NEW PARTNERSHIP OF ANNA BRIGHT AND VIVIENNE DAVID SECURED BRONZE ON THE WOMEN'S SIDE, MEANWHILE JW JOHNSON & SELKIRK'S DYLAN FRAZIER SECURED BRONZE ON THE MEN'S SIDE.
The Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) Tour's Desert Ridge Open has been a barn burner thus far, and matchups for Championship Sunday are set after three days of nonstop pickleball action. Today was gender double's day, and whilst seeding proved accurate on the men's side, there were some significant upsets in women's doubles throughout the day. After some highly-contested brackets battled it out, below are your Championship Sunday matchups for gender doubles:
Women's Doubles Championship (Sunday, February 5th):
(2) Anna Leigh Waters & Catherine Parenteau vs. (4) Lea Jansen & Allyce Jones.
Waters & Parenteau:
Def. Rane & Schneemann 11-4, 11-1.
Def. Tereschenko & Dizon 11-9, 11-1.
Def. Bright & David 11-3, 11-4.
Jansen & Jones:
Def. Klett & David 11-1, 11-2.
Def. Wright & Buckner 11-4, 11-9.
Def. Oshiro & Ansboury 5-11, 11-0, 11-3.
Anna Leigh Waters & Catherine Parenteau have entered 2023 as the team to beat, combining their firepower expertly to blow through all opponents today, not dropping a single game to 11 along the way.
Waters & Parenteau have separated themselves from the pack in this event, scheduling multiple Championship Sunday appointments for tomorrow. The two will square off against each other for a singles title before doubling up to take on Lea Jansen & Allyce Jones. They will go from competitive rivals to teammates within a matter of hours!
"Our game plan was to be aggressive right off the bat," said Catherine Parenteau. "We were super aggressive today and the crowd was on fire."
Lea Jansen & Allyce Jones are a new partnership that has become an excellent combination of two very different styles. Lea Jansen has been effective drawing sharp angles on her dinks to force mistakes out of her opponents, and capitalizes on high ball opportunities with big power and fast hands.
Allyce Jones has contributed as a perfect support player today and has come to separate herself as one of the best defensive players on the planet in recent years. Her court coverage, ability to reset against the most powerful players in the world, and electric energy to gain momentum shifts make her one of the most entertaining to watch on tour. She will make her first ever PPA Championship appearance in tomorrow's final.
Another important takeaway from the women's draw was 17 seed Sarah Ansboury & Bobbi Oshiro upsetting the top seeded Lucy Kovalova & Callie Smith in three games. They then pulled off a second upset over the 8th seeded Jorja Johnson & Andrea Koop before falling to Jansen & Jones in the semis as both matches reached thrilling third games.
Men's Doubles Championship (Sunday, February 5th):
(1) Johns & Johns vs. (2) Wright & Newman.
Johns & Johns:
Def. Montoya & Legarreta 11-2, 11-5.
Def. Tardio & Hewett 11-0, 4-11, 11-4.
Def. Devilliers & Young 11-6, 11-2.
Def. Johnson & Frazier 11-4, 11-7.
Wright & Newman:
Def. Finley & Prince 11-7, 11-0.
Def. Teoni & Heddings 11-2, 11-8.
Def. Staksrud & Tellez 11-8, 11-8.
Def. Loong & Dawson 11-5, 11-9.
Brothers Ben & Collin Johns did what they do best, patiently constructing points and utilizing their wicked hand speed to punch their ticket to yet another PPA Tour men's doubles Championship Sunday.
The only scare for the Johns brothers came in a rare three-gamer for them against the youngster Gabriel Tardio & hard-hitting Rafa Hewett. After dropping the second game, Johns & Johns showed their world-class to win a third game comfortably 11-4.
Matt Wright & Riley Newman proved clutch in critical moments throughout the day, utilizing their great defense and slowing down points as needed in high-pressure situations. In fact, out of the eight games they played to 11 points today, five of those games were decided by 4 points or fewer. Wright & Newman are incredibly experienced, tactical, and composed. They have proven to be the toughest test of the Johns brothers, and will have another crack at a Championship against the siblings tomorrow.
"When we play the Johns brothers, it comes down to execution. They have their style and we have ours, I don't think there are going to be any surprises," said Matt Wright. "They'll try to slow it down, and we like to be more aggressive. We'll see what happens."
The PPA Desert Ridge Open concludes tomorrow with Championship Sunday. Coverage begins at 9:00am PT/12:00pm ET on the PPA Tour YouTube Channel. The Mixed Doubles Championship match will be aired live on the Tennis Channel to wrap up what has been one for the books!
