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This article appeared on January 20, 2018.

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This weekend’s IRT event is the 40th Annual Lewis Drug Pro-Am, and that’s reason enough for it to be special. But the players have done it one better, as it’s the first IRT event with none of the semi-finalists from the USA. It’ll be only the 4th IRT final between two Mexicans, as Daniel De La Rosa takes on Alejandro Landa.

Daniel De La Rosa will have a chance to do what few players done: win back to back events on the International Racquetball Tour (IRT), when he takes the court in the final of the 40th annual Lewis Drug Pro/Am in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. De La Rosa, who won the Los Angeles Open earlier this month, advanced to the final with a win over fellow Mexican Alvaro Beltran, 15-13, 6-15, 11-10.

Beltran is the first player to lose by only one point in a semi-final since the IRT adopted the win by one rule at the start of 2018.

Beltran got to 10 first in the breaker by using his patented high lob serve along the right side wall. But at 10-9, De La Rosa hit it early, putting a forehand pinch shot into the right corner for a winner.

De La Rosa tied the game at 10-10 with a solid backhand shot that was the third shot of a rally he started with a drive serve to Beltran’s backhand. De La Rosa won it on the next rally with a backhand pinch shot after Beltran had made a great dive to hit a backhand ceiling ball and keep the rally going.

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