The PPA Tour went international for the first time in is existence, this past weekend. The Australia Open was hosted at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.
The play was electric all weekend, and it was cool being in the states, watching pickleball at night, instead of during the day. It definitely had a different feel to it.
why does ppa australia seem so much more fun than the usual tour stops? https://t.co/HahWJ3TO72
— The Dink Pickleball (@Pickleball) February 1, 2025
Top Plays
A great singles point from Robbie Lee, a Western Australia based player, against eventual winner, Gabe Tardio.
Tyson McGuffin showing he still has that Ferrari Forehand, even at the age of 35.
Gabe Tardio with a ridiculous ATP from near the baseline against Vuk Velickovic
In that same match, Tardio made another SportsCenter worthy play with this “backhand no look flipper”. Is that a good name for it?
Hurricane Tyra Black hit a dropping back defensive forehand slice drop into the kitchen off of an overhead for a winner.
From that same match, Katy Hart and Roos Van Reek had to do everything perfectly to hit a winner against HTB and Allyce.
Bao Duong (14) made it to the third round of the main draw with Phuc Huynh. With the first serve of the match against his older brother Quang, Bao got him with a Nasty Nelson!
I think if you look up relentless pressure in the pickleball dictionary, they might use this play from Jay Devilliers.
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Top Storylines
Tyson McGuffin nearly got a triple crown
The first match played on Championship Sunday looked like it was going to be a stinker. Gabe and Jessie won the first two games 11-8, 11-6 and going into game three, things did not look good for Tyson and Lacy Schneemann. They showed some resolve, and won game three, 11-9. They won games four and five 11-8, 11-8.
In men’s doubles, they were again able to grind out a VERY TIGHT five game match in the finals. They went up against CJ Klinger and Quang Duong who have both been playing super hot. This was a back and forth venture, with the final scoreline being 4-11, 12-10, 6-11, 11-8, 11-9. It’s kind of crazy that Tyson and Gabe won, despite having a -5 point differential in the match.
In the singles final, after playing two five game matches, Gabe and Tyson both looked a little exhausted. Youth prevailed, however, with Gabe winning his first singles gold on the PPA Tour, 11-9, 11-4.
The 35 year old still has what it takes to compete at the highest level!
Vivian Glozman and Lacy Schneemann both win their first gold medals
As I typed that headline out, I was shocked. Lacy in particular has been a top, top level PPA player for the past two years. I had no idea she had not won a gold medal until now. And she won TWO in Australia!
Lacy and Viv beat Allyce and Tyra in the finals in four games. The final score was 11-7, 11-3, 7-11, 11-9. They had to bring all of their offensive weapons, as the ladies across the net really brought the best defense.
In mixed doubles, Lacy played out of her mind across from Gabe. She really turned it up in game three and then never looked back. In my mind, Lacy was the MVP of that matchup.
The top Aussies really showed up
Between the gold and bronze medal matches, there were a total of six Aussie players playing on Championship Sunday. The Aussies made up nearly 1/5th of the total players playing on Championship Sunday. Here are a few of those players:
Sommer Dalla-Bonna
I knew Somer was the best Australian singles player - I just didn’t know how good she is. Born in Australia, Somer moved to the USA to play collegiate tennis at both Coastal Carolina and Colorado State University.
Three years removed from college tennis, and Somer has cemented herself as the best women’s singles player in Australia. After watching her play against Kaitlyn Christian, I posted this on X, about Somer:
Somer Dalla-Bonna is better than I thought. That twoey that I thought was really good is ELITE.
— Erik Tice (@azetice) February 2, 2025
It is one of the most compact and whippy twoey I've seen.
Hot take: if Somer moved to the US and played regularly with the best of the best on the @PPAtour, I think she'd be top 10…
Emilia Schmidt and Danni-Elle Townsend
These are probably the best two Australian doubles players and they showed it. In their first match they won 11-0, 11-1. They followed that up with a tough test in Kaitlyn Christiana and Andie Dikosavljevic, but beat them 11-2, 11-9.
In the semis, Danni and Emilia played HTB and Allyce tough, losing 6-11, 5-11. In the bronze medal match, they fell just short against Jessie and Alix. They were able to take it to three games though. The final score in that one was 3-11, 11-5, 4-11.
This duo is the best Australia has to offer, and they are showing that Australia is going to be the next pickleball powerhouse within the next few years.
Top 5 Aussie Guys
Tom Evans, Mitch Hargreaves, Joey Wild, Lucas Pascoe, and George Wall all made it to the Quarterfinals. Joey was even able to make it to the Bronze Medal match with Zane Navratil.
Tom and Mitch teamed up together and went 44-1 against their first two opponents. They then ran into the buzz saw of Gabe Tardio and Tyson McGuffin.
George Wall and Lucas Pascoe also took care of business in their first two rounds, winning a combined 44-14. They put up a good fight against Collin and Jay in the Quarterfinals, losing game one, 9-11 and then quickly got pickled in game two.
Joey was able to make it the furthest, playing with Zane. They stacked, reverse stacked, and play some straight up, which was fun to watch.
Tom Evans and Helena Spiridis are coming to the USA
Right before the tournament started, it was announced that off the court couple, Helena Spiridis and Tom Evans had signed with the USA based UPA. They are going to spend the majority of the 2025 calendar year playing on the PPA Tour and in Major League Pickleball.
In the tournament, they made quick work of their first round opponent, winning 11-5, 11-0. They then faced off against Quang and Viv Glozman, losing 2-11, 3-11.
They both have some work to do in their doubles game, but moving to the states and playing on the PPA Tour will help both of them raise their level significantly and swiftly.
Full Results:
Women’s Singles
🥇 Kaitlyn Christian
🥈 Somer Dalla-Bonna
🥉 Andie Dikosavljevic
Men’s Singles
🥇 Gabe Tardio
🥈 Tyson McGuffin
🥉 Quang Duong
Mixed Doubles
🥇 Lacy Schneemann/Tyson McGuffin
🥈 Jessie Irvine/Gabe Tardio
🥉 Allyce Jones/Jay Devilliers
Women’s Doubles
🥇 Vivian Glozman/Lacy Schneemann
🥈 Allyce Jones/Hurricane Tyra Black
🥉 Jessie Irvine/Alix Truong
Men’s Doubles
🥇 Gabe Tardio/Tyson McGuffin
🥈 CJ Klinger/Quang Duong
🥉 Collin Johns/Jay Devilliers
