Champions new and old at Canadian Racquetball Championships

Christie Van Hees of Calgary successfully defended her title and Kris Odegard of Saskatoon won his first Canadian Championship Saturday as the Canadian National Racquetball Championships concluded at the Regina Court and Fitness Club in Regina.

Van Hees, who's also the reigning World Champion, defeated Jennifer Saunders of Winnipeg, 15-5, 15-5, in a re-match of last year's final. Van Hees dominated both games, as the closest Saunders got was 5-3 in game two.

"It went as well as I'd hoped," Van Hees said afterwards. She followed her game plan perfectly moving Saunders around the court and keeping a fast pace to the game.

This was Van Hees's fifth Canadian Championship, and when asked to compare this to her four other titles, Van Hees said "it feels good to win every time."

Saunders gave Van Hees "full credit" for the victory, although Saunders felt "I didn't play well at all." It was Saunders's seventh consecutive appearance in the women's final, and although she's won twice - in 2002 and 2005, she's unhappy with that winning percentage.

In the men's final, Odegard thwarted the bid of Mike Green of Burlington, Ont. to win his fifth title Saturday in match lasting over 100 minutes. Green took game one, and Odegard game two, setting up what would be one of the most dramatic tie-breakers in Canadian racquetball history.

Odegard built a 7-0 lead on Green, only to have Green come back and take the lead. Green served for the match at 10-7, but Odegard hit a winning return, and came back to tie it at 10. Then on his third match point Odegard won. The final score line was 11-15, 15-8, 12-10.

Odegard said afterwards that he thought Green would "drive serve well," and that's how the match started. But drive serving takes a lot of effort, and by game two Green was lob serving.

Odegard said "he built some momentum in game one, and kept it up in game two." Despite losing game one, Odegard did come back from a 13-4 deficit to 13-11, before losing 15-11.

In the second game, Odegard had a smaller deficit to overcome, as he was down 8-4. But momentum switches in racquetball can be enormous, and it was today, as Odegard won 18 straight points to take game two, and take a 7-0 lead in game three.

That's when it got interesting.

Green showed why he is a four time champion and number 1 player in Canada, as he chipped away at Odegard's lead, and took control of the third game and looked like he would run the table. But that last point eluded him.

Odegard, 27, won the 2006 Pan American Championship, and had an outstanding record as a junior player, winning two junior world titles and six Canadian junior titles. But this is his first Canadian Championship as an adult.

Odegard will also rise to number 3 in the Racquetball Canada rankings. He came into the tournament at number 8.

Odegard had a difficult road to the title, as he had to defeat the number two seed, Corey Osborne of Penetanguishe, Ont., in the quarter finals, and the number three seed Vincent Gagnon of Longueuil, Que. in the semi-finals.

Overall, one hundred and fifty one racquetball players competed in 25 singles and doubles divisions at the 2007 Canadian National Racquetball Championship at the Regina Court and Fitness Club in Regina.

Les championnats canadiens de racquetball a commencé