The quarterfinals got underway today at Mission Hills Country Club and Jack Sock was looking to advance in both mixed doubles and singles. The road was as tough as it could get as he first had to face the flying Frenchman Jay Devilliers. After that it was the main event as he and Catherine Parenteau took on James Ignatowich and Anna Bright. Sock was able to beat James and Anna in Charlotte last year playing alongside Anna Leigh Waters so let’s see how it unfolded today with Catherine on his right.
Sock into Semis
Jack Sock was simply too much for Jay Devilliers today. Not only does he hit his forehand harder than any player on tour but he disguises it so well that it forces opponents to guess and lean, giving him a bigger target to hit to. After a back and forth start he pulled away from Jay in game 2 to secure his spot in tomorrow’s semifinal. He’ll face arguably his toughest tournament singles test in Federico Staksrud who was the #2 player on tour last year. On the top half Quang Duong made quick work of Pablo Tellez and Dylan Frazier beat Tyson McGuffin 5 & 6. Three Selkirk players will be battling for two Championship Sunday spots tomorrow morning.
Parenteau Outlasts Todd
The match of the day in women’s singles was between Parris Todd and Catherine Parenteau. The movement and variety of passing shots from Parenteau proved to be the difference as she won a tight two game affair. She’ll face Brooke Buckner who upset Mary Brascia 3 & 6. On the top half it will be another head-to-head clash between Lea Jansen and Anna Leigh Waters.
Ignatowich/Bright Get Their Revenge
The mixed doubles match between Anna Bright/James Ignatowich and Jack Sock/Catherine Parenteau was full of highlights and a match I did not want to see end. Watching Jack fly around the court and create offense from spots that seem impossible is as entertaining as it gets. Ignatowich/Bright were able to weather a few storms from the other side of the court though to stamp their ticket to semifinal Saturday. They will face Tyson McGuffin and Meghan Dizon with the winner going to Championship Sunday. On the top half of the draw Anna Leigh Waters/Ben Johns will take the court versus Thomas Wilson/Vivienne David who won a nailbiter over Riley Newman/Jackie Kawamoto in three games.
Staksrud/Tellez Come from Behind
Despite dropping game 1 Pablo Tellez and Federico Staksrud stuck to the game plan as they came from behind to beat the #3 seeds James Ignatowich and Matt Wright. They’ll face the Johns brothers in the semifinals who survived a tight two game match vs McGuffin and Bar. On the other side Frazier/Johnson were upset by Devilliers/Smith while Wilson/Newman were too much for the team of Arnold/Alshon.
Top 4 Seeds Advance
There were no upsets in the women’s doubles draw today. Anna Bright/Rachel Rohrabacher regrouped after a tough game 2 loss to beat Stratman/Jones. They’ll face Smith/Kovalova who won a marathon match on grandstand over Johnson/Pisnik. On the top half of the draw Waters/Parenteau kept their undefeated streak from 2023 alive as they defeated Jansen/Black 3 &5. In the last QF of the evening Wright/Dizon took down the dangerous Kawamoto twins 6 & 3 to advance.
