Federico Staksrud and Hayden Patriquin competing at the Veolia Cincinnati Showcase presented by Six Zero.
Federico Staksrud and Hayden Patriquin competing at the Veolia Cincinnati Showcase presented by Six Zero. PPA Tour

Staksrud, Patriquin survive upset bid from Fu, Freeman

Federico Staksrud/Etta Tuionetoa defeated Tina Pisnik/Eric Oncins 4-11, 11-1, 12-10 in the mixed doubles Round of 16 early Thursday afternoon.

That wouldn’t be the Argentine’s only three-game battle, however.

In men’s doubles, he and Hayden Patriquin outdueled No. 18 seeds Ryan Fu/Max Freeman by an 11-0, 4-11, 11-9 score line.

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The No. 2 seeds achieved an opening game pickle in just under ten minutes, but Fu/Freeman recovered to take Game 2 by opting for a faster, more chaotic game style.

In the deciding game, Staksrud/Patriquin switched from their usual formation to put Patriquin on the left and Staksrud on the right. That helped them jump out to a 7-2 lead, but the contest was still far from over.

Fu/Freeman clawed back to 9-10—saving six match points along the way—before the No. 2 seeds converted their seventh opportunity to close out the encounter.

 

Staksrud applauded the effort from his opponents after a one-sided opening game.

“Ryan and Max played really well. I thought in the second game, especially, they hit great drives, and they caught us a little bit off guard. After an 11-0, you don’t expect that change, so it was kind of surprising,” he said.

With three wins on an upset-filled Thursday, Staksrud is one of just two players who are still eligible for a Triple Crown in Cincinnati (Anna Leigh Waters).

That bodes well for a player who’s in pursuit of his first gold medal since January, but there is still lots of work to be done.

He and Patriquin will face No. 5 seeds Jaume Martinez Vich/Dylan Frazier in Friday’s men’s doubles quarterfinal.