Chris Haworth celebrates a point.
Chris Haworth competing at the 2023 National Championships. PPA Tour

Haworth impresses to make semifinals

ROCKWALL, TX - Chris Haworth didn’t have the best start to his singles day, but that’s pretty far from the top of his mind now that he’s into the semifinals.

He lost the first game of his opening match against Noe Khlif, but the No. 22 seed hasn’t dropped another game since.

In fact, he hasn’t given up more than three points in any game since dropping his first of the day, dispatching Roscoe Bellamy, Dustin Boyer, and Hunter Johnson to book his spot in the semifinals.

“I think I came into the day putting too much pressure on myself,” Haworth said of his opening struggles. “This is only my fourth PPA of the year, so I want to do my best when I’m here. I didn’t play very well in my first game and just kind of had to reset mentally, and ever since then I’ve been rolling.”

He was especially impressive in his 11-1, 11-1 quarterfinal rout of Hunter Johnson during which it seemed like he couldn’t miss at times.

“When I get into that flow state, I just have to stay relaxed and not think about how well I’m playing. If I think about it, then I’ll start to get in my head,” he shared. “I was just trying to swing freely on my thirds. I hit probably ten lines in a row, and when that happens, it’s just too good, I guess.”

Haworth will take on No. 2 seed Federico Staksrud in the semifinals.