Mixed doubles action got underway today at the Darling Tennis Center and fans were treated to some highly competitive matches by some of the game’s top names. Mixed doubles has turned into one of the more exciting events in all of pro pickleball due to the development of both old and new talent which is creating compelling matchups from round 1 all the way to Championship Sunday. Let’s dive into the results and breakdown what we saw out on the court.
Mixed Doubles Championship: (1) Ben Johns/Anna Leigh Waters vs (3) Anna Bright/James Ignatowich
Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters picked up right where they left off Thursday and made their way through Friday’s draw with relative ease. In the round of 16 they took out MLP champion (16) Zane Navratil and Tina Pisnik 5 &5. In the QF after a close game 1 they hit their stride defeating (8) Frazier/Stratman 9 &4. In the SF after a three hour long wait between matches they beat (5) Wilson/David 4 &2 to stamp their ticket to another Championship Sunday. They will be looking for their 13th gold medal as a team together on the PPA Tour this season.
Anna Bright and James Ignatowich looked like the team we saw in Seattle in July as they cruised through a tough slate of opponents. Ignatowich's serve and finishing power coupled with Bright’s consistency and calculated offensive attacks landed them a spot in Sunday's final. They defeated (6) Wright/Kovalova 8 &5 and (23) Tyra Black/Alshon 5 &5. They will match up with Johns and Waters for the 3rd time in a final this year, having lost in four games in both previous meetings.
Other Notable Performances
The match of the day happened between (23) Black/Alshon and (2) Newman/Irvine as the MLP DCPT teammates went head-to-head in the QF. It was a back-and-forth match throughout but it was Christian Alshon who stepped up in the big moments of game 3 to close the match out 11-8.
On the Horizon
Gender doubles kicks off tomorrow morning at 10AM PST. Coverage will continue on Amazon prime for championship court while grandstand will be aired on on the PPA Tour’s YouTube channel. If you can’t catch it stay tuned for our recap article that will drop tomorrow evening.
