Meet Aline Morales , 13 , from Zihuatanejo , Mexico . Be afraid , pickleball world .
Be very afraid .
At 13 , Aline Morales , from Zihuatanejo , Mexico , has a DUPR rating of 5.1 . She ’ s 5 ' 2 " and 94 pounds , and swept through a recent tournament in Santa Barbara , California . There ’ s no doubt she will take the pickleball world by storm in the next few years .
At the tournament , spectators were asking , “ Who ’ s that girl ? Is she someone ’ s daughter ?” But by the end of her first day of action , the chatter turned to , “ Oh my God , did you see that girl play ?”
That girl won the women ’ s doubles 5.0 division with her 50-year-old partner , Wendy Ochoa from San Diego . The two have won gold in five out of the six tournaments they ’ ve played in together .
“ Aline ’ s strengths as a partner are truly remarkable ,” says Ochoa . “ Her maturity on the court is beyond her years .”
Morales has grace under fire and is more relaxed than her mucholder opponents . “ She has a calming influence on me ,” Ochoa notes , “ which is quite funny considering her age .”
This kind of rare talent can ’ t just be explained away ; it can only be witnessed in awe . She is at about 90 percent on her drops , dinks , and resets . “ I ’ ve never seen anyone with her level of precision in those aspects of the game ,” says Ochoa .
But Morales also has the ability to fire on you in a millisecond . “ As I stepped onto the court with her , I was thinking , ‘ Look how young and small she is — I can ’ t attack her !’” recalls Ochoa . “ We had one fierce
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JULY / AUGUST 2024 | MAGAZINE 39