Jones and Garnett, Black and Ge Book Quarterfinal Spots
PHOENIX, AZ- Some lower-seeded teams are showing out on mixed doubles day at the Desert Ridge Open.
Earlier, it was Jill Braverman and Jaume Martinez Vich who ousted Callie Smith and Jay Devilliers to reach the Round of 16.
Now, the pairings of Allyce Jones and Connor Garnett and Hurricane Tyra Black and Augie Ge are making noise with some impressive wins.
Jones and Garnett took down No. 5 seeds Meghan Dizon and Tyson McGuffin 6-11, 11-7, 11-2 to reach their first quarterfinal as a pairing.
Jones put on what can only be described as a reset clinic throughout the match, which gave her and Garnett opportunities to gain the advantage at the kitchen line.
But ‘Mighty Mouse’ gave all the praise to her partner.
“When you’re playing with someone who has the best backhand in the game, it makes it really easy,” she raved to PickleballTV’s Michelle McMahon. “Connor played out of his head. His drive-and-crashing was awesome, and it put a lot of pressure on [Meghan and Tyson]."
Next up for the No. 12 seeds is a clash against No. 3 seeds Vivienne David and Thomas Wilson.
The new pairing of Black and Ge had the tall task of beating No. 4 seeds Jackie Kawamoto and Riley Newman in the Round of 16, but the rising stars of the sport were more than up to the challenge.
Taking advantage of having both forehands in the middle with Ge being left-handed, the No. 21 seeds advanced by way of an 11-6, 11-6 victory.
They’ll take on tour veterans Lucy Kovalova and Matt Wright, who grinded out a three-game win against Lacy Schneemann and AJ Koller earlier Friday afternoon, in the quarterfinals.
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