2026 Virginia Commonwealth Games Racquetball Championships: A Weekend Recap

The 2026 Virginia Commonwealth Games Racquetball Championships wrapped up this weekend at Courtside West in Richmond, marking the first time this event has been held in the city. Over three days, players from Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, and New York competed across 10 divisions, and the tournament ran 74 matches on just two courts, finishing on or near schedule for nearly the entire weekend.

The Champions

• Men's Open Singles: Trevor Melton def. Christopher Ruano

• Men's Elite Singles: Brandon Bellotti def. John Baird Jr

• Men's A Singles: Pranoop Dsouza def. Marco Dermody

• Men's C Singles: Enrique Chumbes def. Julio Marte

• Women's Singles: Maggie Priest def. Christine Torres

• Queen of the Court: Amie Brewer def. Christine Torres

• Men's Open/Elite Doubles: Matthew Cook / Trevor Melton def. Jaime Torres / John Baird Jr

• Men's A Doubles: Rodney Conner / Roddy Hogg def. Pranoop Dsouza / Marco Dermody

• B/C Doubles: Craig Trump / Larry Dahn def. Nathaniel Cook / Isabel Priest

• Mixed Doubles: Jhasmine Gálvez / Sergio Sanz def. Christine Torres / Jaime Torres
  

Consolation Champions: Dan Shealey (A Singles), Satish Venkataraman / Robert Freed (A Doubles), Thomas Jancuska (Elite Singles), Christopher Ruano / Brandon Bellotti (Open/Elite Doubles), Taylor Shaw (Women's Singles)

The Story of the Weekend

If one player defined this tournament, it was Christine Torres, who won Silver in three separate divisions: Women's Singles, Queen of the Court, and Mixed Doubles. Coming up just short in all three is its own kind of remarkable, a testament to how much racquetball one competitor can play in a single weekend.

Right behind her was Christopher Ruano, whose weekend told an even better story. Ruano fell in the Open Singles final to eventual champion Trevor Melton, then turned around and won the Open/Elite Doubles Consolation alongside Brandon Bellotti, who also captured the Elite Singles title outright. Two finals, two very different outcomes, and a reminder of why this sport rewards showing back up.

A New Format, Built for Players

Running a full tournament on two courts is a real scheduling challenge, and this year CVRA tried something new to meet it: a two-speed scoring system. Early rounds and round robin matches were played as single games to 15, while finals and third-place matches were played best two out of three to 11. Men's Open Singles, the only division without a consolation bracket, played every round best of three, since a single loss there ended a player's whole weekend in that draw.

The goal was simple: keep players from sitting around the club all day waiting between matches, while still giving championship matches the weight of a full contest. It worked. The tournament stayed on schedule almost the entire weekend, and player feedback on the format will directly shape how future CVRA events are run. If you competed this weekend, we want to hear from you, whether that is a text, a call, an email, or an anonymous comment on our Facebook page. Nothing is off limits.

Introducing the Formula Flow Blue Ball

This tournament also marked the first sanctioned use of the Formula Flow Blue ball in Virginia. Tournament directors were impressed with its playability and how visible it was on court throughout the weekend. Durability held up well too: only one ball was broken across the entire event. As with the format, we want to know what players thought. Your feedback will help guide whether this becomes a regular fixture at future CVRA tournaments.

Thank You

None of this happens without the players who competed, the referees who kept matches moving, the volunteers who ran the desk, and the families who came out to support. A huge thank you to VAS for supplying snacks and drinks that kept us fueled and hydrated all weekend. Thank you to everyone who made this weekend possible.

Watch for more photos and highlights on our Facebook page, and stay tuned for details on our next event.