Federico Staksrud and Hayden Patriquin kicked off Championship Sunday at Pickleball Virginia Beach with a stunning victory, defeating top seeds Ben and Collin Johns 11-9, 6-11, 3-11, 11-8, 11-2.
The No. 3 seeds faced an uphill battle, trailing 3-9 in the fourth game, but mounted an incredible 16-point run that dramatically shifted the momentum of the match. A pivotal moment came when the Johns brothers took a timeout while still leading 9-7.
Their lack of an explicit signal for the timeout resulted in a Delay of Game fault, which was their second of the match, leading to a point penalty that brought their score down to 8-7.
From that point, everything unraveled for the Johns. Staksrud and Patriquin seized the opportunity, winning the fourth game 11-8 and quickly jumping to an 8-0 lead in the final game. They closed out the match shortly after, securing their second title together and remaining undefeated as a duo.
Patriquin’s aggressive play from the right side was a key tactical element in the match. He frequently pinched the middle while Staksrud and Ben Johns exchanged dinks crosscourt, adding pressure to Johns’ shots.
He attributes much of his success to his friend and St. Louis Shock teammate, Gabe Tardio, who has ushered in a new era of right-side play in pickleball.
“It’s all Gabe Tardio,” he said. “He changed the right side for the better, and I’m just trying to emulate him.”
Sunday’s match was the first encounter between these two teams, and Staksrud anticipates more tightly contested battles ahead.
“Any time you have Ben on the court, you know you’re gonna have high-level pickleball,” he explained. “I think this is the beginning of a new rivalry, and it’s gonna be fun.”
No. 2 seeds JW Johnson and Dylan Frazier defeated No. 9 seeds Riley Newman and Rafa Hewett 11-3, 11-6 to claim the bronze medal.
