The PPA Orange County Cup round of 16 progressive draws got underway today in San Clemente, California. Given that this is one of the bigger PPA events of the season, the field is as competitive as we have seen all year. Let’s breakdown the results of all five disciplines beginning with men’s singles.
Men’s Singles: Duong sets up another showdown with Johns
Quang Duong got off to a slow start in his first game against Hayden Patriquin, falling behind 7-0, but was able to chip away and win it 12-10. Patriquin forced a tight game 2 but Duong’s serve and forehand controlled the match down the stretch. He’ll face Ben Johns in a powerhouse QF matchup, one in which Duong has had some success in this year. Johns has not been sharp to start the tournament so expect Duong to be in this match from the get go.
Women’s Singles: Parenteau gets Rohrabacher in QF
Rachel Rohrabacher hasn’t played a PPA singles tournament since late in 2023 but has shown that she can hang with the best of them in MLP dreambreakers. Her game will be put to the test tomorrow against Catherine Parenteau, who has looked strong in her first two rounds this week. On the top half Mary Brascia will battle Judit Castillo for a spot in the semifinals.
Mixed Doubles: Ignatowich & Bright exit early
One of the more surprising results of the day was Hayden Patriquin and Vivian Glozman taking down James Ignatowich and Anna Bright 11-6, 11-4. The underdogs played steady and didn't allow the top seeds to get into any sort of rhythm on serve The match of the day in mixed doubles was between Christian Alshon/Catherine Parenteau and Dylan Frazier/ Hurricane Tyra Black which went the distance. Alshon/Parenteau escaped 12-10 in the 3rd and will face Dekel Bar and Tina Pisnik tomorrow afternoon.
Women’s Doubles: Top seeds look the part
Anna Leigh Waters/Catherine Parenteau and Rachel Rohrabacher/Anna Bright dropped seven total points in their two matches today. Parris Todd and Hurricane Tyra Black also looked impressive taking down the Brascia sisters 11-2, 11-7 to setup a matchup with Meghan Dizon and Etta Wright tomorrow.
Men’s Doubles: Frazier & Johnson cruising early in tournament
Dylan Frazier and JW Johnson have handled business early in the tournament, dropping just nine total points in two matches. Connor Garnett and Christian Alshon wait for them in the quarterfinals, a team that pushed them to three games just last month in Atlanta. The lone upset of the day was Julian Arnold and Jack Munro taking down Riley Newman and Zane Navratil in straight games.
On the Horizon
The lack of upsets in the early rounds means we are setup for some epic quarterfinal matchups tomorrow. Don’t miss any of the action as singles coverage starts at 11AM PST on PickleballTV.
