Chris Haworth celebrates a point.
Chris Haworth celebrating a point at the Select Medical Orange County Cup presented by FitVine Wine. PPA Tour

Haworth outlasts Johns to make men’s singles final

SAN CLEMENTE, CA - Chris Haworth is into the men’s singles final in southern California after an 11-4, 3-11, 11-7 victory over No. 2 seed Ben Johns.

 

The match followed the same pattern as the two’s last faceoff in the Texas Open final: players split the first two games, with each winning one by a wide margin.

The key difference, of course, was Game 3.

Haworth, as expected, found success with his precisely placed third shot drives. Those shots set him up to use his length and attack fifth shots out of the air.

That strategy proved to be crucial in the match’s tightest moments, as Haworth scored the final four points from 7-7 in the third.

“I was trying to roll the ball and get it below the net to make [Johns] hit up on the ball when going for volleys,” he explained.

With the win, Haworth is into his second gold medal match on the PPA Tour. He will face the winner of the second semifinal between Federico Staksrud and Tyson McGuffin.