Tina Pisnik at work.
Tina Pisnik at work. PPA Tour

LIVE BLOG: The latest results and news from the CIBC PPA Tour Finals presented by ROAR Organic

The CIBC PPA Tour Finals presented by ROAR Organic continues on Thursday at Life Time Rancho San Clemente in Southern California.

The players were divided into two pools (ATP Pool and Erne Pool) in each event: men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles. 

Players are competing within their pool, with two players and teams from each pool qualifying for the semifinal and final rounds.

Broadcast coverage is available on Pickleballtv and YouTube.

Stay tuned for updates throughout the day.


5:20 p.m. PT: McGuffin, Daescu hand Staksrud, Patriquin first loss

Through two tournaments (and one pool play match in San Clemente), Federico Staksrud/Hayden Patriquin had accumulated two gold medals and zero losses. 

Tyson McGuffin/Andrei Daescu evidently weren't too worried about going up against a previously undefeated opponent, though, as they came away with a 6-11, 11-4, 11-6 victory to improve to 2-0 in the Erne Pool in men's doubles. 

That 2-0 record means that they will advance to the semifinals, regardless of what happens in their final pool play match against Matt Wright/James Ignatowich (0-2) on Friday. 

Staksrud/Patriquin (1-1), on the other hand, will need to secure a win against Dylan Frazier/Pablo Tellez (1-1) to advance. 


3:55 p.m. PT: Frazier, Tellez defeat Wright, Ignatowich for first win as a partnership

Dylan Frazier/Pablo Tellez picked up their first win as a partnership with an 11-8, 12-10 victory over Matt Wright/James Ignatowich. 

The match was essentially a must-win for both teams, since each had lost its opening match in pool play on Wednesday.

For just the third PPA time all year on the PPA Tour, Frazier is not playing with JW Johnson, his usual partner for the last two years on tour. Playing with Tellez allows him to play the left side, which is something we haven't seen a lot from him in men's doubles. 

He's enjoying the process of working out the kinks playing with the lefty. 

"It's been really fun playing with Pablo so far," he mentioned. "It's our first time partnering together, so I think we're just feeling it out a little bit. We were talking a lot yesterday and got a lot of rec games in, just to try and get as many reps as we could. I think we agree that we have to clean it up a little bit, but once we get to the kitchen line, we both feel pretty good."

Now with a 1-1 record in the Erne Pool, Frazier/Tellez will be in a near must-win scenario when they face Federico Staksrud/Hayden Patriquin on Friday.


3:00 p.m. PT: Bright/Tardio, Johnson siblings improve to 2-0 in Erne Pool

The pairings of Anna Bright/Gabe Tardio and Jorja Johnson/JW Johnson have booked their spots in the mixed doubles semifinals in San Clemente, even though there's still one day of pool play remaining. 

They both picked up straight-game victories Thursday afternoon to improve to 2-0 and lock down the top two spots in the Erne Pool.

Bright/Tardio did so with an 11-7, 11-8 victory over Tina Pisnik/Dekel Bar, while the Johnsons outdueled Jessie Irvine/Riley Newman by an 11-2, 11-6 score line. 

This week marks the first time in 2024 that Tardio is playing with Bright, and the 19-year-old is enjoying sharing the court with his St. Louis Shock teammate. 

“I love playing with Anna. I think it’s really important for me to have a partner that keeps me focused, and she does that," he said.

Bright/Tardio and Johnson/Johnson will face off on Friday for sole possession of first place.


2:15 p.m. PT: Waters, Johns secure semifinal berth with victory over Rohrabacher, Staksrud

Anna Leigh Waters/Ben Johns improved to 2-0 in the ATP Pool with an 11-9, 11-5 victory over Rachel Rohrabacher/Federico Staksrud

 

The top seeds are now 2-0 in pool play and have already guaranteed that they will advance to the mixed doubles semifinals. 

Catherine Parenteau/Christian Alshon did the same with their victory over Meghan Dizon/James Ignatowich earlier Thursday afternoon.


1:45 p.m. PT: Parenteau, Alshon too much for Dizon, Ignatowich

No. 4 Catherine Parenteau and Christian Alshon defeated No. 6 Meghan Dizon and James Ignatowich by a score of 11-1, 11-2 in just 20 minutes.

Parenteau and Alshon upped their record to 2-0 in ATP Pool mixed doubles play.


1:15 p.m. PT: McGuffin makes easy work of Tellez in under 20 minutes

No. 7 Tyson McGuffin cruised to an 11-0, 11-1 victory over No. 5 Pablo Tellez to improve to 2-0 in the Erne Pool.

Tellez was thrust into singles competition following the withdrawal of Quang Duong earlier in the day.

"Let's give a round of applause to Pablo. This guy was in a car accident a couple of weeks ago, had a concussion, and he's out here playing right now, which is pretty cool," said McGuffin, during his post-match interview on Pickleballtv. "I would never double pickle Pablo. Ever. That would never happen."


12:55 p.m. PT: Frazier beats Martinez Vich in three games

No. 6 Dylan Frazier defeated No. 8 Jaume Martinez Vich 11-5, 6-11, 11-1 on Grandstand Court.

Frazier improved to 1-1 in ATP Pool singles play with the victory.


12:45 p.m. PT: Brascia defeats Parenteau, fights back in deciding stanza

No. 7 Mary Brascia is clearly relishing the opportunity to compete on home turf after posting an 11-4, 7-11, 11-7 victory over No. 3 Catherine Parenteau.

Parenteau was actually leading 5-1 in the third and deciding game, before Brascia ultimately found a way to rally and improve to 2-0 in the Erne Pool.

"I'm just really working on playing with courage and confidence. I feel like the mental game is a really big thing, and when you believe in yourself, you can do it," said Brascia. "That's the biggest thing for me."

A matchup with No. 5 Kaitlyn Christian comes next.

 


12:05 p.m. PT: Christian beats Johnson, improves to 2-0 in Erne Pool singles

It took three games, but No. 5 Kaitlyn Christian beat No. 2 Jorja Johnson 11-6, 6-11, 11-1.

Christian is clearly trending in the right direction after she also defeated No. 3 Catherine Parenteau on Wednesday. 


11:40 a.m. PT: Staksrud outlasts Johnson in three-game battle

No. 1 Federico Staksrud edged No. 4 Hunter Johnson by a score of 13-11, 3-11, 11-8 in a back-and-forth affair on Humana Championship Court.

Staksrud earned his second consecutive victory in ATP Pool singles play.

"I knew Hunter was going to battle. We were both 1-0, so I knew it was going to be a crucial moment in the pool play," he said. "I just wanted to come up with the win, and I'm happy that I did. It's going to be another battle with Jaume [Martinez Vich] on Friday, and I hope I can win it so I can go 3-0."

 


11:15 a.m. PT: Garnett defeats Johns in straight games

No. 3 Connor Garnett beat No. 2 Ben Johns by a score of 11-3, 11-9.

Garnett accomplished the feat in 34 minutes on Grandstand Court.

It marked Johns' second consecutive loss in Erne Pool singles competition after falling to Tyson McGuffin on Wednesday, so he was officially eliminated from the event.

 


10:35 a.m. PT: Waters, Fahey claim ATP Pool matchups in singles

No. 1 Anna Leigh Waters posted an 11-0, 11-7 victory over No. 8 Parris Todd on Humana Championship Court.

Waters continues to wear a knee brace in competition, but appears to be doing just fine.

"It's the last tournament of the year, so I'm really going to be pushing through. I'm wearing a knee brace and playing singles. You haven't seen me wear a knee brace and play singles in a while, so I'm really pushing through this tournament because I want to go out of the year strong," she said. "It was just last week that I was realizing that I was going to need a brace to play in the tournament. The brace actually helps a lot. We'll see. I'm kind of taking it match by match in singles and seeing how I feel. I'm hoping that I can continue to play singles for the whole week, but if it gets to a point where it's too much, then I might have to call it quits. Right now, I'm feeling ok, so hopefully Friday I'll be feeling good again."

Meanwhile, No. 4 Kate Fahey earned an 11-3, 11-6 triumph over No. 6 Lacy Schneemann

 


9:30 a.m. PT: Duong withdraws from singles competition

Before Thursday's action got underway, Quang Duong withdrew from singles due to a right knee injury.

Duong is being replaced in the Erne Pool by Pablo Tellez, who will face Tyson McGuffin to begin his day.

McGuffin made headlines with a major upset over Ben Johns in a head-to-head matchup on Wednesday.