Ryan Fu Match Point on Ben Johns 🚨 

In the PPA Texas Open, Ben Johns and Gabe Tardio defeated Ryan Fu and Zane Navratil 11-5, 4-11, 12-10 in the round of 16 before going on the win the tournament. Below, Ryan will discuss the successful strategies he used in the match.

Tournament Tips:

1. Drive Your Thirds - It was extremely windy in Texas. This means that dropping the ball consistently was almost impossible. In order to make more balls, driving through the wind is a much easier option. This makes it easier to hit drops on the fifth shot. Another reason to drive your thirds is so that you play looser. If you are ever feeling pressure from your opponents; I think it is easier to play aggressive and hit through the ball than trying to place a drop perfectly.

2. Have Positive Energy - In this match we were down 11-5, 4-2. We could have easily lost 5 and 4 in about fifteen minutes and been off of the court. One thing to always remember is that pickleball is a game of runs. You can be losing the entire match and then play well for 3 minutes and be right back in it. Keeping a positive attitude throughout will help with this. Better players may drop their level if they are up big. There will always be an opportunity in the match to steal a game.

3. Drop To The Middle - Dropping to the middle of the court is way safer than dropping to the sidelines. The net is lower in the middle and it also could cause some confusion between your opponents. You should never be missing a drop wide.

Max Freeman 4th Place at PPA Cape Coral 🔥

The Mental Side of a Singles Run

My main takeaway from my semifinal run in Cape Coral is that I’ve closed the level gap enough to have a chance against most of these players. Am I one of the best singles players in the world? No, but I’m good enough to win 22 points against them. I kind of approached the day with a curious mindset - I think I’m good enough to beat Connor Garnett, let’s just see what happens. I saved a match point and won? That one went my way I guess, doesn’t have to be that meaningful. Sock next? I’m just gonna hit it to his backhand every time and see if he can beat me. Don’t get me wrong, I’m definitely nervous out there, I know exactly how much money I’m playing for, who’s paying attention, etc. But the truth is if I keep working hard, I’m going to have regular chances at good results.

Maybe I’m the beneficiary of being a new player, so my own expectations aren’t even that high, but I am not a new competitor. I’ve been playing competitive sports for 20 years, another loss will not phase me. I didn’t wake up saying “this is my day, I’m coming for it all” or anything like that. This sport is random, the matches are short, there’s wind, bad bounces. I’m literally aiming 2 feet from the baseline on a return, of course I’m gonna knock a few long! I played Sock the next week in Texas - he hit like 8 serves on the baseline, and I didn’t play my best, lost 2 & 9. When we play again, no one knows what will happen. That’s why we play! Embrace the chaos and focus on playing high quality pickleball. The highs and lows are inevitable anyway.

So where do I go from here? Nowhere! Back to the drawing board, my game must keep evolving to continue to be successful. My next run could be next week in Red Rock, or it might take a few more tries - a lot of it isn’t even in my control. Not worth stressing over, stressing over my high backhand volley in practice is way more important. Next point!

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