Johns bros rally from down a game to make final
LOS ANGELES, CA - For the third time in three weeks, Ben and Collin Johns will go for men’s doubles gold on Championship Sunday.
They took down the new pairing of Connor Garnett and Augie Ge in the semifinals, but the win didn’t come without its share of hardship.
Garnett and Ge came out hot in Game 1, hitting their spots on their speedups so well that even the top seeds couldn’t handle them.
After dropping the first game, though, the brothers did what the pickleball world watches them do at nearly every tournament: dominate.
The key for overcoming a slow start? Movement.
“I felt like I came out kind of flat in Game 1,” B. Johns said. “I wasn’t moving enough laterally and definitely wasn’t attacking from balanced positions. In Games 2 and 3, I really just made sure that I was moving my feet, bending my knees, making the easy balls, and then getting into a nice, planted position to hit my attacks.”
That seemingly simple change helped the brothers storm back and secure a 5-11, 11-5, 11-3 victory.
Awaiting them in the final are No. 4 seeds Tyson McGuffin and Jaume Martinez Vich, who are making waves in their first tournament playing together.
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