Samuel Murray (born June 4, 1993) is a Canadian racquetball player. He is the current International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Champion in Men's Doubles, winning the title with Coby Iwaasa in 2024.[1][2] Previously, Murray was the 2022 Pan American Champion in Men's Doubles (with Iwaasa).[3] He has won twice on the International Racquetball Tour, and is only the second Canadian to win on the IRT (after Kane Waselenchuk), and been ranked as high as #3.[4] He is the current Canadian Champion in Men's Singles, winning the title for a sixth time in 2024.
Murray competed at the Canadian Junior National Championships on several occasions, winning six championships: three in singles and three in doubles.[5] In Boys' Singles, he won U12 in 2006,[6] U14 in 2008,[7] and U16 in 2010.[8] In Boys' Doubles, he won U14 with Pedro Castro in 2006,[9] and they won U16 in 2008.[10] In 2012, Murray and Sebastian Juteau won Boys' U18 Doubles.[11]
2012–2015 – Career begins
Murray played in the 2nd Racquetball Canada National Team Selection Event of the 2010–11 season, as it was in Brossard, Québec – his home province. Seeded 16th, he lost to 17th seed Nathaniel Husulak in the Round of 32, 7–15, 15–8, 11–6.[12]
Murray played Men's Doubles with Jean-Philippe Morin in the 2012 Canadian Championships, and they lost in the Round of 16 to Francis Guillemette and Corey Osborne, 15–6, 15–6.[13] In Men's Singles, Murray lost to Hugo Laprise due to an injury.[14]
Murray played in the 2nd Racquetball Canada National Team Selection Event of the 2012–13 season in February 2013 in Brossard, Québec, where he reached the quarterfinals and lost to Coby Iwaasa, 15–13, 16–14.[15]
Murray played Men's Doubles with his older brother Tommy in the 2013 Canadian Championships in Langley, British Columbia, where they finished 4th. After winning the quarterfinals against another brother team of James Landeryou and Tim Landeryou, 15–7, 15–6, they lost in the semi-finals to Mike Green and Coby Iwaasa, 15–3, 15–6. They then lost the 3rd place match to Pedro Castro and Eric Desrochers, 15–4, 15–8.[16] In Men's Singles that year, Murray lost to Castro in the Round of 16, 15–13, 15–9.[17]
In November 2013, Murray finished 4th at the 1st National Team Selection Event of the 2013–14 season in Winnipeg, where he reached the semi-finals by defeating Tim Landeryou in the quarterfinals, 9–15, 15–12, 11–9, but lost to Vincent Gagnon, 7–15, 15–11, 11–5. In the 3rd place match, he lost to Coby Iwaasa, 15–10, 15–8.[18] In the 2nd National Team Selection Event of that season, he also played Landeryou in the quarters, but lost, 15–10, 15–7, in Brossard, Québec in January 2014.[19]
The 2014 Canadian National Championships were also in Brossard, and Murray became a Canadian Champion for the first time, as he won Men's Doubles with Vincent Gagnon. They defeated Pedro Castro and Tim Landeryou in the final, 15–12, 15–2. In the semis, they beat Francis Guillemette and Corey Osborne, 15–8, 15–10.[20] Murray also had his best showing in Men's Singles, as he finished 4th in Men's Singles. He lost in the semi-finals to Tim Landeryou, 15–12, 15–12, and then lost the 3rd place match to Coby Iwaasa, 13–15, 15–6, 11–8.[21]
Murray qualified to play on Team Canada for the first time for the 2014 World Championships, which were in June 2014 in Burlington, Ontario, where he played Men's Singles. He lost in the Round of 32 to Guatemalan Edwin Galicia, 15–12, 15–12. That summer Murray played for Canada at the 2014 Pan American Sports Festival in Guadalajara, Mexico, where he lost in the Round of 16 to team-mate Coby Iwaasa, 15–9, 10–15, 11–3.[22]
In November 2014, Murray was a quarterfinalist at the 1st National Team Selection Event of the 2014–15 season in Kitchener, Ontario, where he lost to Coby Iwaasa, 15–9, 15–10.[23] He was also a quarterfinalist at the 2nd Selection Event that season in Brossard, Québec, where he lost to Pedro Castro, 15–13, 11–15, 12–10.[24]
Murray played at the Pan American Championships for the first time in March 2015 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He lost in the Round of 16 to Daniel de la Rosa of Mexico, 15–14, 15–9.[22] It was his 3rd Team Canada appearance.
Murray reached the finals of Men's Singles at the Canadian Championships for the 1st time in 2015 in Burnaby, British Columbia, where he lost to Coby Iwaasa, 15–10, 12–15, 11–7. Murray defeated Vincent Gagnon in the semi-finals, 15–10, 15–10.[25] Murray and Gagnon played doubles together, but they lost in the semi-finals to Iwaasa and Mike Green, 15–9, 9–15, 11–4.[26]
2015–2020 – Career breakthrough
The 2015–16 season saw Murray break through to win his first National Team Selection Event in November 2015, in Brossard, Québec, where he beat Mike Green in the final, 15–10, 15–13. He defeated Tim Landeryou to reach the final, 15–7, 15–12.[27] In the 2nd Selection Event that season, he lost a tie-breaker to Landeryou in the semi-finals, 10–15, 15–12, 11–9. But he did win the 3rd place match against Pedro Castro, 15–6, 15–1.[28]
Murray played at the 2016 Pan American Championships in San Luis Potosí, Mexico. He reached the quarterfinals with a win over Alexander Pirie of Costa Rica, 15–0, 15–8, but lost in the quarters to the USA's Jake Bredenbeck, 15–1, 13–15, 11–8.[22] It was his 4th Team Canada appearance.
At the 2016 Canadian Championships, Murray was seeded 3rd in Men's Singles, but was upset in the Round of 16 by Eric Desrochers, 15–12, 4–15, 11–8.[29] However, he did win Men's Doubles with Pedro Castro. They defeated Nicolas Bousquet and Tommy Murray, 15–8, 15–1, in the final, as well as beating Desrochers and Tim Landeryou in the semi-finals, 15–12, 15–12.[30] Their win was Murray's 2nd Canadian Championship.
Murray won the 1st National Team Selection event of the 2016–17 season in Valleyfield, Québec, where he defeated James Landeryou, 15–4, 15–4, in the final.[31] In the semi-finals, Murray beat Landeryou's older brother Tim, 15–9, 15–13.[32] At the 2nd selection event that season in Calgary, Murray defeated Tim Landeryou to reach the final, but lost to Mike Green, 15–12, 15–11.[33]
Murray began to play on the International Racquetball Tour full time in the 2016–17 season. He played in eight tournaments that season. Murray's best finish was a semi-final in Dayton, Ohio, where he beat Sebastian Franco in the Round of 16, 9–11, 11–5, 11–4, 10–12, 11–6, and Jose Rojas in the quarterfinals, 11–4, 11–6, 3–11, 11–4, before losing in the semis to Rocky Carson, 10–12, 11–0. 11–9, 14–12. Overall, Murray finished 14th in the rankings that season.[4]
Murray was runner up in Men's Singles at the 2017 Canadian Championships, losing to Mike Green in a tie-breaker, 12–15, 15–12, 12–10.[34] In Men's Doubles that year, Murray and Pedro Castro came 3rd, as they lost to Green and Trevor Webb in the semi-finals, 15–13, 4–15, 11–5, but beat Lee Connell and Nathaniel Husulak, 15–9, 16–14.[35]
Murray won the 1st National Team Selection event of the 2017–18 season, as he defeated Tim Landeryou, 15–3, 15–8, in the final.[36] In the semi-finals, Murray beat Coby Iwaasa, 15–11, 15–8.[37] Murray and Landeryou also met in the final of the 2nd National Team Selection Event that season with the same result: a win for Murray, 15–13, 15–3. Murray also beat Iwaasa in the semi-finals, 15–2, 15–5.[38]
At the 2018 Pan American Championships in Temuco, Chile, Murray played Men's Doubles with Nicolas Bousquet. They defeated Thomas Carter and David Horn of the US in the quarterfinals, 15–10, 15–4,[39] and then lost to Álvaro Beltrán and Rodrigo Montoya, 15–3, 15–13. So, Murray and Bousquet came home with bronze medals.
Murray won Men's Singles at the Canadian Championships for the first time in 2018 in Winnipeg,[40] where he defeated Iwaasa in the final, 15–7, 10–15, 11–2.[41] He reached the final by defeating Pedro Castro in the semi-finals, 15–0, 15–2. Murray and Iwaasa played together in Men's Doubles, and captured the title by defeating Nicolas Bousquet and Tommy Murray in the final, 15–13, 10–15, 11–6. They beat the brother team of James Landeryou and Tim Landeryou in the semi-finals, 15–13, 15–10.[42]
Once again, Murray was selected to represent Canada at Worlds in San José, Costa Rica. He played both Men's Singles and Men's doubles with Tim Landeryou. In singles, he defeated Jose Daniel Ugalde of Ecuador, 15–10, 15–3, in the Round of 16, but lost to the USA's Charlie Pratt in the quarterfinals, 15–2, 15–12. But in doubles, Murray and Landeryou reached the podium. They beat Argentines Fernando Kurzbard and Shai Manzuri, 15–1, 15–7, in the quarterfinals, but lost Rocky Carson and Sudsy Monchik of the US in the semi-finals, 15–12, 15–2.
In the 2018–19 season, Murray won the 1st National Team Selection Event in Valleyfield, Québec, where he beat Coby Iwaasa, 9–15, 15–6, 11–6.[43] He also defeated Iwaasa in the 2nd National Team Selection Event in Grande Prairie, Alberta, 15–10, 15–10. He defeated Pedro Castro in the semi-finals, 15–6, 15–9.[44]
Murray began the 2018–19 IRT season strongly, as he made his first final at the first event of the season – the 2018 MWRA Season Opener IRT Pro/Am in Laurel, Maryland,[45] where he beat Alejandro Landa in the semi-finals, 15–8, 9–15, 11–7, but then lost to Rocky Carson in the final, 15–7, 15–12. Also in that season, Murray was a quarterfinalist four times and finished 2018–19 ranked 7th: a career high.[4]
The second Racquetball Canada National Team Selection event of 2018–19 was in Grande Prairie, Alberta, where Murray finished on top by defeating Coby Iwaasa, 15–10, 15–10, in the final.[46] He beat Pedro Castro in the semi-finals, 15–6, 15–9.
Murray was a member of Team Canada for the 2019 Pan American Racquetball Championships in Barranquilla, Colombia, where he reached an international final for the first time. Murray and Coby Iwaasa were finalists in Men's Doubles. They beat Costa Ricans Andres Acuña and Felipe Camacho in the semi-finals, 8–15, 15–1, 11–3, but lost to Bolivians Roland Keller and Conrrado Moscoso, 2–15, 15–9, 11–2, in the final.
Murray successfully defended his Men's Singles title at the Canadian Championships, winning Men's Open for a second time in 2019 in Langley, British Columbia, where he defeated Iwaasa in the final, 15–3, 15–6.[47] He beat Trevor Webb in the semi-finals, 15–3, 15–2.[48] Murray also captured the Men's Doubles title, and he did so with his brother Tommy Murray.[49] They beat another brother team in the final – James Landeryou and Tim Landeryou – 17–15, 10–15, 11–1.[50]
For the first time in his career, Murray played in the Pan American Games. He competed in Lima, Peru, where he played in Men's Singles, Men's Doubles, and the Men's Team event. Murray was a quarterfinalist in all three. In Men's singles, as he lost to eventual gold medalist Rodrigo Montoya of Mexico, 15–7, 15–10.[51] He played Men's doubles with Coby Iwaasa, and as in singles, Murray and Iwaasa were quarterfinalists, losing to Mexicans Montoya and Javier Mar, 15–5, 15–6. Murray and Iwaasa were also quarterfinalists in the Men's Team event, as they lost to Colombia, who went on to take silver.
In the 2019–20 season, Murray won both National Team Selection Events. The first was held in Sherwood Park, Alberta, where he defeated Coby Iwaasa in the final, 15–5, 15–8.[52] He also beat Iwaasa in the final of the second event in Winnipeg, although that match went to a tie-breaker with Murray coming out on top, 8–15, 15–7, 11–1.[53]
2021–present – Winning on tour and on Team Canada
Murray won the first IRT event of the 2020–21 season, the Suivant Consulting Pro-Am in Lilburn, Georgia in January 2021,[54] when he defeated Conrrado Moscoso, 15–7, 8–15, 11–9, to become just the 2nd Canadian (after Kane Waselenchuk) to win a Tier 1 or Grand Slam IRT event. En route to the title, Murray beat Javier Mar in the Round of 16, Daniel de la Rosa in the quarterfinals, and Alejandro Landa in the semi-finals.[55]
He won his 4th Canadian Men's Singles Championship and 6th Canadian Men's Doubles Championship in Brossard, Québec in May, 2022.[59] Murray beat Coby Iwaasa in the Men's Singles final, 15–9, 15–8, 15–8, and Lee Connell in the semi-finals, 15–12, 15–5, 15–5. Murray played doubles with his brother Tommy, and they defeated Iwaasa and Kurtis Cullen in the final, 12–15, 15–14, 15–6, 15–9.[60] Murray's 10 Canadian titles tie him for sixth most all time with Mike Ceresia and Sherman Greenfeld.
He won his 5th Canadian Men's Singles Championship at the 2023 Racquetball Canada National Championships in Winnipeg, Manitoba,[63] where he beat Coby Iwaasa in the Men's Singles final, 11–4, 12–10, 11–3, and Kurtis Cullen in the semi-finals, 11-5, 11–4, 11–6. Murray played doubles with his brother Tommy, and they were the three time defending champions, but lost to Iwaasa and Cullen in the final, 12–10, 11–9, 11–4.[64] Murray's 11 Canadian titles tie him for fifth most all time with Wayne Bowes.[59]
Murray was part of Team Canada at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile.[65] He played singles, doubles, mixed doubles and the men's team event. Murray earned two silver medals in Santiago. In Men's Doubles, he and Coby Iwaasa defeated the Independent Athletes team of Edwin Galicia and Juan José Salvatierra, 11-9, 8-11, 11-7, 8-11, 11-7,[66] in the semi-finals, and then in the final lost to Mexicans Javier Mar and Rodrigo Montoya, 6-11, 11-7, 12-10, 12-10.[67] Murray and Iwaasa were also in the Men's Team final, losing to Bolivia 2-0,[68] with Murray losing to Conrrado Moscoso in three games, 11-5, 11-9, 11-2.[69]
Murray won his 2nd IRT event in January 2024, when he took the 44th Annual Lewis Drug Pro-Am in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.[70] He defeated Rodrigo Montoya, 15-12, 9-15, 11-10, in the final, after beating Conrrado Moscoso in the semi-finals, 13-15, 15-14, 11-2.[71]
Playing at the 2024 Pan American Racquetball Championships in Guatemala City, Murray won three medals. He was runner up in Men's Singles to Mexican Rodrigo Montoya, and with Coby Iwaasa in Men's Doubles to Costa Ricans Andrés Acuña and Gabriel Garcia.[72] Murray got a bronze medal in the Men's Team event, as he helped Canada beat Guatemala in the quarterfinals, but they lost to Mexico in the semi-finals.[73]
Murray and Coby Iwaasa became the first Canadian men to win Men's Doubles at the IRF World Championships, as they captured gold at the 2024 World Championships in San Antonio, Texas.[1] They defeated Bolivians Kadim Carrasco and Conrrado Moscoso in the semi-finals, 5-11, 12-10, 11-7, 8-11, 11-8, and then Mexicans Andree Parrilla and Eduardo Portillo in the final, 11-5, 6-11, 11-8, 4-11, 11-6.[2][74] Murray also helped Canada finish 2nd in the Men's Team event at Worlds, losing to the USA in the final, 2-1.[75]
Career summary
Murray's career is highlighted by his IRF World Championship, Pan American Championship (both in Men's Doubles with Coby Iwaasa), and his two wins on the International Racquetball Tour (IRT). He's also been Canadian Champion twelve times: six in singles and six times in doubles with four different partners: Vincent Gagnon, Pedro Castro, Iwaasa and his brother Tommy.[59]
Career record
This table lists Murray's results across annual events.
Note: W = winner, F = finalist, SF = semi-finalist, QF = quarterfinalist, 16 = Round of 16. The years refer to the year the event occurred or the season in which they occurred. For example, Murray won both Selection Event #1 and #2 in the 2019–20 season, although those events happened in different calendar years. "CV" indicates the event was not held during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Personal
Murray lives in Montreal, Quebec. His older brother Tommy also plays racquetball, and was a Canadian Junior Champion.[5] The brothers have won three Canadian National Doubles titles together.[59]
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Kris Odegard is a Canadian retired racquetball player from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Odegard won four Canadian Championships – two in singles and two in doubles. He also won several medals in international competition as part of Team Canada highlighted by gold in Men's Singles at the 2006 Pan American Championships.
Vincent Gagnon is a Canadian retired racquetball player from Montreal. Gagnon won five Canadian Championships: four doubles titles and one singles. He also competed for Canada 19 times, winning multiple medals highlighted by gold at the 2007 Pan American Championships in Men's Doubles with François Viens.
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Tim Landeryou is a Canadian retired racquetball player. He was a member of the Canadian National Team from 2010 to 2020, winning multiple medals in international competitions.
Frédérique Lambert is a Canadian racquetball player. Lambert is the current Canadian Champion in Women's Singles and Women's Doubles, and has won eleven Canadian Championships: six in Women's Singles and five in Women's Doubles. She has been a member of the Canadian National Team since 2008, and has won several medals in international competitions, including a silver medal in Mixed Doubles at the 2022 World Championships. Lambert was the #2 ranked player in back to back Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) seasons: 2016-17 and 2017-18.
Daniel de la Rosa is a Mexican-born American Professional racquetball and Professional pickleball player. De La Rosa is the current International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Champion in both Men's Singles and Mixed Doubles, winning the titles in 2024 in San Antonio, Texas, where he was also part of the US team that won the Men's Team title.
Alejandro Landa is a Mexican-born American retired racquetball player. Landa is a former World Champion in Men's Singles, winning the title in Guatemala City in December 2021 while playing for the USA. Previously, he'd represented Mexico internationally, winning gold in Men's Singles and Doubles at the 2017 Pan American Championships. Landa also won four titles on the International Racquetball Tour (IRT).
Coby Iwaasa is a Canadian racquetball player. He is the current International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Champion in Men's Doubles, winning the title with Samuel Murray in 2024. Previously, Iwaasa and Murray won the 2022 Pan American Championships Men's Doubles title, and he won two silver medals at the Racquetball at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago.
Gabriela Martinez is a Guatemalan racquetball player. Martinez is the current Pan American Games Champion in women's doubles. She is a former International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Champion in the women's singles, winning the title at the 2018 World Championships. Martinez has competed on the Guatemala National Team at international tournaments since 2012, garnering many medals across her career.
Conrrado Moscoso is a Bolivian racquetball player. He is a former International Racquetball Federation (IRF) Men's Singles World Champion, which he won at the 2022 Racquetball World Championships in San Luis Potosí, Mexico. Moscoso is the first Bolivian and first South American man to win an IRF World Championship in singles. Moscoso is also the current two time Pan American Champion in Men's Singles as well as the Pan American Champion in Mixed Doubles. He also won gold in Men's Singles at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, as well as helping Bolivia to successfully defend the Men's Team gold medal they first won at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, which was the first gold medal won by Bolivia in any sport at the Pan American Games. Moscoso has also won multiple times on the International Racquetball Tour (IRT), including the 2022 US Open, and been in the IRT top 10 for four seasons beginning in 2019–20.
Pedro Castro is a Canadian retired racquetball player. He won Men's Doubles at the 2016 Canadian Racquetball Championships with Samuel Murray, and has been on the Canadian National Team from 2014 to 2020. In 2020, Castro announced he's retiring from racquetball to focus on baseball with the hopes of representing Chile at the 2023 Pan American Games.
Carlos Keller is a Bolivian racquetball player. Keller was on the Bolivian Men's Team that won back to back gold medals at the Pan American Games in 2019 and 2023. Their first gold medal at the 2019 games in Lima, Peru was Bolivia's first racquetball gold medal at the Pan Am Games, and they successfully defended that gold at the 2023 Games in Santiago, Chile. He was also part of the Bolivian men's team that won gold at the 2022 Pan American Racquetball Championships, which was Keller's third gold medal at Pan Am Championships to go with his two Men's Singles titles, won in 2018 and 2019.
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Jake Bredenbeck is an American racquetball player. Bredenbeck is a four time USA Racquetball (USAR) National Champion: three times in Men's Singles and once in Men's Doubles. He's also won on the International Racquetball Tour, and represented the USA internationally.
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