Team JOOLA Rises to Mile High Occasion at PPA Denver Open
The PPA Tour traveled to Denver Colorado this past weekend for the Oh Snap! PPA Denver Open. With many players traveling from all over, players were forced to adjust to the different altitude, giving local players and advantage. Even with added variability, experienced players continued their dominance on tour. Additionally, this was the first tournament of the year where the PPA Tour had eliminated the back draw, leaving players with a single elimination format until the semifinals.Men's and Women's Singles:In typical format, Men’s and Women’s Singles kicked off professional play on Thursday. Ben Johns, the number one seed, cruised his way past his opponents to make his way into Championship Sunday. Aanik Lohani pulled an upset victory over newcomer Collin Shick in the round of 16 before falling to Johns in the quarterfinals. Christian Alshon made his way past Federico Staksrud in the quarterfinals before completing a two set victory (11-3, 12-10) over Jaume Martinez-Vich. In Alshon’s first Championship Sunday appearance in Men’s Singles, the experience of Ben Johns proved to be too much as Johns only dropped a total of three points to Alshon in the final matchup (11-1, 11-2). In Women’s Singles, Anna Leigh Waters also continued her domination as she easily made her way past Mary Brascia in the semifinals (11-2, 11-2) to secure her spot in the finals. On the other half of the draw, Irina Tereschenko made a great run as she took out Judit Castillo in straight games to earn her spot against Waters. However, with only one loss of the season, Waters remained dominant as she bested Tereschenko 12-10, 11-3, to take home the gold.Mixed Doubles:In Mixed Doubles we saw some new faces making the podium. Johns/Waters didn’t drop a game the entire day as they made their way into Championship Sunday. Connor Garnett and Etta Wright were a force to be reckoned with as they made their way into the semifinals with victories over Thomas Wilson/Vivienne David and Dylan Frazier/Anna Bright. Garnett/Wright had their streak broken by the partnership of Matt Wright/Lucy Kovalova 11-7, 11-7 in the semifinals. Garnett and Wright went on to secure bronze. In a familiar matchup, Johns/Waters easily handled Wright/Kovalova in three straight games, 11-8, 11-5, 11-1, to both earn their second gold medal for the day.Men's and Women's Doubles:In Men’s Doubles, Ben and Collin Johns held on to their undefeated streak as they made their way into Championship Sunday. Johns/Johns didn’t have the easiest route however, almost falling to Callan Dawson and Hayden Patriquin (12-10, 11-9) in the semifinals. Pablo Tellez and Federico Staksrud barely made their way past the new partnership of Dylan Frazier and Matt Wright in the other semifinal, coming out on top 2-11, 11-6, 11-2. In the finals, the Johns brothers stayed strong as they secured gold, beating Staksrud/Tellez 11-7, 11-4, 11-4 and completing the triple crown for Ben Johns. In Women’s Doubles, Anna Leigh Waters remained undefeated with any partner as her and Anna Bright cruised into the finals. On the other half of the draw, Lacy Schneemann and Vivienne David had some upset victories over Jessie Irvine/Etta Wright and Lucy Kovalova/Lea Jansen to earn their spot against Waters/Bright in Championship Sunday. In a four-set battle, Waters/Bright came out on top with an 11-5, 11-4, 9-11, 11-5 victory to complete the triple crown for Waters. Jansen/Kovalova fought their way to bronze.The PPA Tour will travel west to California for the PPA Takeya Showcase 8/3-8/6.Medal List:Ben Johns: Gold – Mixed Doubles, Gold – Men’s Doubles, Gold – Men’s SinglesCollin Johns: Gold – Men’s DoublesFederico Staksrud: Silver – Men’s DoublesEtta Wright: Bronze – Mixed DoublesLacy Schneemann: Silver – Women’s DoublesAnna Bright: Gold – Women’s DoublesLea Jansen: Bronze – Women’s DoublesEquipment List:Ben Johns: Ben Johns Perseus CFS 16Collin Johns: Collin Johns Scorpeus CFS 16Federico Staksrud: Ben Johns Perseus CFS 16Etta Wright: Ben Johns Perseus CFS 16Lacy Schneemann: Ben Johns Perseus CFS 14Anna Bright: Anna Bright Scorpeus CFS 14Lea Jansen: Ben Johns Perseus CFS 14
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