“Hunter Johnson is putting on a singles masterpiece.”

That comment, made by lead PPA broadcaster Dave Fleming during the men’s singles final, is an accurate characterization of Johnson’s play that helped him defeat top seed Federico Staksrud 11-2, 11-5 on Sunday afternoon in a stunning display of pickleball singles.

One of the trademarks of Johnson’s singles games is how he doesn’t rush the kitchen line after hitting a return. He will oftentimes stay back and invite his opponents up and try to pass them from the baseline.

“It suits my game well,” he said of that strategy. “I have good groundstrokes, and I trust them. When I stay low, I sometimes feel like I can hit it anywhere.”

Johnson also spoke about how finding and settling into a flow state helped him clear his mind and capture his third title of the season.

“This match was weird. I just wasn’t thinking it all. I was just playing on instinct, and luckily, a lot of my passes just landed,” he mentioned. “I had the right speed, and the right control. [Federico] always puts so much pressure on you, so you really have to be smooth in those corners with the passes.”

Staksrud, who is searching for his first singles title since the PPA Masters in January, couldn’t help but applaud the performance.

“[Hunter] played better than me today, and it is what it is. I’m gonna keep fighting, trying to keep putting myself into Championship Sunday to have another shot. That’s how sports is,” he said.

In the bronze medal match, No. 3 seed Connor Garnett defeated No. 8 seed Christian Alshon by a 9-11, 11-4, 11-8 score line to secure his second straight podium finish.