Halton Hills Duo Wins Provincial Gold: Ryan Scheffler and Justin O’Neil entered the Pickleball Ontario Championships with an early setback, suffering a 16-14 loss to Paul Robertson and Carlos Faria in their opening match. This defeat, however, did not deter the Halton Hills Pickleball Association (HHPA) members. They responded by securing five consecutive victories to reach the final.
“The first half of that (opening) match, I was so nervous. As we settled in, we started playing better.” – (Scheffler)
Dominating the Final
In the championship match, Scheffler and O’Neil made a strong statement by decisively defeating Robertson and Faria. They won with scores of 11-2 and 11-0, capturing the provincial 3.5 under-40 division title at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre earlier this month.
“Close to the end (of the round-robin match), we started to figure out what worked against them. We were able to place our shots and picked apart their weaknesses. We learned from that and used it in the final.” – (O’Neill)
Turning Defeats into Wins
In round-robin play, Scheffler and O’Neil went 4-1, setting up a challenging semifinal against familiar opponents. Having fallen behind 13-5 in their round-robin encounter, they managed a dramatic comeback to win 15-13.
“It was one of those cases where you take a time out at the right time and something clicks. We got rolling.” – (Scheffler)
Their experience from the earlier match paid off as they defeated the same team with a 15-6 score in the semifinals.
Additional Success in Singles
In addition to their doubles success, Scheffler also competed in the singles event, earning a bronze medal.
“That was very exciting. There aren’t many opportunities to play singles, especially in a scene like that. It was much more intense.” – (Scheffler)
News in Brief: Halton Hills Duo Wins Provincial Gold
Ryan Scheffler and Justin O’Neil of the Halton Hills Pickleball Association turned a rough start into provincial glory at the Pickleball Ontario Championships. After an initial loss, they won five straight matches, including a decisive 11-2 and 11-0 victory in the final against Paul Robertson and Carlos Faria.
The duo also overcame a tough semifinal match by coming back from a deficit. Scheffler further distinguished himself by earning a bronze medal in the singles competition.
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