Riley Newman competing in pickleball mixed doubles.
Riley Newman competing in pickleball mixed doubles. PPA Tour

Sleeth, Newman outlast Campbell, Sock in three-game epic

Layne Sleeth/Riley Newman survived an upset bid from No. 48 seeds Cailyn Campbell/Jack Sock Tuesday afternoon, coming away with an 11-6, 6-11, 13-11 victory.

The No. 17 seeds overcame a 7-10 deficit—and saved three match points with some incredible defense—before eventually securing the triumph in what could go down as the best match of the day at Brookhaven Country Club.

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Newman spoke afterwards about the challenges that the windy conditions presented throughout the contest.

“It was kind of tricky conditions with the wind. It really favored Jack and Cailyn because they like to drive and crash,” he mentioned. “We were just trying to neutralize their first big third and then trying to get into slow dinking points.”

This is the second tournament that Sleeth and Newman have played together, and the first since they made the semifinals at the Pickleball Central Sacramento Vintage Open back in September.

“[Layne] is a rock on the right, which is exactly what you want for a mixed partner. She doesn’t miss a lot and dinks well crosscourt, so I can just kind of be aggressive when we get those opportunities,” Newman said of the partnership. “We played Sacramento and had a good run there, so we’re just trying to keep the momentum high.”

Sleeth/Newman will next face No. 13 seeds Callie Smith/James Ignatowich on Wednesday with a spot in the Round of 16 on the line.