Magnolia’s father-and-son team John and Johnny Ochsner returned from the U.S. Open Table Tennis Championships in Las Vegas as doubles champions, winning the Under-3200 Combined Rating Doubles event.
There were 914 competitors for the tournament, which ran from July 2 through 6. Unlike the U.S. Nationals, which is closed to only U.S. citizens, this year’s U.S. Open had competitors from 27 countries, ranging alphabetically from Bulgaria to Wales.
The Ochsners’ event had 62 teams competing, and they were ranked as the No. 6-overall seeded team. Taking 12 hours to compete — and also playing in singles’ events simultaneously — they played almost continuously throughout, including the final 4.5 hours without a break.
Their championship game featured an all-Northwest matchup, and the match went the distance, beating an experienced team from Portland, Ore. The Ochsner duo prevailed 4-11, 11-8, 12-14, 11-6 and 11-9.
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