Tyson McGuffin came close to winning the Triple Crown with gold medals in Pro Men ’ s Singles and Pro Men ’ s
Doubles , but being just short with a bronze medal in Pro Mixed Doubles with partner Anna Leigh Waters .
PHOTO BY BRUCE YEUNG ; IG : @ YEUNGPHOTOGRAPHY
Jennifer Dawson and Dayne Gingrich take gold after competing against Gingrich ’ s Men ’ s Doubles partner
Dave Weinbach and his partner Kris Anderson , forcing it to one game to 15 to determine the champions .
PHOTO BY MARK DANCHO ; IG :@ YEUNGPHOTOGRAPHY excruciating losses . During this Mixed Doubles match , in the back of our heads , we were both thinking , ‘ Oh no , not this again ,’ but you do your best to block out anything negative and focus on the now . We are so glad our ‘ Newman curse ’ ( as our mom called it ) is over .”
Riley adds , “ We focused on being positive and not letting any negativity set in . That was the difference this time around and it worked great for us .”
He took the momentum from playing with his sister and paired with Tyson McGuffin to claim the Men ’ s Doubles crown . “ It was the best weekend I ’ ve ever had on a pickleball court ,” says Riley . “ I could not have scripted it any better .”
During their junior tennis days in Washington , Riley and Tyson played against one another , and to say the match was hotly contested would have been an understatement according to Riley : “ Tyson is the fiercest competitor I have ever been around .”
If not for Riley , Lindsey might be competing in another sport altogether . “ I ’ ve said it once and I ’ ll say it again , if Riley wasn ’ t playing pickleball , I probably wouldn ’ t be either . One of the biggest reasons why I play pickleball is because of him . Not only do we get to spend a ton of time together , but we also get to compete and make lifelong memories both on and off the court together ,” says Lindsey , a mother of one with a second child on the way .
“ Everything he does he ’ s good at , and I knew that when we first started playing pickleball about four years ago it would be no different . He has just as much grit , drive and determination to win as I do and that ’ s why we are so good together .”
Another favorite of the crowds , players , volunteers and tournament staff was again the Indian Wells Tennis Garden facility . The immaculately manicured grounds and pristine courts and seating coupled with expansive sponsor tents and displays created an aura of a major championship event , which by all accounts the sport of pickleball has quickly established . “ Indian Wells Tennis Garden is more of an experience than a destination for me . To say that the venue is anything less than exceptional would be a complete understatement ,” says Lindsey .
Nationals presented a great opportunity for Tyson to take control in Men ’ s Singles and Doubles and gain some ground on the # 1 ranking that Ben Johns , who did not attend this year ’ s tournament , has had a stranglehold on for the past few years . Meanwhile , Zane Navratil was unbeaten moving through the bracket — defeating Grant Bond and Frank Anthony Davis in the process — and had also beaten Tyson in an earlier match in the tourney .
Tyson was able to come out of the bronze medal match with a win against JW Johnson and was set to face Zane for
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JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2022 | MAGAZINE 41