PEACHTREE CORNERS, GA – After besting Catherine Parenteau in the Round of 16, 14th-seeded Parris Todd defeated ninth-seeded Lina Padegimaite 11-6, 6-11, 11-3 in the quarterfinals at the Vizzy Atlanta Open on Friday.  

Padegimaite came out hot in the second game, which forced a deciding game. 

“There are so many ups and downs in pickleball and so many momentum shifts. I was just telling myself to stay in it, hit my serve a little bit more, and hit my returns deeper, and it really helped me out in the third game,” explained Todd.

Todd's mixed doubles partner and boyfriend, Hunter Johnson, was sitting courtside for support from start to finish. 

“Honestly, I wouldn’t be able to get through this match without him,” she said. “He has some really great insight and he’s able to see things that I don’t always see when I’m playing.”