Christian Alshon/Andrei Daescu captured their second consecutive men’s doubles title on the PPA Tour with an 11-5, 11-1, 10-12, 5-11, 11-7 victory over No. 2 seeds Ben Johns/Gabe Tardio.

The No. 4 seeds had a chance to pull off a three-game sweep with a match point at 10-9 in the third game, but Johns/Tardio scored three in a row to extend the match.

The momentum from keeping their title hopes alive propelled Johns/Tardio to a comfortable win in the fourth game and a 5-2 lead in the decider.

Getting to the kitchen line more frequently helped Johns/Tardio make that run in Games 3 and 4, as it allowed them to settle into dinking rallies, where they seemed to have the advantage.

“I felt like at the line we were definitely favored,” Johns said. “That’s what you want—to be favored at the line. That’s usually what’s gonna win you matches.”

But it didn’t on Sunday.

Alshon/Daescu stuck to their game plan of driving their thirds and using their length to attack suspect fourth-shot volleys and eventually overcome a 2-5 deficit in the deciding game.

“For me personally, I was struggling with their drives. They were keeping them down and poaching well, so I think that’s something we need to work on for the next time we play them,” Tardio mentioned. “I think we’re favored at the net, so if we’re able to manage their drives, I think we should be fine.”

After over an hour and a half of fierce competition—and 42 minutes after having match point in Game 3—Alshon/Daescu closed out the epic contest and put Johns and Tardio’s valiant comeback effort to rest.

Alshon spoke about a mindset shift that has helped him stay mentally engaged in tight, draining matches like Sunday’s.

“When I first started playing pickleball, the sport was my life. Now, it’s just a part of my life,” he explained. “Life is so much bigger just the sport that I play or the job that I have. Thinking about that really helps me stay calm on the court, play my best, and not put too much pressure on myself.”

That mentality helped the 24-year-old come alive when it mattered most in the desert.

In the bronze medal match, Pablo Tellez/Hayden Patriquin defeated Hayden Patriquin/Federico Staksrud 12-10, 11-4 to secure their first podium finish as a partnership.