It has been difficult for him to get there, but he is already at the top. The Manomanista has a new name on his record. Erik Jaka registered him this Sunday at the Bizkaia fronton in the first final without an audience in history. It was the champion himself who had to put on the txapela and collect the trophy without applause, but the title has equal value. For Lizartza’s even more for all he had to fight to get to the top of the podium in the biggest tournament. He has seen his younger teammates take the lead, but he has been patient enough to believe in his possibilities and, through work, achieve the maximum.
Jaka is on the cusp in his first attempt after beating Altuna III. In a brilliant match, the one who wore red showed that he knows how to take advantage of his opportunities. You could see him coming and it was difficult for him to reach the summit, but once there he showed that he knows how to handle extreme situations to perfection and pull all his resources even if he had his best friend and one of the specialists in hand in hand. He needed a magical day and he had it. The absence of fans in a soulless stands could also have an influence on how to cope with the match, but he was very clear from the beginning what he had to do so that his rival was not comfortable and he executed it. What’s more, from the 18th point on, his legs began to show overload alarm symptoms, but he also managed to deal with the pressure of seeing Amezketa’s approaching in the light.
Altuna III ended up broken. Her tears in the press room said it all. Never after a defeat had he been so hurt with himself. The one who wore blue did not recognize himself on the court. It was not the one on other occasions. It lacked spark and its creativity flowed by dropper. Jaka’s strategy meant that he was not comfortable at any time, although he held on to the shock for the quality it treasures.
However, the ballast he had to haul was too heavy. It was quite thick in the auction, it was difficult for him to take the initiative when he had the opportunity because Jaka’s air game was very effective and he spent a long time in frame four. He knew his opponent too much and soon he could see that Lizartza’s legs were fast and his defense was going to be fierce. As a consequence, the requirement when adjusting the auction was considerably higher. He changed tack and looked for the long game, but it wasn’t enough either.
Great starter
Taking the initiative on the scoreboard also provided a breath of fresh air for the Colorado. A great start in which he reflected the good feelings he had in the auction served to confirm that he was on the right track. He crossed the serve well and made options to finish the goal because he did not hit the same ball and kept Altuna III in tension. He avoided having the center of the court with wide openings, and the sotamano of the blue did not have prominence either.
A volley error allowed Altuna III to start serving, but he couldn’t capitalize on his opening play as he would have liked because Jaka covered all the gaps well. The brightness in the blow of one and the other was also different. The fact of not having a bye week and the different tute that occurred in the semifinals also influenced his recovery.
At the halfway point of the contest, Lizartza’s man had four goals ahead (11-7), but the sensations transmitted by one and the other were different. Amezketa had a hard time commanding, while for his opponent everything was less complicated. In fact, after the first mandatory break, he added four more consecutive goals, two falling to the ground to lift and place the ball, in which it was found that he was not willing to give an iota.
Amezketa’s was sustained thanks to the fact that he managed to chain small strokes after moments of brilliance and due to a slump by Jaka who made several concessions in the form of errors that allowed the one in blue to place three (17-14). But Jaka didn’t flinch. A bad hit that ended in both allowed him to recover the serve and climb up to the cardboard 21.
By then his physical problems were evident, but he did not detract. He did not run to a two-sided high Altuna III and he recovered the serve and took a lot out of him. Jaka’s supports were no longer good. The one of Amezketa came up and got to be placed to one (21-20). His rival asked for a break and played it. A stop at the ‘txoko’ led him to glory.
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