Duong, Alshon sweep Johns bros for men’s doubles gold
BRISTOL, TN - Quang Duong and Christian Alshon overpowered No. 2 seeds Ben and Collin Johns 11-7, 11-7, 12-10 to claim the men’s doubles title in their first tournament together.
The No. 8 seeds—who are teammates on the Texas Ranchers in Major League Pickleball—remained committed to the aggressive game style that helped them make the final.
The six-foot-two Alshon was able to use his length to attack off of Duong’s low, heavy drives to put constant pressure on the brothers, who typically excel in slower-paced contests.
Even when long dink rallies developed at the kitchen line, though, Duong and Alshon still had success. Duong used his two-handed backhand roll dink to pull B. Johns out wide on the left side, which allowed Alshon to speed up through the middle with his forehand on several occasions.
Despite the well-planned and well-executed gameplan, the Johns brothers still had their opportunities to get into the match.
In Game 3, they had a game point at 10-7 before Duong and Alshon reeled off five consecutive points on serve to close out the victory.
Duong knew that Sunday would net him his first doubles medal on the PPA Tour; with this win, the 18-year-old made sure that it's a gold.
“I thought we played extremely well,” he said of the effort. “Christian and I, we played our game and held our ground. It’s an absolutely amazing experience.”
This is Alshon’s second title of his career after earning gold alongside Thomas Wilson at the Indoor USA Championships in March.
The 24-year-old says that he and Duong’s synergy is a key factor in their success.
“Quang and I have such an awesome dynamic in that we can both be alphas on our respective sides,” he explained. “He’s an animal on the left, and I’m an animal on the right. We gel very well together in that way.”
Alshon will be back in action in the last match of the day when he and Anna Bright take on Anna Leigh Waters and Ben Johns in the mixed doubles final.
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