Sometimes it’s hard to tell what JW Johnson is thinking. He has the poker face of a Vegas card player picking up that ace on the river while looking like…
Sometimes it’s hard to tell what JW Johnson is thinking.
He has the poker face of a Vegas card player picking up that ace on the river while looking like he’s standing in line at the DMV. Happy or sad? It’s a toss-up most of the time.
His sister Jorja?
Not so much. While JW did manage a big smile after championship point on Saturday at the OGIO Newport Beach Doubles Shootout, Jorja was pure joy as she jumped up and down and gave her big brother one of those “I-haven’t-seen-you-in-forever” kind of embraces.
The Johnsons won their first PPA Tour event together, sweeping Tyson McGuffin and Lacy Scheemann, 11-9. 11-7 in front of a national audience on CBS.
“There are not a lot of sports where I could play with my brother,” said Jorja. “Pickleball is special like that.”
Special for the 16 year-old Jorja and the 20 year-old J.W., who came into Newport as the No. 7 seed and the youngest combined age in professional pickleball partnerships. McGuffin and Schneemann were the No. 12 seed. None of the top-five ranked players in mixed doubles were on the court for Saturday’s final.
“Amazing,” J.W. said. “And a bonus that I was able to do that with my sister.”
Friday, the Johnsons beat the No. 2-seed in the quarterfinals, Matt Wright and Lucy Kovalova, and then topped the third-seeded Riley Newman and Allyce Jones in the semifinals. The Johnsons never looked like they were in any serious trouble on Saturday in the final, where McGuffin and Schneemann played well but struggled to catch any consistent fire.
Both Johnsons are back in action Saturday with J.W. playing men’s doubles with Dylan Frazier and Jorja playing alongside Hurricane “Tyra” Black.
