Bright, Ignatowich impress Friday in Vegas

There’s no way James Ignatowich and Anna Bright are set to be the No. 1 mixed doubles team in pickleball.

“No chance,” Ignatowich said. “What are you trying to get out of us?”

OK, so not only are they self-proclaiming themselves to be well behind Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters, but Ignatowich and Bright barely conceded the fact they might be the No. 2 team in pickleball.

“We’re in the mix,” Bright said. “When we’re playing our best, maybe.”

Fine, certainly not No. 1, maybe, just maybe No. 2, but for a team just in the conversation, they sure looked pretty good Friday in Las Vegas, despite the fact they don’t practice together and didn’t even sit together during timeouts and between games in Friday’s semifinal.

They just dominated together, including an 11-5, 11-4 win against Christian Alshon and Tyra Black in the semifinals that put Bright and Ignatowich in position to win their first gold medal together since April.

They don’t play practice games together because Ignatowich has hit Bright too often with the ball, and they didn’t sit together Friday, but “that’s a new thing,” Bright said with a smile and a laugh. “We’re usually sitting on the same bench, but James saw a different chair. I guess that’s what he wants.”

It’s not exactly time to get the two to show up together on the Dr. Phil show. They are partners off the court, and on the court, the relationship is working. They came in as the No. 3 seed, didn’t drop a game Friday, and look like a team that can challenge Waters and Johns – who have won nine of the past 10 tournaments on the PPA Tour.

“There’s Tyson (McGuffin) and Catherine (Parenteau),” Ignatowich said, going down the list of challengers to the top of the mixed doubles world. “There’s Riley (Newman) and whoever he’s playing with and there’s J.W. (Johnson) and Jorja (Johnson). And then us.”

Well, McGuffin and Parenteau lost in the quarterfinals on Friday. Newman and partner Jessie Irvine, the No. 2 seed, also lost in the quarters, and the Johnsons didn’t play. That left Ignatowich and Bright, who had more firepower, more aggression, and more quality than any other team in the bracket, outside perhaps of Waters and Johns. 

Part of that aggression starts with Ignatowich’s serve, which he’s been working on, gaining confidence with, and ultimately unleashing Friday. It’s a double espresso with a RedBull topper, built for speed and perfectly on brand for Ignatowich’s style. It’s a perfect complement to his happy feet and constant movement. It fired with energy and pace and it worked. It also doesn’t hurt that Ignatowich’s height allows him to get an extra intense angle.

“If you’re going to hit it hard, you’re going to make errors,” he said. “Sometimes I have trouble with that, but it [my serve] can give people problems.”

Pair that with Bright’s consistency and her own brand of power, the two looked the part of the team to beat.

Even if they wouldn’t admit it. They’ll play Waters and Johns, who they lost to in the final of the Seattle Open in July.