Veolia L.A. Open Championship Sunday Preview, from the Stats Desk
April 21, 2024
|=== MEN’S SINGLES ===
#2 Federico Staksrud gave up only 28 points in eight games Thursday. This is his eighth straight final this year (3 golds, 4 silvers), including a win over Garnett for the Indoor Championships title in March. Staksrud’s run of eight finals is impressive, but Ben Johns -won- 13 consecutive tournaments in 2020 and 2021.
#3 Connor Garnett needed three games to get by both Rafa Hewett and Jaume Martinez Vich Thursday. He’s looking for his first gold after four silvers. Garnett lost to Staksrud 4-11, 12-10, 11-2 in the gold medal match in Minnesota.
Bronze: #11 Aanik Lohany vs #23 Roscoe Bellamy.
=== WOMEN’S SINGLES ===
#3 Lauren Stratman has PPA medals dating back to 2020, but this could be her first gold in any discipline. She started the year ranked #7 in singles.
#8 Brooke Buckner is making her first Championship Sunday appearance. She started the year ranked #11 in singles. This year she earned a bronze medal at the Masters.
Bronze: #8 Kaitlyn Christian vs #6 Lacy Schneemann.
=== MIXED DOUBLES ===
#1 Anna Bright and Ben Johns can both make history with a win. Johns can become the only player to win mixed doubles gold with five different partners (E. Wright, Waters, Irvine, Jardim). Bright can become the first female to do that with four(Ignatowich, Newman, Daescu). Bright ranks fifth among women in overall career gold medals, behind Waters, Parenteau, Jardim, and Kovalova).
#2 Vivienne David and Thomas Wilson had to battle on Friday. Three of their four matches went all three games. They continue to be one of the best teams on the tour. Since last September, they have now medaled in ten of the last twelve PPA tournaments.
Bronze: #8 Tina Pisnik/Collin Johns vs #3 Meghan Dizon/Tyson McGuffin.
=== MEN’S DOUBLES ===
#1 Ben Johns and Collin Johns are looking for their fifth title this year. The brothers have been in PPA finals together 36 times, earning 30 golds and six silvers. Since the start of 2023, they are 16-1 on Championship Sunday. That sole silver was at the Takeya Showcase last August when Collin played with a sprained ankle.
#4 Tyson McGuffin and Jaume Martinez Vich: McGuffin lost in the final to the Johns brothers at the Desert Ridge Open in February, playing with Dekel Bar. JMV lost in a final to the Johns brothers in North Carolina two weeks ago, playing with Augie Ge. JMV is looking for his first career PPA title; McGuffin is looking for his first title since his Triple Crown effort at the T-O-C last August.
Bronze: #7 Augie Ge/Connor Garnett vs #9 Zane Navratil/Travis Rettenmaier.
=== WOMEN’S DOUBLES ===
#1 Anna Bright and Rachel Rohrabacher have won three of the last four tournaments. Their Austin title derailed Catherine Parenteau/Anna Leigh Waters’ unbeaten streak. Bright played in women’s doubles finals with six other partners before her recent success with Rohrabacher.
#6 Vivian Glozman and Lacy Schneemann reach their first PPA final together. In the semifinal against second-seeded Meghan Dizon and Etta Wright, they fought off game points in Game One before winning 13-11 and 12-10. Schneemann pickled up a silver medal at North Carolina two weeks ago playing with Vivienne David. This is Glozman’s first career PPA final.
Bronze: #8 Maggie Brascia/Mary Brascia vs #2 Meghan Dizon/Etta Wright.