Semifinals action got underway at Brookhaven Country Club today. The top seeds came out strong yesterday but could they sustain their level today with stiffer competition? Let’s start with the morning singles slate and work our way through the draws.
Men’s Singles: JW Ends the Haworth Run
JW Johnson kicked off Saturday morning singles action with a strong performance as he took out the hot 16 seed Christopher Haworth. Both games were competitive but Johnson delivered in the key moments to close out both games 11-9, 11-7. On the other side it was one way traffic for the young gun Jaume Martinez Vich as he gave 6th seeded Hunter Johnson no breathing room from start to finish. He won 11-5, 11-2 to set up what should be a men’s final full of highlights on Sunday.
Women’s Singles: The Wait is Over
Anna Leigh Waters and Catherine Parenteau have been the top two women’s singles players all year long and they proved it once again this week at Nationals as they will face each other on Sunday for gold. Waters took out Judit Castillo 11-1, 11-0 while Parenteau defeated Megan Fudge 11-8, 12-10. Parenteau had to come from behind in both games but she never wavered and put pressure on Fudge in the big moments. She’ll hope for more of the same on Sunday.
Mixed Doubles: Top Seeds in Top Form
Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters started a bit slow in game 1 but it was smooth sailing the rest of the way as they beat Riley Newman and Parris Todd 11-6, 11-1, 11-3. Newman and Todd tried to change the tempo and slow the match down but Johns and Waters were up to task. On the bottom half we had Anna Bright and James Ignatowich defeating JW and Jorja Johnson 11-8, 11-3, 11-6. The steadiness of Bright coupled with the power of Ignatowich were too much for the Johnson siblings.
Women’s Doubles: Brascia Sisters Break Through
In the first semifinal Anna Leigh Waters and Catherine Parenteau were too much for Vivienne David and Lacy Schneemann. After finding themselves in 9-5 hole it was all Waters/Parenteau as they won 28 of the next 32 points on serve. The bottom half of the draw gave us one of the matches of the tournament as Anna Bright and Jade Kawamoto lost a tight five game match to the Brascia sisters who played lights out. Maggie’s offense was the difference as she was able to keep the favorites off balance in games 4 and 5.
Men’s Doubles: JW & Dylan Survive
The Johns brothers were first to play today in men’s doubles as they took on the dangerous duo of Federico Staksrud and Pablo Tellez. Staksrud and Tellez struggled to find a rhythm throughout the match as they fell 11-1, 11-7, 11-7. On the bottom half Riley Newman and his new running mate Christian Alshon took it to JW Johnson and Dylan Frazier early as they won game 1 11-8 but Frazier and Johnson are very battle tested as they showcased the strength of their partnership coming from behind to win the next three games 11-5, 11-7, 11-5. It will be the top two seeds playing for gold on Sunday.
