firefight , and after it ended I asked Morales to please not come at me like that . Be afraid , pickleball world . Be very afraid .”
Morales ’ favorite player is none other than Anna Leigh Waters , and don ’ t be surprised to see the two going head-to-head in a few years . How did Morales get so good ? “ I watched a lot of YouTube videos ,” she says . “ I try to learn from all the players , not just one .” Ochoa also mentioned that Morales ’ hometown gets a lot of visitors from Canada during its cold season , and many are solid players who have contributed to Morales ’ learning process . And no , she doesn ’ t come from a tennis background . She is a born natural .
Sadly , a natural with no peers to play with . When I asked why , she pantomimed someone texting , and said , “ They ’ re on their phone .”
On Day Two of the Santa Barbara tournament , it was on to mixed doubles . Morales ’ partner , 46-year-old Jason Saltoun-Ebin , was more than a little anxious . “ The fact that she went undefeated , and took gold , in women ’ s really set in on me : She wasn ’ t there to just play , she was there to win .”
The two ended up playing together because both signed up for the mixed event as “ needing a partner .”
In game one , Saltoun-Ebin came out with a case of the jitters . “ We were down by a bunch , and thoughts of not playing well crept in . She must have sensed something , because she called a time-out and suggested we try reverse stacking .”
Saltoun-Ebin is a righty , Morales a lefty , so that put their backhands in the middle . They fought their way back to win the game 11-9 , and then triumphed 11-0 in the second game .
For most of the tourney , Morales and Saltoun-Ebin stayed on their forehand sides , but every time they got into a little trouble , Morales would call a time-out and mix things up . And each time , it shifted the momentum back to them .
“ Without a doubt , she is the best female partner I have ever played with . Literally nothing rattled her . But what really impressed me was her understanding of the game , and her fearlessness to do what needed to be done ,” says Saltoun-Ebin .
The two went undefeated in the round robin portion of the event , and the gold medal contest was a rematch against one of Santa Barbara ’ s strongest players , Andy Silverstein , and his partner , Natalie Collins . Saltoun- Ebin said he and Morales started out trying to keep the ball away from the 5.5-rated Silverstein .
“ Being the great player he is , he found a way to start picking off our shots . And it was clear our strategy
wasn ’ t working . Aline called a time-out and told me she was going to go at him . I thought to myself , ‘ I can ’ t wait to see how this turns out !’”
Unfortunately , Silverstein went down with a calf injury in the second game and was unable to continue . Final score 9-11 , 7-7 , and 11-0 in the third game because the match was halted . Two days , two 5.0 golds . “ I ’ ve played enough pickleball to learn to never judge a book by its cover . Old , young , fit , out of shape … good pickleball players come in all shapes and sizes ,” says Silverstein . “ I will say that most younger folks I have played with don ’ t have the patience , and comfort , on the court that I saw from Aline .” So , the big question is : What ’ s next ? “ We ’ re looking for a sponsor ,” her father told me . In the meantime , Morales said she needed to work on her overheads , suggesting she couldn ’ t wait until she grew a few more inches .
Aline Morales is going to be a contender . It ’ s just a matter of time . •
Rick Cipes is author of “ How to Play Better Pickleball ,” available through Amazon . You can watch a video interview with Aline Morales , along with highlights of her play , at bitesizepickleball . substack . com .
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