Stats Preview: Kansas City Open Championship Sunday

Career PPA titles coming into Sunday: Johns 96, Waters 74.

We have similar storylines in the men’s and women’s singles.

=== MEN’S SINGLES ===

The two winningest men’s singles players continue their rivalry. Ben Johns is the all-time men’s leader in Triple Crowns (17), and Tyson McGuffin “turned the triple” last week in Utah. In the last 12 months, they have met only twice in the finals: Johns won the Takeya Showcase and McGuffin won the Texas Open. Both of those events were last November. This year Johns has seven titles; McGuffin has three.

Bronze: (2) Federico Staksrud def. (12) Julian Arnold.

=== WOMEN’S SINGLES ===

The top two women’s singles players are in the final. Anna Leigh Waters has the most singles titles (28) and Triple Crowns (16). Catherine Parenteau is second on the wins list (9), and she earned her second career Triple Crown last week in Utah. Waters is 10-1 in the finals against Parenteau. Catherine’s sole win vs Waters in a final was in October 2021, but she also beat “A-L” in the semifinals of the Florida Open last March.

Bronze: (11) Jorja Johnson def. (5) Lauren Stratman. 

   Notable: Johnson def. (6) Yana Newell and (3) Mary Brascia.

=== MIXED DOUBLES ===

Five teams in the draw have won a title together this season. Only two of the top eight seeds made the quarterfinals, and those two teams are playing on Sunday.

(1) ​Anna Leigh Waters and Ben Johns had just one blip here, dropping a game to Hurricane Tyra Black and Christian Alshon. Waters/Johns have won ten titles this year, and 22 overall. Waters/Johns beat Irvine/Newman in the final at the Masters in January in three straight games.

(2) Jessie Irvine and Riley Newman are back on the podium after winning a bronze medal last week in Utah. This is Newman’s sixth Mixed Doubles final this year, playing with five different partners. (Irvine, L. Newman, Jones, Todd, and Bright (gold)).

Bronze: (13) Jade Kawamoto and Travis Rettenmaier def. (30) Milan Rane and Gabe Tardio. 

   Notable: Kawamoto/Rettenmaier def. (4) Bright/Ignatowich, and Rane/Tardio def. (3) Parenteau/McGuffin.

=== MEN’S DOUBLES ===

(1) Ben Johns and Matt Wright are looking for their first gold medal together since November 2021. They have won seven tournaments together, overlapping with Ben and Collin’s 23 titles. Wright’s 16 Men’s Doubles titles is third on the all-time list. Collin is out with an Achilles tendon injury.

(2) Dylan Frazier and JW Johnson have four titles this year, including two of the last three events. They stormed into the final by steamrolling James Ignatowich and Tyson McGuffin, last week’s gold medalists, 11-5, 11-0, in the semis.

Bronze: (6) Ignatowich/McGuffin def. (12) Alshon/Navratil.

   Notable:  Ignatowich/McGuffin def. (3) Arnold/Newman in the Quarterfinals

=== WOMEN’S DOUBLES ===

(1) Catherine Parenteau and Anna Leigh Waters lost only 14 points in six games in reaching the finals. They are undefeated this year, winning six events. CP and ALW have not played together since June 11, but they look as strong as ever.

(2) Anna Bright and Meghan Dizon are in their first final together. Bright has seven gold medals playing with Waters. This is Dizon’s fourth trip to Sunday play this year. She won the Red Rock Open in April with Etta Wright, to go along with two silvers.

Bronze: (6) Jackie Kawamoto/Irina Tereschenko vs (12) Jade Kawamoto/Andrea Koop.