Top-tier teens: Johnson, Patriquin sprint past Black, Tellez to mixed doubles final
Jorja Johnson/Hayden Patriquin became the first team to advance to the mixed doubles final in Holly Hill with an 11-8, 11-5 victory over No. 5 seeds Tyra Black/Pablo Tellez.
The tandem—featuring the 18-year-old Johnson and the 19-year-old Patriquin—impressed on all fronts Friday and didn’t drop a game in their four matches together.
This isn’t a pairing that we’ve seen play together this year, primarily because Jorja has played mixed doubles almost exclusively with her brother JW Johnson.
Though she doesn’t have her brother by her side this week, she appreciates the different game style that Patriquin brings to the table.
“[Hayden] definitely takes a lot more of the dinks, which is nice,” she explained. “I just kind of sit back and watch and trust that he’s gonna get us to where we want to go.”
The No. 2 seeds are now just one win away from reaching that desired destination and will face either Anna Bright/Dekel Bar or Tina Pisnik/Andrei Daescu on Championship Sunday.
Before then, they will both turn their attention to the gender doubles competition on Saturday. Johnson will team up with her Dallas Flash teammate Tyra Black, while Patriquin will look to earn his fourth gold medal alongside Federico Staksrud.
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