LIVE BLOG: Wednesday's results and news from Pickleball Virginia Beach
The PPA Tour's Stratusphere Gin Virginia Beach Cup continues with Round of 32 matches on Wednesday.
Broadcast coverage of Humana Championship Court is available on PickleballTV.
Broadcast coverage of Grandstand Court, Showcase Court 1, and Showcase Court 2 is available on YouTube.
Stay tuned for updates throughout the day.
5:45 p.m. ET: Buckner, Wang outlast Fahey, Christian to make Round of 16
Brooke Buckner and Zoey Wang are into the women’s doubles Round of 16 after a 7-11, 11-6, 11-9 victory over No. 18 seeds Kate Fahey and Kaitlyn Christian.
After splitting the first two games, the No. 12 seeds jumped out to a 6-2 lead in the decider. That advantage would disappear, though, thanks to a run from Fahey and Christian that gave them a 9-7 advantage.
Not deterred by the shift in momentum, Buckner and Wang went on to score four points in a row to secure the triumph.
The past week has been an absolute grind for Wang; she played seven matches over four days for the Las Vegas Night Owls at MLP Virginia Beach before going straight into this week’s PPA event.
“We got a day off on Monday where I slept all day because I was so tired from all of our matches last week, so I’m blessed that I made it today,” she said. “I feel great, but my legs are a little tired.”
Wang and Buckner will take on No. 6 seeds Vivienne David and Tina Pisnik on Thursday with a spot in the quarterfinals on the line.
5:15 p.m. ET: Newman, Hewett survive three-game thriller
Riley Newman and Rafa Hewett came away with a comeback victory over No. 22 seeds Spencer Smith and Mota Alhouni on Wednesday afternoon, emerging victorious by 10-12, 13-11, 11-9 score line.
After dropping the first game, the No. 9 seeds found themselves in a 1-5 hole. They wouldn’t escape that hole until their backs were right up against the wall at 5-10.
Four match point saves later, they evened the match and brought on the decider.
It looked like they would easily contest out the match when they earned a 9-3 lead in Game 3, but a run from Smith and Alhouni complicated things.
They brought it all the way to 9-9 before Hewett and Newman took the next two points to clinch a hard-earned win.
They will face either Christian Alshon and James Ignatowich or Blaine Hovenier and Ryan Fu in the Round of 16.
3:20 p.m. ET: Smith, Bellamy move past Wright, Loong in two games
No. 22 seeds Callie Smith and Roscoe Bellamy defeated No. 13 seeds Etta Wright and Tyler Loong 11-5, 11-8 to book their spot in the mixed doubles Round of 16.
Even though this is their first time playing together, Smith and Bellamy have quickly found their groove.
Bellamy says that he and Smith’s complimentary game styles have helped them reach a high level over the course of just a few matches together.
“[Callie] is super solid on the right side, and she allows me to be creative so that I can run my patterns and speedups and combos,” he explained. “She’s always there to get us to the kitchen line to set me up correctly or to bail me out if I don’t hit the best shot.”
They’ll look to keep it going against top seeds Anna Leigh Waters and Ben Johns on Thursday.
2:35 p.m. ET: Waters, Johns make easy work of Christian, Alhouni in mixed
The top-seeded tandem of Anna Leigh Waters and Ben Johns defeated No. 45 seeds Kaitlyn Christian and Mota Alhouni 11-2, 11-5 to secure a spot in the Round of 16.
2:00 p.m. ET: The upsets continue in the men's singles draw
No. 42 Max Green ousted No. 9 JW Johnson 11-4, 11-9 to advance to the Round of 16.
Up next for Green is a matchup against No. 35 Zane Navratil.
1:20 p.m. ET: Major upsets on the men's side in the early afternoon
No. 41 Jhonnatan Medina Alvarez defeated No. 11 Collin Shick 11-6, 11-13, 11-7.
No. 47 John Lucian Goins defeated No. 16 Grayson Goldin 11-2, 11-4.
Medina Alvarez will face No. 7 Quang Duong in the Round of 16.
Goins will face No. 2 Ben Johns in the Round of 16.
1:00 p.m. ET: Sleeth's singles run continues after defeating Johnson
No. 18 Layne Sleeth bested No. 14 Jorja Johnson 11-2, 2-11, 11-7 to advance to the Round 16.
It was a significant victory for Sleeth, who continues to make strides in her game.
"It's definitely my best win that I've had so far [on the PPA Tour]," she said. "I was super excited to play Jorja just because she's such a great player, so I'm glad I could get the win."
Up next for Sleeth is a matchup against No. 3 Lea Jansen, who always provides her opponents with a tough test.
12:25 p.m. ET: Rane sends Schneemann packing, advances to next round
No. 23 Milan Rane defeated No. 9 Lacy Schneemann 11-3, 10-12, 11-7 to deliver a notable upset in the women's singles draw.
Rane will face No. 7 Parris Todd in the Round of 16.
12:15 p.m. ET: Young downs Hewett, heading to Round 16
No. 18 Donald Young advanced in men's singles with an 11-4, 2-11, 11-6 victory over No. 12 Rafa Hewett on Humana Championship Court.
Young continues to impress after making the transition from the professional tennis ranks.
"The more reps I'm getting, especially at the highest level, it's awesome. I'm just getting better," he said. "I'm like a sponge right now. I'm picking up whatever's wet. I'm learning a lot from my MLP teammates [with the Florida Smash] and everyone around, so I'm enjoying my time."
Young will face No. 8 Jaume Martinez Vich in the next round.
11:40 a.m. ET: Top seeds moving through
No. 1 seed Anna Leigh Waters and No. 7 seed Parris Todd take down their Round of 32 opponents with the same scoreline - 11-2, 11-0 - against Helena Jansen and Mehvish Safdar, respectively.
On the other side of the bracket, No. 2 seed Catherine Parenteau moves on after beating Polina Libo 11-5, 11-6.
10:00 a.m. ET: Several withdrawals from singles to start the day
No. 4 Tyson McGuffin and No. 5 Christian Alshon withdrew from the men's singles draw.
With McGuffin battling Achilles tendinitis, No. 27 Michael Loyd advanced to the Round of 16.
With Alshon out, No. 35 Zane Navratil advanced to the Round of 16 as well.
No. 12 Dominique Schaefer withdrew from the women's singles draw.
With Schaefer out, No. 17 Genie Bouchard advanced to the Round of 16.
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