PARENTEAU & FRAZIER SECURE BRONZE MEDALS IN 2023 PPA TOUR OPENER FROM RANCHO MIRAGE, CA.
The 2023 PPA Tour calendar kicked off today from the beautiful Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California. Conditions were perfect for pickleball with clear skies and temperatures in the mid 60s as the top professional players in the world rocked the classy all-white look on all-green courts.
Below are your singles finalists who will be competing for the Championship on Sunday.
Women’s Singles Championship Matchup (Sunday, January 15th):
(1) Anna Leigh Waters vs. (3) Lea Jansen
Anna Leigh Waters:
Def. Lenga 11-0, 11-0.
Def. Buckner 11-5, 11-6.
Def. Tereschenko 11-4, 11-6.
Lea Jansen:
Def. Hance 11-3, 11-7.
Def. Padegimaite 12-10, 11-4.
Def. Parenteau 11-5, 11-2.
World No.1 Anna Leigh Waters cruised through her side of the singles bracket today without dropping a single game to 11. The 15 year old powerhouse met Irina Tereschenko in the semifinal where she utilized her thundering yet precise passing shots to secure a spot in Sunday’s final.
“I really focus on watching the ball and moving my feet, especially when playing under the lights”, said Anna Leigh Waters. “I’m really excited for Championship Sunday.”
The other semifinal matchup saw Catherine Parenteau and Lea Jansen go head-to-head in a three game thriller. Parenteau, making her Selkirk debut and finding great angled shots with her Vanguard Power Air Invikta, opened the match strongly, winning the first game 11-.7 Jansen bounced back, however, and rallied to win a competitive game two 11-8 and a decisive game three 11-3. Despite missing out on a shot at gold in singles on Sunday, Parenteau rallied to secure the bronze medal in the final match of the day, besting Tereschenko 11-4, 11-3.
Men’s Singles Championship Matchup (Sunday, January 15th):
(1) Ben Johns vs. (7) Federico Staksrud
Ben Johns:
Def. Russo 11-1, 11-7.
Def. Navritil 11-9, 11-4.
Def. Arnold 11-8, 11-8.
Def. Garnett. 11-5, 11-3.
Federico Staksrud:
Def. Eveloff 11-1, 11-0.
Def. Loong 11-2, 11-0.
Def. Alshon 11-3, 11-7.
Def. Frazier 3-11, 11-6, 11-4.
To kick off the men’s bracket, dozens of competitors entered an early-morning qualifying round to battle for 8 open spots in the main draw. Kicking things off on the center court livestream, former professional tennis player Sam Querrey, who was granted a wild card into the main draw, fell 11-3, 11-3 to Alex Neumann, the 13 seed.
Out of a bracket filled with notable pickleball names, the always crafty Dylan Frazier and Federico Staksrud met in a semifinal battle that was one for the ages. After falling in the first set 11-3, Staksrud showed his composure with sharpshooter drives to secure his spot on Sunday.
“Dylan is a great player, and I’m happy to be on the same team as him for MLP this year. He was playing great both with cat-and-mouse and passing shots”, said Federico Staksrud. “I tried my best to hold it together and focus on coming back in the second and third game.”
The opposite semifinal saw World No.1 Ben Johns control and dictate points against the talented Connor Garnett. Johns pressured his opponent with hard-hit serves and a healthy mix of drives and drops. Despite falling to Johns 11-5, 11-3, Garnett secured upset wins over JW Johnson and Ryan Sherry earlier in the day. In the final match of the day, Dylan Frazier rallied over Garnett to claim the bronze medal.
The PPA Hyundai Masters continues tomorrow with pro mixed doubles. Tune in to the PPA Tour YouTube channel to catch the livestream, and visit the SelkirkTV Tournament Coverage page on Selkirk.com for your daily tournament recap.
