CASA GRANDE, ARIZONA — After four days of upsets, heartbreak and jubilation, Mackenzie Pridham has been crowned champion of the 2014 Vancouver Whitecaps FC Table Tennis Tournament at Grande Sports World.
The four-day tournament saw several surprises, including the first-round elimination of defending champion Johnny Leveron at the hands of his Spanish-speaking compadre Nicolas Mezquida.
Early favourite Ben Fisk also saw his tournament end earlier than expected, after getting eliminated by team administrator and fan-favourite Steve Bridge in the semifinals.
In the end, the tournament would belong to Pridham, whose unorthodox two-hand smash (which was a hot topic of discussion among the peanut gallery) proved too much to handle.
A total of 20 players and staff took part in the four-day tournament at Grande Sports World – the location of Whitecaps FC’s annual preseason camp in Arizona. Names were drawn out of a hat before each round to determine the matchups.
Check out the complete results below and watch the video in the above window to get a glimpse of the action.
FULL RESULTS (winners in bold)
Round 1:
Farhan Devji vs. Simon Thomas
Sam Adekugbe vs. Mehdi Ballouchy
Steven Beitashour vs. Mackenzie Pridham
Michael Calderon vs. Ben Fisk
Kekuta Manneh vs. Omar Salgado
Jay DeMerit vs. Sebastian Fernandez
Marco Carducci vs. Matt Watson
Johnny Leveron vs. Nicolas Mezquida
Steve Bridge vs. Erik Hurtado
David Ousted vs. Patrick McLain
Round 2:
Ben Fisk vs. David Ousted
Mehdi Ballouchy vs. Sebastian Fernandez
Steve Bridge vs. Marco Carducci
Farhan Devji vs. Nicolas Mezquida
Kekuta Manneh vs. Mackenzie Pridham
Round 3:
Farhan Devji vs. Sebastian Fernandez
Semifinals:
Steve Bridge vs. Ben Fisk
Sebastian Fernandez vs. Mackenzie Pridham
Finals:
Steve Bridge vs. Mackenzie Pridham
Whitecaps FC begin their 2014 MLS season on March 8 versus New York Red Bulls at BC Place. Season tickets start at just $349, subject to applicable fees. The 'Caps also offer a flexible range of ticket products, including half-season tickets ($244), 5-packs ($149), student season tickets ($199), and a youth soccer half-season ticket ($100). For more information on all Whitecaps FC ticket options, call 604.669.9283 ext. 2 or visitwhitecapsfc.com/tickets.
