DALLAS, TX - The latest stop on the PPA Tour brings us to Kansas City. It will likely be warm and humid, and the pros will be coming right off MLP Kansas City. Let’s take a look at each of the five events and see what are the interesting matches to look for.

 

 

 

The top seed goes to Dylan Frazier/JW Johnson. Ben Johns and Collin Johns get the two seed, but actually have the slightly easier draw. It will be interesting to see the Johns’ energy level coming off their low energy performance at MLP Salt Lake City. There are some interesting pairs in men’s doubles this week. At the three seed is Jaume Martinez Vich/Tyson McGuffin. Obviously good players, but I don’t see this team going too far. At the four seed is Federico Staksrud and Gabe Tardio. This is a well-matched pair and they will be dangerous. At the six seed is Hayden Patriquin/Christian Alshon. They have a favorable draw and could claim a spot in the semis.

 

 

Among the lower seeds, at #19 are Quang Duong/Donald Young. Duong has had great success at MLP, not so much at PPA. How much of that is due to Duong not having high level partners at PPA? Young has been playing well and improving, so keep an eye on this pair. They will be tested early, with an expected matchup in the round of 32 against #12 DJ Young/Augie Ge. Jack Sock is back, teaming again with Collin Shick, and are seeded #18. They will have trouble getting past the round of 16, where they likely play the top seed. Sock will need a higher level partner than Shick if he hopes to have success at men’s doubles on the PPA Tour.

 

 

The top seed and heavy favorite is the team of Anna Leigh Waters and Catherine Parenteau. Finding a team in the draw likely to test them is difficult. The second seed goes to Etta Wright/Meghan Dizon. Dizon has been playing poorly in MLP events; it is worth watching to see if she regains her form back on the right side, next to Wright. Lucy Kovalova and Callie Smith continue to go their separate ways. Smith pairs with Allyce Jones at the 3 seed and Kovalova teams with Jackie Kawamoto at the 4 seed. I do not expect either pair to go that far.

 

 

Other pairs to watch include the five seed, Lacy Schneemann and Jade Kawamoto. They have a favorable draw and are in the wide open bottom half of the draw. One great match likely to occur is an expected round of 16 matchup of #6 Lea Jansen/Tina Pisnik v #10 Mari Humberg/Jorja Johnson. Both of those pairs are better than some teams seeded higher, but an unlucky draw sees them playing in the round of 16, if both win their first round matches. The winner has a good shot at making the semis.

 

 

Federico Staksrud takes the top seed and is a solid favorite for the gold. Ben Johns skips this event, so the two seed goes to Connor Garnett. Quang Duong gets the six seed and has a good draw. Will this be the week he breaks through to win a singles event?  At the nine seed is Chris Haworth. Haworth can beat anyone so watch out for him. One match to look forward to is #7 Jack Sock against #38 Noe Khlif, if Khlif can win his opening round. Sock has as much power as anyone and Khlif has as much touch as anyone. It would be a great contrast in styles, if they play.

 

 

 

ALW skips singles in KC, so Parenteau earns the one seed. ALW’s absence makes for a wide open draw. Many players will look to make the medal stand, or even win it all. Lea Jansen is a solid two seed. At the seven seed, Lacy Schneemann has a good draw and could make a long run. For a longshot, #22 Milan Rane showed at recent MLP events that she has some singles game.

 

 

 

The top seed and a reasonable draw goes to ALW/Ben Johns. They are a deserving favorite to win this one. The second seed goes to JW Johnson/Jorja Johnson. They should have beaten ALW/Johns the last time they played, so they should be motivated to try again. The three  seed goes to Vivienne David/Yates Johnson, and I do not expect them to go far, which opens the draw for others. At the four seed, Federico Staksrud and Catherine Parenteau team up for the first time. They should meld well and be a threat.

For lower seeds, at #10, Jack Sock is playing with MLP teammate Lea Jansen. They have a very reasonable path to the semis, although Sock has not played that well at PPA mixed events. The 12 seed goes to Andrei Daescu and Meghan Dizon. That looks like a good team on paper, but we will have to see if Dizon can regain her form.

 

Tune in beginning Wednesday for all the action from Kansas City.

 

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