Rodrigo Montoya rises to No. 2 with spectacular racquetball style

Rodrigo Montoya finished 2024 at a career-high No. 2, and the International Racquetball Tour profile built around him explains why that ranking carried weight beyond one line on a standings page: the pride of Chihuahua, Mexico brought elite results, fierce passion and some of the sport’s most spectacular diving shots to the men’s pro game.

The IRT, which describes itself as the global governing body of Men’s Professional Racquetball, framed Montoya as more than a points collector. A year-end No. 2 finish meant he stayed near the top of the tour across an entire season, not just through one hot run, and that put him squarely in the championship conversation. The profile’s emphasis on his passion on and off the court and on his remarkable retrievals fits the way modern racquetball rewards athletic creativity as much as power and consistency.

Montoya’s results backed up that image. In a 2024 tournament, an IRT post said he edged Jhonatan Flores 15-12, 15-14 to advance to the semifinals. Another tour post said Montoya beat Lalo Portillo to reach the same round. Those tight wins matter because the late rounds often decide where the tour’s power sits, and Montoya kept pushing into that space against familiar international opposition.

The tour continued to spotlight him beyond the scoreline. A July 15 player feature put Montoya front and center, and a Pro Racquetball Stats season recap posted Jan. 1, 2025, included him in its 2024 top-10 discussion. That kind of repeated visibility shows how a Mexican star can shape the men’s professional game not only by winning matches, but by becoming a player the tour repeatedly presents as one of its marquee names.

Montoya’s reach extended into doubles as well. An International Racquetball Federation men’s open doubles rankings PDF published in November 2024 listed Montoya among the ranked players, adding another layer to his profile in the international game. For Mexico, and for the IRT’s competitive balance, that matters: Montoya represents a player who can contend in singles, remain relevant in doubles and turn a highlight shot into a signature.