There are so many interesting storylines as we head into the last day of the 2024 PPA season but the one getting the most attention at the moment is the rivalry between Anna Leigh Waters/Catherine Parenteau and Anna Bright/Rachel Rohrabacher. They’ll face off again on Sunday along with four other star-studded championship matches. Let’s breakdown how each player and/or team got there.
Men’s Singles: Garnett dethrones Staksrud
It’s been a tall task to take down world #1 Federico Staksrud this year but Connor Garnett did just that on Saturday as he was firing on all cylinders from the back of the court. After dropping game two despite having a lead, Garnett bounced back in a big way to take game three 11-3. He’ll face the red-hot Hunter Johnson in the finals who defeated Tyson McGuffin in the other semifinal.
Women’s Singles: Waters set to face Todd
Parris Todd will do battle with Anna Leigh Waters again this week, as the two faced each other in pool play, with the match going in favor of the world #1 11-0, 11-7. We’ll see if Todd can make it more competitive on Sunday as she has some momentum with strong wins over Kate Fahey and Kaitlyn Christian en route to the finals.
Mixed Doubles: Alshon/Parenteau strong showing over Johnsons
Christian Alshon and Catherine Parenteau looked very strong in their semifinal showdown with the Johnson siblings. Alshon was big in the middle and Parenteau was winning the cross-court exchanges with Jorja Johnson allowing them to close the match out in two games 11-4, 11-9. In the other semifinal, Ben Johns/Anna Leigh Waters defeated Gabe Tardio/Anna Bright in two games 11-7, 11-4.
Men’s Doubles: Youngsters show out on big stage
In the first men’s doubles semifinals it was all Federico Staksrud and Hayden Patriquin. Patriquin in particular was impressive as his aggressive court positioning and hand speed were too much for Dekel Bar and Christian Alshon to handle. They advanced in two games 11-4, 11-5. In the other semifinal it was the other youngster Gabe Tardio who had his way with Andrei Daescu in front of him. Despite dropping game two, he and JW Johnson bounced back with an 11-2 win in game three. It sets up a very fun and entertaining final.
Women’s Doubles: The rivalry continues
Four of the last five PPA finals have featured the top two teams in the world and Sunday we will get to see it one more time in 2024. Anna Leigh Waters/Catherine Parenteau survived a tight game one against Mari Humberg/Jessie Irvine and then kicked it into first gear in game two. Anna Bright/Rachel Rohrabacher had to fight Lacy Schneemann/Jorja Johnson late into the evening but came out with a win in game three 11-6. The top two teams have split the last four meetings. We’ll see who takes it on Sunday as they will be the first match to go off on center court.
