In Pro Mixed Doubles , Oshiro teamed with Howells ( who also won dual golds ) to claim her second gold medal . echoed the thoughts that are on a lot of people ’ s minds these days : “ If Chris plays as well as he can play , he ’ s the best singles player on the planet right now .” Well , Haworth proved just that , winning 11-1 , 14-12 after a beautifully placed crosscourt backhand winner from the kitchen line to close out the match .
In Pro Mixed Doubles , Oshiro teamed with Howells ( who also won dual golds ) to claim her second gold medal . echoed the thoughts that are on a lot of people ’ s minds these days : “ If Chris plays as well as he can play , he ’ s the best singles player on the planet right now .” Well , Haworth proved just that , winning 11-1 , 14-12 after a beautifully placed crosscourt backhand winner from the kitchen line to close out the match .
“ I think I have shown that when I ’ m playing my ‘ A ’ game , I can beat anyone in the world ,” said Haworth . “ But I also think singles is such a game of runs that there are a lot of guys who can get hot and compete with all the top players .”
Over on the women ’ s side of the draw , there may be a new shining star on the horizon . Bobbi Oshiro , who is originally from Honolulu and now calls Plantation , Florida , home , didn ’ t drop a game throughout the entire tournament . She had a tough match in the Round of 16 with Nicole Eugenio , eventually coming out on top , 11-9 , 11-6 . She then defeated Shelby Bates in the quarterfinals 11-5 , 11-0 , and followed that up with a semifinal win over Megan Fudge , who many considered the favorite to win the event .
After a tough first game that the fourth-seeded Oshiro won 11-9 , she breezed through the second game , winning 11-1 . Against Miami ’ s Alexa Schull — who got through to the finals with wins over Alejandra Lopez Borobia from Puerto Rico in the quarterfinals , and a straight-game win over Amanda Hendry in the semis — Oshiro captured the title when , on championship point , she hit a deft slice backhand dink at the net that Schull was unable to reach . The diminutive Oshiro , who stands just 5 ' 2 ", took home the gold with a scorecard that read 13-11 , 11-2 .
“ All of these players are incredible athletes , but I definitely felt confident in my singles game going into the second set of each match . I take pride in being steady and consistent , focusing on making a lot of balls when it counts ,” said Oshiro . “ I ’ ve also been putting in work on my mental game and off-court fitness lately , so it ’ s been great to see that pay off in my singles matches .”
Oshiro didn ’ t stop there . Playing mixed doubles with partner Will Howells for the fourth time this year , she and Howells took home gold with an 11-9 , 11-6 win over Amanda Hendry and William Sobek . The tandem , who both live in southern Florida , made their way into the finals with an 11-5 , 11-0 win over Jill Braverman and Eric Oncins .
“ We ’ ve actually known each other for a couple of years now , so it ’ s been great building that friendship off the court as well ,” Oshiro noted . “ It definitely makes a difference when you ’ re playing with someone you trust and communicate well with , both in terms of understanding each other ’ s strengths and being
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NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2024 | MAGAZINE 33