Ben Johns/Gabriel Tardio, Christian Alshon/Andrei Daescu Deliver Sport-Defining Final in Las Vegas
Published: Oct 28, 2025
Arthur Jones
Writer
Each sport is marked by defining games or matches. Boxing has got “Thrilla in Manila,” for instance, or Arturo Gatti vs. Mickey Ward. The NBA has Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals. Tennis has the 2008 Wimbledon Final between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. We could go on and on.
Ben Johns/Gabriel Tardio, Christian Alshon/Andrei Daescu Give Pickleball a Defining Moment
If you’ve been paying attention to the sport, you’ll know that we’re alluding to the Ben Johns/Gabriel Tardio vs. Christian Alshon/Andrei Daescu Men’s Doubles Final at the Rate Vegas Cup over the weekend. Records will show that Johns and Tardio, possibly among the greatest ever pairings in pickleball history, won this battle, 12-10, 9-11, 11-7, 4-11, 12-10. But beyond who won and who lost, this Final will be in the pickleball pantheon of greatest games—if not the greatest ever.
How can it not be?
The scores don’t quite capture how epic this 2-hour, 28-minute match was. It had everything. It had drama. It had crazy momentum swings. It had emotional outbursts. It featured breathtaking shot-making, get-off-your-seat saves, and sensational rallies. It was everything a pickleball match should be and more. It was pickleball played at the highest of levels, and it just so happened that Ben Johns and Gabriel Tardio did enough to come out on top.
Phenomenal Pickleball From Both Sides
If you’ve been paying attention to the sport, you’ll know that we’re alluding to the Ben Johns/Gabriel Tardio vs. Christian Alshon/Andrei Daescu Men’s Doubles Final at the Rate Vegas Cup over the weekend. Records will show that Johns and Tardio, possibly among the greatest ever pairings in pickleball history, won this battle, 12-10, 9-11, 11-7, 4-11, 12-10. But beyond who won and who lost, this Final will be in the pickleball pantheon of greatest games—if not the greatest ever.
How can it not be?
The scores don’t quite capture how epic this 2-hour, 28-minute match was. It had everything. It had drama. It had crazy momentum swings. It had emotional outbursts. It featured breathtaking shot-making, get-off-your-seat saves, and sensational rallies. It was everything a pickleball match should be and more. It was pickleball played at the highest of levels, and it just so happened that Ben Johns and Gabriel Tardio did enough to come out on top.
Phenomenal Pickleball From Both Sides
Always humble, Johns gave Daescu and Alshon (yes, he’s the same all-conquering pro who charmed and conquered Malaysia and Vietnam in the PPA Tour Asia) their flowers.
“A ton of credit to them—they played phenomenal, best I’ve ever seen,” Johns said. “They came back like they usually do, and yeah, we had to face down a match point, and I’m just glad Gabe’s pretty clutch.”
Indeed, Daescu and Alshon played phenomenally. But, as the saying goes, “It takes two to tango.” Ben Johns and Gabriel Tardio were just as spectacular as their foes in Vegas, and the result was some of the best pickleball played on the grandest of stages.
