Pala---Kirol Txartela Masters Tournament--Individual joko (set) linescores and analysis for final and third place match

* Amateur

Final:

Navarro*-Brefel defeated Zubiri-Ayerbe 3-2 (6-10, 10-8, 4-10, 10-6, 10-9). (Match and Joko score source: EITB)

Third Place Match

Landeta--Ibai-Perez defeated Arozena*-Irigoyen* (substituting for Ibargari) 3-1

 (10-5, 9-10, 10-4, 10-5). (Match and Joko score source: EITB)

Full match video for both matches (third place match: 0:00-50 minutes, 32 seconds on the video, final match and trophy presentation: 52:02 to end of video).

Though perhaps not one of the most artistic Pala matches ever played, this was one of the most exciting. The trend of a possible changing of the guard continued, with Fusto and Gaubeka again missing out on a major tournament final, the second time in a row that has happened after one or both had not missed out on a final in three years. The younger players (Brefel and Ibai-Perez in these two  matches, along with Necol and an at times impressive looking Zubiri--who has awesome potential when he can stay on his feet), portend good health for the sport in the future. The fact that the first three have extensive short court experience also bodes well for them in a sport where the traditional long court game is seen less and less. And what can one say about Sylvain Brefel? He plays every point with intensity and he hits the ball hard, but mostly with very good control. He is not afraid, especially when partnered with an amateur, as he was in this match, to take risks with scoring shots from the back of the court. He makes his share of mistakes, but never lets the last mistake interfere with the next point. His intensity does not seem to have any effect on his obvious enjoyment of his vocation. In tight situations he tells himself "Va!" before he serves. And he has now won two of the last three major tournaments he has been in, one with Fusto and one with an amateur. He was named the Player of the Tournament.

Full Joko (set) linescores (match winners always listed first) (Source: EITB):

Joko 1: 1-0; 2-0; 3-0; 3-1; 4-1; 5-1; 5-2; 5-3; 5-4; 5-5; 6-5; 6-6; 6-7; 6-8; 6-9; 6-10 (0-1)

Joko 2: 1-0; 2-0; 3-0; 4-0; 5-0; 5-1; 6-1; 6-2; 6-3; 7-3; 7-4; 7-5; 7-6; 7-7; 8-7; 8-8; 9-8; 10-8 (1-1)

Joko 3: 0-1; 0-2; 0-3; 1-3; 1-4; 1-5; 2-5; 2-6; 2-7; 3-7; 3-8; 4-8; 4-9; 4-10 (1-2)

Joko 4: 1-0; 2-0; 3-0; 3-1; 3-2; 4-2; 5-2; 5-3; 6-3; 6-4; 7-4; 8-4; 9-4; 9-5; 9-6; 10-6 (2-2)

Joko 5: 0-1; 1-1; 2-1; 2-2; 3-2; 3-3; 3-4; 3-5; 4-5; 5-5; 5-6; 5-7; 5-8; 6-8; 6-9; 7-9; 8-9; 9-9; 10-9 (3-2)

Match scoring and statistics (Source: EITB)

Navarro*..+7..-14...........Brefel.......+16..-9
Zubiri.......+16..-8...........Ayerbe......+4..-9

Balls in play: 547

Navarro*......93..........Zuberi.........160
Brefel.........180..........Ayerbe.........114

Number of balls in play/number of points (Source: compiled from my counts for each point)

0-4......40
5-9......26
10-14....9
15-19....4
20-24....3
25-29....1

The longest point was 29 balls in play. The point began at 6-8 Z-A in the first Joko. Z-A won the point.

In the entire match, the lead changed hands only 4 times. It changed hands three times in the last Joko. The final lead change came on the final point of the match. The longest point streak was 5.

A key point early in the match came in in Joko 2. N-B had lost the first Joko and seen comfortable 5-0 and 6-1 leads dissolve in this one. The point beginning at 8-7 (1:15:05-1:15:54 on the recording) is crucial to the context of this key point. At the end of an excellent point that consumed 18 balls in play, Brefel made an error on a return, tying the score at 8-8. The key point was the one beginning at 8-8. Usually it is the stronger partner who lifts the team after an error by the weaker one. A quick look at the almost 2:1 ratio of balls hit by Brefel to those of his partner Navarro, the single amateur in this match, shows that Brefel lifted his team in this way on numerous occasions. However on this point, it was Navarro who lifted the team after the mistake. The point runs from 1:16:17-1:16:36 on the recording. Navarro won the point with a beautiful two wall winner, giving his team a 9-8 lead. Brefel then made a perfect front-side wall carom serve that finished the Joko. 0-2 became 1-1.

The match had a wild finish when two errors by Ayerbe were sandwiched around a Navarro winner and Brefel ace to turn a 6-9 deficit into a 10-9 win that won the match 3-2.

 Z-A outscored N-B 43-40, but N-B won the match.

Third place match:

Irigoyen substituted for Ibargarai. If you watch the match closely, you will see Ibargarai in a crowd scene. He his holding a baby. He gives the baby to a woman and then winces in pain at the shoulder.

Full Joko (set) linescores (winning team always listed 1st) (Source: EITB).

Joko 1: 1-0; 1-1; 2-1; 2-2; 2-3; 3-3; 3-4; 3-5; 4-5; 5-5; 6-5; 7-5; 8-5; 9-5; 10-5 (1-0)

Joko 2: 0-1; 0-2; 0-3; 1-3; 1-4; 2-4; 2-5; 2-6; 2-7; 3-7; 3-8; 4-8; 5-8; 5-9; 6-9; 7-9; 8-9; 9-9; 9-10 (1-1)

Joko 3: 1-0; 2-0; 3-0; 3-1; 3-2; 4-2; 5-2; 5-3; 6-3; 7-3; 7-4; 8-4; 9-4; 10-4 (2-1)

Joko 4: 1-0; 1-1; 2-1; 2-2; 3-2; 3-3; 4-3; 5-3; 5-4; 5-5; 6-5; 7-5; 8-5; 9-5; 10-5 (3-1)

Match scoring and statistics: (Source: EITB)

Landeta.....+8..-4.......Ibai-Perez...+14....-10
Arozena*...+4..-1........Irigoyen*....+6....-16

Balls in Play: 360

Landeta......75.............Arozena*.......62
Ibai-Perez..114............Irigoyen*...109

The two veteran amateurs (42 and 40 respectively) played well in spurts, and even won a Joko, but that win seemed to wake their opponents, who easily disposed of the last two Jokos to win the match.. The match was highligted by a series of points in the second Joko (the point beginning at 2-0 to the point ending at 4-2), which were terminated by two excellent two wall shots by Arozena and an excellent two wall shot and dejada by Landeta. In the point beginning at 2-0 in the third Joko, Irigoyen broke his bat in the middle of the point (the broken shard flying over Landeta's head) but did not have to use it again. In the third Joko, point beginning at 7-3, the longest point of the match (24 balls in play), Landeta went off the court to make two great saves and barely missed a third. At the end of the match what looked like an Arozena family (or family and friends) photo was taken on the court. I counted 25.

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