Las Vegas Championship Sunday Preview, from the Stats Desk

=== MEN’S SINGLES ===

#1 FEDERICO STAKSRUD:

• Has earned a medal in every tournament this year except Kansas City. (6 gold, 8 silver, and one bronze)
• 0-5 against Ben Johns in title matches this year.
• His ten career men’s singles titles are second only to Ben Johns.
• His gold medal in Utah was the first time he has beaten the same player in two finals. (Connor Garnett)

#6 DYLAN FRAZIER:

• Beat Federico Staksrud to win The Masters in January, his only singles title.
• Also has ten doubles titles with JW Johnson.

Bronze: 

#8 JAUME MARTINEZ VICH:

• This year he had a silver at the Desert Ridge Open and a bronze in Houston.
• Beat number three seed Tyson McGuffin in the quarterfinals.

#20 ERIC RODDY:

• Best known for making a big splash at the North Carolina Open last year, where he and fellow North Carolinian Jim Dobran upset Jack Sock and Tyson McGuffin, 11-5, 11-2, in Charlotte. The number 28 seeds beat the number five seeds in one of the top upsets of 2023.

=== WOMEN’S SINGLES ===

#1 ANNA LEIGH WATERS

• She has won seven titles this year.
• Her 39 career singles titles are tied for the most all-time, with Ben Johns.
• Waters has beaten seven different players in PPA finals: Todd, Parenteau, Mary Brascia, Jansen, Tereschenko, Devidze, Callie Smith.
• She is 39-3 in singles finals. Two of those three losses were in 2021 (Parenteau, Jansen). The other was to Parris Todd in 2022.

#17 KATE FAHEY: 

• Won her first PPA medal (silver) in Kansas City vs Brooke Buckner.
• Won her first PPA title in Utah.
• Beat two 2024 champions here, Mary Brascia and Lea Jansen, in consecutive matches.
• Now ranked number 17 overall.

Bronze: 

#6 SALOME DEVIDZE:

• This year: Gold at the Indoor Championships (her second career title), Silver in Texas, Bronze in Atlanta.
• Gave Anna Leigh Waters her only loss this year, in a semifinal in Dallas in June, in a late match under the lights.
• Beat Kansas City and Bristol Champ Brooke Buckner in the quarterfinals.

#12 LACY SCHNEEMANN: 

• Bronze at the Houston Open, silver at the Hertz Cup last November.
• Has three silvers in Doubles this year, most recently in Kansas City.
• Ranked number eleven overall.

=== MIXED DOUBLES ===

#1 ANNA LEIGH WATERS and BEN JOHNS

• Have 37 titles together. (Waters, 39 overall; Johns, 52 overall)
• Their only loss in a final: to Anna Bright and Andrei Daescu in Austin, March 2024.
• They have 10 titles this year, including six in a row before sitting out Utah.
• They won eight consecutive tournaments from last August through February.

#6 CATHERINE PARENTEAU and RILEY NEWMAN:

• They earned six titles and four silvers together in 2021 and 2022.
• Parenteau won a silver at the Orange County Cup in June with Christian Alshon, her only previous Mixed Doubles finals appearance this year.
• Newman’s last Mixed Doubles finals appearance was just over a year ago, a silver with Jessie Irvine at Kansas City.
• Newman last Mixed Doubles title was with Anna Bright in February 2023 in Arizona.
• Newman’s next title, whether it is in Doubles or Mixed, will be his 20th career title.

Bronze: 

#3 JORJA JOHNSON and JW JOHNSON

• Won their only title together in Newport Beach, April 2023.
• Have lost five straight title matches to Waters/Johns.
• Forced Waters/Johns to their first career five-game final at Kansas City.
• Beat Waters/Johns in the quarterfinals of the Arizona Grand Slam in February 2023.

#2 CHRISTIAN ALSHON and ANNA BRIGHT:

• Lost to Waters and Johns in the Bristol Open final two weeks ago, 11-3, 11-1, 11-4.
• Bright won the Austin Open Mixed title with Daescu, and she has eight Mixed Doubles silver medals this year.
• Alshon also won a silver at the Orange County Cup in June with Catherine Parenteau.

=== MEN’S DOUBLES ===

#9 ANDREI DAESCU and GABE TARDIO:

• Won the Utah Open, beating James Ignatowich and Matt Wright in the final.
• This team won silvers at the Red Rock Open and at Mesa.
• Beat the top seeds, Dylan Frazier and JW Johnson, in the quarterfinals.
• Beat the Johns brothers twice this year (Mesa Round of 16 and Red Rock Semis)
• Daescu won the Austin Open with Matt Wright.
• Tardio won the Kansas City Open with Federico Staksrud.

#7 DEKEL BAR and ZANE NAVRATIL: 

• Bar has two silvers and five bronzes this year in Doubles.
• Bar’s two career Doubles titles were in 2021, with Ben Johns and Adam Stone. 
• Navratil has a silver with Christian Alshon in Austin and two bronzes this year.
• Did you know, Navratil is the only player to beside Ben Johns to win back-to-back PPA Men’s Singles titles?

Bronze: 

#8 CONNOR GARNETT and TYLER LOONG:

• An advantage indoors? They won the silver medal at the National Indoor Championships in Minnesota.
• Beat the number three seeds, Federico Staksrud and Matt Wright, in the quarterfinals.
• Loong had ten Ernes in the 2022 Men’s Doubles final in North Carolina (Loong and McGuffin lost in four games to Matt Wright and Riley Newman.) 

#6 CHRISTIAN ALSHON and RILEY NEWMAN:

• Beat the Johns brothers in the quarterfinals, 12-10 in the third.
• Won a bronze together at USA Pickleball’s National Championships in Dallas last November.
• Alshon has two titles this year, one with Quang Duong in Bristol and the other with Thomas Wilson at the Indoor Championships in Minnesota.
• Newman’s last Doubles title was in May of 2023, and his last silver was at the Masters in January.
• Newman’s next title, whether it is in Doubles or Mixed, will be his 20th career title

=== WOMEN’S DOUBLES ===

#1 ANNA LEIGH WATERS and CATHERINE PARENTEAU

• Have 21 titles together, including ten this year. 
• Won six straight tournaments before sitting out Utah.
• Waters won all 17 tournaments she entered in 2023; 10 with Parenteau, 7 with Bright.
• Needed nine match points to beat Johnson/Rohrabacher in the semis. 

#7 HURRICANE TYRA BLACK and PARRIS TODD:

• Beat number two seed Anna Bright and Tina Pisnik in the semis.
• Three bronze medals together this year, most recently at the Orange County Cup.
• Todd has a silver with Anna Bright in 2022.
• Black is making her first finals appearance in Doubles.

Bronze: 

#4 JORJA JOHNSON and RACHEL ROHRABACHER:

• Johnson won a silver last week in Utah with Mari Humberg.
• Rohrabacher has five titles and three silvers this year, all with Anna Bright.
• Johnson has a Mixed Doubles title, and is still looking for her first Women’s Doubles championship.
• Staved off eight match points before losing to Parenteau/Waters in the semis.

#2 ANNA BRIGHT and TINA PISNIK:

• Bright has five titles and three silvers this year, all with Rachel Rohrabacher.
• Pisnik won the Red Rock Open in April with Lea Jansen, against Anna Bright and Callie Smith. 
• Pisnik won a silver at Orange County with Jessie Irvine.
• Pisnik was a two-time Olympian for Slovenia ( 2000 Sydney, 2004 Athens)