Johnson Siblings Perform Dramatic Comeback: Jorja Johnson and JW Johnson earned a spot in the mixed doubles semifinals at the 2025 Veolia Atlanta Pickleball Championships presented by Ensure Max Protein. They beat Jessie Irvine and Gabe Tardio in three games Friday at Life Time Peachtree Corners.
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Johnson’s Bounce Back After Setback
Jorja Johnson and JW Johnson, seeded No. 2, started strong with an 11-3 win in the first game. In the second game, they had a match point at 10-7. But Jessie Irvine and Gabe Tardio, the No. 8 seeds, fought back with six straight points to win the game 12-10.
Despite the stumble, the Johnsons didn’t lose confidence. They came back with full energy in the third game and won it 11-1, showing control and focus when it mattered most.
“I think we lost a little bit of focus in Game 2. We had that match point, and then we hit a couple out balls. They played really well at the end there, and we knew in Game 3 that we had to regroup and stick to what we were doing in the first game and the first half of the second game.” – (Jorja)
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Next Up: A Big Semifinal Test
With this victory, Jorja and JW Johnson moved into Semifinal Saturday. They will face the No. 4 seeds, Etta Tuionetoa and Christian Alshon, in what promises to be a high-stakes match.
The win keeps the Johnson siblings in the running for the mixed doubles title and brings them one step closer to a championship spot.
News in Brief: Johnson Siblings Perform Dramatic Comeback
Jorja Johnson and JW Johnson beat Jessie Irvine and Gabe Tardio 11-3, 10-12, 11-1 on Friday to enter the mixed doubles semifinals at the 2025 Veolia Atlanta Pickleball Championships. The No. 2 seeds will now face No. 4 seeds Etta Tuionetoa and Christian Alshon in Saturday’s semifinal round.