Johnson, Frazier book spot in final with two-game victory over Alshon, Patriquin
OVERLAND PARK, KS - JW Johnson and Dylan Frazier dinked and countered their way into the men’s doubles final with an 11-9, 11-6 victory over No. 6 seeds Christian Alshon and Hayden Patriquin.
The top-seeded tandem unsurprisingly put on an impressive display of patience at the kitchen line, responding to their opponents’ speedups with well-struck counters.
It looked like the match might go to a third game when Alshon and Patriquin jumped out to a 5-2 lead in the second, but Johnson and Frazier stayed disciplined and scored nine of the match’s final ten points to secure the win.
“Hayden and Christian are both very talented players who have been playing well over the past few tournaments and have incredible hands, so we just had to pick the right moments and remember to stay disciplined when opportunities weren’t there,” Frazier explained. “Sometimes that’s tough to do, especially when they’re on a run, but usually the better option is to stay in the dink rally a little longer.”
That mentality helped Frazier and Johnson earn their fifth consecutive Championship Sunday appearance on the PPA Tour.
They’ll face No. 4 seeds Federico Staksrud and Gabriel Tardio in the final.
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