Altuna III is proclaimed champion of the cage for the third time

The Guipuzcoan Jokin Altuna revalidated this Sunday at the Frontón Bizkaia in Bilbao the title of the Four and a half and achieved his third txapela in the bounded after prevailing in the final by 22-20 al navarro Unai laso, a debutant in grand finals who was huge and perhaps deserved more.

It was a long match, very even and disputed from power to power, with a Laso determined to fight the clear favoritism of Altuna despite the setbacks he suffered throughout the game. The first, look from behind 9-4 having started well.

In the end, after up to eleven draws, he won Altuna perhaps obtaining a greater prize than a game full of doubts deserved and without ever ending up being the huge ballplayer that dominates the distance. But Laso, who made many merits to reach 22, came out of the final strengthened.

With this, Altuna He has already added five txapelas in major championships. The other two were obtained in the Manomanista, the queen of the Ball specialty in which he is also the current champion.

Although he yielded the first goal with a serve foul, and then another that meant the 2-2, started better Laso that Altuna, which seemed misplaced in the early stages of the game.

But the Navarrese missed the opportunity to go 2-5 on the scoreboard, the Gipuzkoan made a goal that he did not expect and that calmed the champion. To the point that he became dominant and chained a 7-0 that gave him an advantage of five goals that began to decide the final (9-4).

Laso, in blue, I wasn’t playing bad, but Altuna He surpassed him in the rally. After a break, the one from Bizkarreta-Gerendiain reacted, not getting discouraged even seeing that his effort had no reward. A beautiful two walls and a failure to the rest colorado shortened distances (9-6).

And though Altuna chained another 0-2, the crash entered a more equal dynamic (11-6, 11-7, 12-7) which was accentuated with a 5-0 blue shot after two separate walls, two red faults to the rest and an unappealable blue finish (12-12).

But Laso he did not get there ahead because he rushed by not letting a ball hit that ended up being the 13-12 Colorado. However, the game had changed and the Navarrese did achieve the somersault two goals later after a two somewhat lucky walls and another final auction. (13-14).

In the give and take, Altuna returned a tremendous two walls to his rival, Laso pressed the champion until the failure and he finished the next goal with a precise left to the ‘txoko’ (15-15).

A wide shot, letting it fall, from Altuna and a bit long that it fell on the side of Laso they preceded another draw, to 16, and to a moment that was predicted key when the Navarrese complained of a pain in the left hand.

That injury was not fully confirmed the next time because Laso He hit him hard with his sore hand and went forward again (16-17). But a blue bug gave life to a Altuna that seemed less and that took advantage of the miscalculation of Laso to tie (17-17) and get ahead again with his serve (18-17).

Although doubts returned to the Gipuzkoan in a goal in which he did not take advantage of a rival stumble. Laso, more determined, he reached carton 19 first, but the ties continued to happen.

There the game stopped, apparently due to the failure of the public to carry the mask, forced by the pandemic.

It didn’t take him long to come back and, in a best-of-five match, the first fell to Altuna because Laso finished off the sheet, and the second for Laso after playing it the Guipuzcoan towards a side to which the ball did not go (20-20).

The third goal, heroic of the two balls, was for Altuna (21-20) after a crossed shot and the fourth, the last of the match, also for the champion because he could not Laso put a good ball that hit the left wall very close.

The score, both to both: 1-0, 1-1, 1-2, 2-2, 2-3, 2-4, 3-4, 4-4, 5-4, 6-4, 7-4, 8-4, 9-4, 9-5, 9-6, 10-6, 11-6, 11-7, 12-7, 12-8, 12-9, 12-10, 12-11, 12-12, 13-12, 13-13, 13-14, 14-14, 14-15, 15-15, 16-15, 16-16, 16-17, 17-17, 18-17, 18-18, 18-19, 19-19, 20-19, 20-20, 21-20, 22-20.