After a few weeks off the pros headed back to Arizona as the PPA Mesa Arizona Cup main draw kicked off today. The format this week is back to the progression draw so all five disciplines were action (women’s doubles, men’s doubles, mixed doubles, men’s singles and women’s singles). Jack Sock received a double bye in mixed doubles so his opening round with Catherine Parenteau will begin tomorrow but he did compete in singles and men's doubles with Collin Shick. Let’s check in on his results and some of the other action around the grounds.
Men’s Singles: Sock Advances and Setups Must See H2H with McGuffin
Jack Sock took care of business as he defeated Phuc Huynh 2 &6 in the round of 32. Waiting in the round of 16 will be his former men’s doubles partner Tyson McGuffin in what will be a battle of the most feared forehands on tour. Both players love to use their speed and athleticism to drive and create chaos with their forehands so we are in for a treat tomorrow afternoon. Some other notable players to advance were Quang Duong, Pablo Tellez and Sock’s tennis buddy Donald Young. Duong will go up against the hottest singles player on tour right now in Federico Staksrud while Tellez will face #5 seed Christian Alshon.
Women’s Singles: Todd Takes Out Bouchard
Parris Todd kept her singles hopes alive as she defeated both Tammy Emmrich and Genie Bouchard to setup a round of 16 showdown with #3 seed Lea Jansen. Todd was firing on all cylinders sporting a new weapon in her hand, the Selkirk Power Air. Look for Todd to use her elite groundstrokes from the back of the court to control the match as Jansen is a player that likes to come forward early in the point.
Mixed Doubles: Tellez Building on Mixed Doubles Game
Pablo Tellez is well known for his men’s doubles and men’s singles games but his partnership with Etta Wright is netting good results early in the PPA season. After having a match point against Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters in Desert Ridge a few weeks ago they built on that performance by knocking off #12 seeds Rettenmaier/Schneemann in the round of 32. They’ll face Riley Newman and Jackie Kawamoto in the round of 16, a match that could go either way based on how Tellez is playing at the moment.
Women’s Doubles: Kawamoto’s & Brascia’s One More Time
Somehow the Selkirk sisters keep finding each other in these PPA draws. They faced off in the two prior tournaments to start the season, with both matchups going in favor of the Kawamoto’s but the Brascia’s are a dangerous round of 16 opponent for anybody. Tune in tomorrow to see if the Jackie and Jade can make it three in a row or if the Brascia’s have found an answer for the twins.
Men’s Doubles: Sock & Shick into Round of 16
Jack Sock & Collin Shick defeated Mohaned Alhouni & Samuel Lee 10 & 3. Waiting for them in the round 16 are Riley Newman and Thomas Wilson, a team they faced at the Hyundai Masters last month. A few other upsets in the draw: Navratil/Alshon went down in three games to the rising Arizona duo Ge/Johnson. Martinez Vich/Klinger, two players on the rise as well, took out Patriquin/Dawson in three tight games.
On the Horizon
Round of 16 matches will be played tomorrow beginning at 1PM EST. Tune into Pickleball TV and the PPA’s YouTube Channel to catch all of the action.
