LIVE BLOG: Thursday's results and news from the Fontainebleau
Round of 16 Day at The Las Vegas Pickleball Cup was another eventful one, and we've got all the latest updates from the Fontainebleau.
7:30 p.m. PT: MLP teammates Loong, Garnett outduel Devilliers, Smith
Tyler Loong and Connor Garnett took down No. 10 seeds Jay Devilliers and Pat Smith by an 8-11, 13-11, 11-4 score line to advance to the men's doubles quarterfinals.
It looked like the No. 8 seeds would comfortably send the match to a decider when they earned a 10-5 lead in Game 2, but a well-timed run from Smith and Devilliers complicated things.
They had an opportunity to close out the match at 11-10, but three consecutive points from Loong and Garnett eventually evened the match at one game apiece.
The future victors trailed again at 1-4 in Game 3, but they went on to score the match's final ten points to comfortably roll into the quarterfinals.
Loong and Garnett compete together in MLP as members of the Utah Black Diamonds, so it's not entirely surprising to see them have success. They also took home silver together at the Indoor USA Championships in March.
The teammates will look to continue their run on Friday when they take on No. 3 seeds Matt Wright and Federico Staksrud.
6:45 p.m. PT: Wright and Staksrud, Alshon and Newman advance with three-game victories
The pairings of Matt Wright and Federico Staksrud and Christian Alshon and Riley Newman booked their spots in the men's doubles quarterfinals with wins on Thursday afternoon.
Wright and Staksrud got the job done against No. 14 seeds Julian Arnold and Blaine Hovenier, coming away with an 11-6, 8-11, 11-5 victory.
They're looking to repeat their success from the Atlanta Open in May, where they took home silver in their first tournament together. The No. 3 seeds will face the winner of the match pitting Tyler Loong and Connor Garnett against Jay Devilliers and Pat Smith.
Just a few minutes later, Alshon and Newman closed out their match against No. 18 seeds Brandon French and Spencer Smith in style: with a Game 3 pickle to seal an 11-4, 5-11, 11-0 triumph.
The former MLP teammates on the D.C. Pickleball Team are playing together for the first time since November, when they took bronze at Nationals.
The No. 6 seeds will take on No. 2 seeds Ben and Collin Johns with a spot in the semifinals on the line.
5:45 p.m. PT: Erokhina, Phillips hold on in Game 3 to stun Wright, Dizon
Genie Erokhina and Allison Phillips are into the women’s doubles quarterfinals after their 5-11, 11-8, 11-6 upset victory over No. 3 seeds Etta Wright and Meghan Dizon.
The two played brilliantly together after dropping the first game, with Erokhina using her six-foot frame to attack out of the air and Phillips finding ways to be aggressive on the right side.
Despite this, the No. 17 seeds only narrowly avoided a massive collapse as they tried to close out the match.
After losing the first point of the deciding game, they scored the next ten points on a single side out to all but claim the win.
But match point after match point came and went, as Wright and Dizon slowly cut into the lead. They brought it all the way to 6-10 before Erokhina and Phillips sealed the deal at the fourth time of asking.
The No. 17 seeds will face the winner of the match pitting Hurricane Tyra Black and Parris Todd against Lauren Stratman and Kate Fahey.
4:00 p.m. PT: Parenteau, Newman down Todd, H. Johnson to make quarters
For the second day in a row, Catherine Parenteau and Riley Newman overcame a slow start on their way to victory.
They booked their spots in the quarterfinals with a 3-11, 11-8, 11-2 victory over No. 20 seeds Parris Todd and Hunter Johnson.
The No. 6 seeds did the same in their Round of 32 match against Genie Erokhina and Roscoe Bellamy, erasing a 2-10 deficit in the opening game.
They'll face No. 4 seeds Vivian Glozman and James Ignatowich—who earned a three-game victory of their own over Lucy Kovalova and Matt Wright on Thursday—in the quarterfinals.
2:35 p.m. PT: After dropping Game 1, Waters, Johns battle back against Dizon, Daescu
Top-seeded Anna Leigh Waters and Ben Johns secured a berth in the mixed doubles quarterfinals with a 2-11, 11-5, 11-6 victory over No. 13 Meghan Dizon and Andrei Daescu.
After finishing the match with an ace, Waters talked about the general evolution of the serve.
"I think the serve is becoming more and more of a weapon," she said. "My serve hasn't been the biggest recently, so I'm trying to take some notes from Ben. He has a really big serve and he gets a lot of free points from it, so I'm trying to implement that."
Waters and Johns will face No. 8 Lea Jansen and Hayden Patriquin on Friday.
2:15 p.m. PT: Khlif's magical singles run continues, bests Tardio
After defeating No. 2 Connor Garnett on Wednesday, No. 33 Noe Khlif delivered another upset.
This time, Khlif defeated No. 19 Gabe Tardio 11-5, 10-12, 11-9 to advance to a quarterfinal matchup against No. 6 Dylan Frazier on Friday.
1:35 p.m. PT: Schneemann sends Christian packing in three-game battle
No. 12 Lacy Schneemann defeated No. 7 Kaitlyn Christian 11-7, 4-11, 11-7 to advance to the quarterfinals.
Schneemann will face No. 15 Zoey Wang on Friday.
Christian had earned silver medals in singles at the previous two tournaments.
1:05 p.m. PT: Wang upsets Parenteau in straight-games victory
No. 15 Zoey Wang defeated No. 2 Catherine Parenteau 11-2, 11-9 to advance to the quarterfinals.
It was a major win for the rising Taiwanese star.
"She's a very good player. I didn't have pressure to play with her because I just knew that I needed to play my best and hit good shots," said Wang, who discovered pickleball during the COVID-19 pandemic. "It was a very good match, a tough match."
Wang has earned singles bronze medals at the last two events.
12:25 p.m. PT: Sock stands tall, bests Devilliers in back-and-forth affair
With an 11-7, 12-10 victory over No. 11 Jay Devilliers, No. 7 Jack Sock has a date with Federico Staksrud in the quaterfinals on Friday.
Sock saved four game points in the middle stanza, rallying from down 10-6.
With the final Grand Slam of the tennis season going on right now in New York City, Sock was asked about playing a different sport this time around.
"Last year at the US Open, I probably didn't expect to be in the conference center of the Fontainebleau, but here we are," he replied. "I love playing pickleball. Obviously, I had a very awesome, fun tennis career, and obviously I'll always miss it. I don't watch a whole lot of tennis now. I'll tune in once in a while. But, I'm definitely happy to be on the 20x44 here playing pickleball."
12:10 p.m. PT: Staksrud flawless, dismantles Rahachou en route to quarters
Top-seeded Federico Staksrud put on a singles clinic against No. 49 Spartak Rahachou.
The final score from Grandstand Court tells the tale: 11-4, 11-1.
It took only 19 minutes for Staksrud to get the job done and advance in the process.
11:55 a.m. PT: Devidze wins three-game battle with Stratman
No. 6 Salome Devidze is heading to the singles quarterfinals, but No. 11 Lauren Stratman didn't make it easy.
It took 45 minutes for Devidze to post an 11-6, 3-11, 13-11 triumph.
She will face No. 4 Brooke Buckner on Friday.
Devidze is seeking her second singles title of the year on the PPA Tour after previously claiming gold at the Pickleball Central Indoor USA Championships in Minnesota in March.
11:40 a.m. PT: Waters heading to singles quarters after ousting Johnson
World No. 1 Anna Leigh Waters didn't give No. 13 Jorja Johnson much to work with.
Waters secured an 11-4, 11-7 victory to advance to the quarterfinals where she'll face No. 10 Lina Padegimaite.
The 17-year-old is seeking her eighth singles title of the season.
Waters is participating in singles competition on the PPA Tour for the first time since the Select Medical Orange County Cup in late June, where she claimed gold.
11:35 a.m. PT: Fahey downs Brascia in straight games, punches ticket to quarterfinals
No. 17 Kate Fahey continues her outstanding work in singles, besting No. 5 Mary Brascia 11-6, 11-7 to book a spot in the quarterfinals against No. 3 Lea Jansen.
It was another upset victory for Fahey, who defeated No. 9 Judit Castillo on Wednesday.
Fahey is seeking her second consecutive singles crown after reaching the top of the podium earlier this week in Utah.
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