Pablo Tellez and Jessie Irvine playing pickleball.
Pablo Tellez and Jessie Irvine competing at the Veolia Houston Open. PPA Tour

Irvine, Tellez into mixed doubles semifinals

ATASCOCITA, TX - For their first time playing together, Jessie Irvine and Pablo Tellez are doing about as well as you can do.

They’re into the mixed doubles semifinals at the Veolia Houston Open after an 11-13, 11-6, 12-10 victory over Rachel Rohrabacher and Federico Staksrud.

With Tellez being left-handed, this partnership gives Irvine the opportunity to play the left side, which is usually rare for the female player in mixed doubles.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been on the left, so this is something new and fresh,” Irvine said. “I’m definitely enjoying it.”

Friday hasn’t been a cakewalk for the No. 4 seeds, however. In fact, each one of their matches has gone to three games.

But Irvine knows that each tight battle will only help her and Tellez’s on-court chemistry grow.

“We’re a new partnership, so the more games we have together, the better we’ll play,” she explained.

They’ll have a chance to get some more games under their belt when they take on No. 11 seeds Tina Pisnik and Dekel Bar in the semifinals.

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