Matt Wright and Jaume Martinez Vich, the No. 6 seeds, defeated No. 11 seeds Tyson McGuffin and Max Freeman in a three-game comeback win on Saturday at the PPA Tour Bristol Open. After losing the first game 11-0, Wright and Vich stormed back to win 11-7, 11-8.
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Upset Runs Lead to Semifinal Clash
Both teams entered the semifinal after pulling off big quarterfinal upsets. Wright and Vich beat No. 2 seeds Federico Staksrud and Hayden Patriquin 7-11, 12-10, 11-9, while McGuffin and Freeman topped No. 3 seeds JW Johnson and Andrei Daescu 9-11, 11-9, 11-9.
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Dramatic Turnaround in the Semifinal
McGuffin and Freeman looked dominant early, taking game one 11-0 and leading 7-3 in game two. Wright and Vich then went on an unanswered run to win game two 11-7 and narrowly closed out game three 11-8. Despite winning fewer total points (22 to 26) and committing more errors (19 to 18), Wright and Vich advanced.
Players’ Reactions
“Yeah we had a strategy, Jaume sent it to me this morning, I said ‘I disagree with it,’ we went with my strategy, and we were down 11-0, 7-3 and then I finally listened to him,”
Wright laughed afterwards.
“So yeah, I may be the seasoned veteran, but I think the wily young guy came up with the better plan.”
Vich praised his partner, saying,
“when we get to tight moments, I look at him and say, ‘hey can I do this’ and he just tells me, ‘do whatever you want, man’ and so far it’s been working.”
What’s Next
With the win, Wright and Vich move on to the men’s doubles final, where they will try to carry their momentum and upset another top team.
News in Brief: Matt Wright and Jaume Martinez Vich
Matt Wright and Jaume Martinez Vich overcame a slow start to beat Tyson McGuffin and Max Freeman 0-11, 11-7, 11-8 in the Bristol Open semifinals. Both teams had upset higher seeds in the quarters. Wright credited Vich’s strategy for the comeback. They now advance to the men’s doubles final.
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