Kaitlyn Christian competing at The Picklr Utah Open.
Kaitlyn Christian defeated Zoey Wang in a three-game battle. PPA Tour

Christian into second consecutive final after three-game triumph over Wang

SALT LAKE CITY - For the second week in a row, Kaitlyn Christian and Zoey Wang faced off with a spot in the finals on the line.

And for the second week in a row, Christian came out on top.

Thursday's bout, however, was a bit more complicated than last week’s, as is evidenced by the 8-11, 11-9, 11-7 score line.

Christian won in two games in Bristol, but Wang came out firing in Salt Lake City.

After upsetting Mary Brascia in the quarterfinals, she continued her high level and jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the opening game before taking it 11-8.

Wang was especially dialed in from the backhand wing, finding ways to attack with both her two-handed drive and one-handed volley.

Christian got off to a better start in the second game and had more success getting to the kitchen line, where she was able to use short, angled volleys to open up the court. That strategy helped her even the match and send it to a third game.

The No. 4 seed carried that momentum into the decider and earned a 7-2 lead, but Wang would eventually even the score at 7 thanks to some aggressive serves that earned her attackable third shots.

Christian brought her best from there, though, scoring the match’s next—and final—four points to book her spot in the final.

 

She’ll face either No. 6 seed Judit Castillo or No. 14 seed Kate Fahey in the gold medal match.

Regardless of who her opponent is, the former tennis pro knows that getting off to a good start will be crucial.

“I just need to stay disciplined and follow my game plan,” she shared. I’ve played both [Judit and Kate] once before and they’re both great players, so I’m excited to watch their match and will look to get off to a good start on Sunday and go from there.”

This will be the third singles final of the year for Christian as she pursues her first PPA title.