The Walgreens Open at the Las Vegas Strip delivered a surprise on Saturday as Jorja Johnson and Tyra Hurricane Black upset top seeds Anna Leigh Waters and Anna Bright. Johnson and Black fought back after losing the first game to claim a 5-11, 11-6, 11-3 victory, securing their place in Championship Sunday.
The PPA Tour event features some of the best pickleball players in the world, with women’s doubles among the most competitive brackets. Johnson and Black, seeded No. 3, showed resilience and strong teamwork to reach their first PPA final together since April.
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Match Breakdown
Anna Leigh Waters and Anna Bright took control early, winning the opening game 11-5. But in the second game, Jorja Johnson and Tyra Hurricane Black responded with an 8-0 lead, using aggressive play to even the match. They carried that momentum into the third game, pulling away to close the upset.
After the win, Jorja Johnson spoke about the challenge of facing the top seeds for the first time.
“It was tough going in because we had never played them before, so we just had to figure some things out early. I thought every game was really good. We had really high-quality points, and then in the second game they just started going our way.”(Jorja Johnson)
Tyra Hurricane Black credited a change in her approach for shifting the match.
“I just started speeding up off the bounce more. It worked on a few points, so I just kind of kept going for it.
I feel like we got a few more pop-ups after that. I just realized that I needed to be more aggressive and put the pressure on. [Waters and Bright] are great at doing that, so I thought that we had to do it first.”(Tyra Hurricane Black)
What This Means
The victory sends Jorja Johnson and Tyra Hurricane Black, teammates on the Dallas Flash, into their first PPA final together since winning gold at the North Carolina Open in April. Their strong performance and ability to adjust under pressure give them momentum heading into the championship match.
News in Brief: Jorja Johnson and Tyra Hurricane Black
Jorja Johnson and Tyra Hurricane Black stunned top seeds Anna Leigh Waters and Anna Bright with a 5-11, 11-6, 11-3 semifinal win at the Walgreens Open in Las Vegas. The Dallas Flash teammates advanced to their first PPA final together since April, showing grit and aggressive play to earn the upset.
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