Team Selkirk made their mark on Friday at the PPA Mesa Arizona Cup as we will see five of them compete tomorrow for a spot on Championship Sunday. Let’s breakdown what went down across all five events today and who will be moving on.
Men’s Singles: Sock Looking for Revenge Against Staksrud
Jack Sock’s road to gold took another step forward today as he knocked off the 17-year-old Cason Campbell in what was the singles match of the day. Sock won game 1 but the youngster battled back to force a deciding game 3 but, in the end, it was too much Sock. Jack is one of the few players on tour that can take the paddle out of your hand as he rips forehand after forehand from the back of the court and that is a scary feeling for any player. It forces the opponent into uncharacteristic errors and puts pressure on them to hit the perfect return. Sock will be looking to put that same type pressure on Federico Staksrud tomorrow and avenge the loss he took just last month. The winner will face the winner of Ben Johns and Connor Garnett in the finals.
Women’s Singles: Brascia Finding her Top Gear
Mary Brascia has always been a formidable singles player but she looking to make back-to-back finals in a two week stretch which speaks to where her game is at. She beat Lauren Stratman today 11-6 11-4 and will face Salome Devidze in the SF, who upset Catherine Parenteau in three tight games. Expect both players to battle it out from the back of the court and use their groundstrokes to try and win this match. The winner will face the winner of Anna Leigh Waters and Lea Jansen in the finals.
Mixed Doubles: Ignatowich Advances, Sock/Parenteau Almost Pull Upset
It was reported early this morning that Tyson McGuffin had to withdraw due to an illness so James Ignatowich and Anna Bright got a walkover in their quarterfinal match. They will face Thomas Wilson and Vivienne David, a team they have had success against in the past. Expect Ignatowich to play big in the middle and apply as much pressure as he can early on in points. His two-handed backhand roll should also be able to neutralize the Wilson run around forehand at the kitchen line. On the top half of the draw Johns/Waters were pushed to the brink by Sock/Parenteau who seem to be closing the gap quicker that most expected. It will be exciting to see how they progress as the year moves on.
Men’s Doubles: Frazier & Ignatowich to go H2H in Men’s Semifinals
Both Dylan Frazier and James Ignatowich won their men’s doubles matches today so they will go head-to-head tomorrow for a spot on Sunday. Both players have to be excited about the opportunity as neither has reached a men’s doubles semifinal to start the year. The winner will face the winner of Tardio/Daescu and Newman/Wilson.
Women’s Doubles: Brascia Sisters Fall in QF Thriller
The Brascia sisters rebounded from an opening game 1 loss of 11-0 and fought all the way back to multiple match points in game 3 but it just wasn’t meant to be as they fell to Meghan Dizon and Etta Wright. Women’s doubles continue to be one of the premier PPA events because of matches like this. On the top half of the draw Anna Leigh Waters and Catherine Parenteau extended their winning streak to sixty-two in a row and will look to make it sixty-three tomorrow against Jorja Johnson and Mari Humberg.
