JAIME ONCINS RUNS TO THE NON-VOLLEY ZONE TO JOIN HIS PARTNER, LEE WHITWELL, DURING THE CHAMPIONS MIXED DOUBLES GOLD MEDAL MATCH.
Boyer, who’ s an up-and-coming player on the APP Tour.
“ So excited to be here and get on top of that one. I’ ve lost about four finals, so it’ s finally good to get one. I kept a lot of pressure on Jay— he’ s long and I didn’ t want to play a lot of extended points.”
Devilliers would get his comeback later... and who better to help him claim gold in Pro Mixed Doubles than Anna Leigh Waters. Entering the final against Sofia Sewing and Casey Diamond, Waters and Devilliers hadn’ t lost a game and had outscored their opponents 88-26( which, for you math folks, is an average of 11-3.1). Pretty remarkable stuff.
Meanwhile, Sewing and Diamond had been playing solid pickleball as well, cruising to the semifinals where they battled Megan Fudge and Richard Livornese, Jr., winning 11-4 in the third game.
ALW was looking for a record 10th US Open mixed doubles crown, but like the gold medal match in women’ s doubles, she and her partner dropped the first game, 12- 10. Sewing and Diamond played incredibly well on key points in that game and held off a late charge by Waters and Devilliers.
Sewing just turned pro in 2024, winning eight APP singles titles last year along with the singles crown at the USA Pickleball National Championships. Diamond, of Boca Raton, Florida, had not lost a mixed doubles match yet this year and was eager to keep that record intact heading into game two. But there’ s just something about ALW when she faces a bit of adversity. She shifts it into another gear that no one else has in pickleball these days, and helped Devilliers forge ahead with a convincing 11-2 win in game two.
In the third, Waters and Devilliers held a commanding lead 10-4 and were all set to finish it off, but Sewing and Diamond fought relentlessly to get back into the game. Staving off 15 straight championship points, their luck ran out as a backhand winner from Waters got by Diamond.
“ They played some incredible points on match point. It was a great battle and I’ m just happy to win this one,” said Devilliers.
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MAY / JUNE 2026 | MAGAZINE 35