Sunday, November 10, 2024, 8:37 p.m.
Unai Laso is the second finalist of the Cuatro y Medio, who will crown a Navarrese. The one from Bizkarreta-Gerendian knocked out the champion in his own fiefdom. Altuna III had never been measured at the Astelena fronton and this Sunday he raised his arms after a complete match in which his serve dislocated his rival. The Gipuzkoan’s ninth consecutive final will have to wait. The dominator of the specialty in recent editions collapsed after signing an almost seamless championship and showing that he was in a sweet moment, which gives more merit to the victory of the Baiko striker.
After a long year of convalescence due to hip surgery and a hard summer that served as filming, Laso is once again one step away from a txapela. He lost that of Manomanista in June against the Gipuzkoan, but after his performance in Eibar he has earned the right to dream. He perfectly managed the tension of a clash of these characteristics and will face Peio Etxeberria on the 24th at the Bizkaia fronton.
He squeezed his forehand perfectly on the first shot and placed the ball on the wall – he scored six points with the serve – and subtracted much better than his opponent, who did not get the ball into his hand well and did not do the damage he usually does. with the left hand. He was right when it came to stepping forward to look for the air ball, which managed to keep Altuna III away from the front, and he was aggressive and accurate in the shot.
Little shots
He found his opponent’s weak points, something that is not easy at all, by maintaining concentration and generating doubts because the player from Amezketa had a hard time crossing the ball with the initial shot, and in the melee he did not show the resolution of other occasions. The attacks that the Navarrese achieved gave him the respite he needed from the first stages and with them undermined the morale of the Colorado, who did not end up satisfied with the match he had.
The first serve belonged to the one dressed in blue, who took full advantage of the characteristics of a fast court. With a stroke of four he gave the first warning. The man from Aspe seemed like he could react after cutting the distance to two, but an error with his left foot made it easy for the Navarrese to continue growing when he realized that Altuna III was not fine. He maintained his maturation work to reach the first mandatory break with a six-point advantage (6-12).
On the return to the field there were no changes in dynamics. The one from Baiko remained firm, while the champion without finding the stability he needed to gain momentum. The breaks he requested did not allow him to see the light either. It simply wasn’t his day, and against a fierce rival, stopping him was impossible. With the match very uphill (10-20), Altuna III achieved its only run of four goals, but at this point the material had lost its shine and Laso was still on fire. And he kept a cool head to make himself happy.
