PPA Masters:
The PPA Tour kicked off their 2024 tournament schedule this past weekend in Palm Springs, California for the PPA Masters powered by Invited. This tournament featured a new “progressive” draw — meaning the draws were played out over several days rather than all in one day. With the new format, top players were “protected” (didn’t have to play) until the round of 16, while some qualifiers had numerous matches in one day.
Men's Singles:
Men’s Singles started professional play at the PPA Masters, with high quality matches happening all over the draw. The top half of the draw featured the biggest upset of the weekend, with Quang Duong upending Ben Johns in three games in the Round of 16. Also in the Round of 16, former professional tennis player, Jack Sock, took out top 10 player, Connor Garnett. Federico Stakrsud made a great run, not dropping a game as he made his way into Championship Sunday. Staksrud took out big names of Christian Alshon and Jack Sock prior to the finals. After defeating the number-one seed, Duong wasn’t able to capitalize as Dylan Frazier came out on top in their semifinal matchup. In the championship, Staksrud took the first game off Frazier with ease, 11-2, but dropped the next two games 7-11, 9-11, to take home the silver medal. This championship marks the first PPA gold medal in Men’s Singles for Dylan Frazier.
Women's Singles:
In Women’s Singles we saw the dominant players continuing to dominate. Anna Leigh Waters handily took out Lina Padegimaite and Lea Jansen in a swift two games to take her place in Championship Sunday at the PPA Masters. More notably, Brooke Buckner, only a few months out of having a daughter, made a huge run to the semifinals after defeating Mary Brascia in straight games. Buckner’s run ended in her semifinal matchup against Catherine Parenteau, falling 7-11, 2-11. In the Championship match-up, Anna Leigh Waters continued her undefeated streak as she defeated Parenteau 11-9, 11-6.
Men's Doubles:
The Men’s Doubles draw remained intense as veteran partnerships faced off against new ones at the PPA Masters. Most notably, Tyson McGuffin and Dekel Bar teamed up for the first as new JOOLA teammates. Unfortunately, McGuffin/Bar ran into another formidable Team JOOLA duo, Ben and Collin Johns, in the quarter finals and dropped 9-11, 8-11. Also in the quarterfinals, Federico Staksrud and Pablo Tellez took out James Ignatowich and Matt Wright in three games. Pat Smith and Jay Devilliers also scored an upset win over Dylan Frazier and JW Johnson 11-2, 13-11 to mark their spot in the semifinals. Both semifinal matchups had razor thin margins, with Johns/Johns and Newman/Wilson prevailing in three games. With the new partnership of Newman/Wilson, experience prevailed as Johns/Johns took home the championship, 11-6, 8-11, 11-4, 11-2.
Women's Doubles:
Women’s Doubles at the PPA Masters featured many veteran parternships making their mark. Anna Leigh Waters and Catherine Parenteau continued their undefeated record as they breezed their way into the finals. Waters/Parenteau had to face Meghan Dizon and Etta Wright in the semifinals, besting them 11-9, 11-7. The Orlando Squeeze teammates of Anna Bright and Rachel Rohrabacher dominated Lucy Kovalova and Callie Smith 11-2, 11-0 in the other semifinal matchup. Although Bright/Rohrbacher are proving to be a threat on court, Waters/Parenteau prevailed 11-8, 11-3, 11-9.
Mixed Doubles:
The PPA Masters continued with electric match-ups as mixed doubles commenced throughout the week. Federico Staksrud and Rachel Rohrabacher took out JW Johnson and Jorja Johnson in the round of 16. However, their run came to an end as they met Tyson McGuffin and Meghan Dizon in the quarters, dropping 6-11, 8-11. Also in the quarterfinals, Anna Bright and James Ignatowich took out the Jack Sock and Catherine Parenteau in a two-game shut out 11-6, 11-9. In the semifinals, Bright/Ignatowich barely scraped past McGuffin/Dizon, 9-11, 11-4, 11-5. On the other half of the draw, Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters didn’t drop a game on their way to Championship Sunday. On Championship Sunday, Waters/Johns showcased their prowess as they handily defeated Bright/Ignatowich, 11-8, 11-7, 11-7.
Up Next:
The PPA Tour will follow up the PPA Masters with the PPA Desert Ridge Open in Phoenix, AZ. This tournament will take place the first weekend in February and will not feature the progressive draw format.
Medal List:
Federico Staksrud: Silver – Men’s Singles, Bronze – Men’s Doubles
Brooke Buckner: Bronze – Women’s Singles
Ben Johns: Gold – Mixed Doubles, Men’s Doubles
Collin Johns: Gold — Men’s Doubles
Anna Bright: Silver – Mixed Doubles, Silver – Women’s Doubles
Etta Wright: Bronze – Women’s Doubles
Equipment List:
All players (excluding McGuffin) of this tournament were playing with the unreleased 2024 Alpha prototype of the Scorpeus and Perseus Paddles. Tyson McGuffin was playing with the Alpha protoype version of the Magnus, a new paddle coming to the JOOLA product line in 2024.
