Week 5 saw another round of great match-ups with 10 of the 15 matches going to a third and decisive set.

The Cyclones earned 9.5 points including a clean sweep of the Chargers on Tuesday. You may recall that the Cyclones were on the other end of the broom in Week 3 at the hands of the Warriors (on a Tuesday as well).

For the Cyclones; Joseph and Jeden each had two 3 set wins in singles. Joseph has been putting in extra practice time and has been working with teammates Manny and Manu to continue developing his skills. The extra work is showing as Joseph’s play has been more focused with better and more powerful shots. Joseph earned wins against Vuelo and Roque. In Jeden’s singles matches, he started with 6-5 first set wins over Ben and CRB only to lose the second sets of each match by scores of 0-6 and 2-6, then coming back to win the third sets 6-4. The third set against Ben was back and forth with no one having more than a 1 point lead until Jeden finished off the final 2 points and won 6-4. Carballo & Manu took an impressive 3 set doubles win over the undefeated team of Douglas & Benny (6-2, 3-6, 6-2) that showed more consistent and controlled play from Carballo.

The Renegades picked up singles wins from Goixerri (4-1) and Kubala (2-0). Goixerri & Aratz handed Ikeda & Manny a straight set doubles loss (6-0, 6-5) in a match that showed very powerful serving by Goixerri and amazing wall climbing by Aratz. Goixerri & Aratz along with Bueno & Nicolas of the Warriors are each 4-0 to lead Battle Court doubles. Later in doubles play, Goixerri & Kubala lost to Inaki & Nicolas in a 3 set match (6-2, 3-6, 5-6) that may have been the hardest fought match to date in Battle Court. Kubala, who joined the Magic City program in 2019, continues to improve his skill level and played tremendous with the three more experienced players.

For the Warriors, Julen won a 3 set singles match against Robin (1-6, 6-1, 6-2) that was hard fought. Robin (aka “shots king”) made some spectacular shots from the 10 line by crushing a backhand two wall and a very well placed drop shot. In addition to Nicolas’ great play in the earlier Pelota games and great doubles play, he handed Aratz his third straight singles loss (6-5, 6-3). Bueno & Nicolas won in a 3 set thriller over Vuelo (filling in for the injured Williams) & Aratz (6-5, 5-6, 6-4). In the first set, Bueno & Nicolas were up 5-0 and held on to win 6-5.

Midway through the 9 week season, only 4 points separate first from third place. The Warriors are in first place with 25 points, the Cyclones in second with 23 points, the Renegades in third with 21 points and the Chargers in fourth with 15 points.

You can watch the action at 5pm on Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays at watchjaialai.com, laligasportstv.com, FTF Sports Network or download the free Jai Alai Channel app. You can also visit the fronton on Sundays to see the great action in person. Be sure to catch the post-game show with Stu and Andrew for the recap of the action.

And remember, those fans in attendance at Sunday’s Battle Court H2H matches at 5pm will have the opportunity to WIN $1,000. It’s FREE to play and if you select the winners of the three singles matches and both doubles matches, you could WIN $1,000. If there are multiple winners, the prize money will be split among the winners.  If there are no winners, the $1,000 will roll over to the following Sunday’s prize purse and $2,000 will be up for grabs.

Be sure to watch pelota game player El Barba and Paulie at https://www.twitch.tv/watchjaialai for interactive livestreaming during the H2H sports betting games at Magic City. Tune in to hear the entertainment as El Barba gives “Barba Bursts” for great plays and has some newly added sound bytes. El Barba and Paulie also answer questions in the chat. It is entertaining for sure. Next week, Paulie will list his top 10 pizza toppings.

And that is not all, if you have not noticed, the production crew has added instant replay that enhances the viewing experience, especially since the action is so fast. No more pausing and going back to watch a spectacular play and then being behind on the live action. A big thanks to the production crew.

Jabracadabra