
Tardio, Daescu outlast Patriquin, Tellez in dramatic finish
In what may be the match of the year so far, Andrei Daescu and Gabriel Tardio earned an 11-5, 7-11, 13-11 victory over No. 5 seeds Hayden Patriquin and Pablo Tellez.
Patriquin and Tellez—who took down top seeds Dylan Frazier and JW Johnson in the quarterfinals—came out a little flat, but they found their fire in the second game to bring on the decider.
Game 3—which itself lasted over thirty minutes—showcased both teams at their devastating best, and neither side was able to gain a meaningful advantage in its early stages.
Trailing 8-9, Tardio and Daescu reeled off two points in a row to give themselves a match point.
Three of those opportunities came and went, which allowed Patriquin and Tellez to go on a run of their own. They had a chance to steal the win at 11-10 but failed to convert.
That would be their only chance, as Tardio and Daescu scored three points on their next service possession to close out the instant classic.
This matchup pit two MLP teammates against each other: Patriquin and Tardio, who compete together for the St. Louis Shock.
That made for a healthy amount of chirping between the two 18-year-olds as they tried to one-up each other throughout the match.
“I love to play against Hayden,” Tardio said of taking on his MLP teammate. “I got really tight coming into this match because he always reminds me that he’s 1-0 against me this year, so this is huge."
Tardio also probably feels pretty good knowing that he sealed the win by countering Patriquin’s erne on match point.
He and Daescu will look to capture their first PPA title together when they face No. 3 seeds James Ignatowich and Matt Wright in the final.
Related articles

Beyond the court: The moments that shaped Anna Leigh Waters' journey to 200 titles
From welcoming Archer into her life to walking the red carpet at the ESPYs, she has accomplished so much at such a young age.
1 day ago
-Victoria Radnothy

Bellamy powers past Haworth for first 2026 title as Waters earns Triple Crown
Roscoe Bellamy earned his second career PPA Tour title in the Windy City. He'll look to replicate this week's success at next week's event in Virginia Beach.
2 days ago
-Pickleball.com Staff

Anna Leigh Waters reflects on 200 PPA Tour titles: ‘It’s been a crazy ride’
66 of Waters' titles, including Sunday morning's, have come next to Ben Johns in mixed doubles.
2 days ago
-Pickleball.com Staff

Order of play for Carvana Championship Sunday at the Veolia Chicago Cup
Hurricane Tyra Black and Catherine Parenteau will take on Anna Leigh Waters and Anna Bright for women's doubles gold for the second time in two weeks.
2 days ago
-Pickleball.com Staff