
Staksrud dominates Duong with double pickle, books spot in singles final
BRISTOL, TN - Federico Staksrud is into the men’s singles final after a flawless 11-0, 11-0 thrashing of No. 5 seed Quang Duong.
The top seed was clearly dialed in from every angle, but the way that he used the 18-year-old’s speed against him to hit winners behind him was especially impressive.
“I was just trying to play every point at 100%, and it happened,” Staksrud said of the performance. “I played well, so I’m happy and will try to use this as momentum to carry into mixed doubles tomorrow.”
The Argentinian will partner with Rachel Rohrabacher for Friday’s mixed doubles competition, where the tandem will enter as the No. 6 seeds.
This is the second of four consecutive tournaments on the PPA Tour. With limited time to practice because of a rigorous travel schedule, Staksrud says that most of his attention on off days goes towards improving his mental game.
“It’s tricky because we don’t have a ton of time to actually practice,” he shared. “I do work on certain shots, but it’s a lot of mental work and figuring out how to stay positive. I want to talk to myself throughout my matches in a positive way and not let myself get down. I also want to be positive with my partners because I think that’s a really understated part of the game.”
Staksrud will face No. 2 seed Ben Johns in Sunday’s final.
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