
Connor Garnett earns Triple Crown at Sansan Fukuoka Open
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It's safe to say Connor Garnett enjoyed his PPA Tour Asia experience in Japan.
Garnett was unstoppable in men's singles, mixed doubles (alongside Allyce Jones), and men's doubles (alongside Tyler Loong) alike at the Sansan Fukuoka Open en route to securing a coveted Triple Crown on Championship Sunday.
With gold medals in all three events, Garnett became the first Triple Crown winner in PPA Tour Asia history.
"I'll start with "Nippon daisuki" ("I love Japan"). It's been so cool here," said Garnett, shortly after achieving the feat. "Just the love the community has shown and just being able to experience the culture has been awesome. Just to seal it with a Triple Crown is just surreal."
The American star's first title of the day didn't come easy as Vietnam’s Phuc Huynh stunned the crowd by rallying from a 0-6 deficit to steal the opening stanza 11-8.
That didn't faze Garnett, who dropped just four points across the next two games, winning 11-3, 11-1 to reach the top of the singles podium.
Then, Garnett and Jones made relatively easy work of Len Yang and Wei Ting Chieh 11-7, 11-5 in mixed doubles.
"When Allyce is getting low and resetting like she was in the end, I feel all the confidence to play my game, so it's just awesome to play beside her and see some of those crazy resets," said Garnett. "It allows me to get big in the middle and get pokey."
"This guy is a stud. He is one of the best players I've ever played with," praised Jones. "He's one of the most athletic guys on tour in the States."
Garnett capped his perfect day by partnering with Loong to defeat local favorite Kenta Miyoshi and Robert Stirling in straight games 11-3, 12-10.
"It was a great battle out there. That second game, they had some game points, so we were just holding course and fighting strong," said Garnett. "Just stoked to come out of this with a victory in that one. Credit to them, they played very well."
The PPA Tour Asia schedule continues later this week in Ho Chi Minh City for the MB Vietnam Open from September 4-7.
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