Pod recap: The fall of the Johns bros

Episode 117: Johns Bros Fall Again, New Partnerships Results & Matchup Recaps

The boys spill all the tea from PPA Finals in San Clemente including Collin John’s mid-game breakdown, Anna Bright challenging CP’s paddle and James Ignatowich losing 40+ straight points. They recap all the matchups from the weekend and new partnerships.

If you’re pressed for time, or can’t listen this week, here’s a summary of what you missed - and links to watch each segment!

PPA Finals Overview

• Does “Finals” have special meaning, or is it “just another tournament”? Tyler says it’s trending that direction, but both agree the event has to have more notoriety (like tennis’s US Open or Wimbledon) to have significant meaning, like extra prize money and/or points.

• San Clemente was on the cold side (Lucy had to go out and buy a Christmas sweater!), which makes the game play a little faster. Little details like the ball being colder, harder, and heavier makes it bounce a little less and players need to prepare for conditions like this. (This is where Tyler makes another subtle plug for playing all-indoors-all-the-time)

Did the Johns Brothers ruin their reputations?

• After beating Riley and Jaume (who don’t have much experience together and went 0-3 in pool play), Ben and Collin rolled Christian & Dekel in game 1, 11-1. Christian & Dekel regain ground, beating the Johns in the following 2 games, 11-9, 11-7. At this moment, Collin starts raging about the ball, screaming, and “embarrassing” himself in a meltdown over the conditions (because it never could be Collin’s fault!).

• Tyler noted that the courts and their weird bounces could have been a contributing factor to Collin’s meltdown; there have been issues experienced by other pros on these San Clemente courts in the past.

• Jimmy said that for Collin to get the huge contract that he currently has, sponsor deals— like the Vulcan ball sponsorship— are what pay the bills. Collin needs to step back and remember the economics of the sport, and where funding for his salary comes from.

• Tyler still likes Collin. And the Vulcan ball is good.

• PPA is apparently fining the brothers for their continued outbursts.

• Ben & Collin didn’t make it out of pool play; Gabe Tardio seems to be their kryptonite.

• Tyler makes yet another case for indoor tournaments, where lighting, temperatures, and courts can all be controlled and made consistent across every event.

• Jimmy discusses how the game is evolving, and the Johns have not had enough time off to practice the new style of game, which may just be leaving them behind.

Men’s Doubles Matchups Recap

• JW and Tardio started slow, losing their first matchup to Christian & Dekel, but turned it around to beat Riley/Jaume & Ben/Collin.

• This was Dylan’s first tournament playing on the left in 3 years, and this will be a learning curve for him while he gets used to being the dominant player on the left. The boys agree that a right-handed player making a switch from right-side to left-side player is a much easier transition, but it will likely still take some time for Dylan to be dominant and finish high in the brackets, while he adjusts.

• “Tyson found the fountain of youth in this event,” Jimmy says. He played incredible in pool play, beating Fed & Hayden in 3 alongside partner Andrei Daescu, followed by beating Dylan & Pablo in 3.

• Tyler likes Tyson. Jimmy reminds us Tyson is the most electrifying man in the sport. 🕊

• Day 3 (round 3 of pool play) got wild. James played mixed with Meghan Dizon, they were up 10-2, but ended up losing 10-12* when Fed & Rachel put up 10 consecutive points. They then got pickled, losing the match. After this, James went on to play in men’s doubles with Matt, and got DOUBLE pickled. This means James lost 43 straight points. “He needs Anna back,” said Jimmy.

• [*Editor’s note: Jimmy messed up these exact numbers on the pod, but we fixed it in post here]

  
  

• Jimmy ponders: could a 3.5 player play against pros and go 0-43? (Tyler says no - but maybe a 4.0 could get a point off a pro out of 43 points) He also ponders if Tyler could get a point playing right-handed (Tyler says yes).

• During the medal round, Tyson’s serve gets called during the match-up against JW and Gabe Tardio. In a borderline playful/annoyed way, Tyson hits the ball toward the ref. During the timeout they exchanged words, but it doesn’t seem Tyson gets a technical warning of any kind. They ultimately lose in 3 games, getting knocked out of the gold medal match. (No bronze medal match at this event).

• Fed has to be in contention for PPA player of the year, if there were such a thing. He has golds with Hayden and Gabe, and a heap of singles titles. He only lacks results in mixed, which both Jimmy and Tyler agree is much more difficult to win unless you have a top 5 female partner.

• Fed & Hayden ultimately win the men’s doubles gold.

• Fed has had his fair share of on-court antics. He stepped on a ball during semis against Connor Garnett; called a medical timeout, seemingly for “gamesmanship” to stop momentum; and tweeted about an out call he disagreed with. But his results speak so loudly: Men’s doubles - 4 gold, 2 silver, 5 bronze; Mixed - 1 silver, 2 bronze; Singles - 20 medals: 8 gold, 9 silver, 3 bronze. Is he the most decorated player in men’s this year?

Men’s Singles Matchups Recap

• On day 1, Quang Duong wins in 3 over Connor Garnett, then pulls out of the remaining games due to ongoing knee issues. Instead of forfeiting the remaining games, the PPA decides to put in Pablo as a replacement (presumably, he was the only one on site who was somewhere on the eligible list and willing to step in and play. JW and Christian were higher than Pablo, and apparently didn’t want to step in). The guys agree that this was the wrong move by PPA - at that point, it should’ve been too late to add someone new. Had QD pulled out ahead of the event, someone ahead of Pablo could have made arrangements to compete. This would have been the more competitively fair approach. (What’s also wild is they gave Pablo QD’s win from round 1, so despite losing to both Ben and Tyson, his “record” was 1-2. Had he managed to beat Ben, he would’ve come out of the pool to move on to semis, thanks only to QD’s win in round 1)

• Tyson rolled through singles pool play, 3-0: he first beat Ben 13-11, 11-9; then Connor Garnett 11-9, 13-11; and finally Pablo 11-0, 11-1. He played phenomenal in the pool play; reportedly, Tyson plans to do singles for at least another year.

• Hunter Johnson is on a tear, having played hot the last 6-7 months. Hunter emerged from his pool 2-1 (losing only to Fed). In semis, he plays Tyson first and defeats him 11-1, 11-7, ending Tyson’s Finals golden streak.

• Connor and Fed had a contentious match, including the extended medical timeout and ball-stepping-on antics on Fed’s part. Despite all this, Connor defeats Fed in 3 games (12-10, 7-11, 11-3).

• Connor and Hunter face off in the gold-medal match, and Hunter ultimately wins. Jimmy asks if this was on Tyler’s bingo card from the beginning of the year; Tyler says no, but he did predict Hunter would make it out of pool play for this event.

Women’s Singles Recap

• Is what it is: not to undersell the achievement, but of course… Anna Leigh won. “Weird.”

• Parris beats Kate Fahey and Lacy Schneemann in 3 to move out of pool play, and beat Kaitlyn Christian in semis to take on Anna Leigh in the gold medal match.

• Tyler notes that Kate is playing with a closer margin to Anna Leigh every time they play; maybe in another 3-6 months, Kate has a chance to beat Anna Leigh.

• Lacy went 0-3, but notably took Parris to 3 games. She was a late fill-in for Brooke Buckner, who pulled out at the last minute.

• Catherine did not make it out of pool play, after losing to both Kaitlyn and Mary Brascia in 3 games each.

Women’s Doubles Recap

• Anna Leigh and Catherine lost to Jorja and Lacy in 3 games (round 2), but came out of pool play 2-1.

• The ATP pool was tight; 3 of the 4 teams went 2-1, with the point differential making all the difference. Meghan Dizon and Mary Brascia came in last place (0-3) but took a game off Tina Pisnik and Parris Todd, which was the difference maker that knocked Tina and Parris out of the pool.

• Jimmy underscored this point: being Finals, and every team is top 8 in the PPA, every matchup feels like a semi. Everyone is good. Therefore, it’s hard to be surprised at any outcome. Jorja & Lacy played well together; Jessie & Mari made it out of pool play, which was a surprise to some.

• Anna & Rachel dominated over all the other teams (11-4, 11-5 over Jorja & Lacy; 11-0, 11-8 over Lucy & Callie; 11-0, 11-3 over Tyra & Allyce).

• Gold medal match: Anna & Rachel came out of the gate and “smacked” Anna Leigh & Catherine 11-6, but AL & Catherine came back to win the next 3, and the gold medal. (The guys point out the ridiculousness of people saying AL & Catherine are done, after just one game’s loss… overlooking their entire body of work. Needless to say - they’re not done).

• Joola paddles: EVERYONE is saying they’re hot, illegal, players feel they’re at a disadvantage, etc. Jimmy suggests those playing with one (:cough: Anna :cough:) should “keep their mouth shut” when it comes to challenging another player’s paddle. BUT… Anna questioned Catherine’s paddle (Selkirk’s new power paddle, the “Boomstick”) once they started to lose. Not a good look. (Jimmy burns the last bridge to peace here).

Mixed Doubles Recap

• Ben & Anna Leigh win, no surprise. They’re 81-1 this year.

• No other team is going to consistently beat them; some of the top teams could take a game or two off, but the gap is still very wide.

Q&A

• Is James Ignatowich overrated? Jimmy: yes. The last half of the year was bad for James. He’s still talented, but just has some things he has to figure out in his game.

• Can we stop associating Jorja as just “JW’s sister”? Jimmy: Yes, she has earned her credit in her own right. Also - note the spelling is JorJa (commonly misspelled as JorGa or Georgia). This bothers Anna Bright, so quit it.

• In semi-finals and finals, why do teams not have more challenges, and will it change in the future? Jimmy: I agree [there should be more challenges]. Tyler: They don’t need more challenges, they just need automated line calls. Jimmy: I agree as well, but in the interim if you challenge and win, you shouldn’t lose one of your challenges (if you don’t have timeouts left).

• Who is Anna Bright playing mixed with next year? Jimmy: A couple with Hayden, a few with Gabe. She’s kind of a free agent.

• Who is Zoey Wang playing women’s doubles and mixed with next year? Jimmy: Zoey is a hot commodity right now; a lot of people are wanting to play with her.

• Other interesting partnerships: Dylan is looking to play more on the left, so he will be trying out new partnerships away from JW, perhaps with a lefty like Pablo or Augie. Kawamotos will be playing together in women’s to start the year. Tyra has events queued up with Allyce, Jorja, and Parris.

• Will Leigh Waters return to play PPA? Would she play with Anna Leigh? If no, who’s her partner? Jimmy: If we were going to see Leigh back, it would’ve been this year. I don’t think we’re going to see Leigh back full time. [Editor’s note: as we reported, Leigh IS signed up to play Daytona Beach with Anna Leigh, which was announced after the pod’s recording]

• If you were Ben, who would drop Collin for next year? Jimmy: I’d look for a lefty, like Augie or Tyler Loong. If not, I’d go for Hayden or Gabe, even Dylan (someone who can play the right). Tyler: I think Gabe and Christian can do well. Taking into account playing styles and chemistry is really important. No one’s mentioning Matt Wright, but he is a really good option (he can make a lot of balls and attack when needed). Jimmy: Ben and Collin aren’t breaking up. 

• What are the major skill differences between Top 10 and Top 30 pros? Tyler: the biggest difference is level consistency. A Top 30 will get hot for a bit, but their lows will be really low.