Ben Johns/Gabe Tardio kicked off Carvana Championship Sunday action at Cary Tennis Park with an 11-9, 11-5, 10-12, 13-11 victory over top seeds Federico Staksrud/Hayden Patriquin.

The No. 2 seeds had a match point in Game 3 after overcoming a 3-8 deficit, but Staksrud/Patriquin saved it and went on to force a fourth.

They got off to a blistering start in that fourth game to the tune of an 8-1 lead, but Johns/Tardio came all the way back—saving four points in the process—to close out the contest and avoid going to a decider.

Johns broke down the action in the final game.

“[Federico and Hayden] really put the pressure on us in Game 4 after a winning a tight third game with a lot of drives forcing some errors from us, so we just kind of knew that we needed to buckle down, get into the net more, make a few less errors, and play some solid kitchen line points,” he recalled. “When things got tight in that fourth game, we were able to convert when it really mattered.”

In three tournaments together, Johns/Tardio have earned two gold medals (Texas and North Carolina) and a silver (Mesa). That strong start to the partnership only gives Johns confidence going into the rest of the PPA season.

“It feels great out there,” he said. “We’re gelling more, getting some great patterns going and are building really good chemistry. We have many more tournaments to come this year, and I’m looking forward to all of them.”

Both Johns and Tardio will be back in action later on Sunday. Johns will compete alongside Anna Leigh Waters against Jorja Johnson/JW Johnson in the mixed doubles final, while Tardio will take on Roscoe Bellamy in the men’s singles final.

In the bronze medal match, No. 8 seeds Eric Oncins/Dylan Frazier defeated No. 4 seeds Tyson McGuffin/Dekel Bar 11-0, 11-2 as the red-hot Oncins earned his career PPA Tour medal.