Championship Sunday for the Select Medical Orange County Cup saw a familiar cast of the PPA Tour’s top pro players. The draws in all events were packed, making for some interesting matchups and unexpected upsets.
The big storyline coming out of the Orange County Cup is that Anna Leigh Waters accomplished an unheard-of Quadruple-Triple, winning every single event for the last four PPA tournaments. Let’s take a look at how she got there, and some of the other stand out moments in each event!
Mixed Doubles – Waters/Johns (1) vs. Parenteau/McGuffin (3)
Since taking the month of April off, Anna Leigh Waters hasn’t lost a single match; however, McGuffin has also been on fire since bouncing back from a foot injury at the beginning of the season. Going into the mixed doubles final, both teams dominated their respective sides of the bracket, so it was anyone’s match!
Johns and Waters only dropped one game all tournament, and that was to the 5-seed sibling duo of JW Johnson and Jorja Johnson. On the other side, CP and McGuffin didn’t drop a single game either, despite having faced some tough teams like Bright/Ignatowich and Frazier/Koop.
In the finals match, it was a three-game sweep for Waters and Johns, with each game being closer than the last (11-3, 11-6, 11-9). Parenteau and McGuffin were able to make adjustments with each loss, but couldn’t quite turn the tides to their favor in game three.
Men’s Singles – Tyson McGuffin (4) vs. Connor Garnett (7)
Men’s singles had the most unique draw, as the 1-seed Ben Johns was knocked out in the second round by 17-seed Collin Shick, who earned his redemption after losing to Johns in the finals back at the Florida Open. Johns getting knocked out opened the door for McGuffin, who didn’t drop a single game through the tourney.
Garnett earned his spot in the finals by taking down some of the biggest names in the PPA, including 2-seed Federico Staksrud who was one of our favorites going into the tournament. Garnett didn’t give up a single game-point leading into the finals, so keep your eyes on him in future tournaments!
In the finals match, game one was close, with McGuffin bouncing back after a 3-9 deficit. He was able to make adjustments and rally, taking game one 12-10. McGuffin kept his momentum going into game two and maintained control for the rest of the match, winning game two, 11-3, and taking home the gold in men’s singles.
Women’s Doubles – Waters/Parenteau (1) vs. Wright/Tereschenko (6)
Catherine Parenteau and Anna Leigh Waters continue their reign in women’s doubles by defeating Etta Wright and Irina Tereschenko. The field for women’s doubles was as big as ever for this tournament, and both teams had an interesting journey to Championship Sunday.
For CP and Waters, the one matchup that seemed to pose a threat was against the 8-seed team of Lea Jansen and Hurricane Tyra Black in round 3. Jansen and Black took game one, 11-7, and still gave the 1-seed a run for their money in games two and three.
Round three also proved to be the toughest point in Wright and Tereschenko’s journey to the finals, where they faced off against 3-seed Jorja Johnson and Allyce Jones. In the semifinals, they took down 2-seeds Callie Smith and Lucy Kovalova in a quick two-game match, so we knew that the finals was going to be close either way.
Parenteau and Waters took game one quickly, 11-2, but faltered in game two, allowing Wright and Tereschenko to take it at second game point, 12-10. However, Waters and Parenteau managed to seal the deal win games three and four, allowing Waters gold medal number 2 for her triple crown.
Men’s Doubles – Johns/Johns (1) vs. Newman/Wright (2)
The men’s doubles final was the closest match all weekend for that particular bracket. The 1 and 2 seeded teams dominated their respective sides of the bracket, not leaving much room for error.
The Johns brothers easily swept through the main draw to make it to the finals without dropping a game, with an incredible 11-0, 11-3 two-game sweep of 5-seed Ignatowich/McGuffin in the semis. It was the same case for Riley Newman and Matt Wright, who only dropped one game in the quarterfinals match against 7-seeds Pablo Tellez and Federico Staksrud.
The finals match itself was a rollercoaster of emotions. The first three games were so undecided, going back and forth between the two teams: Wright and Newman took game one 11-6, Collin and Ben Johns took game two 11-7, and then it went back to Wright and Newman winning game three 11-5.
However, the Johns brothers flipped the switch in game four, where they didn’t let off the gas for a second. Wright and Newman missed several returns, faulting the game point into the net and handing game four to the Johns brothers, 0-11.
The tiebreaker game 5 saw similar results as game four with the Johns brothers keeping their game tight and fast at the net. The third point of game five tells you everything you need to know – a long battle at the kitchen, with Wright and Newman slipping up to lose the point. Ben and Collin Johns scored 18 unanswered points, and Wright and Newman just couldn’t turn it back on in game 5, losing 1-11.
Women’s Singles – Anna Leigh Waters (1) vs. Catherine Parenteau (2)
The final match of the day saw Anna Leigh Waters take on Catherine Parenteau in women’s singles. Coming off of their big win together in women’s doubles, the two had to face off from opposite sides of the court.
Anna Leigh Waters has been unstoppable in singles this year, and this tournament was no exception. She only dropped one game in the semifinals, where she faced off against 5-seed Judit Castillo.
CP’s journey to the finals was equally impressive, as she didn’t drop a single game on her side of the bracket. In the semis, she swept 11-seed Anna Bright in a quick two-game match (11-0, 11-3).
The finals was honestly a classic example of a Parenteau and Waters match. While well fought by CP, Waters was just one step ahead throughout both games (11-7, 11-7).
“I was really trying to go into it like, ‘She’s still your friend, but right now you have to think of her as the enemy.’ I think in this match I did a good job of flipping that switch from women’s doubles to singles.
Anna Leigh Waters on playing against Catherine Parenteau
