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04-30-24

Pickle4 Team

Eva Welsher Named as Tournament Chair of US Open Pickleball Championships

Pickleball legend & Collier County resident Eva Welsher to take on an active role in the future of Pickleball’s most prestigious…

3 min read

04-30-24

Pickle4 Team

US Open Pickleball Championships Switches to Pickleball Den Software and Expands Athlete Lottery by Ten Percent

The US Open Pickleball Championships will move to Pickleball Den software for the 2025 US OPEN to oversee all player and…

2 min read

Rules Refresh

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04-30-24

Mark Peifer

Q&A – On the Line

4 min read

Murmurs from the Losers’ Bracket

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04-30-24

Frank Cerabino

Getting to the Bottom of the Pickleball Metamucil Ad

With over 36.5 million Americans hooked on pickleball, finding an actor who can perform on the pickleball court should be…

7 min read

Quick Tips

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05-15-24

Pickle4 Team

Move the Dink Around

1 min read

Headlines from the court

Ben Johns revealed his pickleball skills are paying off… big time. 💰 The world’s #1 pickleball player makes a ​whopping $2.5 million​ a year, marking a tenfold increase from 2021.

Lexington, Kentucky is finding a way to keep their courts clean and green. The city now has pickleball recycling bins for players to properly recycle their used, damaged and cracked pickleballs.

No pants… No problem?! Camila and Matthew McConaughey recently advertised their Pantalones tequila brand by developing a pickleball-inspired cocktail and ​hitting the courts pantless​! 👖

First Time Gold Medalists

The PPA Tour visited St. George, Utah April 24-28 for the PPA Red Rock Open. Federico Staksrud has officially taken over as the #1 ranked player on tour and showed, once again, how he earned this spot by defeating Jack Sock to earn the gold in men’s singles. Two pro players earned their first ever PPA gold medals at this event. Despite Lea Jansen making a powerful run to the women’s singles gold medal match, she ultimately earned silver with Mary Brascia winning her first ever PPA gold medal. Lea Jansen also made a run for the gold medal in women’s doubles with partner Tina Pisnik and this time came out on top. This was Pisnik’s first ever PPA gold medal.

The APP Tour headed to Cincinnati, Ohio May 7-12. This event featured a slew of first-time winners on the medal stand. Grayson Goldin and Zane Ford battled it out for the men’s singles gold medal with Goldin coming out on top with his first ever gold medal. Despite coming in second place, this marked the first ever pro pickleball medal for Ford. The men’s doubles podium had several first-timers. Ryler DeHeart and Rob Nunnery defeated William Sobek and Casey Cullen for the gold (a first for DeHeart). With the bronze medal, both Jack Foster and Jason Bock secured their first ever APP pro medals. While Simone Jardim is no stranger to the medal stand, she fought back from a first game loss in women’s singles to claim her first gold medal of 2024. Jardim earned the double double with a gold medal in women’s doubles. 

The MLP was also back in action with its first event of 2024 in Peachtree Corners, Georgia. In Premier, the New Jersey 5s featuring Anna Leigh Waters, Will Howells, Zane Navratil, and Mari Humberg, finished undefeated with all three matches in dream breaker. The St. Louis Shock featuring Anna Bright, Kate Fahey, Hayden Patriquin, and Gabriel Tardio finished in first place despite losing once to D.C. Pickleball. In Challenger, the Bay Area Breakers finished the event in first place with a huge lead. Their only loss was to the Frisco Pandas who are currently in second place.

For a full recap on these events, check out the following:

Don’t forget to mark your calendars for more pro pickleball action in May! 📆

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