It was a day full of excitement at the Stratosphere Gin Virginia Beach Cup. Matches were close and upsets were a plenty as players looked to stamp their ticket to the quarterfinals. Let’s breakdown the five draws beginning with women’s singles.
Women’s Singles: Catherine Parenteau upset by Chao Yi Wang
Chao Yi Wang and Catherine Parenteau battled all the way to the finish line today but it was the #13 seed that was able to sneak out the upset to advance. Genie Bouchard got close to taking down #5 Salome Devidze, losing 12-10 in the 3rd as well. Some interesting quarterfinal matchups are set up for tomorrow including Parris Todd vs Anna Leigh Waters.
Men’s Singles: Quang Duong to meet Federico Staksrud again
Quang Duong made quick work of Jhonnatan Medina Alvarez 11-2, 11-0 while Federico Staksrud dominated Gabe Tardio 11-4, 11-1. It sets up a rematch of the Bristol Open, where Staksrud lead from start to finish. Duong will need to serve big and shorten the points as much as possible tomorrow. Some other matchups include Connor Garnett and Hunter Johnson which is a rematch of the Atlanta Slam final. Ben Johns is also lurking at the bottom half of the draw.
Mixed Doubles: Jackie Kawamoto/Riley Newman pull out late victory
Riley Newman admitted in their sideline interview post-match that he barely made their first round match, citing a schedule mishap. Luckily he made it as he and Jackie Kawamoto did not disappoint today coming from behind to beat Federico Staksrud and Rachel Rohrabacher 11-9 in the 3rd. Kawamoto pulled off two incredible speed ups late to close the deal. The road doesn’t get any easier though as they face Christian Alshon and Catherine Parenteau tomorrow. James Ignatowich and Meghan Dizon advanced comfortably and will face the Johnson siblings.
Women’s Doubles: Top seeds look strong
There was quite a bit of parity in mixed doubles but the top seeds Waters/Parenteau and Bright/Rohrabacher looked strong today with both winning comfortably in straights. Parris Todd and Jade Kawamoto will look to test the top seeds tomorrow while Hurricane Tyra Black and Allyce Jones will try to dethrone the defending PPA champs.
Men’s Doubles: Newman/Hewett pull off stunner
The last match of the day in men’s doubles was played late into the evening but was full of drama and excitement. It had everything, chirping, close line calls, elite level defense and athleticism but in the end it was Rafa Hewett who sealed the deal with a mid court speed up down Ignatowich’s line to win the match. They’ll try to continue their hot play vs the Cinderella team of Max Freeman and Casey Diamond tomorrow. The match everyone has circled though is another heavyweight bout between Tardio/Daescu and Frazier/Johnson.
On the Horizon
Tune into PickleballTV and the PPA’s YouTube channel starting at 11am EST to catch all of the quarterfinal action.
