The PPA Tour visited Tucson, Arizona for the first time this past weekend! The Tucson Racquet and Fitness Club hosted the event. The new venue was a success, with temperatures in the 70s and sunshine illuminating the venue throughout the event!
The Championship Sunday women’s doubles and men’s singles finals made it to national TV on ESPN2, just before the Superbowl!
Top Plays/Moments
(37) Tom Evans (new Australian PPA signee) took down (1) Federico Staksrud in the Round of 32.
(8) Jack Sock upset (4) Jaume Martinez Vich in the quarterfinals and had some very impressive plays on the way to the win.
Julian Arnold had a hilarious moment where he was trying to backpedal and get into position for a defensive lob from Lucy Kovalova, only to get blinded by the sun, and he got hit by the ball going about 3 mph while standing out of bounds.
Anna Leigh is known for her high-powered offense, but her exceptional defense was also on display in this mixed doubles match against Tina Pisnik and Andrei Daescu.
Eric Roddy completed a full-fledged, Allyce Jones-esque, dive to keep the point alive against Quang Duong and James Ignatowich - Roddy and Sock won the match on this point.
After over a year of not playing together, Matt Wright and Riley Newman ran it back in Tucson and they played in some great matches!
I know, I know! Jack Sock is all over the top plays/moments, but he is just so entertaining, I had to! Jack Nasty Nelson’d Zane Navratil after a little verbal argument.
One of the best points of the weekend took place during a beautiful Sonoran Desert sunset! This point in the women’s semifinals was amazing!
Top Storylines
Parris Todd and Hunter Johnson win on Superbowl Sunday
I don’t think Todd and Johnson could have had a better Superbowl Sunday. Todd started out the day playing for the singles championship against Kaitlyn Christian. I was in person for this one, and Parris looked to be in charge from start to finish.
Todd made very few unforced errors and her strokes were pure throughout the match. She beat Christian in two games, 11-2, 11-3. I would even argue that Kaitlyn didn’t play poorly, but Parris just played clean.
After winning her first gold on the PPA Tour, Parris then had to play the bronze medal match with Hurricane Tyra Black in women’s doubles. They faced off against Meghan Dizon and Etta Tuionetoa.
After taking “The Girlies” to a tight three game match in the semis, Parris and Tyra could have just mailed in the bronze medal match. Instead, they really pressed, and won easily, 11-3, 11-2. Both women won two medals this weekend.
Hunter, on the other hand, had to wait around all day, as the men’s singles final was the last of the day. His opponent was Christian Alshon. Hunter played very similarly to Parris - hitting pure and exact passing shots throughout the match. Johnson is one of the few elite level men singles players who doesn’t charge to the kitchen when returning serve. He is able to do that due to his elite level passing shots.
Hunter won his first gold in 2025 in Tucson, dispatching Alshon in two games, 11-7, 11-2.
On top of winning three medals, Parris and Hunter were in the Michelob Ultra Pickleball Superbowl Commercial that aired.
Two gold medals, a bronze, and being involved in the biggest commercial related to pickleball in history? I’d say Parris Todd and Hunter Johnson had a great Championship Sunday.
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Christian Alshon earned 2 silver medals and one gold
Christian Alshon had one heckuva event in Tucson. He played amazing in all three events - singles, mixed doubles, and men’s doubles.
In singles, Alshon had to beat the following (in order) to make the finals: Rio Newcombe, Julian Arnold, Eric Roddy, and Jack Sock. How did he do against those four? We know he won, but how much did he dominate? The answer: A LOT. Alshon beat his first four opponents by a score of 88-14. That’s an average scoreline of 11-1.75.
As I referenced above, Hunter played great in the finals and I don’t think anyone was going to beat him. Alshon lost 7 & 2.
In mixed doubles, Alshon played with Hurricane Tyra Black, and they also dominated their competition. The only team to take a game off them was their Round of 32 opponent, (40) Marcela Hones and Marshall Brown. Everyone else they dispatched in two games. Here are the remainder of their opponents on the way to the finals: Parris Todd and Hunter Johnson, Hayden Patriquin and Rachel Rohrabacher, and Maggie Brascia and JW Johnson.
In the finals, Ben and Anna Leigh were just too much. Alshon and Black lost 8-11, 8-11, and 5-11. Even though they didn’t have it on Sunday, this is one team to look out for in terms of pushing Ben and Anna Leigh in mixed doubles throughout 2025.
In men’s doubles, Christian paired up with Andrei Daescu. The duo showed incredible resolve, as this was a very different experience from singles and doubles. Alshon dominated the competition in those events. In men’s doubles, every single match Alshon and Daescu played went to three games.
Here are their opponents on the way to the finals:
- Rd 32 - (29) Luke Wasson/Zane Ford - 5-11, 11-4, 11-1
- Rd 16 - (14) Donald Young/Travis Rettenmaier - 7-11, 11-4, 11-2
- QF - (9) Tyler Loong/Connor Garnett - 11-6, 9-11, 11-3
- SF - (1) Hayden Patriquin/Ben Johns - 11-6, 10-12, 11-5
Daescu and Alshon still had plenty of gas for the men’s final, beating JW Johnson and Gabe Tardio, 13-11, 11-2, 11-6.
Alshon is looking like he is a top five man in all three events right now. Hopefully he can stay healthy and continue playing the best pickleball of his career in 2025.
Anna Leigh earns another two gold medals in mixed doubles and women’s doubles
Stop me if you’ve heard this before - Anna Leigh won women’s doubles and mixed doubles. Of note, she didn’t play singles in this event.
Anna Leigh and Catherine dominated the competition throughout the event. The duo never lost a game, and beat their competition by a combined score of 99-34, nearly tripling their opponents! The most impressive feat, by far, was their domination of “The Girlies” on Sunday, which was included in that count. The scoreline of their gold medal match was 11-0, 11-2, 11-4.
In mixed doubles, Ben and Anna Leigh were pushed the most in the quarterfinals. They played Andrei Daescu and Tina Pisnik, with the scoreline being 11-9, 9-11, 11-8. Ben definitely didn’t have his best stuff during that match, but quickly made up for it by dominating in the semifinal. Ben and Anna Leigh played Kate Fahey and Dylan Frazier, beating them 3 & 7. In the finals, HTB and Alshon just didn’t have any answers and Ben and Anna Leigh won another mixed doubles title in Tucson.
Dylan Frazier and Kate Fahey win two medals each in Tucson
While Dylan won gold in singles last year at the PPA Masters, he isn’t really known for his singles prowess and/or mixed doubles game. I saw a completely different player this weekend in Tucson.
This is not a secret, but Dylan is no longer a Selkirk sponsored player - he hasn’t been for a couple of months. I believe Dylan is still a free agent, in terms of paddle sponsors, and this was the first tournament he played with a JOOLA paddle. It worked well for him.
As the 7 seed, Dylan beat (25) Blaine Hovenier, (18) Cason Campbell, and (2) Connor Garnett, before losing to Hunter Johnson in the finals. Frazier had a tight battle for third place with Jack Sock that was one of the most entertaining matches I have seen in a while. He won the match in three games.
Kate had a similar run in singles. As the 4 seed, she beat 14 year old Cailyn Campbell, in three games. She then beat (14) Angie Walker, (8) Dominique Schaefer. In the semis, Fahey took Kaitlyn Christian to three games, losing 5-11 in the third. Kate beat her good friend Brooke Buckner, 11-7, 11-1.
In mixed doubles, the duo teamed up, and looked great. Dylan played a bigger left side than I’ve ever seen him play before, and Kate was more consistent in her transition zone and dinking game than I’ve ever seen in mixed doubles.
As the 16 seed, Kate and Dylan were the highest seed in any event in Tucson to reach the semifinals. Their path to the semis was difficult, but they played well.
- Rd of 64 - (49) Pesa Teoni/Helena Jansen - 11-6, 11-8
- Rd of 32 - (47) Ivan Jakovljevic/Lindsey Newman - 11-5, 11-3
- Rd of 16 - (3) Catherine Parenteau/Federico Staksrud - 11-9, 11-7
- QF - (9) Jade Kawamoto/James Ignatowich - 12-10, 11-7
- SF - (1) ALW/Ben Johns - Loss - 3-11, 7-11
In the bronze medal match, Kate and Dylan beat JW Johnson and Maggie Brascia, 11-8, 11-6. This was Kate’s first medal on the PPA Tour in doubles.
I like how both players played this weekend, and I think they are both on an upward trajectory to start 2025.
Full Results
Women’s Singles
🥇 Parris Todd
🥈 Kaitlyn Christian
🥉 Kate Fahey
Men’s Singles
🥇 Hunter Johnson
🥈 Christian Alshon
🥉 Dylan Frazier
Mixed Doubles
🥇 Anna Leigh Waters/Ben Johns
🥈 Hurricane Tyra Black/Christian Alshon
🥉 Kate Fahey/Dylan Frazier
Women’s Doubles
🥇 Catherine Parenteau/Anna Leigh Waters
🥈 Rachel Rohrabacher/Anna Bright
🥉 Parris Todd/Hurricane Tyra Black
Men’s Doubles
🥇 Christian Alshon/Andrei Daescu
🥈 Gabe Tardio/JW Johnson
🥉 Hayden Patriquin/Ben Johns
