PPA Tour This Weekend: Possible Upset in the Pro Men’s Doubles

Upset Alerts at the 2024 CIBC PPA Pro Men’s Doubles Finals

The upcoming CIBC PPA Finals Men’s Doubles Division features the top 16 men in pickleball, all vying for the ultimate prize: Finals Champion.

This Finals is sure to be interesting as it includes many different player combinations from what we are used to seeing on the PPA tour. We are sure to see some otherwise great players underperform if their teams do not gel. But we are also likely to see some exciting new patterns and approaches as these new teams figure out what works – and what does not.

The Pro Men’s Doubles Teams

The three established teams in the mix are:

• Ben Johns and Collin Johns are the No. 1 overall seed. They will likely be challenged at least once, but they are still favored to win it all. No team knows what each player is going to do as well as the Johns’ brothers.
• Federico Staksrud and Hayden Patriquin will certainly be in the mix to hoist the trophy at the end. This team plays very well together and has already earned several medals as a team in 2024.
• After a long time atop the men’s game, Matt Wright, has let it be known that he is not done yet. His partner, James Ignatowich, has the power to compete with anyone. If these two can stay focused on the task at hand, they could be dangerous.

The other five teams in the 8-team competition are players who do not regularly play on the tour:

• Dylan Frazier and Pablo Tellez are the No. 2 overall Seed. This is an interesting combination likely moving Dylan to the left side from his usual right side as he pairs up with lefty Pablo. If they play well and maximize their left-right tools, they have a chance at a deep run and perhaps even breaking through for the win.
• The youngsters JW Johnson and Gabe Tardio should be a powerful duo. They both like to take balls out of the air with powerful backhand flick attacks and have some of the fastest hands in the game. If they can find a good rhythm to play at between them, they could spell trouble for the other teams.
• Tyson McGuffin and Andrei Daescu are an interesting pairing. They played at the 2023 Nationals, making it to the quarter-finals. If they play a patient game and play a bit above baseline, they have a shot at making noise.
• Riley Newman has made a recent come back, including winning the 2024 Lapiplasty World Championships with Hayden Patriquin a month ago. He is partnering with Jaume Martinez Vich who has been playing a much better doubles game of late. These two could be a Cinderella story if they get going.
• Dekel Bar and Christian Alshon are playing together and are, by my estimation, the tallest team in the draw. If there 2 players can play aggressive and impose with their size, they will be hard to beat.

The Pro Men’s Doubles Pools

Unlike a traditional PPA tournament, the CIBC Finals consists of round robin pool play. Each team will play the three other teams in their pool with the top 2 teams advancing to the knockout rounds.

The ATP Pool has the following teams:

• Collin Johns/Ben Johns (No. 1 seed)
• JW Johnson/Gabe Tardio
• Dekel Bar/Christian Alshon
• Riley Newman/Jaume Martinez Vich

The Erne Pool has the following teams:

• Dylan Frazier/Pablo Tellez (No. 2 seed)
• Federico Staksrud/Hayden Patriquin
• Tyson McGuffin/Andrei Daescu
• Matt Wright/James Ignatowich

If the top seeds each win their pool, they would get to play the second place team in the other pool before having to face the other top seed. In this case, Ben and Collin Johns (the overall No. 1 seed and top seed in the ATP Pool) would not have to face Dylan Frazier and Pablo Tellez (the overall No. 2 seed and top seed in the Erne Pool) until the finals.

If, however, one of them stumble but still advance, then they may have to meet in the semi-finals. No team wants that.

Pro Men’s Doubles Pool Play Upsets to Look Out For

Here are two pool play matches at the 2024 CIBC PPA Finals that could cause trouble for the first and second seed in each pool and change the expected finals matchup:

In the ATP Pool

No. 1 Seeds, Ben and Collin Johns are likely to cruise through pool play and advance as the top team in the ATP Pool. There is, however, one potentially difficult matchup for the Johns’ brothers: Riley Newman and Jaume Martinez Vich.

Ben and Collin like to play in rhythm – what we would call a “grind” game. I expect Riley and Jaume to play a high-octane, disruptive style where they speed the ball up often, attack from unconventional positions and show different looks. In the past, this approach has proven to be the most difficult for the Johns’ brothers to overcome and several of their losses have come against teams who just came out firing.

This match is one to watch in the ATP Pool: will Ben and Collin be able to force the game into a grind or will Riley and Jaume run around and create havoc the whole time?

In the Erne Pool 

The Erne Pool is a bit more complicated. The No. 2 Seed, Dylan and Pablo, are a new pairing. They are both top players but we do not yet know how they will gel as a team.

Their toughest opponent is likely to be Federico Staksrud and Hayden Patriquin. This team has had success in the past and plays well together. I expect Federico and Hayden to play straight up, with Federico on the left and Hayden camped out in the middle.

Pablo and Dylan are a lefty-righty combo, which puts Pablo on the right and Dylan on the left. This is opposite how Dylan used to play with JW Johnson.

This match is one to watch in the ATP Pool: This will likely be the most evenly matched contest in pool play and is a toss up from my perspective. Which team will execute better that day?

Is there another matchup in pool play that you are looking forward to? Which team do you think will come out on top? Let us know in the comments below.

And make sure you tune in to the CIBC PPA Finals, December 4^th – December 8^th. You can find the details on how to watch all the action at PPATour.com.