The APP/AARP Master Tour and Champion Tour rankings have been updated after the results from APP Punta Gorda and the AARP Cup were collated, and there have been some intriguing shifts in the power dynamics within the divisions.
Master Tour
Please bear in mind that the Master category does not include single brackets, so it only has four match types: Men’s and women’s pro doubles and men’s and women’s mixed pro doubles.
The Champions category has the full six match types: the four mentioned above plus the men’s and women’s pro singles.
Moore And Spearman Dominate
Scott Moore and David Spearman continue to dominate the men’s top spots. In the men’s pro doubles category, Moore leads with 4,500 points, and Spearman is second with 4,140. They are over 2,000 points clear of Bill Muno in third!
However, Spearman (4,260) has a healthy lead of 1,500 points over Moore (2,760) in the male side of the mixed pro doubles category, with Muno in third place with 1,380 points.
Hickman Decimating The Opposition
Kristin Hickman is decimating the opposition in the female portion of the mixed pro doubles. She has amassed 4,140 points, with her nearest rival, Linda Thompson, a staggering 2,740 points behind.
It’s neck and neck in the ladies’ pro doubles, with only 20 points separating the top three. Pam Gilbert and Sue Johnston are tied for first place with 2,360 points, with Cynthia Dardis breathing down their necks on 2,340.
Ivan Lendl
As Ken Herrmann points out on his Facebook page, other top movers include Todd Headley at #6, EJ Karsten at #7, Ken Lehman at #10, Mike Wolf at #17, Kelly Henry Ojeda at #3, Diane Wainio at #7 and Jenny Reifeis #11.
A special mention goes to Ivan Lendl, who makes his APP Masters Tour debut, entering at #30.
Champion Tour
Meanwhile, on the APP/AARP Champion Tour (50 +), Top APP Champion Pros making significant jumps on the Men’s Top 20 include Altaf Merchant at #3, Matt Schiller at #12, Chris Bohnert at #14, Lee Sponaugle at #20.
In the women’s side of the competition, Angela Lettiere Simon breaks into the Top 5, and Kerri Kohr Bacha cracks the top 20 for the first time with her impressive wins at Pictona.
A Three-Horse Race
It’s a three-horse race in the Men’s singles, with Mattias Johansson out in front on 3,000 points, closely followed by Paul Olin on 2,940, while Rick Witsken is third on 2,100. Lee Sponaugle is a distant fourth on 1,310 points.
The women’s singles is dominated for the first time by Dane Karin Ptaszek-Kochis. She sits on 2,580 points, with her nearest rival, Leslie Bernard, on 1,860. Brenda Tilford is in third on 1,260.
Back On Top
Rick Witsken finds himself back on top of the Men’s Pro Doubles ranking with 3,420 points. Paul Olin is second with 2,530, and Altaf Merchant is third, only 10 points behind.
Anna Shirley is out in front of the Women’s Pro Doubles on 3,390 points. She’s 690 points ahead of Nathalie Bagby, who sits on 2,700 points. Eva Welsher is third on 2,640.
Moving onto the Male Mixed Pro Doubles ranking, we find Rick Witsken again heading the league with 3,030 points. Not so far behind on 2,880 points, we have Jaime Oncins De Oliveira, while Scott Moore is in third with 2,710.
Imperious
The Female Mixed Pro Doubles is headed by Eva Welsher, who sits imperiously on top with a huge 3,660 points. She’s 1,220 ahead of second-placed Anna Shirley, who, in turn, leads Beth Bellamy by a narrow margin of 60 points.
We featured the amazing Eva Welsher in this fascinating article.
Player Turnout Of Over 1,500 In Sacramento
The tour heads out west to California next for the APP $100k Sacramento Open, March 6-10, for a tier II event with full senior pro draws. Anyone doubting pickleball’s current pulling power should note the APP is currently forecasting a player turnout of over 1,500!
Tickets are available here.
Ken Herrmann writes, “The APP Rankings List is a 52-week cumulative list where all tournaments are included within a 52-week time period. Points that are earned will drop off if not defended 52 weeks later. These are the official rankings for APP/AARP Tour events.”
Click here to view the entire listings of APP/AARP Champion and Master rankings.
