HOUSTON — Before the Eagles became the champions of the National Football League Sunday, several Handball champions were crowned earlier that morning at the Master Doubles in Houston. 

The 35 doubles was an all New York battle, with Jai Ragoo and Joe Kaplan playing down in age against Arthur Sayed and Victor Lopierre. There were several grueling rallies, but Sayed and Lopierre’s youth prevailed against the veterans as they won in two straight games. 

Ragoo and Kaplan rebounded in the 45 doubles final by defeating John Henning and Leo Canales Sr. After a decisive game one win by the New Yorkers, Canales and Henning fought hard to win game two 21-19, but ran out of gas in the tiebreaker, falling 11-4. 

In the 60 doubles, Canales Sr. teamed with Juarez Mexico based Lorenzo Renteria to outlast Jake Esser and Paul Pfannenstiel in two games. Canales Sr. dictated play on the left and kept Esser and Pfannenstiel from every getting comfortable in the match.

The 70 doubles had the most exciting matches of the tournament all weekend, and that didn’t change Sunday. Bob Lohmueller and Tom Martinez took game one from Scott Spann and Frank Swehosky 21-12. Swehosky started out game two with a lethal serve down the right that gave his opponents fits as they cruised 21-4 to force a tiebreaker. As they did the day before, Lohmueller and Martinez brought their best to the tiebreaker and built a 10-0 lead. Swehosky and Spann wouldn’t go easily though, and reeled off 8 straight points before some clutch shot making from Lohmueller and Martinez sealed the deal. 

Rob Nichols and Mike Lockhart put a scare into Merv Deckert and Ed Campbell in the 75 doubles final. Lockhart powerful left hand and Nichols savvy play up front allowed them to pull off a surprising first game win over the dominant Deckert and Campbell. It wouldn’t last though, as the multi-time national champions Deckert and Campbell found their groove and won 21-15 in game two and 11-4 in the tiebreaker. 

In the 80 doubles, Rick Graham and Jim Smith pummeled Ron Cole and Gary Rohrer as they did everyone in the bracket, easily claiming the 80 doubles title. 

Thank you to the Houston Handball Club for putting on another awesome tournament, something they have been doing for years! Check out all of the results HERE. 

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HOUSTON — Day two of the 2025 Master Doubles saw plenty of exciting action, with players competing for a spot in the finals. 

No division was more exciting the 70 doubles division. Both semifinals went to a tiebreaker and took nearly two hours to complete. 

In the first semifinal, Bob Lohmueller and Tom Martinez defeated David Steinberg and Craig Trull in game one, but lost game two and fell behind early in the tiebreaker. Lohmueller found his serve though just in time, and served several aces down the left side to propel his team to the finals. 

In the second semifinal, the Texas based duo of Frank Swehosky and Scott Spann dropped game one to the defending 70 plus doubles champions Dan Brennan  and Matt DeWeese. Swehosky and Spann wouldn’t roll over though, and led by a flurry of kill shot’s from Spann, they battled back to win in a tiebreaker. 

Here is a list of our finals matches tomorrow:

35 doubles: Arthur Sayed/Victor Lopierre vs Jai Ragoo/Joe Kaplan

45 doubles: Jai Ragoo/Joe Kaplan vs John Henning/Leo Canales

60 doubles: Jake Esser/Paul Pfannenstiel vs Leo Canales/Lorenzo Renteria

70 doubles: Scott Spann/Frank Swehosky vs Bob Lohmueller/Tom Martinez

75 doubles: Merv Deckert/Ed Campbell vs Rob Nichols/Mike Lockhart

80 doubles: Jim Smith/Rick Graham vs Gary Rohrer/Ron Cole

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HOUSTON — Day one at the 2025 Master Doubles was a success, as the Houston Handball Club welcomed players from around the country to the Tellepsen Downtown YMCA. Many old friends were able to catch up while watching “The Perfect Game.”

The best match of the day happened in the 35 doubles, where we had an all Texas battle between Steven Mendoza/Anthony Cevallos and Adam Shumaker/Chris Perez. It was a two hour match, that saw Mendoza and Cevallos battle back from a close game one defeat to take down their opponents in a tiebreaker and advance to the semifinals. 

New York was well represented at the tournament, and NY stars Joseph Kaplan and Jai Ragoo were dominant in their opening round in the 45 doubles, impressing the crowd with their play. 

Tomorrow will have semifinals across all divisions, and we are sure to see some great matches. Follow along with the draws HERE.