Let's give Jaialive 2.0 credit where credit is due. The best jai alai played in the Basque country on Friday night was not in Pau but rather in Hondaribbia. If you have time to watch just one recent partido, I would recommend this one where the head to head duel between Txanika and Garcia -- especially late in the second set -- was easily among the highest quality jai alai played anywhere in the entire 2026 spring/summer partido seasons.

For my money, the Jai Alai League ("JAL") should have both of these guys as among their top 8 front courters participating in every significant tournament that they host going forward. Garcia is currently playing the best jai alai of anyone in the sport, and Txanika is the game's most underrated player who clearly should be a first division regular (see, e.g., the Markina Slam).

And the matchup directly between Txanika and Garcia is especially fun to watch because both have very similar skill sets and playing styles. Indeed, both have the most powerful reverses in the game, left side rebotes that are as good as anyone's, and tremendous right side forehand power which is also tops in the sport, including their respective forehand rebotes.

What a great match was also played here by Bailo, who barely survived Garcia's onslaught by making more spectacular catches in this partido than I've seen any back courter make in any single partido all year. How is Bailo not regularly in the mix for getting first division tournament invitations? Check out all of his ridiculous short hop scoops.

That then brings us to Aratz. Are you kidding me that this is just a 17 or 18 year old kid -- what a young prodigy! This guy has all the potential to perhaps some day join Argoitia and Atain in eventually being the best back courters in the world over the next 15 years. Aratz would greatly benefit from playing a few seasons in Dania. If this kid were French, Iparralde would be deifying him more than they do Caparrus, which is really saying something.