Cheryl Gudinas

Cheryl Gudinas (born May 11, 1967) is an American racquetball player. Gudinas is a former three time World Champion (2000, 2002, 2004) and former #1 women's pro player (from 2000-2004). At the end of the 2013-14 Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour season, she finished 11th, which ended a two decade run of top 10 pro tour finishes - the most by any women's racquetball player.

Professional career

Gudinas's professional career is highlighted by her two US Open Racquetball Championships in 2002 and 2004, which helped her attain the #1 position on the women's pro tour. She was a top 5 player on the women's pro tour from 1993-94 to 2010-2011, including four seasons as the #1 player from 2000-2004. Her 20 years ranked in the season ending top 10 is a record for women's pro racquetball. Gudinas fell to the #11 spot this past season partly due to missing the first few tournaments of the season with a foot injury.

International career

Gudinas won three consecutive International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Championships in 2000, 2002 and 2004. She defeated Canadians Christie Van Hees and Jennifer Saunders in 2000 and 2002, respectively, and Chilean Angela Grisar in 2004.

Gudinas won the Pan American Championships (formerly the Tournament of the Americas) in 1994 (against American Laura Fenton), 1997 (Michelle Gould, USA), 2001 (Josée Grand'Maître, Canada) and 2009 (Carola Loma, Bolivia). In 2005, Gudinas was the Pan Am Championship silver medalist, losing the final to Kristen Walsh and was also silver in 2003, when she lost to Fenton, in 1999, when she lost to Robin Levine, and 1998, losing to Michelle Gould.

Gudinas has also won two gold medals at the Pan American Games. In 1999 she defeated Canadian Christie Van Hees in the final in Winnipeg, Canada and beat fellow American Laura Fenton in the 2003 final in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. In the 2011 Pan Am Games in Guadalajara, Mexico, Gudinas earned the bronze medal, losing to eventual gold medalist Paola Longoria of Mexico in the semi-finals. Gudinas was also a silver medalist in 2011 from the Pan Am Games team competition.

Most recently in the 2012 Worlds, Gudinas was a bronze medalist in singles, losing to Canadian Jennifer Saunders in the semi-finals, and a silver medalist in the team competition, when the American women's team lost to the Mexican team, including a loss by Gudinas to Mexican Jessica Parrilla.

Gudinas has played in the World Games twice, and she finished 4th in both 2009 and 2011.

US championships

Gudinas won 5 consecutive US Nationals Championships in singles from 1999 to 2003, and also won in 2005, 2008 and 2010. Her eight titles are tied for the most all time with Michelle Gould.

Gudinas teamed up with Gould in 1995 and 1996 to win two of her three US National Doubles titles. Her other title was in 2001 with Kim Russell.