Ben Johns made history by winning his 100th gold medal in the Carvana PPA tour last September. Undoubtedly the world’s No. 1 pickleball player, the 24-year-old American professional pickleball player captured the 2023 PPA Tour Men’s Doubles title at the Baird Wealth Management Cincinnati Open, along with his older brother, Collin. Shortly after, he also won the Mixed Doubles Championship alongside Anna Leigh Waters.
In the best-of-five finals of the said event, the Johns brothers faced the formidable pair of Dylan Frazier and JW Johnson, winning in the Gold Medal match - 11-6, 11-6, 8-11, 11-8. Every moment was filled with excellent playing strategies and creative shots that thrilled the spectators. Needless to say, the entire match had exhilarating rallies and showed the brilliance of the opposing teams. In short, it was really worth watching.
Nonetheless, this unprecedented milestone in pickleball history did not come easy for Ben and Collin Johns. They ended the first game in the quarterfinals with a loss (15-13) against one the best pickleball duos in the world - Pablo Tellez and Federico Staksrud. Fortunately, the brother tandem came back stronger in the second game - 11-4. Clearly, the Johns brothers were not at their best at that time but still won the third game, 12- 10.
But apparently, Ben and Collin Johns did better in the semifinals when they beat Thomas Wilson and his new partner, Riley Newman. The first game was again a painful loss (11-7) for them, but the Johns duo took advantage of their solid experience in the second and third games, enjoying the winning scores, 12-10 and 11-0, respectively. The first-time duo did not score in the last game, as their options became very limited.
“Going into it, I didn’t think about it too much, but now that it’s here, it’s pretty special. Super grateful for my family being here. It couldn’t be more amazing than having family behind you while you’re accomplishing what you want to accomplish, so special thanks to them. I love you all, and thank you very much.” Ben Johns said after the championship match. He is also the first professional pickleball player to win 100 titles in the PPA Tour.
Overall, Ben and Collin Johns had won 24 gold medals together after the match. So far, they continue to be one of the winningest men’s doubles teams in the history of the PPA Tour. Their impressive win against the Frazier/Johnson tandem is more than just phenomenal. These two teams have also become among the most exciting rivalries since the PPA Tour hosted its first-ever tournament in 2019.
But as expected, the triumph of Ben Johns did not end there. He may not have brought home the Triple Crown (he did not join this time), but he eventually won his 101st title in the 2023 PPA Tour Cincinnati Open. The young Johns and 16-year-old Anna Leigh Waters took home the gold after beating Thomas Wilson and Vivienne David in the 2023 Cincinnati Open Mixed Doubles Championship the following day, September 11.
The unstoppable Johns/Waters duo beat the tandem of Thomas Wilson and Vivienne David, finishing off the best-of-five championship match with flying colors, 3-0. The final scores were 12-10, 11-4, and 11-0. The winning tandem had some upsets in the earlier singles events, but their superb combination of skills and talent dominated the entire match. With that, pickleball fans are looking forward to seeing them together again in 2024.
In case you missed the Johns brothers vs Frazier/Johnson tandem in the 2023 PPA Tour Men’s Doubles in Cincinnati, you can watch it below.
