12 Straight: The Match That Proved Pickleball’s Athletic Hustle
In one of the most electrifying displays of athleticism and mental grit in pro pickleball history, third-seed Connor Garnett stages back-to-back comebacks against ninth-seed Jack Sock at the Select Medical Orange County Cup. After erasing a 9–2 deficit to win the first game 11–9, Garnett faces a 0–10 mountain in the second--and climbs it, winning 12 straight points to seal a 12–10 victory. This piece captures the drama, psychology, and raw physicality of elite men’s singles, highlighting why pickleball has become the most intense combat sport you’re not paying enough attention to.
Since starting Palmera Pickleball, I don't consume as much pro matches on Pickleball.tv or YouTube as I would like. But I just watched one of the most jaw-dropping pro pickleball matches I’ve ever seen. It was the quarterfinals of the Select Medical Orange County Cup at Lifetime. Third seed Connor Garnett facing ninth seed Jack Sock.
Jack Sock, former ATP tennis legend, comes out absolutely firing (he's on fire in men's singles these days). First game, he’s up 9-2. The crowd’s buzzing. He’s hitting creative shots, fluid movement, showing why he’s one of the most dangerous wild cards in men’s singles. And then… silence.
Connor Garnett rattles off nine straight. Wins game one 11-9.
Then, like a man possessed, Sock returns. Second game. Ten–love.
Ten to nothing.
It’s over, right? We're playing three games.
Wrong.
Connor. Garnett. Turns. It. On.
He wins 12 straight. Closes it 12-10. Match over. Crowd stunned. Both players physically spent. And those of us watching? We just witnessed something that transcended the rankings.
This wasn’t just a comeback. This was a showcase of mental resilience, physical endurance, and shot-making genius by both players. It had flow. It had story arc. It had real psychological warfare.
And here’s the bigger takeaway: This is what elite pickleball singles looks like now. Explosive. Creative. Ruthless. Highly athletic. There is no such thing as a safe lead. Not anymore.
People underestimate this sport. They think it’s tennis’s little cousin or a backyard hobby. But matches like this? They shatter those illusions.
We’re watching the birth of a new combat format... a sport that fuses sprint conditioning, hand-speed, racket dexterity, precision footwork, and psychological nerve... all in real time, with no coach, no corner, and no excuses.
Pickleball is no longer emerging.
It’s arrived.
And it’s electric.
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