The pros had to deal with an extra element of surprise today as rainy and windy weather hit Austin, Texas. Despite some adversity from Mother Nature the fans were still treated to amazing pickleball all across the grounds. Let's dive into the results and see which two teams were able to advance to Championship Sunday.
Mixed Doubles Championship (1) Johns/Waters vs (4) Bright/Daescu
Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters cruised through the top half of the draw and stamped their ticket to the final with a decisive win over (5) Alshon & Irvine 11-5, 11-3 in the semifinals. Johns’ triple crown hopes are still alive after a strong day of singles on Thursday as he looks for his second triple crown of the year in his home state.
The bottom half of the draw was much more competitive as the first major upset of the day was delivered by Collin Shick and Brooke Buckner. Shick & Buckner were able to do just enough to hold off Jack Sock and Catherine Parenteau's comeback attempt as they closed out game 2 12-10 in the round of 32. They almost took it one step further as they pushed Gabe Tardio and Meghan Dizon to 11-9 in game 3 of the round of 16. In the end it was the former MLP teammates Anna Bright and Andrei Daescu who moved through to the finals with a big win over Thomas Wilson and Vivienne David in the semifinals. With James Ignatowich still sidelined with a shoulder injury, Daescu was able to fill in and make the most of the opportunity.
On the Horizon
Gender doubles kicks off bright and early tomorrow morning starting at 8am CT on the PPA’s YouTube Channel and continuing on Pickleball TV at 11am CT. Jack Sock will be back with partner Collin Shick and Catherine Parenteau with her regular partner Anna Leigh Waters so don’t miss out on what should be an exciting day of matches.
