Today was the final day of the PPA North Carolina Cup as both Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters looked to claim triple crowns but there were plenty of hungry contenders standing in their way. Let’s make our way through the draws and review how each championship match unfolded.
Men’s Doubles Championship: Johns brothers pushed by Martinez Vich/Augustus Ge
It wasn’t a walk in the park for the Johns brothers today as the righty lefty combo of Jaume Martinez Vich and Augustus Ge gave them plenty to think about over the best 3 out 5 battle. The hand speed of Ge and the creativity of Martinez Vich forced the Johns to be extra patient and hunker down into much longer rallies. In the end the #1 seeds walked away with a four-game victory but the up and comers put up a heck of a fight.
Women’s Doubles Championship: Parenteau & Waters Win in Straights
Vivienne David and Lacy Schneemann did their best to keep Anna Leigh Waters and Catherine Parenteau on the defensive as much as possible but the #1 seeds were able to stretch early leads in all three games. When the top seeds are able to play from ahead they are impossible to beat and that was once again the story today.
Mixed Doubles Championship: Johns/Waters Cruise After Tough Game 1
Dekel Bar is tough to prepare for in mixed doubles as he plays a very uncalculated aggressive style and when he gets a ball shoulder high its usually not coming back. He and Tina Pisnik were clicking early and were almost able to steal game one but it went in favor of Johns & Waters 12-10. That deflated the underdogs and they were never able to recover, only winning 3 points on serve the rest of the match.
Men’s Singles Championship: Johns Outlasts Staksrud
Johns had an 8-2 H2H record against Federico Staksrud heading into this match but Staksrud came out firing and took game 1 11-7. Johns, like he has done all tournament long, made the proper adjustments and ultimately wore Staksrud down winning the next two games 11-5, 11-6 to claim the title.
Women’s Singles Championship: Waters Defeats Parenteau
Catherine Parenteau did her best to try and get to the kitchen early to pressure Waters but Anna Leigh's passing shots showed up in a big way today. The match was much closer than the score reflected but Waters was able to hold onto early leads in both games to secure the victory 11-4, 11-4.
On The Horizon
Next up is PPA Houston which is just four days away. Make sure to follow the PPA on all social media platforms to get updates on the draws and the schedule.
