By Mark Renneson
The party in the park is back with the 2021 Us Open Pickleball Championship. One of pickleball’s Crown Jewels begins this weekend and after the 2020 event was cancelled due to Covid-19, many people are eagerly awaiting the action to get started Saturday morning in Naples, FL.
I love this tournament. Hosted on the grounds of the East Naples Community Park, The US Open is a tournament I’ve been able to participate in as a player and broadcaster. But enough about me. Let’s talk about some of the things you should watch for whether you’re on-site or watching the daily streaming from home. Speaking of which…
Where to Watch. Pickleball Channel will be streaming regularly from Championship Court. Check out their Youtube channel here. You can also watch on Facebook. And CBS Sports will be livestreaming the Pro Gold Medal matches on April 24 from 7-9pm EST.
Speed. Speed. Speed. We have been tracking this trend for a long time now, but pickleball continues to get faster. Expect to see a high proportion of third shot drives from the game’s top players, and relentless attacks when at the net. That doesn’t mean you won’t see the softer side of pickleball, but it does mean that you can look forward to some high-intensity action all week long.
Franklin X-40 is Official Ball. As the ball wars continue, this is a major chance for Franklin to show off it’s X-40 ball on a big stage. With the punishing heat and humidity of Naples, there are some questions about how the ball will stand up in tough conditions. Many will remember the fiasco around Wilson’s failed attempt to be the official ball from a few years ago and I’m sure tournament organisers and Franklin are ready to show that the Dura40 isn’t the only ball that deserves to be used for events like this.
Are You Ready?
Will the Dominant Dominate? Simone Jardim and Ben Johns have been exceptional this year in both singles and doubles. They both love playing at home — Ben’s sometimes home as he continues his studies in Maryland — and will look to continue to lead the pack. They will once again be playing mixed doubles together. Watch out for runs by top contenders Kovalova/Wright, Parenteau/Bar; Irvine/Warnick; A-L Waters/Yates; L Waters/McGuffin and Newman/Newman as they try to get their hands on some of the $70K purse. See the pro mixed doubles bracket here.
Pro Split Age. This is a new mixed doubles event featuring some great pro and senior pro players! Teams must be rated 5.0 or better and have one player over 50 and one under 50. On the Mixed side, watch out for Tyler Loong and Alex Hamner as well as Weinbach/L Waters, Moore/Tereschenko, McGuffin/MacGregor and Young/Dawson. See full draws for men’s split, women’s split and mixed split.
Para Events. The US Open has several parapickleball events where athletes with disabilities can get in on the action. This also includes hybrid events where one player on team plays in a chair and on player stands. See these brackets here.
Watch for Wind. Southwest Florida can be tricky weather-wise this time of year, and the US Open has had issues in the past (hence their unique insurance policy for players). The forecast calls for wind and possible thunderstorms early in the week, so it will be interesting to see how the organisers and participants weather the storm (see what I did there?) of unpredictable conditions.
Watch the Pro Mixed Doubles finals the last time the Us Open took place.