
First-time partnerships having success in men’s doubles
Four pairings that had never played together on the PPA Tour before Friday have advanced to the men’s doubles quarterfinals in east Tennessee.
Those pairings are No. 3 seeds JW Johnson/Andrei Daescu, No. 11 seeds Tyson McGuffin/Max Freeman, No. 19 seeds Travis Rettenmaier/Juan Benitez, and No. 25 seeds Eric Roddy/Donald Young.
Johnson/Daescu—two highly decorated players in their own right—are through after a hard fought 11-8, 11-8 victory over No. 14 seeds Jack Sock/Augie Ge.
Even though both Johnson and Daescu typically play the left side with other partners, Daescu has played the right side far on Friday in a move similar to what he did when he and Ben Johns took gold earlier this year in Cape Coral.
They will next face McGuffin/Freeman, who defeated No. 11 seeds Eric Oncins/Pablo Tellez by an 11-8, 11-2 score line in the Round of 16.
Rettenmaier/Benitez advanced with an 8-11, 11-4, 11-8 triumph over No. 25 seeds Greg Dow/Anderson Scarpa. The No. 19 seeds benefitted from a withdrawal from James Ignatowich (illness)/Ryan Fu earlier in the day and have certainly taken full advantage.
They will next take on either Ben Johns/Gabe Tardio or Julian Arnold/Blaine Hovenier with a spot in the semifinals on the line.
And finally, Roddy/Young are through after beating No. 13 seeds AJ Koller/Rafa Hewett and No. 32 seeds Zane Ford/Alex Crum—who took out No. 4 seeds James Delgado/Collin Johns—in straight games.
No. 7 seeds Riley Newman/Jay Devilliers await in the quarterfinals.
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