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APP Vlasic Classic - Daytona Beach Open - Tournament Preview
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APP Vlasic Classic - Daytona Beach Open - Tournament Preview

by Erik Tice on

The APP Tour is back in action two weeks after their first tournament of 2025. The Daytona Beach Open is being played at Pictona at Holly Hill, one of the best venues for pickleball in Florida. 

What’s interesting is many of the players are getting back from big international trips to play pickleball. Tanner Tomassi, Emilia Schmidt, Alexa Schull, Jack Foster, Max Freeman, and others, are making massively long plane trips right before playing in this tournament. We will see if the jet lag has any impact on the play.

How to watch the APP Tour Daytona Beach Open

Watch live on APPTV on YouTube, Court Sports Network, and Facebook.

Thursday, Feb 6 - Women’s and Men’s Singles

  • Championship Court: 10am to 4pm EST
  • Players Court: 9am - 3pm EST

 Friday, Feb 7 - Mixed Doubles

  • Championship Court: Noon - 6pm EST
  • Players Court: 10am to 4pm EST

Saturday, Feb 8 - Women’s and Men’s Singles

  • Championship Court: Noon - 6pm EST
  • Players Court: 10am to 4pm EST

 Sunday, Feb 9 - Championship Sunday

  • Championship Court: 11am to 4pm EST*
  • Players Court: 10am - 4pm EST (Bronze)
  • * Coverage to conclusion of Gold Medal Matches

Weather Outlook

The Fort Lauderdale Open was hampered down by rain, but this week in Daytona looks picture-perfect and wind predictions are between 7-10mph all weekend. Weather should be a non-factor in Daytona.

Let’s get into the action!

Women’s Singles

Top Seeds

  1. Megan Fudge
  2. Amanda Hendry
  3. Judit Castillo
  4. Shannon Pretorious
  5. Alexa Schull
  6. Alejandra Lopez Borobia
  7. Christa Gecheva
  8. Domenika Turkovic

Top Storylines

  • Megan Fudge was the best women’s singles player in 2024, and she just won the APP Fort Lauderdale Open. Can anyone dethrone her?
  • There are 15 women in the qualifying draw, trying to earn one of four open main draw spots.
  • Yana Newell and Shelby Bates are two players who were seeded at the Fort Lauderdale Open and are not playing singles at the Daytona Beach Open.
  • Sofia Sewing played phenomenally at the Fort Lauderdale Open and could make some noise in Daytona - she is the 16 seed, so odds are she faces off against Megan Fudge in the Round of 16 - I am predicting that upset.
Meet Former Pro Tennis Player Sofia Sewing
Get to know Sofia Sewing better. The former pro tennis player turned pro pickleball player has a unique story and background and is now pursuing pro pickleball full-time.
The Dink PickleballErik Tice

Predictions

  • Semi-finalists: (16) Sofia Sewing, (5) Alexa Schull, (2) Amanda Hendry, and (3) Judit Castillo
  • Finals: Judit beats Sofia in the finals to earn her first gold of the year, and Sofia’s second silver.

Men’s Singles

Top Seeds

  1. Chris Haworth
  2. Grayson Goldin
  3. Jack Foster
  4. Ryler DeHeart
  5. John Cangelosi
  6. Will Howells
  7. Alex Crum
  8. Brandon Lane

Top Storylines

  • Question - Is it possible for Chris Haworth to lose? I think they said at the Fort Lauderdale Open it has been over 300 days since Chris last lost a match - pretty remarkable.
  • There were 41 men in the qualifying draw, trying to earn one of eight open main draw spots. Tanner Tomassi, Dusty Boyer, Max Freeman, and Liam Duffin are some names in the qualifiers to look out for.
  • The top eight seeds from Fort Lauderdale are playing in Daytona, there is just a slightly changed order of seeding. 

Predictions

  • Semi-finalists: (1) Chris Haworth, (12) John Goins, (2) Grayson Goldin, and (6) Will Howells
  • Finals: Haworth beats Grayson Goldin in a repeat of the Fort Lauderdale final.
 

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Mixed Doubles

Top Seeds

  1. Jill Braverman/Will Howells
  2. Megan Fudge/Jack Munro
  3. Susannah Barr/Brandon Lane
  4. Allison Harris/William Sobek
  5. Amanda Hendry/Chris Haworth
  6. Ryler DeHeart/Emily Cederquist
  7. Christine Maddox/Max Manthou
  8. Daria Walczak/Patrick Kawka

Top Storylines

  • The top two teams on the APP Tour make it look like it is inevitable that they face off in every final. Howells and Braverman beat Jack and Megan in the finals in Fort Lauderdale 11-6, 11-9.
  • There are 35 teams in the qualifying draw, fighting for four spots in the main draw. 
  • Some unseeded teams to be on the lookout for:
    • (16) Judit Castillo and Grayson Goldin
    • (15) Alexa Schull and Tanner Tomassi
    • (13) Sofia Sewing and Casey Diamond
    • (12) Christa Gecheva and Kyle Koszuta
  • (10) Kelsey Grambeau and Robert Slutsky had a magical run two weeks ago in Fort Lauderdale, earning their first bronze medal on the APP Tour together. Can they follow it up with a solid performance this week?

Predictions

  • Semi-finalists: (1) Braverman/Howells, (12) Gecheva/Koszuta, (2) Fudge/Munro, and (6) DeHeart/Cederquist
  • Finals: Looks exactly like Fort Lauderdale - Howells and Braverman over Fudge and Munro

Women’s Doubles

Top Seeds

  1. Jill Braverman/Megan Fudge
  2. Kelsey Grambeau/Yana Newell
  3. Susannah Barr/Daria Walczak
  4. Amanda Hendry/Christine Maddox
  5. Emily Cederquist/Alexa Schull
  6. Sofia Sewing/Christa Gecheva
  7. Nicole Eugenio/Trang Huynh-McClain
  8. Maria Klokotsky/Allie Reichert

Top Storylines

  • Braverman and Fudge look to be the class of this division - It is going to take someone’s best to beat these two.
  • This is by far the smallest field in the pro divisions, with only 31 teams competing. It looks like only the #1 seed will receive a bye.
  • I do like the pairing of (15) Ava Cavataio and Dodo Kong - they are two of the best women in college pickleball, and they could make a run on the APP Tour.

Predictions

  • Semi-finalists: (1) Braverman/Fudge, (5) Cederquist/Schull, (2) Grambeau/Harris, and (3) Barr/Walczak
  • Finals: Braverman and Fudge defeat Kelsey Grambeau and Allison Harris.

Men’s Doubles

Top Seeds

  1. Jack Munro/Will Howells
  2. Erik Lange/Max Manthou
  3. Ryler DeHeart/Brandon Lane
  4. Tanner Tomassi/Kyle Koszuta
  5. Mark Danuart/Patrick Kawka
  6. Stefan Auvergne/Etienne Blaszkewycz
  7. Nick Black/Erik Pailet
  8. Clayton Powell/Jason Bock

Top Storylines

  • Howells and Munro are in a class of their own as of right now in men’s doubles on the APP Tour. Can someone knock them off?
  • There are 27 teams in the qualifying draw, vying for four spots in the main draw. 
  • Some unseeded teams to be on the lookout for:
    • (9) Andreas Siljestrom and William Sobek - if you haven’t seen Siljestrom play, you should tune in. The former Swedish tennis star stands at 6'9".
    • (10) Grayson Goldin and Chris Haworth continue to get better in doubles.
    • (16) Max Freeman and Casey Diamond are probably going to be shooting up the APP Tour points leaderboard, but being the 16 seed means they will get Will and Jack in the second round.

Predictions

  • Semi-finalists: (1) Munro/Howells, (4) Tomassi/Koszuta, (2) Manthou/Lange, and (3) DeHeart/Lane - straight chalk
  • Finals: Howells and Munro beat Lange and Manthou in the finals to maintain their top spot in 2025.
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Erik Tice

Erik Tice

Erik produces content for The Dink related to pro and collegiate pickleball. He is an avid watcher of pickleball and became passionate about the sport in early 2022.

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