Hunter Johnson claimed his second consecutive men’s singles gold on the PPA Tour with an 11-6, 12-10 victory over Connor Garnett.

Johnson appeared to be in full control when he jumped out to a 9-4 lead in Game 2 after taking the first, but Garnett caught fire and reeled off six in a row to earn a game point and threaten to extend the match to a third game.

It wasn’t meant to be, though, as Johnson would go on to save that game point and eventually close out the match a few points later for his fourth straight win against Garnett.

This result caps what has been an incredible few months for Johnson on the singles court; he has six medals and three titles since August, which has propelled him to No. 4 in the latest PPA rankings after starting the year at No. 54.

“It’s just amazing to see all the hard work this year paying off,” he said. “I just kept my head down and kept working, and to win this at the end of the year—it’s something I couldn’t have imagined.”

On the other side of Sunday’s bout is Garnett, who had a stellar year with 8 total singles medals and two titles.

He spoke about the rising level in men’s singles.

“The singles level in men’s pickleball right now is insane,” he said. “There are so many great players out there. You have to fight for every point against everyone, so it’s been so much fun this year just going after it, and I’ve been fortunate to have a few successes.”

Look for both Johnson and Garnett to continue to be at the top of men’s singles in 2025.