It’s not how you start—it’s how you finish.

That’s an appropriate mantra to describe Parris Todd and Dekel Bar’s mixed doubles run at the Black Desert Resort Red Rock Open.

After deciding to play together for the first time just an hour before the signup deadline, the two got off to a rocky start in their first match in St. George on Thursday.

In the Round of 32, they faced match point against No. 37 seeds Mya Bui/Eric Oncins at 10-11 in the second game.

Three days later, they’re the last team standing and in possession of their first career mixed doubles titles on the PPA Tour.

That comes after an epic 11-9, 12-14, 6-11, 11-7, 11-8 triumph over No. 2 seeds Catherine Parenteau/Christian Alshon in a match that lasted over two and a half hours.

After teams split the first two games, Todd was forced to take a medical timeout (her second of the day after also taking one during the women’s singles final) to be treated for blisters on her feet.

Parenteau/Alshon were the stronger pairing when play resumed, comfortably taking Game 3 and bringing themselves within one game of earning their first title together.

But it was the team on the other side of the net that would accomplish that feat when all was said and done.

Todd/Bar stormed back to win the final two games, thanks to a combination of Todd expertly crashing off of Bar’s third shot drives and Bar finding ways to use his length to erne on the left side in kitchen rallies.

This result caps what was a wildly successful week in Utah for Todd; she finished with a gold medal in mixed, a silver medal in singles, and a bronze medal in women’s doubles alongside Rachel Rohrabacher.

This is both her first mixed doubles title on the PPA Tour and her first tournament medaling in all three events.

For Bar, this is his first career mixed doubles title and his first PPA Tour gold medal since 2021.

“I think I had lost my last eight finals, so it was definitely a little bit in my head,” he admitted. “I needed Parris to push me through, as well as this amazing crowd and our amazing bench.”

In the bronze medal match, Jorja Johnson/JW Johnson defeated Tyra Black/James Ignatowich by a 2-11, 11-3, 11-7 score line.