Parris Todd playing pickleball.
Parris Todd is into the quarterfinal after a riveting Game 3 comeback against Lea Jansen. PPA Tour

Game 3 comeback lifts Todd over Jansen

LAKEVILLE, MN - Take it from Parris Todd, the best way to overcome a big deficit is to not acknowledge it. Or, more specifically, to not know about it.

The No. 15 seed found herself down 1-9 in Game 3 of her Round of 16 match against Lea Jansen, but she stormed back to take it 11-9.

The secret? Apparently, losing track of the score.

“To be honest, I didn’t know I was down 9-1,” she told PickleballTV’s Michelle McMahon. “I was just playing in the moment and taking it point by point and just fighting my heart out.”

Apart from the mental side of the game, Todd’s two-handed backhand from the baseline was on full display in those tight moments, but she also found success in cat-and-mouse rallies from the kitchen when the point demanded it.

All of that came together in Game 3 as she completed an impressive comeback against the No. 2 seed.

Todd will next face No. 24 seed Samantha Parker in the quarterfinals.