When they won Chicago Charities we titled our report, “Yes, they are the BEST”! Well, Johan Du Randt and Mark Parsons have done it again. They won their third tournament together in three attempts are are now 15-0 since they began playing together. This time the new title came at the Sound Shore Invitational where they defeated Juan Arraya and Lenart Jonason 6-2, 6-1 in a quick final.
Du Randt-Parsons seem to be clearly at least a level above everyone else. Their run to the championship started with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Dan Englander and Rob Janacek. In the round of 16s they beat Marco Grangeiro and Patricio Misitrano 6-4, 7-5 in a tight match. In Johan’s own words, “they played very smart and kept the match close.”
After what could have been the upset of the year, Johan and Mark regrouped and faced Mark’s old partner Brian O’Connor and the always dangerous Michael Cochrane. They didn’t give them any chances and a quick 6-3, 6-1 deposited the #1 seeds into the semis. Now to wait the winner between Bancila-Berka vs Estes-Stulac.
In the semis, Estes-Stulac played a great match but sometimes that is not enough. In the end, the Chicago Charities champs won 7-6, 6-4 and were ready for another battle versus Arraya-Jonason. The final did not live up to its expectations. Parsons played his best match of the tournament and took advantage of some lack of concentration and sloppy play. This time Johan was not the best player. Must be nice to have Du Randt and/or Parsons as a partner…
To check all results and draws click HERE. Please note that due to lights malfunction the Quarters Reprieve Draw was not played.
Click HERE to check out Paddlepro.com pictures from the Tournament.
