DALLAS, TX - No. 1 seeds Ben and Collin Johns are finished on men's doubles Saturday earlier than they had hoped.

The team fell to No. 16 seeds Wyatt Stone and Jaume Martinez Vich in the Round of 16 in three games, 5-11, 11-8, 12-10.

“We had a tough first game, but we changed our gameplan and started playing a little better," said Stone after the match.

The epic Round of 16 match between No. 16 seeds Stone/Martinez Vich and No. 1 seeds Ben and Collin Johns almost didn’t happen. In their first match of the day, Stone and Martinez Vich found themselves tied 9-9 in the third game against Andreas Siljestrom and Daniel De La Rosa. However, the pair held their nerve and made it through to setup their match with the No. 1 seeds.

Going into it, the pair just wanted to go for their shots and leave nothing on the court.

“We had nothing to lose,” Martinez Vich said. “I had zero pressure in this match.”

That mindset allowed the pair to play freely and even enjoyed a little help from the windy conditions - something that's known to bother C. Johns specifically during matches.

The brothers mounted a comeback to tie it up at 10-10, but Stone and Martinez Vich held strong for the second time on Saturday to close it out 12-10 and advance to the quarters riding high on the biggest win of their careers.

“I really like Ben and Collin," said Martinez Vich, laughing. "I actually feel bad that we won, but we’ll take it. I sucked at singles [this event], so I wanted to do at least a little well in doubles.” 

C. Johns reported not feeling well on Saturday with a possible fever and other symptoms - another pro in a long line of players who have struggled with illness and injury over the last few tournaments. McGuffin, notably, pulled out of his mixed doubles quarterfinal at Nationals, and Tyra Black, Pablo Tellez, Federico Stakrud, and others also reported not feeling their best recently. End of the year fatigue may be kicking in for many of the top players.

The streak was not to last, however, and Stone/Martinez Vich went on to fall in the quarterfinals to Tyler Loong and DJ Young 12-10, 11-2.

With the loss to Stone/Martinez Vich, Ben’s bid to tie Anna Leigh Waters at 20 Triple Crowns will be put on hold.

Johns still will have a lot to play for on Championship Sunday when he competes in the men’s singles and mixed doubles finals at the Hertz Gold Cup.

With the No. 1 seeds out, the men’s doubles draw has been blown wide open. Surprise finalists Alshon and Garnett will meet Dylan Frazier and JW Johnson on Sunday.