As the locally-sponsored Sixpoint brew flowed freely at the Heights Casino in Brooklyn, New York, so did the game play of joint world No. 1’s Damien Mudge & Ben Gould as they won their third title of 2014 and the final $40,000 Platinum tournament of the season—The David C. Johnson Jr. Memorial—without dropping a game.
Mudge & Gould’s tore through the sixteen-team main draw first with two routine, three-game victories over Baset Chaudhry & Shaun Johnstone in the round of sixteen, then against the first-time partnership of Greg McArthur & Preston Quick.
The Australian World Doubles champions found a vocal crowd against them in the semifinals versus local qualifiers Michael Ferreira & Whitten Morris. Ferreira—currently housed by a Heights Casino member after returning stateside from living in Hong Kong—& Morris—a club member—won two qualifying matches to reach the main draw including a five-game qualifying final win over Phil Barker & Bernardo Samper.
World No. 17 and 18 Chris Walker & Fred Reid were Ferreira & Morris’ next victims in the round of sixteen as the local heroes pulled out a 14-15, 15-13, 15-8, 15-3 triumph. The underdogs’ run then climaxed as they eliminated three seeds and world No. 10 and 12 Imran Khan & Mark Chaloner 15-14, 15-10, 15-12 in the quarterfinals. The packed gallery duly acknowledged Ferreira & Morris’ remarkable tournament with a standing ovation as the top seeds dispatched the fan-favorites 15-8, 15-12, 15-4 in the semifinals.
For the second consecutive Platinum tournament, Ferreira reached the semifinals as a qualifier in addition to eliminating the two seeds on the way to a semifinal berth in the North American Open with partner Chaudhry.