, 9, 4-0; I, 5, 5-0; I, 4, 5-1 (G--excellent running two wall); G, 6, 6-1 (I--cortada); I, 2 6-2; G, 3, 6-3; G, 4, 7-3; I, 3, 8-3 (I--outside passing shot); I, 6, 8-4; G, 5, 8-5 (G--outside passing shot); G, 4, 9-5; I, 6, 9-6 (G--low shot); G, 9, 9-7; G, 3, 9-8; G, 2, 10-8 (111 bip) (largest lead: I 5-0, 6-1, 8-3) (largest run: I 5)
For the match: 11 equalities, 6 lead changes
For the match: largest lead: Joko 2: I 7-1; largest run: Joko 2: I 7
Match preview (Deia)
Match article (Mundo Deportivo)
Match article (Deia)
Match article (El Correo)
This was a match for the ages, a knock down, drag out struggle in which 90 of a possible 95 (the maximum number of points this form of a Pala match can have) points were scored. It was a struggle of nearly 1 hour and 40 minutes. At the end, both players were exhausted (as evidenced by the last three points of the match being decided by errors). But Ibargarai, after 3 failed attempts in the Championship match where he didn't so much as win a joko (see above), claimed his first World Singles Txapelketa.
He richly earned and deserved it. He played the match with a clear strategy, a strategy which netted him 18 of his 31 winners. That strategy was to keep Gaubeka in the back as much as possible. The previous week, in his semi-final with Gaubeka (see below), Dan Necol tried to go toe to toe with him, and with both of them being front court players, the strategy made sense. Necol was on an incredible hot streak and everything he did was working. But Gaubeka played an almost flawless match, all of his front court shots working, and he won. Ibargarai wanted no part of that. The strategy obviously was one designed to make Gaubeka play in areas of the court that he wasn't as comfortable with. But a strategy is one thing, and executing that strategy is quite another. Ibargarai is a big, powerful back court player, but he has deceptive speed and touch. His deep game was magnificent, scoring with 7 chic-chacs (by my count, there may have been more...or less, I don't have enough experience to be absolutely sure, so I invite you to watch, and send me corrections if needs be), beautiful kill shots that are pure touch. Also, keeping the 41 year old defending champion moving took its toll as the match progressed.
But even when you are executing your strategy, it doesn't mean that you are going to beat Esteban Gaubeka. He is like a fine wine, improving with age, it seems. He has a breathtaking two wall shot (7 winners in this match, 6 side to front and one beautiful front to side), and he makes backhand shots look far simpler than they are (he is the only player, as far as I know, in Professional Pala who uses a backhand shot regularly). In this match he also did wall climbs, a la Cesta-Punta/Jai Alai. In spite of Ibargari's strategy and execution, Gaubeka controlled much of the match.
The match turned on an audaciously risky shot by Ibargarai late in the 4th Joko. Trailing 1-2 in the match and 8-9 in the Joko, he returned a match point Gaubeka serve deep to the outside, a very difficult angle shot. It's one of those shots where a fan might yell "What is he doing!?!?...... That's the greatest shot I've ever seen!!!" Maximum risk when he was in maximum danger. The shot landed inside the line by inches to equalize at 9 (1:17:44--1:18:16 on the video). Shortly thereafter, he won the joko 10-9 to tie the match, stopping Gaubeka twice at match point.
And then Ibargarai displayed the same stamina that he had in his previous two matches against Sylvain Brefel and Ibai-Perez (in the Semi-Final). Locked up at 2-2 with each player, he buried both of them 10-2 in the final set. And it looked like that's what he was going to do to Gaubeka also. He built 5-0 and 8-3 leads. But Gaubeka wasn't finished. He put together a 5-1 run before an error denied him a 6th Championship in this competition. So for now, the great Oskar Insausti still leads with 7. Fusto is 2nd with 6, and Gaubeka 3rd with 5. And Xabier Ibargarai now joins the list of Txapelduns in this competition.
Some final observations.
1. It was fascinating to watch Gaubeka interact with (I think--it might have simply been a friend encouraging his ex-peer) his Botillero (coach for this match) Imanol Ibanez (Mundo Deportivo), who won this Championship in 2007 (as well as 3 major doubles championships), and retired (in 2017) as one of the finest modern back court players. Such interactions are always fascinating to watch, a game within a game, so to speak. I don't speak the language he was speaking (Gaubeka mostly listened). I wish I did. Imanol wasn't as animated as, say, Seve Arzelus (scroll to "Remonte", for a small feature article I did on "botilleros") (the retired Palista who has coached Javier Urriza in Remonte and coached the Spanish Pala Corta team in the recently concluded Federacion Internacional de Pelota Vasca--FIPV World Cup). But he made his opinions known in no uncertain terms, on several occasions.
2. For my American readers who may not be familiar with Pala, the implement used is called a Pala Larga (Big Bat). It is a bat. Rather than me describing it, I urge you to watch the match. I will say that the bat weighs 32-33 ounces, about the weight of the bats used by the baseball Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton and Brewers' Ryan Braun. Only their bat weight is distributed over 32-34 inches, and they swing it while standing stationary, with only a small amount of body movement. They also hold it with both hands, and most baseball players swing only from one side. The Pala Larga is about 18 inches long. Palistas carry that bat with them and hit one handed shots with both hands (switch hitting) depending on the match situation. They hit off the back foot as well as the front, and moving as well as stationary. The ball they hit is smaller than a baseball but as hard as a golf ball. (Pala is a crash helmet sport). The hitting surface is flat but rather small, and the ball can be moving at up to 100 mph, coming at the player from many different angles. Ask yourself this question. How many times do Stanton or Braun hit a ball in play in the course of a game? A season? In this match, Ibargarai hit the ball into "fair" areas 272 times, Gaubeka 268. In an hour and 40 minutes. Think about that.
3. Finally, I cannot finish this post without a huge "shout out" and thank you to Dan Necol, front court player for InnPala. He played some great Pala in this tournament. I know that because I watched it. I watched it because he filmed it. As far as I know, the only other player in a BP modality that films his matches is Bixintxo Bilbao, Esku Pilota (Main Nue) back court player. Bilbao uses Youtube as a platform, Necol, Facebook. No matter. A single stationary camera, with very little labor input, brought me 6 of the 9 matches in this tournament. 6 matches in 3 weeks. All of them are linked to below. EITB televised the final. For this fan, who gets to watch maybe 10-15 Pala matches a year (EITB has fantastic production values, some of the best sports broadcasts I've seen anywhere), it is like Christmas in July. Necol's matches receive thousands of views and are available live and on demand. No commentary, only the crack of the pelota on bat, the squeak of sneakers on the floor, and the scoreboard in plain view (if you watch on a big screen). It is wonderful to see more than just championship finals. It is great to see the play, as well as the body language. All this because Dan Necol has the vision to spread this beautiful sport to a much larger audience, at next to no cost. Other players (and management) in other underexposed BP sports should follow the lead of people like Dan Necol, Bixintxo Bilbao, and prolific videographer of North Basque amateur matches in multiple modalities Olivier Simon (Toute Sur la Pelote Basque Youtube). Merci Beaucoup Dan!!
Match article (El Correo)
This was a match for the ages, a knock down, drag out struggle in which 90 of a possible 95 (the maximum number of points this form of a Pala match can have) points were scored. It was a struggle of nearly 1 hour and 40 minutes. At the end, both players were exhausted (as evidenced by the last three points of the match being decided by errors). But Ibargarai, after 3 failed attempts in the Championship match where he didn't so much as win a joko (see above), claimed his first World Singles Txapelketa.
He richly earned and deserved it. He played the match with a clear strategy, a strategy which netted him 18 of his 31 winners. That strategy was to keep Gaubeka in the back as much as possible. The previous week, in his semi-final with Gaubeka (see below), Dan Necol tried to go toe to toe with him, and with both of them being front court players, the strategy made sense. Necol was on an incredible hot streak and everything he did was working. But Gaubeka played an almost flawless match, all of his front court shots working, and he won. Ibargarai wanted no part of that. The strategy obviously was one designed to make Gaubeka play in areas of the court that he wasn't as comfortable with. But a strategy is one thing, and executing that strategy is quite another. Ibargarai is a big, powerful back court player, but he has deceptive speed and touch. His deep game was magnificent, scoring with 7 chic-chacs (by my count, there may have been more...or less, I don't have enough experience to be absolutely sure, so I invite you to watch, and send me corrections if needs be), beautiful kill shots that are pure touch. Also, keeping the 41 year old defending champion moving took its toll as the match progressed.
But even when you are executing your strategy, it doesn't mean that you are going to beat Esteban Gaubeka. He is like a fine wine, improving with age, it seems. He has a breathtaking two wall shot (7 winners in this match, 6 side to front and one beautiful front to side), and he makes backhand shots look far simpler than they are (he is the only player, as far as I know, in Professional Pala who uses a backhand shot regularly). In this match he also did wall climbs, a la Cesta-Punta/Jai Alai. In spite of Ibargari's strategy and execution, Gaubeka controlled much of the match.
The match turned on an audaciously risky shot by Ibargarai late in the 4th Joko. Trailing 1-2 in the match and 8-9 in the Joko, he returned a match point Gaubeka serve deep to the outside, a very difficult angle shot. It's one of those shots where a fan might yell "What is he doing!?!?...... That's the greatest shot I've ever seen!!!" Maximum risk when he was in maximum danger. The shot landed inside the line by inches to equalize at 9 (1:17:44--1:18:16 on the video). Shortly thereafter, he won the joko 10-9 to tie the match, stopping Gaubeka twice at match point.
And then Ibargarai displayed the same stamina that he had in his previous two matches against Sylvain Brefel and Ibai-Perez (in the Semi-Final). Locked up at 2-2 with each player, he buried both of them 10-2 in the final set. And it looked like that's what he was going to do to Gaubeka also. He built 5-0 and 8-3 leads. But Gaubeka wasn't finished. He put together a 5-1 run before an error denied him a 6th Championship in this competition. So for now, the great Oskar Insausti still leads with 7. Fusto is 2nd with 6, and Gaubeka 3rd with 5. And Xabier Ibargarai now joins the list of Txapelduns in this competition.
Some final observations.
1. It was fascinating to watch Gaubeka interact with (I think--it might have simply been a friend encouraging his ex-peer) his Botillero (coach for this match) Imanol Ibanez (Mundo Deportivo), who won this Championship in 2007 (as well as 3 major doubles championships), and retired (in 2017) as one of the finest modern back court players. Such interactions are always fascinating to watch, a game within a game, so to speak. I don't speak the language he was speaking (Gaubeka mostly listened). I wish I did. Imanol wasn't as animated as, say, Seve Arzelus (scroll to "Remonte", for a small feature article I did on "botilleros") (the retired Palista who has coached Javier Urriza in Remonte and coached the Spanish Pala Corta team in the recently concluded Federacion Internacional de Pelota Vasca--FIPV World Cup). But he made his opinions known in no uncertain terms, on several occasions.
2. For my American readers who may not be familiar with Pala, the implement used is called a Pala Larga (Big Bat). It is a bat. Rather than me describing it, I urge you to watch the match. I will say that the bat weighs 32-33 ounces, about the weight of the bats used by the baseball Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton and Brewers' Ryan Braun. Only their bat weight is distributed over 32-34 inches, and they swing it while standing stationary, with only a small amount of body movement. They also hold it with both hands, and most baseball players swing only from one side. The Pala Larga is about 18 inches long. Palistas carry that bat with them and hit one handed shots with both hands (switch hitting) depending on the match situation. They hit off the back foot as well as the front, and moving as well as stationary. The ball they hit is smaller than a baseball but as hard as a golf ball. (Pala is a crash helmet sport). The hitting surface is flat but rather small, and the ball can be moving at up to 100 mph, coming at the player from many different angles. Ask yourself this question. How many times do Stanton or Braun hit a ball in play in the course of a game? A season? In this match, Ibargarai hit the ball into "fair" areas 272 times, Gaubeka 268. In an hour and 40 minutes. Think about that.
3. Finally, I cannot finish this post without a huge "shout out" and thank you to Dan Necol, front court player for InnPala. He played some great Pala in this tournament. I know that because I watched it. I watched it because he filmed it. As far as I know, the only other player in a BP modality that films his matches is Bixintxo Bilbao, Esku Pilota (Main Nue) back court player. Bilbao uses Youtube as a platform, Necol, Facebook. No matter. A single stationary camera, with very little labor input, brought me 6 of the 9 matches in this tournament. 6 matches in 3 weeks. All of them are linked to below. EITB televised the final. For this fan, who gets to watch maybe 10-15 Pala matches a year (EITB has fantastic production values, some of the best sports broadcasts I've seen anywhere), it is like Christmas in July. Necol's matches receive thousands of views and are available live and on demand. No commentary, only the crack of the pelota on bat, the squeak of sneakers on the floor, and the scoreboard in plain view (if you watch on a big screen). It is wonderful to see more than just championship finals. It is great to see the play, as well as the body language. All this because Dan Necol has the vision to spread this beautiful sport to a much larger audience, at next to no cost. Other players (and management) in other underexposed BP sports should follow the lead of people like Dan Necol, Bixintxo Bilbao, and prolific videographer of North Basque amateur matches in multiple modalities Olivier Simon (Toute Sur la Pelote Basque Youtube). Merci Beaucoup Dan!!
There was, of course, a second match. It was Sylvain Brefel's farewell match, before retiring after 5 years on the InnPala circuit.
Necol-Brefel 3 Fusto-Ibai Perez 2 (8-10, 8-10, 10-5, 10-5, 10-5). (EITB full match video--Match begins at 1:48:32).
In a match like this, the outcome is secondary. The opening ceremony, a high pala honor guard by the entire InnPala roster (except for Fusto) and presentation of momentos by Fusto to Brefel will make wonderful memories. But the most poignant moment of the match, for me, came when Brefel was about to serve what could have been the winning point at 9-4 in Joko 5 (2:58:53-2:59:06 on the video). Before he could serve he was overwhelmed with emotion and covered his eyes with his free hand. It took almost a minute for him to compose himself. But he did, and continued. Soon after, he ended his career with one final win. Merci beaucoup Sylvain!
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A recap of the entire tournament, from beginning through the semi-finals.
February 9, 2019
Semi-Finals
1st Semi final (partial 2nd, full 3rd-5th jokos video; 2nd Sem-Final (full match video) (Dan Necol Facebook page)
2nd Semi-Final
Gaubeka (seeded in) (d front) (1-0) 3 Necol (d front) (2-1) 1
(10-4, 10-9, 5-10, 10-3) (35-26)
Joko (set) linescores (match winner always listed first):
Joko 1: 5-0; 5-3; 7-3; 7-4; 10-4 (120 balls in play)
Joko 2: 1-0; 1-2; 3-2; 3-4; 5-4; 5-6; 7-6; 7-7; 8-7;8-9; 10-9 (8 lead changes) (90 bip)
Joko 3: 1-0; 1-5; 3-5; 3-8; 4-8; 4-9; 5-9; 5-10 (67 bip)
Joko 4: 2-0; 2-1; 4-1; 4-3; 10-3 (51 bip)
328 balls in play (by my count)
My scoring:
Joko scoring
J 1: G +8 -0; N +4 -2
J 2: G +3 -2 (including 1 service fault); N +7 including 1 service ace) -7 (3 f)
J 3: G +4 (1 a) -3 (1 f); N +7 (1 a) -1 (1 f)
J 4: G +9 (3 a) - 0; N +3 -1
Match scoring:
G +24 (4 a) -5 (2 f)
N +21 (2 a) -11 (4 f)
Necol, riding a 5 match winning streak, had no answers for an almost flawless match played by the old veteran Gaubeka. A key segment of the match was the entire 2nd Joko, which featured 8 lead changes and which Gaubeka rallied from 8-9 to win 10-9. Then, after Necol asserted himself in the 3rd Joko, Gaubeka ended the match with a 6-0 run.
1st Semi-Final
Ibargarai (z back) (2-0) 3 Ibai-Perez (seeded in) (z back) (0-1) 2
(10-3 (Dairio Vasco Cartelera), 10-4, 8-10, 8-10, 10-2) (46-29)
Joko (set) linescores (match winner always listed 1st)
Joko 1: 10-3
Joko 2: 7-4; 10-4
Joko 3: 2-0; 2-3; 3-3; 3-5; 6-5 (Ib hit on knee by errant IP shot, continues); 6-7; 7-7; 7-9; 8-9; 8-10
Joko 4: 0-1; 1-1; 1-2; 3-2; 3-5; 7-5; 7-7; 8-7; 8-10
Joko 5: 3-0; 3-1; 9-1; 9-2; 10-2
This was a very strange match in which Ibargarai almost blew Ibai-Perez out of the fronton, before Ibai won two hotly contested jokos. At 2-2 and with IP having all the momentum, Ibargarai erased him 10-2 to move to the final.
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Ibargarai (seeded in) (z back) (1-0) 3 Brefel (z back) (2-1) 2 (10-9, 9-10, 2-10, 10-4, 10-2) (41-35)
2 very close jokos were followed by 3 that weren't. With his back to the wall in his first match in this tournament, Ibargarai proceeded to outscore Brefel 20-6 in the final two jokos.
2 very close jokos were followed by 3 that weren't. With his back to the wall in his first match in this tournament, Ibargarai proceeded to outscore Brefel 20-6 in the final two jokos.
Necol (d front) (2-0) 3 Fusto (d front) (seeded in) (0-1) 1 (10-7, 3-10, 10-7, 10-3) (33-27)
Fusto, looking for his 7th Championship in this competition, ran into a buzz saw. Necol simply played better Pala on this day, winning his 5th consecutive match overall. The key joko in the match was the 3rd. At 1-1 in jokos, and with Fusto coming off a dominant joko, Necol broke out to a 4-0 lead. Fusto then clawed back to equality at 4, and then 5, 6, and 7. Each time Necol took the lead again, and finished with a 3-0 run to win the joko. His momentum then helped him steamroll Fusto in the final joko.
Fusto, looking for his 7th Championship in this competition, ran into a buzz saw. Necol simply played better Pala on this day, winning his 5th consecutive match overall. The key joko in the match was the 3rd. At 1-1 in jokos, and with Fusto coming off a dominant joko, Necol broke out to a 4-0 lead. Fusto then clawed back to equality at 4, and then 5, 6, and 7. Each time Necol took the lead again, and finished with a 3-0 run to win the joko. His momentum then helped him steamroll Fusto in the final joko.
3rd joko: 4-0; 4-4; 5-4; 5-5; 6-5; 6-6; 7-6; 7-7; 10-7
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January 26, 2019
January 26, 2019
Both matches: Full match video (Dan Necol Facebook Page)
Brefel (z back) (2-0) 3 Urrutia (seeded in) (z back) (0-1) 0 (10-3, 10-8, 10-6) (30-17)
Brefel used Urrutia's inexperience in the front to win easily. Over and again he fed his opponent balls that hugged the left wall. Urrutia was unable to handle them, and Brefel, as any excellent player would do, kept sending them. It was a bit of a rude awakening for the youngster, coming into this tournament off the high of a 3-0 Championship Final win with Necol in the Liga Kutxabank doubles competition.
Necol (d front) (seeded in) (1-0) 3 Gordon (z back) (1-1) 0 (10-7, 10-8, 10-0) (30-15)
Necol opened his account by winning two very competitive jokos from Gordon, and then shut out the Liga Kutxabank runner up . It was the first time I have ever seen an InnPala joko shutout. If you want to see Necol at his best, watch this match.
Back 2-1 Front 1-2
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Play in matches.
January 18, 2019
Gordon (z back) (1-0) 3 Landeta (d front) (0-1) 0 (10-4; 10-6; 10-3) (30-13) (Back 2-0; Front 0-2)
Back 2-0 Front 0-2
Brefel (z back) (1-0) 3 Garate (d front) (0-1) 1 (10-7; 10-5; 9-10; 10-8) (39-30)
Back 1-0 Front 0-1
(source for both match scores: Diario Vasco Deportes Cartelera, January 19, 2019)
I have found out no other information about these opening matches.
For more information about how these players are doing in 2019, see the InnPala Player win-loss table for tournaments and independent matches on the right side of the blog.
