Sunday was the first full day of matches and it was another one of unpredictable weather. All the teams had to cope with changing wind directions and intermittent showers (or should I say downpours?) All teams have now played at least one game, so we’re starting to see how things might unfold. Let’s start with the mixed divisions.
Teams finding their feet in the masters mixed
A few teams are looking strong, with Snowbirds, SOS, and Members Only from the USA, along with Epoq from Canada, all winning both their games. The top two seeds, Slower and Descent, both from the US, only had one match today each. They both came away with convincing 15-1 wins against Halal and Distètics, respectively.
There were also some less expected results as 10th seed Heidees from Germany beat French number seven seed, PUC Ultimate, but then went on to lose to the 28th seed Long Donkeys. Meanwhile, Reading had a very close game with Members Only, in which they were ahead in the earlier stages of the game, leading by three of four points, but eventually the Americans caught up, and overtook them, to win 13-11.
Showdown between grand master North American clubs
Notably in the grand master mixed division, Happy Campers from Canada are looking strong, having won both their games today. Meanwhile the American team Southern Charm battled it out in a close match against Grey Owl from Canada, which was eventually won 13-12 by Southern Charm. Close match ups between the Canadians and Americans are expected to continue.
This division is dominated almost entirely with Canadian and American teams, with only one British and one German team. All teams have now played at least two games so we should soon start to see which of the North American clubs will come out on top.
Canadians upset the seeds in both masters open and grand master open
A notable result in the masters open today was the Canadian team Dead Circus beating one of the top teams from the USA, Pacemaker. The Americans launched a strong come back at the start of the second half, soon drawing equal at 9-9. But Pacemaker began to run away with it again towards then end, and the game finished 15-10.
Other masters open teams that are looking strong include Canadian teams Still and Woolly Mammoth.
Meanwhile, the Canadian grand master open team FIGJAM also upset the seedings today, coming out strong and beating the top seeds from the US, Johnny Walker, 15-13. FIGJAM also bagled SG Uncles, putting them in a strong position in their pool. Other teams that are looking strong in the grand master open division include US teams Surly GM and Shadows.
In the great grand master open (another division almost entirely made up of teams from the USA and Canada) the French, British and German teams are yet to challenge any of the top seeds. Surly GGM, Relics, Recycled and TOAST all remain undefeated so far.
Can anyone upset the USA women?
Finally, in the women’s division, games were mostly played on the TUS campus today. Five of the 18 teams in this division remain undefeated: Reboot Squad (USA), Molly Grey (USA), Ripe (USA), StellO (CAN) and lowercase (CAN). Despite being seeded second, Molly Grey had to fight hard for their wins today, beating PUMAS 12-10 and Soar! *soar only 14-13.
So far, the biggest threats to the US dominance are looking to come from either StellO from Canada or the British team LMU, who lost a close game to Soar! *soar but comfortably beat jinx.
Keep your eye out for more updates to come and make sure to check out Ulti.tv for the livestreamed games!