The APP Tour made a memorable stop in Newport Beach, where Armaan Bhatia continued his breakout season by capturing gold in men’s singles. In the women’s singles draw, Katarina Stewart impressed with a run through top-tier opponents Amanda Hendry, Yana Newell, and Bobbi Oshiro to claim her first-ever pro gold. Christine Maddox and Max Manthou teamed up to win gold in mixed doubles, defeating Sofia Sewing and Casey Diamond. Despite the loss, this marked Sewing’s first APP mixed medal. Jill Braverman and Megan Fudge came out on top in women’s doubles, while Richard Livornese, Jr. and Tanner Tomassi claimed their first career gold medals in men’s doubles.
Major League Pickleball lit up New York City with standout performances. The Brooklyn Pickleball Team went undefeated behind the dominant play of Rachel Rohrabacher and super-sub AJ Koller. The Columbus Sliders also finished off an undefeated weekend and left the event in a close race with Brooklyn for third place in the rankings. Meanwhile, the Carolina Hogs made a major leap in the standings, climbing out of last place and into 12th thanks in part to new addition Etta Tuiotenoa’s on-court impact.
MLP then headed to Michigan, where all 22 teams prepared to battle it out for the title in the highly anticipated Mid-Season Tournament. With a slew of player substitutions and exciting matches, the tournament did not disappoint. The Premier Division saw the Dallas Flash crowned the champions after dominating the competition. In Challenger, the Las Vegas Night Owls emerged as the standout team, delivering thrilling matches, huge comebacks, and an edge-of-your-seat Dreambreaker against the No. 2 Nashville Chefs to secure the title.
