Alex Crum first made a name for himself on the PPA Tour by beating Federico Staksrud in singles at separate events this summer.

On Wednesday, he added another top-ranked singles player to his collection of marquee wins: Ben Johns.

After dropping the first game, the No. 28 seed caught fire from the baseline and went on to dominate Games 2 and 3 to come away with a 3-11, 11-4, 11-1 victory.

Crum spoke afterwards about how his game style set him up for success against one of the sport’s best.

“I’ve always felt that stylistically I present some issues for Ben if I’m hitting my shots. I knew he was gonna move forward, which I like because it creates a target,” he explained to Pickleballtv’s Kamryn Blackwood and Matt Manasse. “I struggle a bit with people staying back because there’s a little more decision-making involved, whereas when there’s somebody up there, I know I’ve just gotta hit it by ‘em.”

Even though this result is certainly a significant one for the 33-year-old, he says that his focus this week is on more than just wins and losses.

“This tournament for me is all about gratitude—playing Ben Johns, who’s the best we’ve ever seen, at the greatest tournament we’ve ever seen on the biggest court we’ve ever seen. I just wanted to be gracious for that opportunity. I mean, there are thousands of really skilled players who would do a lot for this opportunity, and so coming into this week, that was my focus,” he mentioned. “I’ve worked hard to be here, and I still think I have a long way to go, but I’m happy that I was able to stay in the moment there.”

Crum will face No. 22 seed Jay Devilliers on Thursday in the Round of 16.