The PPA Tour heads to Austin this weekend and for the first time in 2024, this is a back to back PPA Tour weekend.
Many players took the USA Indoor Championships in Minnesota off last week, so expect most of the pros to play in Austin.
This is an Open level event, meaning it is NOT a Progressive Draw. Winners will earn 1,000 PPA Points per event.
Notable Players Who Are Missing
- Riley Newman
- Tyson McGuffin - Foot
- James Ignatowich - Shoulder
- Callie Smith
How to Watch the PPA Austin Open
ALL TIMES EASTERN
Thursday - Singles
- 12pm - 8pm - Championship Court - PickleballTV
- 12pm - 6pm - Grandstand Court - PPA YouTube
Friday - Mixed Doubles
- 12pm - 8pm - Championship Court - PickleballTV
- 6pm - 8pm - Championship Court - FS2
- 12pm - 6pm - Grandstand Court - PPA YouTube
Saturday - Men’s and Women’s Doubles
- 12pm - 8pm - Championship - PickleballTV
- 6pm - 8pm - Championship Court - FS2
- 12pm - 6pm - Grandstand Court - PPA YouTube
Sunday - Championships
- 12pm - 6pm - Championship Court Championships - PickleballTV
- 12pm - 6pm - Grandstand Court Bronze Matches - PPA YouTube
- 9:30pm - 11:30pm - Rewatch of Championships - FS1
Men's Doubles
Intriguing partnerships
- Hunter Johnson/Thomas Wilson - With Riley not playing PPA Tour events for the foreseeable future, Thomas had to find a last minute partner. In terms of last minute partners, Hunter Johnson is quite the catch.
- Andrei Daescu/Matt Wright - With James Ignatowich’s shoulder injury, Matt Wright needed a partner. Daescu is a super solid left-side guy and Matt Wright brings elite hands to the equation. I like this partnership.
- CJ Klinger/Jaume Martinez Vich - This partnership could grow into something big. I think when Klinger is playing PPA events Jaume is his regular partner, while Will Howells seems to be his APP partner. That second round matchup against Emmrich and De La Rosa should be a good one.
- Travis Rettenmaier/Augie Ge - Ge is no longer underrated. I love this partnership, especially with Ge taking over a little more court.
Darkhorses to watch
- No. 34 seed Will Howells/Stefan Auvergne - These two don’t have enough PPA Points to be seeded higher, but I would expect this duo to make a run.
- Unseeded qualifiers Phuc Huynh/Marcel Chan - These two are training with Jaume Martinez Vich a ton and I love their game. Hopefully this is the last time they have to go through qualifying.
Predictions
- Semifinalists: Ben and Collin Johns, Travis Rettenmaier and Augie Ge, JW Johnson and Dylan Frazier, Andrei Daescu and Matt Wright
- JW Johnson and Dylan Frazier get a win over Ben and Collin Johns in the finals
Women's Doubles
Intriguing partnerships
- Lindsey Newman/Lea Jansen - Lea played extremely well in Minnesota and Lindsey is a great player. Can they make some magic happen in Austin?
- Millie Rane/Bobbi Oshiro - This duo made some noise in Mesa - can they do it again?
Darkhorses to watch
- No. 20 seed Taylor Garcia/Chao Yi Wang - Wang looked great in Minnesota and I really like her game. This team could get a couple of upset wins.
- No. 28 seed Brooke Revuelta/Emilia Schmidt - I don’t know much about Schmidt, but she looks like she was a star tennis player in Australia and recently took up pickleball.
Predictions
- Semifinalists: Anna Leigh Waters and Catherine Parenteau, Etta Wright and Meghan Dizon, Anna Bright and Rachel Rohrabacher, and Lauren Stratman and Yana Newell
- Anna Leigh and Catherine beat Etta Wright and Meghan Dizon in the finals
Mixed Doubles
Intriguing partnerships
- Andrei Daescu/Anna Bright - Again, with James out, Anna had to find a partner. Andrei and Anna play together all the time and they played for the Orlando Squeeze together.
- Travis Rettenmaier/Kaitlyn Christian - Two of the best former tennis players on the PPA Tour are teaming up. Christian seems to be getting better at doubles every tournament and I could see this team making a run.
- Gabe Tardio/Meghan Dizon - With Tyson McGuffin out with a foot injury, Gabe and Meghan could make a very interesting team.
Darkhorses to watch
- No. 28 seed Lina Padegimaite/Stefan Auvergne - Lina has been tearing up the singles game recently and we haven’t seen Auvergne in a little bit, but he has game. The lefty-righty combo here could be dangerous.
- Unseeded qualifiers - There are 44 mixed doubles qualifiers and looking through the list, I think there are six teams that I think should make it through. We are getting to a point on tour where even the qualifiers have big names and tough matches.
Predictions
- Semifinalists: Straight chalk. Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters, Thomas Wilson and Viv David, JW Johnson and Jorja Johnson, Andrei Daescu and Anna Bright
- Stop me if you have heard this before - Ben and Anna Leigh win in the finals over Thomas and Viv
Women's Singles
Interesting (potential) matchups
- Genie Bouchard vs. Catherine Parenteau - If Genie can beat her first round matchup this potential match will definitely be on Championship Court
- Parris Todd vs. Ekatarina Biakini - Todd is still vastly underseeded on the PPA Tour, so this could be a real test for Biakini
Predictions
With Anna Leigh Waters pulling out of singles on Tuesday before the event, I believe Kaitlyn Christian will win that side of the bracket to make it to the semifinals
- Semifinalists: Kaitlyn Christian, Catherine Parenteau, Lina Padegimaite, and Judit Castillo
- Winner: Catherine Parenteau defeats Lina Padegimaite
Men's Singles
Interesting (potential) matchups
- No. 28 seed Phuc Huynh vs. No. 1 seed Ben Johns - The key to beating Johns on singles day is to get him early and on a side court. Huynh has a TON of game and is lightning fast. He could give Johns a run for his money if Ben isn’t fully ready.
- No. 33 seed Dusty Boyer vs. No. 9 seed Pablo Tellez - I got my first looks at Dusty last weekend in Minnesota and he is an extremely good singles player. Boyer beat Eric Roddy, Aanik Lohani, and Quang Duong in Minnesota
Predictions
- Semifinalists: Ben Johns, Federico Staksrud, Christian Alshon and Jack Sock
- I think Jack beats Ben to make it to Championship Sunday, where Fed beats Sock to take yet another gold medal
