This week, we're following up on our gender doubles Top 10 Rankings with a look at the mixed doubles landscape.
Full disclosure: mixed doubles is the hardest event to declare a hierarchy because partnerships change so often. For example, Christian Alshon is easily a top 10 mixed doubles player, but he didn’t make our Top 20 list because he has played four events in 2024 with four different partners.
This is a subjective view of the field. I am taking into account a variety of factors, including stats, recent form and the competitive landscape. Here are some factors used to determine the rankings:
- Recent finishes
- PPA Points - both total points (52 weeks) and the race points (just points in 2024)
- PPA seedings
- Head-to-head competitions
Without further adieu, The Dink's top 20 mixed doubles Power Rankings ...
20. Travis Rettenmaier/Lacy Schneemann - Travis and Lacy have all the potential in the world. Of the three events thus far in 2024, they lost twice in the Round of 32 and once more in the Round of 16. Their ceiling is much higher than their recent finishes. Hopefully they can start stacking up some wins together.
19. Jaume Martinez Vich/Jill Braverman - Very similar to Rettenmaier and Schneemann, this partnership has a lot of potential, but they got off to a slow start in 2024. Their best finish came at PPA Desert Ridge, where they beat Spencer Smith and Susannah Barr and then followed it up with another win over Callie Smith and Jay Devilliers.
18. Collin Johns/Brooke Buckner - Buckner has had a really hot start to 2024. This partnership got a 10th-place finish in Desert Ridge with a very good win over Rohrabacher and Staksrud. They also have two poor tournaments together.
17. Andrei Daescu/Lea Jansen - I'm not sure if this partnership will continue moving forward, but they already have two quarterfinal runs this year. If they partner up again, this team should look to make a deep run.
16. Daniel De La Rosa/Tammy Emmrich - This team has been together for a while now and they have been getting better results over time. In the last four tournaments together they have two 18th-place finishes and two 11th-place finishes. The ceiling here is not as high as some other teams, but they are consistent.
15. Hayden Patriquin/Maggie Brascia - Hayden and Maggie are a really fun team to watch. With Maggie still in college, she doesn't attend all of the tour events. While they don't have any huge runs making it to the semifinals, they are consistently finishing in the Round of 16 or the quarterfinals.
14. Jay Devilliers/Callie Smith - This team's potential is much higher than their results. They have two Round of 32 losses, a Round of 16 loss, but then bounced back in Minnesota this last weekend. They got a good win over Brooke Buckner and Collin Shick and then ran into the buzzsaw called Thomas Wilson and Vivienne David.
Erik Tice
13. Pablo Tellez/Etta Wright - In three events in 2024, Pablo and Etta lost in the Round of 16 every time. They have been a little unlucky with the draw. At PPA Desert Ridge, they took Ben and Anna Leigh to three games and lost 12-14 in the third. This team has the ability to beat anyone on any given day.
12. Dekel Bar/Tina Pisnik - Dekel and Tina have never finished worse than 16th. While they don't have any huge wins, they are consistent and even got a fourth place last weekend in Minnesota. With wins over DJ Young and Allison Phillips, Matt Wright and Lucy Kovalova, and Connor Garnett and Allyce Jones, Bar and Pisnik are now on everyone's radar.
11. Matt Wright/Lucy Kovalova - While Matt and Lucy aren't winning at the level they were a couple of years ago, they are still a force to be reckoned with. They consistently make the Round of 16. If Lucy is consistent and Matt's hands are fast, this team can hang with any team out there.
10. Julian Arnold/Lauren Stratman - This partnership has one of the highest ceilings and lowest floors. Julian is an extremely volatile player and sometimes that's great. Other times, not so much. A sixth-place finish at The Masters is their best recent finish.
Erik Tice
9. Connor Garnett/Allyce Jones - A new partnership in 2024, this duo hasn't had the results they want yet, but the potential is there. In Lakeville, Jones and Garnett got a good win over Julian Arnold and Lauren Stratman. This team has higher expectations, so hopefully they can bring some momentum from Minnesota to Austin.
8. Jack Sock/Catherine Parenteau - The potential for this team to be top 3 by the end of the year is very much there. If Jack can get a little more consistency at the kitchen line, I do think they will be battling against Anna Leigh and Ben on a regular basis.
7. Riley Newman/Jackie Kawamoto - With reports swirling that Riley may significantly cut back on playing PPA Tour events, this drops this team a little. While this is a very good team, they haven't made it out of the quarterfinals yet in 2024. Hopefully over the next week or two we learn more about Riley's plans on playing on the PPA Tour.
6. Federico Staksrud/Rachel Rohrabacher - Coming off a silver medal in Minnesota, this team looks like it is starting to figure it out. They were quarterfinalists at The Masters, but then got knocked out early in Desert Ridge. Rohrabacher brings a ton of power to the equation - if she can continue to clean up her midcourt game, I wouldn't be surprised to see this team win a few more medals this year.
5. Tyson McGuffin/Meghan Dizon - This new partnership for 2024 has a ton of potential. With McGuffin's foot issue forcing him to miss some time and the fact they haven't made it into the semifinals of any tournament this year is the reason they are fifth. Hopefully McGuffin can make a quick recovery and this team can start playing together again.
Erik Tice
4. JW Johnson/Jorja Johnson - The Johnsons have three silver medals on the PPA Tour in the last eight months and they got a bronze in the Mesa Arizona Cup. They are coming off the win at the APP Sacramento this past weekend. The Johnson siblings just don't play enough tournaments to be higher up on this list.
3. James Ignatowich/Anna Bright - These two have seven medals over the past nine months. Four silver medals came at the hands of losing to Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters. They are fighting with Thomas and Vivienne right now for the second-best mixed team in the world title. Thomas and Vivienne get the slight edge because of James' injury and the Minnesota win by David and Wilson.
2. Thomas Wilson/Vivienne David - I don't think there is a duo who has risen higher in 2024. They are playing great, constantly smiling, and they just won the USA Indoor Championships in Minnesota. As the year continues, this mixed doubles partnership will continue to push Ben and Anna Leigh.
1. Ben Johns/Anna Leigh Waters - Gold Medals. That's what this team does. I actually couldn't find the last time that these two lost a match. Since The Takeya Showcase in August, Ben and ALW have won 10 straight events. I don't see this team losing anytime soon.
