We've reached the final event of four straight tournaments in August on the PPA Tour, as the PPA Las Vegas Cup is being played at a new venue - Fontainebleau Las Vegas. This is the second event in a row held indoors with rollout courts.
This is a CUP event – worth 1,500 points compared with the normal 1,000 points in Open events – so more is at stake. Additionally, this is a Progressive Draw, which adds to the intrigue.
How to Watch the PPA Las Vegas Pickleball Cup
Broadcast Schedule 🎥 for the 2024 Las Vegas Pickleball Cup 🏆
— Carvana PPA Tour (@PPAtour) August 27, 2024
📆 August 27th - September 1st
📺 @Pickleballtv & FS2
⏰ 11am-7pm PT
✅ Progressive Draw
🏟️ @fblasvegas pic.twitter.com/HB8y6lDgbx
Order of play
- Tuesday, 8/27 - Round of 64
- Wednesday, 8/28 - Round of 32
- Thursday, 8/29 - Round of 16
- Friday, 8/30 - Quarterfinals
- Saturday, 8/31 - Semifinals
- Sunday, 9/1 - Championship Sunday
I am predicting Anna Leigh Waters wins another Triple Crown – she doesn’t like losing at the marquee events. This week we've added a section called "Upset Candidates" – players I think could get picked off a little earlier than expected.
Women’s singles
Top Storylines
- The top stars are all playing in Las Vegas – (1) ALW, (2) Catherine Parenteau, (3) Lea Jansen, and (4) Brooke Buckner will all be tough outs.
- There are no qualifiers for this event, so the Round of 64 could see some wild results.
- I think (21) Alix Truong has a good chance of at least making the Round of 16.
- The toughest matchup BY FAR in the Round of 32 is (17) Kate Fahey vs. (9) Judit Castillo. They just played each other in the PPA Utah semifinals.
Upset Candidates
- (25) Milan Rane has the ability to upset (5) Mary Brascia in the Round of 32 and I think she will.
- (15) Zoey Wang is going to give (2) Catherine Parenteau some problems – I believe this is another upset alert. I predict Wang wins it in three.
Predictions
- Semifinalists: (1) Anna Leigh Waters, (4) Brooke Buckner, (7) Kaitlyn Christian, (9) Judit Castillo
- Finals: Anna Leigh Waters beats Judit Castillo for her first gold in this event
Men’s singles
Top Storylines
- Ben Johns is playing in this tournament, but he is NOT playing singles.
- St. Louis Shock teammates (15) Hayden Patriquin and (19) Gabe Tardio could face each other in the Round of 32.
- (3) Tyson McGuffin went down early in Utah. Can he bounce back in Sin City?
- Texas Ranchers teammates (4) Christian Alshon and (5) Quang Duong could face each other in the quarterfinals if they get that far.
Upset Candidates
- (21) Tyler Loong could easily upset his former MLP teammate and fellow Vulcan pro Jay Devilliers (11) in the Round of 32.
- (6) Dylan Frazier has been upset the past couple of tournaments, and I think (12) Gabe Joseph beats him in the Round of 16 to make the quarters.
- (18) Yates Johnson upsets (8) Jaume Martinez Vich in the quarters to reach the semifinals.
Predictions
- Semifinalists: (1) Federico Staksrud, (18) Yates Johnson, (2) Connor Garnett, (4) Christian Alshon
- Finals: Federico Staksrud beats Christian Alshon for his SEVENTH gold medal in singles in 2024
Mixed doubles
Top Storylines and Partnerships
- After the purported breakup off the court between Anna Bright and James Ignatowich, they have different mixed doubles partners this week AND could face each other in the semifinals:
- Christian Alshon and Anna Bright are the No. 2 seed.
- Vivian Glozman and James Ignatowich are the No. 4 seed (and DC Pickleball Team teammates as well).
- Catherine Parenteau and Riley Newman are playing together and are the No. 6 seed with a first round bye.
- (9) Jessie Irvine and Gabe Tardio have a potentially BRUTAL path back to Championship Sunday after their big title in Utah - Lauren Stratman/Quang Duong, Federico Staksrud/Rachel Rohrabacher, and if they win that? Christian Alshon and Anna Bright in the semis.
Upset Candidates
- The new pairing of (24) Kate Fahey and Jack Sock could be a super dynamic duo and I'm predicting they beat (10) Travis Rettenmaier and Etta Wright pretty handedly in the Round of 32.
- (20) Parris Todd and Hunter Johnson are under-seeded, and I think they take out (6) Riley Newman and Catherine Parenteau in the Round of 16.
Predictions
- Semifinalists: (1) Ben Johns/Anna Leigh Waters, (3) Jorja & JW Johnson, (2) Christian Alshon/Anna Bright, (4) Viv Glozman/James Ingatowich - straight chalk
- Finals: Anna Leigh Waters and Ben Johns take down Christian Alshon and Anna Bright in four games.
Women’s doubles
Top Storylines and Partnerships
- (1) Anna Leigh and Catherine haven’t been threatened in a very long time.
- This is a very small field, especially for a Cup event - there are no qualifiers.
- Anna Bright signed up late for this tournament, so there are some unusual pairings at the top:
- (4) Jorja Johnson and Rachel Rohrabacher are teaming up for the first time.
- (2) Tina Pisnik and Anna Bright are teaming up for the first time.
Upset Candidates
- The new pairing of (9) Jessie Irvine and Kaitlyn Christian bring enough firepower that I think they upset (5) Callie Jo Smith and Allyce Jones in the Round of 16.
- I really like the (8) Viv Glozman and Lacy Schneemann duo. The problem is they are in the same part of the bracket as Catherine and Anna Leigh. I think they steal a game off the top seed, but fall short of pulling off the huge upset.
Predictions
- Semifinalists: (1) Catherine Parenteau/Anna Leigh Waters, (4) Jorja Johnson/Rachel Rohrabacher, (2) Tina Pisnik/Anna Bright, (7) Hurricane Tyra Black/Parris Todd
- Finals: Catherine and Anna Leigh beat Tina Pisnik and Anna Bright in four games to complete the ALW triple crown.
Men’s doubles
Top Storylines and Partnerships
- Dylan Frazier and JW Johnson are once again the No. 1 seed, while Ben and Collin Johns are the No. 2 seed.
- Typo in graphic - the No. 7 seed is actually Zane Navratil and Dekel Bar
- James Ignatowich entered the draw late and decided to play with his friend from Vanderbilt Tennis, Max Freeman. They are the No. 12 seed.
Upset Candidates
- (23) Michael Loyd and John Cincola make a formidable duo and I could see them upsetting (14) Julian Arnold and Blaine Hovenier in the Round of 32.
- (20) Todd Fought and Patrick Kawka are going to upset (13) Travis Rettenmaier and Augie Ge in the Round of 32.
- Not a huge upset, but (6) Christian Alshon and Riley Newman are going to beat Ben and Collin Johns in the quarterfinals.
- Out of all the qualifiers, I think the No. 40 seed Cason Campbell and Dave Bacalla have the best chance of a first-round upset over (28) Luke Wasson and Jonny Pickleball Andrews.
Predictions
- Semifinalists: (1) JW Johnson/Dylan Frazier, (8) Connor Garnett/Tyler Loong, (6) Christian Alshon/Riley Newman, (4) Hayden Patriquin/Pablo Tellez
- Finals: JW Johnson and Dylan Frazier exact some revenge on Hayden and Pablo for another win in 2024
Pickleball Skill Quiz
Find out your pickleball rating
