
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.
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.
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