Semifinal Saturday was played in front of a packed house on center court in Virginia Beach. With so many top players in action it was almost a given that fans were going to be treated to great pickleball. Let's breakdown all five divisions beginning with women's singles.
Women’s Singles: Waters tops Fahey, Buckner awaits
Anna Leigh Waters continues to be the class of women’s singles. She faced new comer Kate Fahey today who has made a quick name for herself with multiple deep runs in the back half of the 2024 season. However it was all Waters from start to finish as Fahey had trouble winning the battle from the back of the court. Meanwhile Brooke Buckner cruised in game two of her semifinal after a tight game one against Kaitlyn Christian. Buckner will face Waters for the first time in a final in 2024
Men’s Singles: Johnson takes down Staksrud
Hunter Johnson is into back to back men’s singles finals. After taking down Connor Garnett in Atlanta, he booked his second ticket to a final with a win over Federico Staksrud, who looked visibly frustrated throughout the match. Johnson dictated the pace and played on his terms to top the #1 seed in straights. He’ll face Ben Johns in the final, who took down Jaume Martinez Vich 11-1, 11-8. Johns is unbeaten on Championship Sunday in singles in 2024.
Mixed Doubles: Top seeds cruise
Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters had too much offensively for Riley Newman and Jackie Kawamoto in their semifinal showdown. Newman and Kawamoto had been wearing teams down with relentless defense but Johns/Waters pushed all the right buttons today winning 11-6, 11-0. On the other side of the draw the hand speed of the Johnson siblings was too much for Dekel Bar and Tina Pisnik. The Johnsons have been lights out in Virginia Beach and have given the top seeds a run for their money in recent PPA matchups. We'll see if they can finally get over the hump on Sunday.
Men’s Doubles: Patriquin/Staksrud down Frazier/Johnson
This is the second tournament for the partnership of Federico Staksrud and Hayden Patriquin. They won gold in Sacramento over the summer and they kept their unbeaten streak alive today with a three game win over JW Johnson and Dylan Frazier. The young Patriquin was the xfactor, controlling the middle of the court with his forehand off the bounce and his backhand flick. They’ll face the Johns brothers in the finals who beat Riley Newman and Rafa Hewett in three games to close out the day on center court.
Women’s Doubles: Atlanta rematch is set
After surviving a scare in the quarterfinals, it was a more straightforward performance today for Anna Bright and Rachel Rohrabacher as they defeated Jorja Johnson and Mari Humberg. They dominated from the kitchen line and forced the underdogs into errors and poor decisions. It sets up a rematch of the Atlanta final where Anna Leigh Waters/Catherine Parenteau will look to avenge their loss. The intensity of this match will be at an all time high so make sure to tune into this one.
On the Horizon
Men’s doubles will kick off Championship Sunday action beginning at 11am EST on PickleballTV. Women’s doubles, mixed doubles, men’s singles and women’s singles will all be followed by.
