The Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) continued its 2024 tour with the Veolia Houston Open, hosted by Life Time Fitness at the Kingwood location in Houston’s upper northeast suburbs. As the second stop in four weekends, this event was a marked change from last weekend’s rainy North Carolina event to sunny skies in Houston.
The Houston Open, a 1000-level PPA event, witnessed a slightly thinned draw due to this month’s packed schedule. Notably, the absence of top-ranked female players Anna Leigh Waters and Catherine Parenteau left the Women’s and Mixed draws wide open.
Women’s Pro Singles
In the absence of top-ranked players, including the #1 and #2 seeds, the Women’s Singles draw saw a shift in the seeding. This opened up opportunities for emerging players and, as expected, led to some surprising outcomes. Notable upsets included Samantha Parker defeating top-seeded Mary Brascia and #21 seed Martina Frantova advancing after beating the #12 and #18 seeds.
Finally, #14 Christine Maddox delivered a significant upset when she overcame #3 Lina Padegimaite in the round of 16.
Ultimately, Lea Jansen emerged victorious, inflicting a heavy defeat on #19 Parker and securing her first PPA singles gold since August 2021.
Men’s Pro Singles
The Men’s Singles draw featured fierce competition, with nearly the entire top ten participating and over 60 contenders vying for qualification. Standout performances included the Johnson twins, Hunter and Yates, who, despite being seeded in the 30s, made deep runs in the competition.
Quang Duong emerged as a dominant player, defeating top-ranked player Ben Johns in the quarterfinals and securing his first-ever PPA medal. However, the ultimate triumph belonged to Federico Staksrud, who dominated his final against Duong to claim his third gold medal of the season.
A special mention for #35 seed Donald Young: the former tennis pro who joined the PPA during last August’s tour upheavals stole the spotlight in Houston. Despite his relatively low profile in pickleball, Young delivered an outstanding performance.
His most significant triumph came in the quarters, where he secured a hard-fought victory over #3 Connor Garnett, clinching the match 12-10 in the third set. However, Young’s impressive run came to an end in the semi-finals against the formidable #2 Staksrud.
Women’s Pro Doubles Recap:
Anna Bright and Rachel Rohrabacher delivered a stellar performance in the women’s doubles bracket, claiming the top spot in the absence of the regular #1 ranked team. Their victory, marked by solid gameplay and the concession of only 23 points throughout their title-winning run, tightened the race for the top spot on the tour.
They cruised to victory in the final against #4 seeds Vivienne David and Jackie Kawamoto.
Men’s Pro Doubles Recap:
The Men’s Doubles draw also witnessed its share of upsets and dominant performances. The Johns brothers showcased their considerable prowess, securing victory without dropping a single game. Meanwhile, Federiko Staksrud and Pablo Tellez emerged as formidable contenders, reaching the final from the bottom half of the draw.
Mixed Pro Doubles
The absence of key players due to injury and rest also reshaped the Mixed Pro Doubles draw, allowing some unfancied pairs to make their mark in the competition.
#14 seeds Parris Todd and Zane Navratil made the quarters, while #11 Tina Pisnik and Dekel Bar beat Parris Todd and Zane Navratil and then #4 Jesse Irvine and Pablo Tellez to reach the finals.
In the other half of the draw, Ben Johns and Etta Wright seized their opportunity, overcoming his brother, Collin, and partner Regina Goldberg before defeating #12 seeds Christian Alshon & Jackie Kawamoto in the semi-finals.
Johns and Wright then eased to victory in the final against Pisnik and Bar. It was Johns’ first Mixed Pro gold without Waters since late 2021.
