Etxaniz on the Semi-Finalists: Insights & Analysis

Start with the newbie in these matters: Javier Zabala. “It’s very good,” he begins analyzing. «Until now, more qualities had been seen in pairs and individuals in the entire fronton than in the four and a half because it was difficult for him to subtract and play, but he has already shown in the Navarrese four and a half that he has qualities and that he can play there. He played in the final, lost it, but he had it in his hands. He could have won and that was good for him to believe it,” he points out. «This year, after the summer, he couldn’t train as much as he wanted because of his hands, but things have been seen. He has handled the games he has played well, although in the end they have been a bit complicated for him. Even so, there have been moments in which he has dominated, he has led the pace of the game and he has shown many qualities for the four and a half.

It is precisely this management of the end of the game that has been most blamed on the Riojan. Etxaniz is convinced that those doubts he expresses when closing out the games “is a psychological issue because physically he endures the games very well. He has dominated the three he has played. He lost in Lekunberri, but he easily could have won well. In Tolosa it was difficult for him at the end, but in many moments he took the initiative and gave the impression that he should have won easier. It is true that he is having a hard time closing out the games, it also happened against Darío.

Peio Etxeberria is more seasoned in these battles. This is their fifth consecutive appearance in a semifinal. Bigger words. «Peio arrives well at Cuatro y Medio. The first game is not easy to play and against Jaka he was not at his level. However, in the next two it has been seen that it is very good. We are talking about a specialist because of his way of playing and the stroke he has. The four and a half is a modality that works very well,” he says.

“Looking at the precedents, although what was said before is not valid, it has been seen that Peio is a very tough and very dangerous rival for Jokin,” warns the man from Bergara. “Jokin usually comes out as the favorite, but he has been at this for a while and knows that he is going to have a difficult time and that he is going to have to play a lot if he wants to beat a pelota player like Peio.”

Ezkurdia is the most veteran in these matters. Many might have thought that his 34 years could take its toll on him, but the man from Arbizu is still in the gap and is once again competing for what would be his fourth txapela in the limited. «In the last championships it had cost him a little, but normally he is there. In those years, because of the pressure he felt that didn’t let him enjoy himself, he couldn’t give his all. Now, however, he is enjoying himself more on the court. We are talking about a specialist who has three txapelas. Years go by and the fight is still there, which is not easy because young people come strong. But he is excited and eager. “He is training well and comes prepared.”

Etxaniz remembers that Ezkurdia’s path has not been easy in this Four and a Half. «In the first match he faced Elordi, who was in a great moment, and he was able to get ahead despite having a disadvantage. Getting that game was very good for him, it helped him a lot for his head and to believe it. Then he suffered against Larrazabal, he played well against Jaka and although he was not at his level against Peio, he reaches this semifinal well.

Little new can be said about Altuna III. In the case of the Amezketa champion, the doubts are more physical than game-related. «It is as it is. He failed because he is not completely well and he wanted to reach the semifinals as best as possible,” he explains. «He is going to try to be as good as possible, but it is true that although he has looked very good in the game, he has had his problems. “He is trying to solve them and if he arrives at the game feeling well physically, we know the quality he has and the ball player he is.”

A “level” semi-finals

Having analyzed the four semi-finalists individually, it is time to break down the keys to the two semi-finals.

The first will be the one that faces Ezkurdia and Zabala on Saturday at the Ogueta. «It is a very close semi-final because I see Javier doing well. Being in the semi-finals has given him morale, he is a pelota player who puts a lot of rhythm and Ogueta is a demanding fronton. I think that if he manages to set the pace he usually does in his games, it won’t be easy for Joseba and that’s where the fight will be. Who sets the pace, who gives fewer gifts… I foresee a tough fight. “It’s very level.”

On Sunday, at the Atano III, it will be the turn of Altuna III and Peio Etxeberria, a duel that has occurred up to six times in both the Cuatro y Medio and the San Fermín Tournament and which results in a balance of three victories for each one. «The image that Altuna has given has been good. He started with doubts in Bilbao and finished well and against Bakaikoa he was very good. Now it’s a different game, it has a great opponent in front of it, but Altuna, for everything, will always come out more or less a favorite,” says Etxaniz. «But they are 3-3, Peio already knows what it is to beat Altuna and they have always been tough games. They both defend a lot, they know how to finish the goal and I think a lot will depend on being good that day. “There are quite a few factors and if you fail in any of them it can cost you the game.”

«We saw details in Rekalde and he has qualities. “He has more than fulfilled”

In the Cuatro y Medio Serie B Aspe has not achieved full success, but it has two pelota players: Xabier Rekalde and Ander Murua, each of them in a semifinal. Dima’s man will play against another newcomer to professionalism such as Unai Amiano from Irunda, while the player from Ataundarra has a difficult time facing Beñat Senar, the favorite.

Rekalde is being one of the sensations of this championship. Professional for just over a month, the Biscayan is confirming the expectations that Aspe had placed in him. «Xabi has been very good. In amateurs he had already done good things in the four and a half. Training with us, we saw details. He has qualities but he also has things to learn. He has accomplished more than enough in this championship, but I imagine that he is feeling well, he is excited and will want to win. He also plays at home against a pelota player in the same situation. It will be a tense match and we will see who manages that best. “We can see a great match or a nervous match between two newcomers because being in a semifinal is something new for them.”

Baiko decided yesterday to change the Senar-Murua, which was also going to be played on Friday in Dima, to Monday at the Beotibar in Tolosa. Murua has a difficult time but Etxaniz does not lose hope. «In the last victory I liked how he played. Until then he had not felt at ease. They have to continue working and improving, but they are in the semifinals after overcoming a very difficult group. He is looking forward to it, although he has Senar in front of him, the top favourite, a pelota player who has a lot of game, who has risen a lot, who is progressing and who is a specialist. But hey, I hope he fights and why not? Agirre was also a favorite. “In a semi-final you have to play that day.”