SAN CLEMENTE, CA -  It’s never easy playing a team you’re unfamiliar with.

It’s even harder playing a team you’re unfamiliar with that’s made up of some of the best doubles players in the world.

But that’s the exact challenge Ben and Collin Johns were faced with in the men’s doubles final on Sunday when they took on Riley Newman and Thomas Wilson.

The teams split the first two games, with each winning one somewhat easily, but the match tightened up in games three and four.

One of the main challenges that the tandem of Newman and Wilson presented was the fluidity with which they could change what formations they showed to their opponents.

Each player’s versatility to play both the left and right sides effectively allowed the team to vary the patterns they played by on a point-to-point basis.

This gave the Johns brothers just one more thing to consider as they hit their shots in the close moments.

“You have to be aware of that and know that it puts their artillery in different spots,” explained Collin. “It becomes necessary to pay attention to the formation that they’re playing each time.”

Despite these extra considerations, the brotherly pair held their nerve at the crucial moments late in games to clinch an 11-2, 4-11, 11-9, 12-10 victory, even fending off a game point for Newman and Wilson in game four.

This title is their 14th of 2023.