Ben and Collin Johns bested JW Johnson and Dylan Frazier in men ’ s doubles for their 26th career title together and second consecutive national championship . pickleball channel launched by Pickleball Inc . ( the parent company of the PPA Tour ) and Tennis Channel .
Ben and Collin Johns bested JW Johnson and Dylan Frazier in men ’ s doubles for their 26th career title together and second consecutive national championship . pickleball channel launched by Pickleball Inc . ( the parent company of the PPA Tour ) and Tennis Channel .
Those jumping into pro events are a continual influx of new and talented players . One of the newer names on tour is Jaume Martinez Vich . Crowd favorite Tyson McGuffin was introduced to the 21-year-old Spaniard and the crafty veteran was bounced in a quarterfinal match at Brookhaven 11-6 , 11-9 , enabling Martinez Vich to advance to the semifinals . There he defeated Hunter Johnson in a match that featured perhaps the shot of the tournament — an intense rally that ended up with Johnson unable to return a down-the-line passing shot after making a mad dash across the court . Johnson ended up thoroughly exhausted and sprawled out on the court . The raucous crowd loved every spinetingling shot .
Martinez Vich , who was well-rested entering the event , looked forward to playing JW Johnson in the men ’ s singles final . “ That ’ s the goal — to win the event . I took two weeks off before this tournament . I really wanted to win this tournament so I could take another vacation .”
But first he would have to get by Johnson , a talented player in his own right and good friend of Martinez Vich . After dropping the opener 11-6 , Johnson steadied his game and took the next two , 11-7 and 11-5 , and the title . “ I kept going for my drives for the most part and mixing up the shots a little bit , with a couple more drops and tried to get into the kitchen more ,” said Johnson .
It worked , and for the first time since 2016 , someone other than McGuffin or with the last name of Johns took home the national championship . Earlier in the event , Ben Johns lost in straight games to the 16th seeded Chris Haworth , sending shock waves throughout the Dallas suburb .
What Anna Leigh Waters is doing on a pickleball court is unprecedented and it ’ s almost unimaginable that a 16-year-old is dominating a sport such as she is . Already having captured 19 career Triple Crowns , Waters began her quest to unlock the tie with Ben Johns in that category and easily won the mixed doubles crown with Johns by beating her practice partners back in Florida , Anna Bright and James Ignatowich , who were the # 2 seeds , 11-6 , 11-5 and 11-3 . For the top-seeded Johns- Waters pairing , the win marked their 14th gold medal of the year . “ There are some pros and cons about playing Anna and James and it ’ s pretty weird , but I ’ m glad to see that they made it to the finals this year ,” said Waters .
Waters ’ brilliance on the court is never lost on her partner . “ She ’ s incredible , definitely a phenomenal
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NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2023 | MAGAZINE 31