Ben Johns
 | A major contributor to this article appears to have a close connection with its subject. (July 2023) |
 Ben Johns, alongside his brother, Collin Johns, after winning the Men's Doubles title at the PPA Carvana Arizona Grand Slam Presented by Hyundai in February 2023 | |
| Country (sports) | United States |
|---|---|
| Residence | Austin, Texas, U.S. |
| Born | March 18, 1999, Gaithersburg, Maryland |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) |
| Turned pro | 2016 |
| Plays | Right-handed (one-handed backhand) |
| College | University of Maryland |
Benjamin Ellingham Johns (born March 18, 1999) is an American professional pickleball player. He is ranked No. 1 in the world for mixed doubles, No. 2 for Singles, and No. 3 in the world for Men's Doubles by the Pro Pickleball Association. (PPA)[1]
Personal life
[edit]Johns was raised in Laytonsville, Maryland.[2] He was homeschooled as a child and graduated from the University of Maryland with a Materials Science and Engineering degree. His elder brother Collin is also a highly-ranked professional pickleball player and Johns’ set doubles partner.
Pickleball career
[edit]Johns played tennis and table tennis as a child, showing some proficiency in both sports and helping his older brother Collin train for the pro tennis circuit. He first played pickleball in 2016 at the age of 17 while vacationing in Florida and took fifth place in Men’s Pro Singles at the U.S. Open Pickleball Championships just a few months later. He began to play in tournaments consistently and earned his first gold medal at the Riverbend RV Resort Pickleball Tournament a little less than a year later. That same year, he returned to the U.S Open and took gold in Men’s Pro Singles. Shortly thereafter, he won three gold medals at the Canadian Nationals, bringing him to the forefront of the sport.[2]
In 2019, he became the first male professional player to win a triple crown (gold medal in all three events) at one of the world’s three major pickleball events when he captured it at the Tournament of Champions in Brigham City, Utah.[2] He followed up this achievement by winning the triple crown at the U.S. Open in both 2021 and 2022. Ben has accumulated over 80 titles on the PPA Tour, 15 of which were triple crowns.[3] Two of his statistics that most exemplify his dominance are his undefeated runs in men’s singles and mixed doubles. In 2019, Johns went on a 108-match winning streak in singles and went undefeated in mixed doubles for 22 consecutive tournaments.[3]
On October 8, 2021, Johns appeared on Live with Kelly And Ryan alongside his brother Collin, in a match set up outside of the show's New York City studio.[4]
Sponsorships and Collaborations
[edit]In 2019, he signed a sponsorship deal with Franklin Sports which lasted for 3 years.[5]
On April 1, 2022, he signed a new partnership collaboration with JOOLA Pickleball, a global sporting goods company based in Rockville, MD, near where he grew up. He collaborated with JOOLA to design and produce the JOOLA Ben Johns Hyperion CFS 16 pickleball paddle.[6]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Player Rankings".
- ^ a b c Robbins, Scott (2019-10-16). "Ben Johns - 2019 Player Biography". USA Pickleball. Retrieved 2021-05-12.
- ^ a b "Ben Johns | #1 Male Pickleball Player | PPA Tour". Professional Pickleball Association. Retrieved 2023-04-07.
- ^ "October 8, 2021". LIVE with Kelly and Ryan. 2021-10-08. Retrieved 2021-10-08.
- ^ USA, JOOLA (April 2022). "Rockville's JOOLA Signs Top Ranked Player to Launch Pickleball Line".
- ^ "Ben Johns Pickleball Sponsorship". We Pickler. 2022-05-23. Retrieved 2022-06-03.
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