Golden girl: Brascia snags first PPA title
ST. GEORGE, UT - Mary Brascia is a gold medalist on the PPA Tour for the first time in her career after a 7-11, 11-4, 11-9 victory over Lea Jansen.
Neither player dropped a game en route to their Championship Sunday clash, and it was evident that they both saved their best for the biggest stage.
The top two seeds split the first two games, but the progression of the match came to a screeching halt early in Game 3 when Jansen was forced to take a medical timeout due to blood sugar-related issues.
The Type I diabetic was eventually able to return to play and even took a 7-3 lead in the deciding game, but Brascia rallied behind some incredible backhand passing shots in key moments to eventually close out the match.
Brascia was nothing but complimentary of Jansen’s resilience in Game 3.
“Props to Lea for coming back out here after that timeout,” she said. “That just shows how much of a warrior she is.”
This was the fifth time that the two have squared off in singles, and their last three had gone three games.
Brascia wasn’t surprised when the same thing happened on Sunday.
“Lea and I always have battles,” she shared. “I knew it was probably gonna go three games, and so I just had to grind it out. I’m happy to come away with the win.”
No. 6 seed Kaitlyn Christian earned the bronze medal with a 7-11, 12-10, 12-10 victory over No. 5 seed Jorja Johnson.
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