Kane Waselenchuk facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Kane Waselenchuk

Waselenchuk at 2014 US Open Racquetball Championships
Personal information
Nationality	Canadian
Born	(1981-11-09) November 9, 1981 (age 43) Edmonton, Alberta
Residence	Austin, Texas
Height	5'10"
Weight	190
Sport
Country	USA
Sport	Racquetball
Turned pro	2000
Coached by	Jim Winterton
Achievements and titles
National finals	1st Singles 1999–2001, 1st Doubles 2001
Highest world ranking	1 2004–2006, 2009–2017, 2019
Medal record Men's Racquetball Representing  Canada World Championships Bronze 2002 Puerto Rico Singles Gold 2002 Puerto Rico Team Gold 2000 Mexico Team Bronze 1998 Cochabamba Doubles Pan American Championships Gold 2002 Cochabamba Singles Silver 2001 San Pedro Sula Singles Silver 1999 Rosarito Doubles

Kane Waselenchuk (born November 9, 1981) is a professional racquetball player from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Racquetball is a fast-paced sport played indoors. Players use a racquet to hit a hollow rubber ball against walls. Kane is known for being left-handed and has been a top player for many years. He finished the 2018–19 season as the number one player on the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) for a record 13th time. He once had an amazing streak of 134 matches without a loss. This streak lasted for over three years!

Kane's Amazing Career

Kane Waselenchuk has won more IRT tournaments than anyone else. He has won 118 tournaments through the 2019 US Open. This is much more than the second-place player, Cliff Swain, who won 71. What's even more impressive is that Kane won these 118 tournaments in only 172 tries. This means he won almost 69% of the tournaments he played in!

Winning the US Open

The US Open Racquetball Championships is the biggest event in professional racquetball. Kane Waselenchuk has won this important tournament 15 times. This is more than any other player. The next closest player, Sudsy Monchik, only won four US Open titles. Kane won the US Open from 2003 to 2005 and then again from 2008 to 2019.

Unbeaten Streaks

Kane was undefeated in matches he finished between January 2009 and September 2013. His only losses during this time were because he had to stop playing due to injuries. This incredible streak ended when Jose Rojas beat him in a semi-final match. This happened at the first IRT tournament of the 2013–14 season.

Early Years (2000–2003)

Kane played in his first tournament in April 2000 when he was 18. He reached the quarter-finals. In October, he played in his first US Open. He surprised many by beating the defending champion, Jason Mannino.

Kane won his first IRT tournament in October 2001. He was almost 20 years old. He beat John Ellis in the final match in Chicago. He finished his first full season ranked number 4 on the IRT. By 2002–03, he was ranked number 2. He won 3 of the 5 final matches he played that season.

Becoming Number One (2003–2006)

Kane started to dominate the IRT in the 2003–04 season. He won 6 of 13 events, including his first US Open title. He became the number one IRT player for the first time.

In 2004–05, Kane continued to be the best. He won 8 of the 12 tournaments he entered. This included his second US Open title. In that US Open final, he barely let his opponent, Cliff Swain, score any points. He won 11–1, 11–3, 11–0. The "0" score was the first time a player had held an opponent scoreless in a US Open final. Kane ended the season as the number one player again.

In 2005–06, Kane won 4 of 10 main events. He also won his third straight US Open title. He beat Swain again in the final. He finished the season as the number one player for the third time.

Years of Dominance (2008–2018)

In 2008–09, Kane had an amazing record of 49 wins and only 1 loss. He won his fourth US Open title. He finished as the number one IRT player for the fourth time.

Kane won 9 of the 10 IRT events in the 2009–10 season. He won 102 games and lost only 3. He did not even play a tie-breaking 5th game in any match. In October, he won his 5th US Open title. This set a new record for most US Open titles by a man. He did not lose a single game while winning this title.

In 2010–11, Kane won 12 IRT events. This included his 6th US Open victory. He played Álvaro Beltrán in that final. Beltran won the first game, which was the first time Kane had lost a game in a US Open final.

Kane won nine tournaments in both the 2011–12 and 2012–13 seasons. These wins included his 7th and 8th US Open titles. His only loss in 2012–13 was due to an injury. He hurt his knee in a final match and had to stop playing.

In the 2013–14 season, Kane won eight of the nine IRT tournaments he entered. He then won his 9th US Open. This set the record for career IRT tournament wins. He was injured during this win and missed the next two events. When he returned, he won seven tournaments in a row.

In 2014–15, Kane missed some events due to health issues. He came back but had to stop playing in one match. Because of this, he was ranked number 2 for part of the season. But by winning the last event, he became number 1 again. This was his 10th season finishing as the top player.

He won 10 of 14 major events in the 2015–16 season. He finished as number 1 for his 11th time. His record was 41 wins and 3 losses. Two of these losses were due to him stopping playing because of injury.

In the 2016–17 season, Kane won 7 of 9 events. He was undefeated with 29 wins and 0 losses. He secured his 12th pro title. Even more amazing, he did not lose a single game this season! He finished the year with 85 wins and 0 losses in games played. This was part of a streak where he won 113 games in a row.

He started the 2017–18 season very strong. He won the first four events, including his 13th US Open title. He then got a knee injury in January 2018. This injury caused him to miss most of the second half of the season. He returned for the final event but could not get enough points to stay number 1. He still won that final event, beating Rocky Carson. He finished the season with 24 wins and 2 losses. Both losses were due to injuries.

Taking a Break

After winning the final title of 2018, Kane said he was "90% sure" he would retire. He mentioned he wasn't enjoying playing as much as he used to. He said he might just play in the US Open sometimes. He later explained that his decision was not because of his injury or travel. In an interview in August 2018, Kane said he was not sure about playing full-time again.

Playing for Canada

Kane has played for Canada eight times in international competitions. These include the World Championships and Pan American Championships. He also played in the 1999 Pan American Games.

• He won a gold medal in singles at the 2002 Pan American Championships.
• He won two silver medals at the Pan American Championships. One was in singles in 2001, and one was in doubles in 1999.
• He won two bronze medals at the World Championships. One was in singles in 2002, and one was in doubles in 1998.

Kane also won the Canadian Championship three years in a row, from 1999 to 2001. He won the doubles title in 2001 with Brian Istace.

Outdoor Racquetball

Kane has also tried playing outdoor racquetball. In October 2020, he teamed up with Ben Croft. They reached the finals of a big tournament in Las Vegas. They lost to a very strong team, Daniel De La Rosa and Alvaro Beltran.

Later, in 2023, Kane played in the Outdoor Nationals in Huntington Beach, California. This time he played with Alvaro Beltran. Many people thought they were the best doubles team ever. But they lost in the quarter-finals to Micah Rich and Jason Geis. These two were the reigning outdoor national champions.

Personal Life

Kane Waselenchuk lives in Austin, Texas. He is supported by several companies, including Onnit, ProKennex, Nike, and Gemini.

See also

• List of racquetball players