Men’s Singles
The confidence Aanik Lohani said he received from beating Ben Johns back in August was significant.
That was at the PPA’s Denver Open in the quarterfinals.
Can you imagine how good Lohani will feel if he beats the world’s No. 1 player?
Well, he’s got the chance. Lohani, thanks to a number of positive results – both wins and losses heading into Thursday – not only made his first semifinal PPA singles showing, the No. 23 seed, made his first final where he’ll take on Johns on Championship Sunday at the Las Vegas Open.
“I’ve been growing,” Lohani said. “Not just from there, not just as a player, but as a person in general. I’ve been getting stronger, physically and mentally, and trying to hone in on that piece of my game. The mental one is a big piece for me.”
Well, the pieces are coming together. What a run for Lohani. We might not have seen it coming, but he did, and the signs were all there. Check some of his results. Lohani had wins this summer and early fall against some of the game’s biggest players like Jay Devilliers, who has 36 medals as a PPA pro and Jaume Martinez Vich, who has a silver and a bronze as recently as this summer in singles.
“I think there was a little buildup, based off my results in Denver and getting to the quarterfinals against Ben,” he said. “I’ve tried to level up my game and hope that these appearances are more of what’s to come in the future.”
The present looks pretty solid, too. Thursday in Las Vegas, Lohani added some more victories against some of the tour’s biggest names, starting with 10th-seeded Julian Arnold in the first round. After that, Lohani beat Brandon Lane, Hayden Patriquin, and J.W. Johnson to earn a spot against the top-seeded Johns.
Not a bad run for one of the PPA’s newly signed players.
“I did feel the expectation, there’s more of it now,” Lohani said. “As a signed pro, I want to go out and live up to the hype. The extra pressure is good, because it’s motivation to say that I’m in the same caliber as the other signed pros. It’s a nice recognition but I want to prove myself more.”
In addition to signing with the PPA, Lohani also signed a new deal with Joola and said the paddle switch has been positive, too. Lots of things are working right for Lohani.
“I base my success, not off wins and losses, but how I play,” he said. “As long as I’ve given it my best, that’s a success.”
Women’s singles
The success continues for Anna Leigh Waters. She’s back in the final and will face second-seeded Catherine Parenteau on Championship Sunday in Las Vegas.
Waters and Parenteau will be playing for gold for the third consecutive tournament. Waters has won the past two. Meanwhile, Parenteau, who needed three games to get past Mary Brascia in the semifinals, is playing in her fourth-consecutive singles final. She beat Salome Devidze in the final of the Vulcan Tournament of Champions in August and has finished runner-up for the past two.
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