Broadcasters Chad Edwards , Melissa McCurley and Drew Fellios . Photo by Bruce Yeung ; IG : @ yeungphotography .
mixed matches stole the show . Anna Leigh Waters and Kyle Yates were up 10-8 in the third game and pressed hard . But Lucy Kovalova and Matt Wright hung on for bronze . Simone Jardim and Ben Johns took gold ; Lindsey and Riley Newman took silver .
The Franklin ball was used and may have helped defensive players because it is a bit softer than the Dura ball , so players are able to keep the ball in play longer .
But Ben Johns ’ power was not diminished . In addition to winning Pro Mixed with Jardim , he won Men ’ s Pro Doubles with his brother Collin and Men ’ s Pro Singles over McGuffin in a three-set thriller . En route to the singles final , Johns defeated France ’ s Jay Devilliers in an exciting three-set display of angles . The charismatic Devilliers played tennis for Wichita State and is a real addition to the men ’ s tour .
The Women ’ s Pro Doubles final highlighted the power games of rising stars Catherine Parenteau and Callie Smith , who defeated Jardim and Kovalova . Bronze went to the Waters mother / daughter duo . More and more new faces are appearing in Women ’ s Doubles , and the speed of play impressed everyone .
As players improve and as more talented athletes come into the game , more styles of play appear . “ Shake and Bake ” was apparent at this year ’ s Open . Instead of using a third shot drop , players are driving the ball hard on the third shot . Their partners anticipate a resulting pop-up or weak shot , run to the NVZ line and put the ball away . Third shot shakes ; fourth shot bakes .
With the rise in quality of play and visibility of pickleball comes a responsibility . Jonathan Clay , owner of Kitch — a company that prints more pickleball shirts than any other — reported the sport is trending toward professional and a tennis look . He was a professional racquetball player , and he observed that the pros need to market themselves better .
“ Players need to focus on their behavior both on and off the court ,” he explains . “ The pros need a reverse mindset where you earn it off the court and the benefit is being able to play in the pros . They need to look at themselves as the full package .” The Kitch booth at the Open was constantly busy . Clay has learned from racquetball , where 90 percent of the players were sponsored , that a sport needs customers . He says , “ The biggest thing missing in pickleball is a junior program .” It was in the vendor tent that the real peek into the future was apparent . Sportbox has arrived . Mike DeLazzer designed the basic technology for Redbox ; now he is marketing Sportbox . Shoppers use their credit cards to open a showcase the size of a refrigerator , take out a demo paddle or a paddle to purchase , select balls , a visor , etc . and the merchandise is billed to their cards . If you return the demo , it cancels the charge . It is automated retail .
Franz Kuehnrich , DeLazzer ’ s business partner , says , “ It is already in Europe . It started in Scandinavia and is now in Spain and Italy .” Certainly , the pandemic has made this even more desirable . This technology offers a real service to smaller pickleball facilities and public parks .
“ Growth ” is the trend that all of the vendors reported . John Crowley of Pickleball Central says , “ Customer service and a depth of knowledge is important . Pickleball is all we do . The trend is toward a thicker paddle where the energy is dissipated . Players want more control . Tennis players want the sweet spot farther out . Table tennis players want it closer in . Power paddles are thinner , and the pros are moving to thinner paddles .”
Crowley views the Open as a trade show . “ The players hang out in the various booths . People get a chance to see new products . Chris Evon and Terri Graham work to provide the vendors with a good experience ,” he explains .
The quality of paddles is constantly improving . According to Ben Simons , Senior Business Manager of Pickleball for HEAD Penn Racquet Sports , it is harder now for the small companies . “ You are all-in or all-out ,” he says . HEAD just launched two new paddles and is