Saunders and Gagnon win Racquetball Canada National Team Selection Event

Jennifer Saunders of Winnipeg and Vincent Gagnon of Longueuil, Que. came out on top at on Sunday at Racquetball Canada's National Team Selection Event for singles at the Sani Sport Club in Brossard, Que. The tournament format had the final four players qualify a round robin competition to determine the overall men's and women's winners.

Jennifer Saunders of Winnipeg won the women`s division by defeating Josée Grand'Maître of Longueuil, Que., 4-15, 15-13, 11-6, to finish the tournament undefeated. That outcome seemed unlikely after Saunders lost the first game and found herself down 9-3 in the second.

But true to her feisty nature, Saunders didn't give up. She fought back to take game two, but again found herself down tine tiebreaker 6-4. But six points was as many as Saunders was going to give up, as she stomed back to take the tiebreakig game and the match.

In the other women`s final four match Sunday, Véronique Guillemette of Calgary, defeated fourth seed, Linda Ellerington of Shields, Sask. as the result of an injury default. Early in the first game, Ellerington was setting up for a shot and awkwardly put her foot into the crotch of the back wall and floor resulting in a twisted ankle.

Ellerington tried to continue on the ankle after taking some injury time to tape it up. However, it was too painful, and she had to default the match.

These results mean that Gulliemette finishes in second behind Saunders, with Grand'Maître third and Ellerington fourth.

In men's action, top spot came down to a battle between the first and second seeds, which was a repeat of the last time this event was in Brossard in 2005, when Mike Green (Burlington, Ont.) defeated Vincent Gagnon (Longueuil, Que.)

However, today the reverse outcome happened, as Gagnon, seeded second, came out on top over top seeded Green, 11-15, 16-14, 11-8.

The battle for third place also went to a tie-breaker, but it was a distinctly see-saw battle. In the first game, fourth seed Kris Odegard could do little wrong, as he won 15-3 over François Viens of Montreal, the sixth seed.

But in game two, it was Viens who had all the momentum, winning 15-1. Unlike the first two games, the tie-breaker went back and forth before Odegard pulled it out to win the match, 15-3, 1-15, 11-7.

The results of this event will be combined with last year's National Championships to select the players for the Pan American Championships March 30-April 7 in Santiago, Chile.

RESULTS SUMMARY : SOMMAIRE DES RÉSULTATS

Men's : Hommes

Final Four - Round 2

Mike Green (Burlington, Ont.) d. François Viens (Montreal), 15-8, 15-11.
Vincent Gagnon (Montreal) d. Kris Odegard (Saskatoon), 13-15, 15-5, 11-4.

Final Four - Round 3

Vincent Gagnon (Montreal) d. Mike Green (Burlington, Ont.), 11-15, 16-14, 11-8.
Kris Odegard (Saskatoon) d. François Viens (Montreal), 15-3, 1-15, 11-7.

Final Standings

1. Vincent Gagnon (Montreal)
2. Mike Green (Burlington, Ont.)
3. Kris Odegard (Saskatoon)
4. François Viens (Montreal)
5. Tim Landeryou (Saskatoon)
6. Eric Desrochers (Ancaster, Ont.)
7. Patrick Jauvin (La Chenaie, Que.)
8. Simon Rainville (Brossard, Que.)

Women's : Femmes

Final Four - Round 3

Véronique Guillemette (Calgary) d. Linda Ellerington (Shields, Sask.), injury default.
Jennifer Saunders (Winnipeg) d. Josée Grand'Maître (Longueuil, Que.), 4-15, 15-13, 11-6.

Final Standings

1. Jennifer Saunders (Winnipeg)
2. Véronique Guillemette (Calgary)
3. Josée Grand'Maître (Longueuil, Que.)
4. Linda Ellerington (Shields, Sask.)
5. Brandi Jacobson Prentice (Saskatoon)
6. Denise Haynes (Clare, N.S.)
7. Frédérique Lambert (Montreal)
8. Genevieve Brodeur (Sherbrooke, Que.)