==========================
NOTE: THE LANGUAGES USED IN THE FULL MATCH VIDEOS ARE ENGLISH AND, FOR THE FINAL, ENGLISH AND BASQUE. PLAYER INFORMATION IS IN FRENCH.
BISCAYNE OPEN--DANIA JAI ALAI--DANIA BEACH FLORIDA--(1--FRONTON--MANISTA.COM) (2--CITY--WIKIPEDIA) FEBRUARY 20-22, 2025
FOR QUITE SOME TIME IN THE LAST HALF OF THE 20TH CENTURY, THE GAME WAS LANGUISHING IN THE BASQUE COUNTRY. AT THE SAME TIME IT WAS FLOURISHING AS A ROUND ROBIN (QUINIELLA) SPORT IN THE US. HOWEVER, DUE TO MULTIPLE FACTORS, THE GAME DIED OUT IN THE STATES. DANIA JAI ALAI WAS THE LAST LONG COURT TO CLOSE IN THE EARLY 2020s.
AT THE SAME TIME, MANY OF THE BASQUE PLAYERS IN THE STATES MOVED BACK HOME AND, WITH THE HELP OF STRONG SUPPORT FROM THE BASQUE TV NETWORK (EITB), THE GAME WAS REVIVED IN THE BASQUE COUNTRY.
ITS POPULARITY HAS GROWN BY LEAPS AND BOUNDS IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS. PROMOTIONS IN BOTH HEGOALDE (SOUTH BASQUE COUNTRY--AKA SPAIN) AND IPARRALDE (NORTH BASQUE COUNTRY--AKA FRANCE) HAVE SET UP TOURNAMENTS, HIRING THE BEST 20-30 PLAYERS IN THE WORLD. THE RISE IN POPULARITY OF JAI ALAI IN THE BASQUE COUNTRY HAS EXPANDED WHAT USED TO BE A 2-3 MONTH SUMMER SEASON INTO A YEAR ROUND ENDEAVOR. THE AMOUNT OF PLAYERS IS EXPANDING RAPIDLY. VERY GOOD NEWS FOR THE BASQUE COUNTRY. BUT WHAT OF THE MORIBUND SITUATION IN THE STATES?
IN EARLY 2025, AFTER NEGOTIATIONS WITH DANIA JAI ALAI (WHICH HAD RE-OPENED AS A SHORT SEASON LONG COURT QUINIELLA COMPETITION), THE LEAD HEGOALDE ORGANIZATION (MENTIONED ABOVE), DECIDED TO ADD A SMALL INDIVIDUAL TOURNAMENT TO THEIR SCHEDULE.
THE BISCAYNE OPEN WAS A TOURNAMENT WITH 4 PAIRS, CONSISTING OF TWO SEMI-FINALS AND A FINAL (2 SETS TO 15 WITH A TIE BREAK TO 5). MOST IMPORTANTLY FROM AN INTERNATIONAL STANDPOINT, THE FINAL WAS TELEVISED ON THE LEAD EITB TV NETWORK.
IT WAS ALSO MADE AVAILABLE ON DANIA JAI ALAI'S YOUTUBE CHANNEL. BOTH FEEDS ARE FREE OF CHARGE, AND SHOULD BE AVAILABLE INDEFINITELY.
THE HOPE IS THAT THIS BASQUE COUNTRY GESTURE WILL HELP A REBIRTH OF THE SPORT IN THE STATES. THAT REMAINS TO BE SEEN, BUT FROM THE QUALITY OF THE PRODUCT IN THIS TOURNAMENT, THERE IS A SENSE OF OPTIMISM IN BOTH COUNTRIES.
FOR MORE ON THE 8 PLAYERS INVOLVED, SEE THE ROSTERS AT THE CESTA PUNTA PRO TOUR (THE IPARRALDE LEAD PROMOTION) PLAYER PAGES. EVERY ONE OF THE PLAYERS IN THIS TOURNAMENT PLAYED IN BOTH HEGOALDE AND IPARRALDE LAST YEAR.
THREE OF THE PAIRS CAME FROM THE BASQUE COUNTRY, THE BEST PLAYERS BY RECORD IN THE 2023-24 SEASON. THE OTHER PAIR (ENAUT URREISTI--GORKA SOROZABAL--SEE LINKS BELOW) WON THE DANIA JAI ALAI PARTIDO (SETS) CHAMPIONSHIP IN A TOURNAMENT THAT WAS PLAYED FROM JANUARY TO MID FEBRUARY AMONG THE BEST OF THE DANIA ROSTER.
=========================
FINAL
FEBRUARY 22, 2025
15-10, 15-14
FULL MATCH VIDEO (EITB) (BASQUE) (NOTE: THIS IS THE BETTER VERSION. THERE ARE MORE CAMERAS CLOSER TO THE ACTION, LOTS OF CROWD SHOTS, THE PLAYERS ARE MIC'D AND YOU CAN HEAR THE CHATTER, GREAT REPLAYS, AND COMPLETE STATISTICS.
This match was a perfect microcosm for the changing of the guard in the sport at present. Erkiaga (front court--37) and Lopez (back court--40); Sorozabal (front court--22), and Mancisidor (back court--25). While the old guard is being replaced by the new, Aritz Erkiaga is without doubt the greatest player in the game today. In the 2023-24 season. he won 35 matches while losing only 7, 73 out of 98 sets, and 11 of 14 tie breakers. He played in 14 tournaments, and won 11. So far in 2024-5, he has played in 2 tournaments and won both. He has won 8 matches and lost 2, won 18 sets and lost 5, and has won 1 and lost 2 in tie breakers.
Aritz is not imposing, he just doesn't make mistakes, has a deadly rebote (rebound off the back wall) and a wipe out 2 wall shot. Mancisidor is very steady as a catcher and thrower. Lopez, toward the end of his career, still threw some tremendous winners from half a football field away from the wall. And Sorozabal, at such a young age (Jai Alai players peak in their mid-30s) made more errors than one would want to see, but also had 14 winners, and has a limitless ceiling.
MATCH STATISTICS (EITB):
+=WINNERS
-=ERRORS
ERKIAGA +17 -3; MANCISIDOR +1 -2
SOROZABAL+14 -7; LOPEZ +5 -5
TOTAL MATCH SCORE: +37 -17 (.685 WINNERS) (.600 OR BETTER MEANS A VERY WELL PLAYED MATCH)
BALLS IN PLAY: 378
ERKIAGA 99; MANCISIDOR 94
SOLOZABAL 102; LOPEZ 83
NON-ERROR PERCENT FOR THE MATCH (BIP - ERRORS) / BIP) (378-17) / 378 = .955. AN EXCELLENT PERCENTAGE AT THIS LEVEL IS .920 -.940
TIME OF MATCH: 65:57
AVG. BIP PER POINT: 8.0
AVG. TIME PER POINT: 73.2 SECONDS (BASED ON TOTAL MATCH TIME, EITB DID NOT PROVIDE ACTUAL PLAYING TIME).
=========================
FEBRUARY 21, 2025
2ND SEMI-FINAL
15-11, 14-15 5-2
=========================
FEBRUARY 20, 2025
1ST SEMI-FINAL
15-14; 15-11
