LIVE BLOG: Friday's results and news from the Fontainebleau
Quarterfinals Day at The Las Vegas Pickleball Cup definitely lived up to the hype.
Here's a recap of the day from Sin City.
8:10 p.m PT: Three-game victories propel Bar and Navratil, Garnett and Loong into men's doubles semifinals
The first two men’s doubles quarterfinal matches went to three games, so it’s only fitting that the last two did, as well. The teams of Dekel Bar and Zane Navratil and Connor Garnett and Tyler Loong were the victors in those last two bouts, booking their spots in the semifinals.
Bar and Navratil took down No. 5 seeds Hayden Patriquin and Pablo Tellez 12-10, 6-11, 11-9 to make the semifinals in their first tournament together this year.
After splitting the first two games with their opponents, Bar and Navratil jumped out to a 5-2 lead in the decider.
A six-point run by Patriquin and Tellez put them in a dangerous situation trailing 5-7, but Bar and Navratil found their best form in the match’s closing moments to rally and clinch the win.
They will face No. 6 seeds Christian Alshon and Riley Newman in the semifinals.
Garnett and Loong defeated No. 3 seeds Matt Wright and Federico Staksrud by a 7-11, 11-9, 11-9 score line.
They, too, were in trouble when they found themselves down a game and 1-4, but they scored the next seven points from that point to turn the tide of Game 2 and even the match.
Garnett and Loong again found themselves trailing at 2-5 and 6-9 in the third game, but that didn’t deter the Utah Black Diamonds teammates.
Relying on Garnett’s third shot drives to set up the hyperathletic Loong’s crash opportunities on serve, the No. 8 seeds scored the match’s final five points to seal the deal.
8) Loong & Garnett advance to the semifinals after defeating 3) M. Wright & Stakstrud 7-11, 11-9, 11-9 👏 pic.twitter.com/zFTLvEQZMT
— Carvana PPA Tour (@PPAtour) August 31, 2024
The tandem already has one silver medal this year from the Indoor USA Championships in March, and they’re now one win away from another Championship Sunday appearance.
Garnett says that he and Loong’s trust in each other is a key contributor to their success.
“It’s awesome to play with Tyler out there,” he mentioned. “We can tell each other whatever we’re feeling and be able to adapt instantly, and so just having that trust that we’re gonna listen to each other and gel cohesively is a lot of fun.”
Garnett and Loong will take on No. 9 seeds Andrei Daescu and Gabe Tardio—who took home gold last week in Salt Lake City—for a spot in the final.
7:00 p.m. PT: First-time partnerships shine as Bright and Pisnik, Johnson and Rohrabacher move on
Even though Anna Bright and Rachel Rohrabacher aren't playing together in Las Vegas, both are through to the women's doubles semifinals.
Bright and Tina Pisnik are partnering up this week, coming in as the No. 2 seeds. They eased past No. 6 seeds Lea Jansen and Lucy Kovalova by an 11-1, 11-5 score line with a clinical performance.
Rohrabacher, on the other hand, is teaming up with Jorja Johnson. They took on No. 5 seeds Allyce Jones and Callie Smith, coming away with an 11-13, 11-6, 11-3 victory.
In the semifinals, Bright and Pisnik will face No. 7 seeds Hurricane Tyra Black and Parris Todd, while Rohrabacher and Johnson will take on top-seeded Anna Leigh Waters and Catherine Parenteau.
5:50 p.m. PT: Top seeds fall as Tardio and Daescu, Alshon and Newman earn semifinal berths
Friday afternoon saw the top two men’s doubles seeds fall in the quarterfinals, with the duos of Andrei Daescu and Gabe Tardio and Christian Alshon and Riley Newman prevailing in three-game battles.
Daescu and Tardio—fresh off their title last week in Salt Lake City—defeated No. 1 seeds Dylan Frazier and JW Johnson 7-11, 11-5, 11-3.
This is the first time in three tries this year that the tandem has taken out Frazier and Johnson; they had lost the two previous meetings in Mesa and St. George, both of which happened on Championship Sunday.
Tardio and Daescu will face either Federico Staksrud and Matt Wright or Connor Garnett and Tyler Loong in the semifinals.
Alshon and Newman knocked off the other top seed with an 11-5, 9-11, 12-10 triumph over Ben and Collin Johns in a match filled with extended rallies and extended hands battles.
The former MLP teammates had a chance to clinch the win in two games when they had 9-8 lead in the second, but the Johns brothers reeled off three in a row to send it to a decider.
After trailing 3-5 in that final game, Alshon and Newman scored six consecutive points to earn a 9-5 advantage; despite an impressive rally from their opponents to tie things up at 10-10, the No. 6 seeds eventually closed out the match at the third time of asking.
The resilience from the pair after almost having it in Game 2 was impressive.
“We just had to stay mentally tough,” Newman said of the effort. “That second game was a heartbreaker. We had our chances, but Christian and I kind of looked at each other and said, ‘We’re built for this.’ We knew we just had to believe and not give up.”
Alshon and Newman will face either Dekel Bar and Zane Navratil or Hayden Patriquin and Pablo Tellez in Saturday’s semifinal round.
4:35 p.m. PT: Black and Todd, Waters and Parenteau ease into women's doubles semis
The pairings of Hurricane Tyra Black and Parris Todd and Anna Leigh Waters and Catherine Parenteau delivered dominant performances in their quarterfinal matches Friday afternoon.
Black and Todd took down No. 17 seeds Genie Erokhina and Allison Phillips by an 11-0, 11-3 score line. Erokhina and Phillips were coming off an upset victory over No. 3 seeds Etta Wright and Meghan Dizon, but Todd and Black got the job done in just under half an hour.
During that time on Humana Championship Court, the top seeds Waters and Parenteau earned an 11-1, 11-2 victory over sisters Mary and Maggie Brascia.
“This is absolutely disgusting!” @CP_Pickleball pic.twitter.com/6Qe5gDkpIB
— Carvana PPA Tour (@PPAtour) August 30, 2024
The top seeds certainly looked the part, and they're now just two wins away from securing their eleventh title of the year together.
3:55 p.m. PT: Johnson siblings outlast Pisnik, Bar in three-game thriller
Jorja and JW Johnson booked their spots in the mixed doubles semifinals with an 11-0, 7-11, 12-10 victory over No. 5 seeds Tina Pisnik and Dekel Bar.
The match started off as well as it could have for the No. 3 seeds, as they cruised to a Game 1 pickle using just a single side out.
It looked like the siblings might capture a two-game victory when they jumped out to a 4-1 lead in Game 2, but Pisnik and bar—who have two silver medals together so far this year—rallied to take it 11-8 and bring on a third game.
Pisnik and Bar continued their run to the point of a 7-2 lead in the deciding game, but the match was far from over at that point.
Johnson and Johnson clawed their way back into the match, as JW found success in the big moments by crashing off of his own third shot drives. After staving off one match point at 9-10, they scored another three points in a row to escape with the 12-10 win.
The tandem will face familiar faces—Anna Leigh Waters and Ben Johns—in the semifinals.
2:00 p.m. PT: Staksrud needs three games to defeat Sock
Top-seeded Federico Staksrud went the distance with No. 7 Jack Sock before finally knocking the former tennis star out of the singles bracket.
The final score was 11-3, 6-11, 11-2 in favor of the Argentinian.
Staksrud will face No. 8 Jaume Martinez Vich in the semis on Saturday.
1:55 p.m. PT: Duong retires from match due to ankle injury, Roddy advances
No. 20 Eric Roddy advanced to the semi-finals after No. 5 Quang Duong was forced to retire due to an ankle injury.
It was 5-5 in the opening game when Duong took a medical timeout.
The youngster simply couldn't continue.
Roddy will face No. 6 Dylan Frazier in the semis.
1:25 p.m. PT: Schneemann into semis, downs Wang
It took nearly 65 minutes, but No. 12 Lacy Schneemann finally defeated No. 15 Zoey Wang in a three-game thriller by a score of 9-11, 11-4, 11-9.
Schneemann will face No. 17 Kate Fahey in the semis.
Wang has every reason to be proud of her singles effort in Nevada, though, after winning a head-to-head matchup with No. 2 Catherine Parenteau on Thursday.
1:00 p.m. PT: Fahey with another upset in singles, bests Jansen
No. 17 Kate Fahey is heading to the semi-finals after handing No. 3 Lea Jansen an 11-3, 11-5 loss on Friday.
Fahey continues to impress, having previously posted victories over No. 9 Judit Castillo and No. 5 Mary Brascia earlier in the tournament.
It's still hard to believe that she left her full-time job at American Express in New York City just a couple of months ago to turn pro.
"They're super happy for me. They text me all the time, just congratulating me when I win a match, and they tune in live, so I can't thank them enough for all the support they've given me," said Fahey. "They're just rooting for me on this journey. They're the best."
The University of Michigan product won singles gold at The Picklr Utah Open this past Sunday.
12:25 p.m. PT: Martinez Vich downs McGuffin, off to semis
No. 8 Jaume Martinez Vich sent No. 3 Tyson McGuffin packing in singles with an 11-8, 11-9 triumph on Humana Championship Court.
Martinez Vich was trailing 9-3 in the second game, before storming all the way back to clinch a spot in the semi-finals.
"When I was down, I thought I'd just try to serve a little bit bigger and see if I could steal one or two points, and then just continue the run," he explained. "It worked out this time."
Martinez Vich will face either No. 1 Federico Staksrud or No. 7 Jack Sock in the semis.
12:10 p.m. PT: Frazier ends Khlif's magical singles run in Sin City
It was good while it lasted.
Following upsets over No. 2 Connor Garnett and No. 19 Gabe Tardio, No. 33 Noe Khlif was finally eliminated by No. 6 Dylan Frazier in a match that finished 11-4, 11-7.
Frazier earned a spot in the semis with the win.
11:35 a.m. PT: Waters sails past Padegimaite in straight games, heads to semis
Top-seeded Anna Leigh Waters made easy work of No. 10 Lina Padegimaite, securing an 11-8, 11-1 victory on Humana Championship Court.
Waters will face No. 6 Salome Devidze in the semi-finals on Saturday.
The 17-year-old is seeking her eighth singles gold medal of the campaign.
11:25 a.m. PT: Devidze defeats Buckner, clinches spot in semis
No. 6 Salome Devidze punched her ticket to the women's singles semi-finals with an 11-6, 11-4 victory over No. 4 Brooke Buckner.
It's an impressive triumph for Devidze since Buckner has three singles titles this season, including two earlier this month at the Bristol Open and Kansas City Open, respectively.
Devidze, 38, is seeking her second singles title of 2024 after claiming gold at the Pickleball Central Indoor USA Championships in March.
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