LIVE BLOG: Thursday's results and news from Pickleball Virginia Beach
The PPA Tour's Stratusphere Gin Virginia Beach Cup continues with Round of 16 matches on Thursday.
Coverage of Humana Championship Court is available on PickleballTV.
Coverage of Grandstand Court, Showcase Court 1, and Showcase Court 2 is available on YouTube.
Stay tuned for updates throughout the day.
7:25 p.m. ET: Newman and Hewett, Tardio and Daescu survive three-game thrillers
In some of Thursday’s final—and best—matches, the pairings of Riley Newman and Rafa Hewett and Andrei Daescu and Gabe Tardio came away with three-game victories in men’s doubles.
Newman and Hewett got the win over No. 6 seeds James Ignatowich and Christian Alshon in one of the most electrifying matches on tour this year by an 11-7, 3-11, 13-11 score line.
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Despite Newman and Hewett both having competed professionally for a while, this is their first time playing in a PPA tournament together.
Hewett is looking to make the most of the opportunity.
“I just wanted to make balls and let Riley get big,” he said. “I’ve been waiting five years for this, so I didn’t want to mess it up.”
The No. 9 seeds will face No. 32 seeds Casey Diamond and Max Freeman on Friday with a spot in the semifinals on the line.
Just before that match finished, Daescu and Tardio shut the door on their 8-11, 11-5, 11-9 victory over No. 17 seeds DJ Young and Eric Oncins.
The No. 5 seeds—who have two PPA titles together this year—barely held on after jumping out to a 4-0 lead in the deciding game.
They will face No. 2 seeds JW Johnson and Dylan Frazier in the quarterfinals.
5:45 p.m. ET: Wang and Buckner, Jones and Black book spots in quarters
In women's doubles, the pairings of Zoey Wang and Brooke Buckner and Allyce Jones and Hurricane Tyra Black advanced to the quarterfinals.
Wang and Buckner—the No. 12 seeds in Virginia Beach—defeated No. 6 seeds Tina Pisnik and Vivienne David by an 11-6, 11-8 score line.
Wang played especially well on the left side, effectively crashing off of Buckner's powerful drives while also hitting some of her own.
Friday will be busy for Wang and Buckner, as both of them will compete in the women's singles draw earlier in the day; Wang will play Kaitlyn Christian, while Buckner will face Salome Devidze.
While Wang and Buckner were playing, No. 5 seeds Allyce Jones and Hurricane Tyra Black were also battling against No. 11 seeds Lauren Stratman and Lina Padegimaite.
They came away with a hard-earned 12-10, 7-11, 11-7 victory and will face No. 2 seeds Anna Bright and Rachel Rohrabacher on Friday.
4:35 p.m. ET: Run continues for Diamond, Freeman
Casey Diamond and Max Freeman followed their upset over Tyson McGuffin and Jaume Martinez Vich on Wednesday with an 11-4, 3-11, 11-8 victory over No. 16 seeds Pat Smith and Phillip Locklear in the men's doubles Round of 16.
After the teams split the first two games, Diamond and Freeman fell into a 2-5 hole in the decider.
In crunch time, though, the No. 32 seeds found the same form that carried them through Wednesday’s upset and rallied to score seven of the match’s final eight points to clinch the win.
They’re now into the quarterfinals, where they’ll take on either No. 6 seeds James Ignatowich and Christian Alshon or No. 9 seeds Riley Newman and Rafa Hewett.
3:25 p.m. ET: Tactical adjustments help Jk. Kawamoto, Newman outlast Rohrabacher, Staksrud
Jackie Kawamoto and Riley Newman are into the mixed doubles quarterfinals after a 9-11, 11-5, 11-9 victory over Rachel Rohrabacher and Federico Staksrud.
After dropping the first game, the No. 11 seeds made the unusual decision to move Newman to the right side and have Kawamoto play the left.
“When I was on the left, Rachel and Fed got into patterns that they really liked,” Newman explained. “In the crosscoirt rallies, Fed would kind of look to go middle and poach and be big, so I felt like I could kind of negate that if I was in front of him. It kept him more honest where he had to cover more of his line, and it kept him out of the middle.”
That move changed the tide of the match, as Kawamoto and Newman took Game 2 and overcame a 4-8 deficit in the decider to clinch the win.
They will take on No. 4 seeds Catherine Parenteau and Christian Alshon on Friday with a spot in the semifinals on the line.
3:10 p.m. ET: Stratman, Arnold upset Bright, Daescu to advance
No. 14 seeds Lauren Stratman and Julian Arnold advanced to the mixed doubles quarterfinals with a 12-10, 11-2 triumph over No. 3 seeds Anna Bright and Andrei Daescu.
3:00 p.m. ET: Dizon, Ignatowich down Buckner, Shick with ease
No. 5 seeds Meghan Dizon and James Ignatowich advanced to the mixed doubles quarterfinals with an 11-5, 11-3 win over No. 23 seeds Brooke Buckner and Collin Shick.
2:15 p.m. ET: Duong dominates Medina Alvarez
No. 7 Quang Duong needed just 23 minutes to eliminate No. 41 Jhonnatan Medina Alvarez in straight games by a score of 11-2, 11-0.
Duong battles top seed Federico Staksrud in the quarterfinals on Friday.
2:05 p.m. ET: Garnett outduels Sherry to advance
No. 3 Connor Garnett had to work for this one, but he ultimately defeated No. 21 Ryan Sherry 11-3, 8-11, 11-4 to earn a spot in the quarterfinals.
A match versus No. 10 Hunter Johnson awaits Garnett on Friday.
1:55 p.m. ET: Green ousts Navratil, will battle Johns in quarterfinals
No. 42 Max Green defeated No. 35 Zane Navratil 11-2, 11-7 to punch his ticket to the next round.
It was another strong effort from the qualifier, who already eliminated No. 24 Luke Wasson and No. 9 JW Johnson in the singles draw.
Green will face No. 2 Ben Johns in the quarters.
1:45 p.m. ET: Johns tested, but too much for Goins
No. 2 Ben Johns sent No. 47 John Lucian Goins packing in singles with an 11-4, 11-9 victory.
Goins was a qualifier who most notably defeated No. 16 Grayson Goldin in the Round of 32.
1:30 p.m. Jansen defeats Sleeth, punches ticket to quarters
No. 3 Lea Jansen took care of business against No. 18 Layne Sleeth with a 14-12, 11-3 victory.
Jansen will face No. 11 Kate Fahey in the quarterfinals on Friday in a match that promises to feature plenty of power on both sides.
1:10 p.m. ET: Wang makes headlines again, eliminates Parenteau in singles
No. 13 Zoey Wang delivered a notable upset, getting the better of No. 2 seed Catherine Parenteau in a three-game battle that ended 11-4, 6-11, 11-9 in her favor.
"I knew it would be a tough match because she's the best in the world," said Wang. "I knew I needed to just keep fighting, never give up, play my game, and just be aggressive."
Wang will face No. 6 Kaitlyn Christian in the quarterfinals on Friday.
1:05 p.m. ET: Devidze survives scare from Bouchard, advances to quarterfinals
No. 5 Salome Devidze defeated No. 17 Genie Bouchard 11-2, 7-11, 12-10 in a match that went the distance.
Devidze will face No. 4 Brooke Buckner in the quarterfinals on Friday.
12:45 p.m. ET: H. Johnson delivers against Frazier, heading to quarterfinals
No. 10 Hunter Johnson defeated No. 6 Dylan Frazier 11-4, 12-10.
He will face the winner of the match between No. 3 Connor Garnett and No. 21 Ryan Sherry in the next round.
Johnson earned a gold medal in singles at the most recent PPA Tour event in Atlanta.
12:05 p.m. ET: Just another day at the office for Staksrud
Top seed Federico Staksrud didn't give No. 14 Gabe Tardio much to work with.
Staksrud earned an 11-4, 11-1 victory on Humana Championship Court to advance to the quarterfinals.
12:00 p.m. ET: Martinez Vich heading to quarterfinals after downing Young
No. 8 Jaume Martinez Vich posted an 11-1, 13-11 triumph over No. 18 Donald Young to secure a berth in the next round.
Martinez Vich will face No. 13 Roscoe Bellamy on Friday.
11:45 a.m. ET: Fahey bests Castillo to advance to quarterfinals
No. 11 Kate Fahey defeated No. 8 Judit Castillo 11-3, 11-6 to continue her singles run.
Fahey will face the winner of the match between No. 3 Lea Jansen and No. 18 Layne Sleeth in the next round.
11:30 a.m. ET: Waters ousts Ignatowich, advances to singles quarters
Top seed Anna Leigh Waters defeated No. 16 Ava Ignatowich 11-6, 11-0.
While the match didn't go Ignatowich's way, Waters was still impressed by her opponent's performance.
"One thing I noticed that Ava's improved upon is her movement. She was getting to a lot of balls, especially in that first game. It felt like no matter where I hit it, she was getting it back," praised Waters. "I really like Ava. I know she's doing really well in college pickleball. I definitely see some improvement, so I'm sure I'll see her many more times on the Tour."
Waters will face No. 7 Parris Todd in the quarterfinals on Friday.
11:25 a.m. ET: Buckner, Todd cruise to easy victories, heading to singles quarters
No. 4 Brooke Buckner defeated No. 15 Liz Truluck 11-3, 11-1 in just 20 minutes.
No. 7 Parris Todd defeated No. 23 Milan Rane 11-3, 11-2 in just 22 minutes.
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