The Guipuzcoan Jokin Altuna, current champion, starts as a favorite to conquer his third ‘txapela’ in the distance of Cuatro y Medio in the final that he will face on Sunday at the Frontón Bizkaia in Bilbao (5:00 p.m.) against Navarrese Unai laso, debutant in a decisive match of a great baseball championship.
The numbers support the favoritism for the chair of Altuna III. At 25 years old Amezketa’s faces his sixth final consecutive of the ‘caula’, a competition in which he has already added two titles (2017 and 2020), in addition to another two from the Manomanista (2018 and 2021) that make him one of the main figures of the last five years.
He comes to this duel after conceding a defeat in the league against Peio Etxeberria, beating Oinatz Bengoetxea in a heads-or-tails duel and eliminating the other great contender in the semifinals in what many considered to be an anticipated final. Joseba Ezkurdia.
In case of achieving victory, the striker of the Aspe company would equal Patxi Eugi, Juan Martínez de Irujo and Jorge Nagore in the record of the limited one.
Laso, meanwhile, will try to surprise in his first final after being one step behind in 2019.
The player from Bizkarreta-Gerendiain, 24 years old and with five years of professional experience, beat Jon Ander Peña in the round of 16 and, after falling in his first game of the quarter-finals against Ezkurdia, overcame the stage by defeating two stars, both champions of heads up, like Erik Jaka and Mikel Urrutikoetxea.
The Navarrese of the Baiko company, who has clearly gone from less to more in the tournament, won the ticket for the duel on Sunday by overwhelming 22-8 to Peio Etxeberria, until that moment the revelation of the championship.
In the selection of material held last Thursday in the Bilbao venue, Altuna III opted for two balls of 104.3 and 105.4 grams and Laso for another two of 104.1 and 104.6 grams.
This final of the Cuatro y Medio will be the second match of a festival that will begin at 5:00 p.m. with the companies match between Urrutikoetxea-Mariezkurrena and Elezkano II-Zabaleta and it is expected that the entrance will touch the full in the first game of these characteristics with full capacity after the pandemic.
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