Gabe Tardio (L) and Ben Johns (R) competing in men's doubles at the Jenius Bank Pickleball World Championships.
Gabe Tardio (L) and Ben Johns (R) competing in men's doubles at the Jenius Bank Pickleball World Championships. PPA Tour

3 things to watch for on Friday at PPA Worlds

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Now, let’s get into what to watch for.

  • In women’s singles, No. 4 seed Parris Todd will face off against No. 6 seed Brooke Buckner for the fourth time this year. Each of their previous meetings has gone to three games, with Todd winning two and Buckner taking one. This matchup is truly a toss-up and should deliver one of the most high-quality contests of the day. It’s up first on Carvana Grandstand Court.

 

  • The mixed doubles draw will give fans multiple rematches from the most recent PPA Tour stop in Las Vegas. To start, top seeds Anna Leigh Waters/Ben Johns will once again meet No. 6 seeds Rachel Rohrabacher/Andrei Daescu in a rematch of the epic quarterfinal that Waters/Johns took by an 8-11, 11-7, 11-9 score line. Later in the day, fans will also see No. 2 seeds Jorja Johnson/JW Johnson do battle against No. 5 seeds Jessie Irvine/Gabe Tardio for the second time in three weeks. Irvine/Tardio won 11-8, 6-11, 11-7 when they met in the Las Vegas semifinals, so the Johnsons will certainly be out for revenge on Friday.

 

  • And in men’s doubles, Ben Johns/Gabe Tardio will face No. 6 seeds Jay Devilliers/Riley Newman for the first time since their three-game semifinal in Bristol back in August. Johns/Tardio took that one 8-11, 11-6, 11-7 and will need to once again be sharp to avoid an upset at the biggest tournament of the year. Also look out for the clash between No. 3 seeds Federico Staksrud/Hayden Patriquin and No. 5 seeds Eric Oncins/Matt Wright. They met in the bronze medal match at both Las Vegas tournaments, with Staksrud/Patriquin winning each time. Oncins/Wright will look to score their first win of the head-to-head and advance to the semifinals.

 

Live broadcast coverage from Brookhaven Country Club begins at 10am CT on Pickleballtv.