May 15, 2004 - ATH Pro Ball Singles, Liberty Park, Queens

Pro Stop #2 was marred with cancellations and defaults. Many of the top pros, Tony Roberts, Joe Kaplan, Eddie Maisonet, Kendell Lewis and Willie Polanco pulled out at the last minute due to various injuries. With on-court temperature hovering around 95 degrees many of the competitors struggled with dehydration and fatigue. Satish Jagnandan, Robert Sostre, PeeWee Castro and Milton Jones managed to survive the early rounds to reach the semifinals with convincing victories. Pro tour stop #1 winner Cesar Sala was not so lucky losing to Carlos Lopez 25-22 in the first round. Lopez evidently ran out of gas in a 25-7 lost to Jones in the second round.

With the semi-finals and finals the best 2 out of 3 twenty-one point games with an 11-point tiebreaker, endurance was a key factor in determining a champion. Satish Jagnandan served and killed his way pass a determined PeeWee Castro 21-8, 21-16. In the other semifinal, Robert “Iceman” Sostre outlasted last year USHA B-Singles National Champion Milton Jones 19-21, 21-15, 11-4. In the finals, Jagnandan served 23 aces in a 21-4 and 21-4 win over Sostre.

Pro Tour Stop #3 - “Jagnandan Wins Second in a Row”
July 17-18, 2004 - ICHA Mayor’s Cup, Orchard Beach, Bronx, NY

The 2004 10th Annual Mayor’s Cup Tournament

Men's Pro Singles – Satish Jagnandan defeats Cesar Sala

Final Score: (18-21, 21-5, 11-9)

First Place	Satish Jagnandan	Bronx
Second Place	Cesar Sala	Brooklyn
Semi-finalist	Joe Kaplan	Brooklyn
Semi-finalist	Robert Sostre	Manhattan

Pro Tour Stop #4 - “Jagnandan Finally Wins It All” August 5-8, 2004 – USHA Nationals, Coney Island, Brooklyn, NY

For the sixth year in a row a new Men's Singles champion was crowned at the National One-Wall Tournament. Satish Jagnandan, a highly regarded player, known for his deadly serve, fierce competitiveness and friendliness on and off the court defeated John "Rookie" Wright, the sport's top blue ball player (17) 8 and 8. Satish jumped off to a 17-8 lead in the first game before Rookie astounded the crowd by roaring to a 21-17 victory. Instead of allowing the loss to defeat him, Satish showed a true champion's attitude, sucking up the disappointment and coming out strong in both the second game and the tie-breaker. He played close to flawless ball, combining deadly serves, offhand points and timely kills from deep in the court. Just as impressively, Satish was able to match the steady volleying of Rookie, a player well known for his stamina and power. Satish can no longer be called the best player to never have won a National USHA Championship.

Pro Tour Stop #5 - “A Star is Born”

August 14, 2004 - 2004 Utopia Open

In every tournament, there are always surprises and upsets. The 2004 Utopia Open sponsored by Leecon Construction Inc. was no exception as players and spectators saw the emergence of 19 year-old Victor Lopierre. In his fifth Open Singles small-ball tournament, the young phenom defeated accomplished veterans Robert “Iceman” Sostre, Jesus Ayala and Tony Roberts, enroute to a semifinal showdown with number one seed, Satish Jagnandan (who handily defeated Jonathan Iglesias, Raul Retian and Eddie Maisonet). Lopierre’s inability to read and return Jagnandan serves proved to be the difference in a 25-2 defeat. After the game, Lopierre said he “felt lost out there” but will not let this loss tarnish his wonderful performance. The other half of the draw saw number two seed, Cesar Sala narrowly defeating opponents Jason Morgan, Frank Rivera, Yuber “PeeWee” Castro and Willie Polanco. Sala’s resilience and resolve helped him survived a determined Castro, who served for the match at 24-24 in the quarterfinals.

Over the past two years the best rivalry in the sport has been Satish Jagnandan and Cesar Sala. This rivalry has surpassed the legendary big-blue battles between John “Rookie” Wright and “Lefty” George Figueroa. These competitors have meet five times over the past two seasons – (three semifinals and two finals) with Cesar winning on three occasions. This past weekend (August 14, 2004), Sala defeated Jagnandan, the 2004 Mayor Cup and USHA National champion 25-22 in an epic battle of serve and defense. The match seesawed back and forth with no player enjoying more than a three point advantage. Many consider Jagnandan the premier offensive player in the game today but Sala frustrated his rival with an array of passing shots and spectacular retrieves. With Jagnandan clinging to 22-19 lead, Sala saved his best for last, forcing Jagnandan into two costly unforced errors on his way to serving out the match. Many spectators commented, “this was the best handball game they had ever witnessed”. The mutual respect between these players was evident throughout the match with both players applauding each other shots and effort and even calling faults and two-bounces on themselves.

This is the first professional competition sponsored by Jonathan Lee’s Leecon Construction Incorporation. The total purse for the 2004 Utopia Open was $1,450 (1^st - $1,000, 2^nd - $250, 3^rd - $100, $4^th - $100), which rivaled some of the more established tournaments like the 2004 Mayor’s Cup ($700) and the 2004 USHA Nationals ($1,500). The next tournament sponsored by this company will be held in the spring of 2005 with a total purse of $3,500 (1^st - $2,000, 2^nd - $1,000, 3^rd - $250, $4^th - $250). Leecon Construction Incorporation is looking forward for your participation in the future to make this tournament the most prestigious on the small-ball tour.

Next Pro Tour Stop:

Marty O’Malley Classic - Bailey Avenue, Bronx, NY

September 18, 2004 - Pro Open Singles

Note: Satish Jagnandan will be attempting to win his sixth consecutive open singles title at Bailey Avenue.

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