Emilien Burnel is one of the surprise contenders at the Chicago Cup with two straight wins to get to the Round of 16. The French player is ranked No. 55 and won against third seed Hunter Johnson and Mota Alhouni. His performances have made the tournament even more surreal for many players that have been already in the tournament.
Burnel’s progress has been especially notable because of the quality of his opening-round opponent. Johnson came into the competition after winning the PPA National Championships and the Las Vegas Open men’s singles title and would be one of the players who could challenge for a long run. Burnel held his nerve in a tight opening match and then showed much more comfort in the next round.
The win has put the Frenchman in a good place going into the later stages of the Chicago Cup. With another win on the way to the quarter-finals, Burnel will be able to further build on his lead and become one of the event’s unexpected foes.
Emilien Burnel Produces Major Upset Against Hunter Johnson
Burnel’s momentum grew with a hard-fought 13-11, 5-11, 11-9 victory over third seed Johnson. The three-game series was nerve-racking for both players and Johnson had to respond after losing the opening game to level the match. Burnel, however, won in the final game to complete the upset.
Johnson’s success on the professional circuit was significant. His wins at the PPA National Championships and the Las Vegas Open men’s singles event had raised expectations about his performance in Chicago. Burnel’s victory showed that the Frenchman could compete with the higher seeded opposition.
Instead of allowing the opening victory to become an isolated achievement, Burnel followed it up with another performance, defeating Mota Alhouni 11-3, 11-1 and only losing 4 points in the two games. The impressive scoreline showed the difference between his tight opening match and his dominant second-round performance.
Burnel's next challenge is JW Johnson, who won in three games against Alexander Crum. The next match will be another test of Burnel's form, where he will be guaranteed to make it to the quarter-finals of the tournament.
Ben Johns And Jack Sock Suffer Men's Doubles Exit
Burnel continued his singles run but the men’s doubles competition provided another big talking point. Ben Johns and Jack Sock were eliminated after losing to Anouar Braham and Bruno Faletto.
The defeat was in recognition of the fact that the tournament also featured some of the best players from the pickleball game. Johns has been one of the most popular players in the sport and Sock's career in professional tennis has given him more attention in pickleball.
Their elimination opens up the men's doubles draw for the remaining teams, who hope to take the opportunity of a high-profile pairing. Braham and Faletto also got a big result by gaining at Johns and Sock’s expense.
Dylan Frazier also suffered disappointment in men's doubles, losing to Mohaned Alhouni 11-6, 11-1. Johns withdrew from his match against Roscoe Bellamy according to the tournament results.
Top Seeds Continue Their Campaigns In Men's Singles
Although the upsets were on the rise, several of the top players were able to get through their matches. Top seed Christopher Haworth won 11-0, 11-3 against Connor Mogle, which allowed him to go onto the next stage, giving himself a comfortable passage to the next stage of the tournament.
Second seed Federico Staksrud also advanced, but his upcoming match could be more difficult. He will meet Luc Pham, who recently defeated Haworth in Las Vegas. That previous result adds more interest to Staksrud’s next match as Pham will try to carry his recent performance into the Chicago competition.
This is a case of a very random draw, and the surprise to everyone is that most of the winners are the most unlikely to have not made a tournament.
Burnel will have this task to keep the same path he has been on in his first two matches. He will have another chance to prove that his wins were not just an isolated upset.
Mixed Doubles Sees Klinger And Kunimoto Advance
The mixed doubles also showed impressive results. CJ Klinger and Kiora Kunimoto defeated 14th seeds Judit Castillo and Tyson McGuffin 11-2, 11-5 to win their place in the next round.
Their next opponents will be fourth seeds Rachel Rohrabacher and Andrei Daescu. This match will be a new challenge for Klinger and Kunimoto to continue their progress against a higher seed pair.
This is just one more game that has changed the story in a tournament in which there have been so many of those who are seeded teams with many teams with strong potential to beat it and many against teams that will be trying to go deep.
Anna Leigh Waters Leads The Women's Competition
The women's events have also largely followed expectations with Anna Leigh Waters still delivering performances in all three disciplines. In the women's singles, Waters beat Carlota Trevino 11-0, 11-2, so she had a big score to move forward.
Waters also teamed up with Anna Bright in the women's doubles where the pair won 11-0, 11-0 against Keilly Ulery and Isabella Nelson. The victory showed their supremacy in the match and strengthened their position as the competition went on.
However, the women's draw has not been entirely devoid of surprises. Maria Ford recovered from losing the opening game to defeat former professional tennis player Genie Bouchard in three matches. Allyce Jones also made a great result beating sixth seed Chao Yi Wang.
These results demonstrate that although the women's competitions are progressing, even if in the hands of the strongest contenders, the women have the most chance of producing unexpected results.
Chicago Cup Moves Towards The Decisive Rounds
As the Chicago Cup goes into the later stages, Burnel’s performance is still one of the top stories. His victory against Johnson and dominant performance against Mota Alhouni have turned his campaign into a real chance for a place in the quarter-finals.
At the same time, Johns and Sock were out of men's doubles and the seeded players had mixed fortunes. With Staksrud on the court against Pham, Waters in different disciplines and Burnel preparing for JW Johnson, there are a lot of important matches coming up in the future.
Burnel will now look to extend his giant-killing run, while the remaining contenders must turn their progress into a place in the final rounds. His next match could determine whether the Frenchman’s Chicago Cup campaign becomes an even bigger breakthrough.
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