Ben Johns’ ‘Warning Shot’ on Quang Duong Proves Pickleball Tournaments Are Getting More Intense
Asia’s pickleball sensation Quang Duong had quite an eventful time at the Zimmer Biomet Masters even without bagging a single medal or podium finish. Days after his paddle-switching hullabaloo, the Vietnamese wunderkind has again courted controversy after the Men’s Doubles Quarterfinals match he and partner Matt Wright lost.
Duong and Wright lost to the top-seeded pair of Ben Johns and Collin Johns in their highly anticipated Men’s Doubles Quarterfinals match at the Zimmer Biomet Masters. The match itself proved unremarkable in that the Johns brothers cruised to a straight-sets victory—11-0, 11-3. But Ben made things interesting—and spicy—when he nearly hit Duong’s head with a powerful shot in the second game.
The incident occurred with the Johns brothers comfortably ahead and cruising to victory. After a series of exchanges, Ben appeared to target Duong’s head with a powerful hit. The Vietnamese avoided the hit by ducking just in time, then turned to indicate the ball was out. Ben also gave Duong a glaring stare afterwards as he walked back to position.
After the match, Ben described the shot as a “warning shot”—a response to Duong’s aggressive style of play. The Vietnamese, of course, is well known for including “body bagging” in his arsenal, where he purposely targets the body of his opponents with fast, low drives.
Watch the shot:
Duong’s stint at the Zimmet Biomet Masters, while eventful, didn’t produce medals. The Johns brothers, on the other hand, went on to win the men’s doubles final, beating Hayden Patriquin and Federico Staksrud, 11-5, 12-10, 11-3, to come out on top in their final pairing as a duo.
Ben’s admission afterward that the shot was intentional speaks to the growing intensity and competitiveness of the sport—particularly at the highest levels. But, at its core, incidents like this and that of a player kicking another player last year are an antithesis of what pickleball has become: an endearing, nurturing community of picklers who play for fun and the spirit of competition and fair play.
