Anna Leigh Waters won a thrilling match, Ben Johns caused a shock when he fell early.

(Dan Tri) - The round of 16 of the PPA Rate Vegas Cup in the US on October 23rd made the audience hold their breath. Among them, former world number 1 tennis player, Ben Johns, was eliminated.

In the women's singles, Anna Leigh Waters fought hard to win the first set 13-11 against Lara Giltinan, after successfully saving a set point. In the second set, Anna Leigh completed the victory with a score of 11-3.

Anna Leigh asserted her position in the women's singles (Photo: PPA).

After the match, Anna Leigh admitted: “I have never played against her before, nor have I watched any of her matches. Maybe I was too subjective. I should have considered my opponent carefully before the match. She moved very well, had great shots and played extremely well in the first set.”

Meanwhile, Ben Johns entered the tournament after a long absence in the men's singles. He started explosively, beating Gabe Joseph 11-2 in the first set. However, Gabe Joseph then won the remaining two sets 11-2 and 11-5 to win against the former world number 1, creating a big shock.

In this tournament, Ben Johns introduced a completely different style of singles. Instead of rushing forward early, he chose to hit hard from the back of the court, waiting for a favorable opportunity to attack.

Ben Johns was eliminated early at the PPA tournament in Las Vegas (Photo: PPA).

Commentator Parris Todd commented: “I saw Ben Johns hit more passing shots than ever before. He even stayed at the back of the court on some of the rallies. I’ve never seen that from Ben before so I wonder if it’s because of the Life Time ball.”

Todd hinted that the Life Time ball bounces higher and is “more forgiving” than previous balls, making the ball more airborne, making baseline and passing shots more effective.

According to some experts, this ball is considered to be the “end” of the traditional cat and mouse game in singles. It is very possible that the appearance of the Life Time ball will create a new tactical trend in pickleball.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/anna-leigh-waters-thang-nghet-tho-ben-johns-gay-soc-khi-guc-nga-tu-som-20251024121109822.htm