LIVE BLOG: Thursday's results and news from Life Time Peachtree Corners
It's Round of 16 Day at the CIBC Atlanta Slam presented by Vizzy, and we've got all the latest updates from the Peach State.
Check back throughout the day as this article will be modified as results come in.
Click here to view the order of play.
Here is the broadcast schedule (All times ET):
PickleballTV - 11:00am - 7:00pm (Humana Championship Court)
CBS Sports Network - 4:00pm - 7:00pm (Humana Championship Court)
PPA Tour YouTube channel - 11:00am - 7:00pm (Grandstand Court)
Stay tuned to PickleballTV at the conclusion of play for Pickleball Live with host Steve Weissman and analysts Matt Manasse and Kamryn Blackwood.
The live postgame show officially debuted on Wednesday.
8:00 p.m. ET: Johnson, Arnold outlast Wright, Staksrud in match of the year candidate
Hunter Johnson and Julian Arnold came away with an 11-1, 10-12, 14-12 victory over No. 3 seeds Matt Wright and Federico Staksrud in Thursday’s epic nightcap.
After teams split Games 1 and 2, Wright and Staksrud appeared to be in control when they earned a 4-0 lead in the decider, but Johnson and Arnold worked their way back into it to the point of having an 8-5 advantage of their own.
A few minutes later, though, it was Wright and Staksrud who had match point at 10-8-2 after scoring five points in a single service possession.
The ensuing match point that Johnson and Arnold saved would be the only one they would face.
Once knotted up at 10-10, the teams traded blows with one highly entertaining point after another before Johnson and Arnold eventually closed out the triumph by a 14-12 score line.
The match as a whole—but Game 3 in particular—featured hyperathletic rallies filled with fast hands, incredible defense, and admirable fight from all four players.
Arnold says that brand of pickleball suits him and Johnson well.
“I think the more athletic the point, the better for us,” he shared. "When we’re moving and scrapping and having those kinds of rallies, we’re locked in mentally.”
They certainly were locked in when it mattered, pumping each other up as Arnold engaged in some healthy chirping with Wright on the other side of the net.
The No. 14 seeds will take on Riley Newman and Christian Alshon in Friday’s quarterfinal round.
6:45 p.m. ET: Schneemann and Jk. Kawamoto, Wright and Dizon set quarters clash
The pairings of Lacy Schneemann and Jackie Kawamoto and Etta Wright and Meghan Dizon booked their spots in the women's doubles quarterfinals with Thursday afternoon victories.
Schneemann and Kawamoto—who are the No. 8 seeds in their first tournament together—advanced with an 11-5, 11-7 victory over No. 9 seeds Lea Jansen and Parris Todd, another first-time partnership.
This is the second big win of the day for Schneemann, who upset No. 2 seeds Anna Bright and James Ignatowich in mixed doubles alongside Tyson McGuffin.
The former aerospace engineer at Boeing says that the indoor conditions suit her playstyle.
“I actually prefer to play outside, but I do like the still conditions and it’s pretty fast in here,” she mentioned. “I like to serve big and drive big, and that’s what has been working for me indoors.”
Wright and Dizon—the No. 3 seeds in the Georgia capital—advanced in a much more complicated manner: with a 4-11, 11-6, 11-9 comeback victory over No. 13 seeds Alix Truong and Mari Humberg.
They were down a game and 0-4 before winning 11 of the next 13 points to take Game 2 and even the match.
After jumping out to a 6-2 lead in the decider, Wright and Dizon barely held on to clinch the win.
The two teams will face off on Friday with a spot in the semifinals on the line.
4:55 p.m. ET: Johns bros overcome Deakin, Jakovljevic despite B Johns' injury
Ben Johns obviously wasn’t at 100%, but he and Collin Johns still secured an 11-5, 11-6 victory over Steve Deakin and Ivan Jakovljevic to make the men’s doubles quarterfinals.
He had already been forced to retire from his earlier men’s singles match against Grayson Goldin because of an ankle injury he sustained on Wednesday, but the 25-year-old finished the day with victories in mixed doubles and men’s doubles.
In a tactical change of pace, C. Johns played the role of the aggressor from the right side. Instead of being his usual steady self, he tried to speed up at his opponents at seemingly every opportunity.
“I knew I was going to have to cover more court than usual, so I tried to be aggressive and reduce the amount that [Ben] had to move,” he explained.
Despite ending Thursday with an overall positive 2-1 record, B. Johns was quick to admit that he isn’t feeling like his normal self.
“It’s not great, but these things happen,” he said of his ankle injury. “I’ve been lucky in my career to not have many injuries, but rolling it yesterday was definitely not the best timing.”
The No. 2 seeds will face No. 6 seeds Andrei Daescu and Gabriel Tardio on Friday.
3:25 p.m. ET: Rohrabacher, Staksrud outlast Jansen, Patriquin in three-game battle
Rachel Rohrabacher and Federico Staksrud came away with an 11-4, 7-11, 11-8 victory over No. 9 seeds Lea Jansen and Hayden Patriquin.
It was a clash between two partnerships that have played several tournaments together in 2024, and that chemistry was on full display throughout the high-quality encounter.
After dropping three points in a row, the No. 7 seeds found themselves trailing 6-8 in the third game, but they raised their level at the necessary moments and went on to score the final five points to close out the match.
One of the keys to the victory was staying solid through the match's momentum swings.
"Hayden has such great hands and can get really hot sometimes, so we had to be hyperaware of when those periods happen and just communicate on how to adjust to those fluctuations," Rohrabacher mentioned.
They will face top seeds Anna Leigh Waters and Ben Johns in the quarterfinals on Friday.
3:00 p.m. ET: Schneemann, McGuffin upset Bright, Ignatowich to advance to quarters
The No. 14 seeds Lacy Schneemann and Tyson McGuffin have every reason to be proud of their effort against the No. 2 seeds Anna Bright and James Ignatowich.
The pair secured an 11-8, 11-3 victory to advance to the quarterfinals.
2:15 p.m. ET: Waters, Johns advance to quarterfinals in mixed doubles
The top-seeded tandem of Anna Leigh Waters and Ben Johns defeated 15th-seeded Lucy Kovalova and Matt Wright by a score of 11-7, 11-6.
Following the match, Waters provided more information about how Johns suffered the ankle injury that forced him to withdraw from his singles match earlier in the day.
"It actually happened yesterday. I was with Ben when it happened. We were warming up for our mixed match. It was actually after we were warming up. Ben decided to show everybody a soccer move, and he ended up rolling his ankle pretty bad," she explained. "We were like, 'Ben, are you ok?' And he was like, 'Yeah, I'm fine.' And then he proceeded to like limp to the court yesterday. Usually the day after you roll your anke is the day it hurts the most, so hopefully tomorrow he'll be in less pain, but I think today it was bothering him a lot."
1:45 p.m. ET: JW Johnson downs Martinez Vich in straight games
No. 11 JW Johnson earned an 11-9, 11-5 win over No. 8 Jaume Martinez Vich to advance to a quarterfinal matchup against No. 50 Grayson Goldin.
Goldin earned a spot in the quarters earlier in the day after second-seeded Ben Johns was forced to withdraw from their match with an ankle injury.
1:30 p.m. ET: H. Johnson upsets McGuffin in just 22 minutes
No. 20 Hunter Johnson was flawless against No. 4 Tyson McGuffin, earning an 11-4, 11-1 victory to advance to the quarterfinals.
Johnson accomplished the feat in short order, wasting little time delivering the knockout punch.
"Tyson's always a tough opponent. He's a dog out there, so I just had to bring the dog out in me," he said. "I'm glad to have closed it out pretty quick."
Johnson will face No. 22 Naveen Beasley in the next round.
1:00 p.m. ET: Todd ousts Fahey with come-from-behind effort
Things weren't looking good for No. 7 Parris Todd after falling 11-2 to No. 11 Kate Fahey in the opening stanza, but she managed to right the ship.
Todd rallied with 11-3, 11-9 triumphs in the second and third games, respectively, to advance to a quarterfinals match against No. 4 Mary Brascia on Friday.
"Kate is such a good player. It felt like a Finals match. It really did. She's been playing so well," said Todd. "When I get down in Game 3, it seems like I just like to make my way back and make it a little more difficult for myself and keep it interesting, so I hope the fans enjoyed my comeback, but hopefully it's not that stressful next round."
12:40 p.m. ET: Tardio survives challenge from Neumann
No. 21 Gabe Tardio needed three games to get past No. 28 Alex Neumann in a back-and-forth clash.
The 18-year-old ultimately came away with a 7-11, 11-8, 12-10 victory to advance to Friday's quarterfinals where he'll face top seed Federico Staksrud.
12:15 p.m. ET: Jansen faces test from Truluck, wins in three
After dropping the opening game, No. 2 Lea Jansen fought back against No. 17 Liz Truluck to advance to the singles quarterfinals.
Jansen secured a 5-11, 11-5, 11-1 triumph in a match that lasted 53 minutes.
She will face No. 6 Kaitlyn Christian in the quarterfinals.
11:50 a.m. ET: Johns withdraws from singles match against Goldin with ankle injury
No. 2 Ben Johns withdrew from his singles match against No. 50 Grayson Goldin due to a sprained right ankle that he initially suffered on Wednesday.
Goldin claimed the opening game 11-5, before Johns elected to retire at the break.
That means that Goldin has advanced to the quarterfinals.
"It sucks to kind of take the W that way. I was really looking forward to a battle and getting my revenge on him," he said. "He's a very great player. I respect him a lot. I hope he manages that ankle and it heals up quickly, but I'm happy to be moving on, and hopefully I'll see a lot of him in the future of my pickleball career."
"The Pickleball Doctor" Noe Sariban later provided further information regarding the injury.
"It was pretty sore and painful this morning, so he tried to give it a go with singles, but it just wasn't a good idea at this point, so we decided to pull out."
11:35 a.m. ET: Frazier withdraws from singles, Beasley moves on
No. 6 Dylan Frazier withdrew from his singles match against No. 22 Naveen Beasley before it began.
That means that Beasley has advanced to the quarterfinals.
Frazier defeated No. 38 Augie Ge in a head-to-head battle on Wednesday that went three games.
11:30 a.m. ET: Waters cruises into singles quarters with victory over Wang
It took top seed Anna Leigh Waters just under 22 minutes to defeat No. 14 Zoey Wang in straight games to start the day.
Waters advanced to the quarterfinals with an 11-3, 11-3 victory indoors while the rain continued to fall in Atlanta.
"When I'm playing a really good opponent like Zoey, I prepare really well. I feel like sometimes I play my better matches against better players because I go over the strategy with my mom. We're doing some specific drills before the match to exploit certain things," she explained. "Today, I just felt like my game plan was really on point, and I felt super confident in that, and I think when you feel confident in what you're doing, then you can execute it well and you're set."
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