PHOENIX, AZ - The doubles finals matchups at the Desert Ridge Open are set after some battles featuring the top pairings in pro pickleball.

Ben and Collin Johns got their first look at one of 2024’s new partnerships in Christian Alshon and Julian Arnold, almost suffering their first defeat of the year in the process.

Alshon and Arnold (or ‘Double A’ as they should be called) came out firing on all cylinders and took Game 1, 11-7.

Arnold was especially impressive early on, showcasing his athleticism and craftiness to interrupt the Johns’ patterns of play.

The No. 6 seeds even had a chance to dethrone the favorites in two games after earning a sideout at 9-8-1, but some nervous play gave the brothers all they needed to make a late run and steal Game 2, 11-9.

With momentum now on their side, the No. 1 seeds got up 9-4 in the deciding game and would eventually close it out 12-10 after fending off a furious comeback attempt by Alshon and Arnold.

In the other men’s semifinal, Tyson McGuffin and Dekel Bar faced Zane Navratil and Erik Lange.

Both teams had won their quarterfinal matches thanks to big runs in Game 3, so it was only fitting that this one went the distance as well.

Despite dropping the second game 5-11, McGuffin and Bar again found their form late in the match.

They got out to a 10-0 lead and eventually clinched the win 11-3 to secure their spot in the final to face the Johns brothers, who won their last meeting 11-9, 11-8 in the quarterfinals at the PPA Masters.

In the women’s bracket, No. 1 seeds Anna Leigh Waters and Catherine Parenteau undoubtedly wanted to get through their semifinal match with as few hiccups as possible after overcoming a 1-8 Game 3 deficit in the quarterfinals against the Kawamoto sisters.

They were able to get the job done in two against Anna Bright and Rachel Rohrabacher, who they also beat in the finals at last month’s PPA Masters.

The 11-3, 11-9 victory puts them at 59-0 as a team with a chance to make it 60 on Sunday.

To do so, they’ll have to beat Meghan Dizon and Etta Wright.

The No. 4 seeds fought past Callie Smith and Lucy Kovalova 11-5, 10-12, 11-9 for Humana Championship Court’s nightcap to book their spot in the final.

If Dizon and Wright win on Sunday, they will earn their first title as a team since the Red Rock Open in April 2023.

Waters and Parenteau won the last matchup between the teams in the semifinals of the PPA Masters 11-9, 11-7.