Winning back-to-back titles on the PPA Tour is a rarity. Only five players had achieved the feat until now. On Sunday, the elite league welcomed a new entrant.
17-year-old John Lucian Goins reigned supreme at the Walgreens Open as he clinched his second successive PPA Tour title. Goins defeated second seed Hunter Johnson in straight games (11-4, 11-9) to capture his second title in a row.
Three weeks ago, at the Bristol Open, Goins prevailed over Gabriel Joseph in a hard-fought three-game contest 13-11, 9-11, 11-2, winning his maiden title.
With this win, Goins joined Ben Johns, Zane Navratil, Federico Staksrud, Johnson, and Christian Alshon as the only players to win back-to-back men’s singles titles on the PPA Tour.
Despite Johnson overtaking Federico Staksrud for the top spot in the PPA men’s singles rankings earlier this week, Goins was unfazed by the stature of his opponent. Even though he started on the back foot, trailing 0-3 in the first game, Goins held his nerve and fought his way through to claim the lead. Johnson fought back in the second game, but it was too little, too late as Goins closed out the contest once he regained the serve.
‘Trying to not get a big ego’
Reflecting on his victory in the final, Goins said, “[Johnson] was putting a lot of pressure on me. His shots were all really deep, so I just had to dig deep, get low, and hit the ball deep myself.”
“I knew I couldn’t let him get to the net because at the end there he started covering the volleys really well, so I was just trying to focus on getting one side out. I’m just so glad that I was able to convert in the end,” he added.
Despite his recent rise, Goins remains grounded and is not letting success get into his head. “I’m just trying to not let it get to my head and not to get a big ego,” he said. “I just have to go back to practicing because you can always improve. Everyone’s improving, and nothing is set in stone.”
In the bronze medal match, No. 3 seed Jaume Martinez Vich dismantled No. 7 seed Jack Sock 11-1, 11-0 in under fifteen minutes.