
Haworth outduels Alshon for first title since 2024
Chris Haworth secured his second career PPA Tour title with an 11-8, 12-10 victory over No. 4 seed Christian Alshon in the second gold medal match of the day at Pickleball Virginia Beach.
The No. 15 seed looked to be in complete control when he built a 9-4 lead in Game 2 after taking the first, but Alshon went on a six-point run to take the lead and earn game point at 10-9.
Haworth, however, would not be denied; with a barrage of precise passing shots, he regained the serve and closed out the win a few moments later to capture his first title since signing with the PPA Tour back in August.
Similar to the mixed doubles final earlier in the day, this contest had several stoppages in play due to rain. The longest one of these delays came with Alshon serving at 8-9 in Game 2 and lasted over 15 minutes.
Haworth revealed that he has a unique routine that helped him remain locked in during the delays.
“I’m very superstitious. I take six drinks of water on every changeover, so I think I drank like nine bottles of water today,” he joked. “Other than that, I was just trying to stay focused as much as I could, stay in my own head, but also stay loose and have fun.”
This result should give Haworth plenty of confidence ahead of next week’s LT Open, a singles-only event that begins Oct. 17 in Atlanta, GA.
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