While Anna Leigh Waters continued her march through the draws at the Professional Pickleball Association’s Virginia Beach Cup, there were plenty of surprises elsewhere as the tournament headed into the weekend.
Waters, ranked No. 1 in the world in singles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles, won all three of those titles at last year’s inaugural tournament at Pickleball Virginia Beach and has a shot to repeat before a packed crowd at the massive facility off Birdneck Road.
The 18-year-old Floridian advanced to the mixed final alongside Ben Johns. They will take on No. 2 JW Johnson and Jorja Johnson, a brother-sister combo, who beat No. 4 Parris Todd and Christian Alshon 11-8, 11-4.
In men’s singles, No. 4 Alshon — a former Virginia Cavaliers tennis player — is the highest seed left in the semifinals. All four men who made it lost the first of their best-of-three-games quarterfinal but won the last two.
No. 5 Jaume Martinez Vich of Mallorca, Spain, ousted world No. 1 Hunter Johnson 6-11, 11-6, 11-3 to gain a spot against Alshon, and No. 6 Jack Sock — once the world’s top doubles tennis player — will take on No. 15 Christopher Haworth.
Haworth beat No. 8 John Lucian Goins 4-11, 14-12, 11-3, Alshon rallied past No. 7 Michael Loyd 5-11, 11-6, 11-2; and Sock upended No. 3 Connor Garnett 10-12, 11-5, 11-2.
In women’s singles, Waters overcame an 8-1 deficit in the second game to oust No. 5 Catherine Parenteau 11-4, 11-8. Waters will face No. 3 Parris Todd, and No. 2 Kaitlyn Christian will take on No. 4 Brooke Buckner. None of the women’s quarterfinals went to a third game.
In men’s doubles, No. 8 seeds Jay Devilliers and Ben Wright upended No. 2 Hayden Patriquin and Federico Staksrud 2-11, 11-4, 11-9 to advance to a semifinal against No. 4 CJ Klinger and JW Johnson. The other semi will pit No. 1 Gabriel Tardio and Ben Johns against No. 3 Alshon and Andrei Daescu.
In women’s doubles, the highest seeds all made the semis. No. 1 Waters and Anna Bright will play No. 3 Parenteau and Jade Kawamoto, while No. 2 Jorda Johnson and Rachel Rohrabacher face No. 4 Todd and Tyra Hurricane Black.
Action resumes at 10 a.m. Saturday on PickleballTV and also will be on the Tennis Channel at 1 p.m.
