Down 10-4 in a semifinal match, Ryan Scheffler and Justin O’Neil risked digging themselves a big hole in the provincial qualifier.
But point by point, the Halton Hills Pickleball Association members fought back, eventually emerging with a 15-11 victory. After winning the set, the duo would go on to win the match.
It was their seventh straight victory at the qualifier, despite playing in a combined division (3.5 / 4.0) that included a higher category. Though they lost the final against a team from the higher category, the local duo will advance to the provincial championships – the first to represent the local association since it was formed in 2020.
Scheffler also earned a bronze medal in singles play at the qualifier to secure a spot at the provincial tournament at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
The pair were happy they were able to compete against the teams in the higher division. They even beat the team that topped them in the final earlier in the tournament and pushed their match in the final to three sets.
“We have been wondering if we were ready to move up a division (from 3.5 to 4.0), so this showed us, maybe we are ready,” O’Neill said.
Scheffler will compete in singles Thursday (Aug. 8) and Scheffler and O’Neil will compete in doubles Friday (Aug. 9).
Both had previously played racquet sports – badminton and tennis for Scheffler, badminton and ping pong for O’Neil – and pickleball offered a way to get back involved.
They started playing together last November and entered a couple of tournaments where they had success.
“From the start there was good communication, even without talking too much,” O’Neil said. “We know what shots to hit or leave for each other and as we’ve played together, we’ve figured out who is best at what shots.”
“There’s an instinct between the two of us,” Scheffler said. “We seem to know when to speed things up, when to slow them down.”
Scheffler said there are some familiar names in the draw at provincials and he hopes he and O’Neil can continue their strong play.
“I hope we can medal,” he said. “You always want to win, but the goal is to medal.”