OVERLAND PARK, KS - Federico Staksrud and Gabriel Tardio are into the men’s doubles gold medal match after an 11-9, 1-11, 11-5 victory over No. 2 seeds Ben and Collin Johns early Saturday evening.

The early part of the match can be best described as a war of runs. Staksrud and Tardio scored the final six points of the first game to steal it 11-9, while their opponents scored the first nine points of Game 2 to create an insurmountable lead and force a decider.

In that final game, the No. 4 seeds put on a masterclass. Tardio continued to impress with his aggressive brand of right-side play, while Staksrud consistently found openings to attack with his one-handed backhand flick out of the air.

It was a combination that helped the tandem capture a strong 11-5 result to close out the match.

One of the keys for the South American duo was figuring out how to respond after scoring only one point in the second game. Keeping things in perspective helped them not allow the moment to become too big.

“Things like that are gonna happen. [Ben and Collin] are a great team, and they’re gonna have good moments just like we’re gonna have bad moments,” Staksrud explained. “Gabe told me to just keep being aggressive and keep pulling the trigger. That’s what we practice for, to be able to compete like that in these important moments.”

With the win, Staksrud and Tardio have earned themselves a spot in Sunday’s final. They will face the winner of the second semifinal between No. 1 seeds Dylan Frazier and JW Johnson and No. 6 seeds Christian Alshon and Hayden Patriquin.