The Greatest Mixed Match of ALL Time?!?!

The PPA Masters is always an iconic event, and this was my fourth year playing it (fun fact - I’ve only ever played women’s at the Masters with Anna Leigh or Rachel Rohrabacher!). It’s a great start to the year - the all whites and the iconic venue really do make it something to look forward to. But, I can’t lie, looking around on Monday before play started I did have a sense of “man… am I really here again?” 😂 Maybe I am getting old!

My trip to the Masters started off great, but I quickly got sick, and honestly, it was pretty bad for about 48 hours. On Tuesday, before my first mixed match, I literally took a nap on the pro warmup court, and despite being in direct sunlight I was shivering. I took a LOT of drugs before Hayden and I played Elsie and Andrew in the Round of 64😂😂 (I took way more than is recommended, but man I was feeling good there for a few hours😂 . If you want a BTS look at my week, watch my vlog!!! ⬇️⬇️⬇️

In all honesty, feeling under the weather didn’t impact me much outside of a couple of matches where the shortness of breath and/or feeling drained impacted me some, but I’m really proud of my fight this week. It seems there’s just something about this time of year out in CA - something is always going around.

This week I was a game 3 demon, going 4/4 against very good teams in the quarters and semifinals. The only decider I lost was against Ben and Anna Leigh in the final. Of course, you can only flirt with disaster so many times and continue to come away unscathed, but truly - why is it that the best teams win those deciding games so often? Across all sports. It’s just so fascinating and I’d love to hear your guys’ thoughts.

Is it grit? A refusal to lose? Blind, borderline fanatical self-belief? Or is it moreso something psychological for the “underdog” team? It’s not like I can’t will myself to wins - I do it a lot, but something about game 5s seems to be eluding me in the last year. I think I’ve lost my last 4😂 (laughing so I don’t cry😂😂😂)

But besides my game 5 woes, I’m really proud of the general level of clutchness I brought this week. Again, need to flirt with disaster a bit less in the future, but there’s still something to be said for clawing yourself out of tough situations.

Despite losing in a really hard-fought final, I was really really happy with the match, and actually couldn’t stop smiling after it😂. I think I was so exhausted I was legitimately slaphappy. But really, what is there to be upset about? We had chances, but it’s not like we won’t play them again or there isn’t another tournament that literally starts tomorrow (MLP is tougher to swallow because… well). I generally take losses very well, unless I feel like I choked. And in this match, I didn’t.

Hayden and I gave it our all, put ourselves in an amazing position to win, and continue to prove that our good results against Ben and Anna Leigh are anything but a fluke. Of course, WE NEED TO CLOSE, but the fact we continue to push them through varying levels and strategies by all 4 players on the court only shows we are here to stay and a legitimate threat to them. There’s hope! 😂

So, to answer the aforementioned question, yes, we absolutely can climb the mountain. This matchup will continue to evolve and be a chess match across not only games within a singular match, but across weeks, months, and the entire year, all while AL and I become closer and closer both as partners and people. Women’s strategy? Yessss girl let’s talk about it👯 Oh you wanna talk about mixed? Ummmm…🙅🏽‍♀️❌😂

I’ve worked a lot on adding mixed offense to my game over the break and I think I showed some of that in the final, and against Noe/Tina as well. I actually felt like I generally outdinked Anna Leigh this match, but her unreal offensive capacity gives her a pressure release that I just don’t have right now. It’s an exciting challenge and you know I will be up grinding with Juan Benitez and my dad at 7AM when I’m home to continue to develop my arsenal against the goats and the rest of the rapidly improving field. It’s downright disgusting how much Ben is on my mind these days.

This section will be quick as there really isn’t much to say beyond the title. But he is so so so good and I felt compelled to share that. I don’t know Chris well, but from the few, brief interactions we’ve had, I really enjoy him. He makes the game look so easy and I love that he says with his chest that he is gunning for #1. I wonder how long it will be until someone comes along that definitively looks better than him week in and week out? I feel like it could be awhile. The things Chris is able to do at his height are just mind-boggling. And he makes all of it look so easy!

Jack Sock falling in the singles final with an apparent hamstring injury was a tough watch, and I hope he is alright. He came into this event firing on all cylinders and clearly wanted to win the final badly. A motivated, inspired Jack Sock is amazing for pickleball and we are all wishing him a speedy recovery.

PPA Minnesota gets going today and I don’t even play women’s doubles until the round of 16! This event was a bit traumatic for me a few years ago (monkey off the back / I’m Jimmy debacle😂😂😂) but I really do enjoy it. It’s more quaint, and the cold is honestly a fun challenge that adds color to it. But Lord I could not live here😂 The Minnesotans are FAR stronger than me.

Hayden and I are the 1 seed in mixed but definitely do not have an easy draw as we face Tyler Loong and Kiora Kunimoto in our first round. This event generally feels like a prime situation for upsets so I will be very much on my guard and looking to throttle anyone and everyone on the other side of the net from me.

Perhaps the biggest news of the Round of 64 today is Will Howells going down with an ankle injury. I know he has a history of ankle problems in the past and really hope it isn’t serious. What awful luck and a tough break not only for him, but also for Rachel and Noe. And also for his biggest fan, Jim Kloss (sorry, I couldn’t resist).

The surface this week is extra gritty so I do think it’s a bit more dangerous for anyone who slides. Thankfully I don’t, so I should be okay.

Another interesting thing to note is that if Gabe does well this week with Andrei, he will pass Ben in the rankings and become the #1 men’s doubles player in the world!!! I fear for what Falcolos is preparing in the event that happens, but I cannot WAIT to see whatever it will be. The new Gabe/Falcolos content has been so funny and I just need to see what they have in store should Gabe claim the #1 ranking. Him and Andrei definitely underformed in Daytona, so we will see if they can reclaim some of their 2024 magic this week.

That’s all for now folks, catch me in action this week on Pickleball TV!

XOXO, your internet bestie, Anna❤️