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Preview: PPA Las Vegas

Preview: PPA Las Vegas

Back in Sin City, pros prep for the final laps of The Race

Team KOTC
October 09, 2024

Oh my gawd, we’re back again. Back for another PPA (just 3 days after the last one wrapped), back in Sin City (this time outdoors at the Darling Tennis Center), back for a few more laps of the Race before finals.

Qualifiers start today for the Las Vegas Rate Championship Open (which means it is NOT a progressive draw), and singles kicks off on Thursday.

Darling Tennis Center, Las Vegas

Let’s take a look at what storylines are developing, and how The Race was impacted by last week’s tournament.

Women’s Singles

Lindsey Newman is back - we haven’t seen her since Sacramento Open in June. She didn’t make it past R64 there, but anything could happen here.
Mary Brascia made it to quarters in her last tournament in Atlanta, and she should be able to make it at least that far this time. She’ll need to topple Jessie Irvine and Zoey Wang - who both have been on a good run.
We know seeding is somewhat randomized, but don’t ask us how a #15 and #16 get a first round bye over #13 and #14… except for saying bracket placement is also just “random.” Poor Ava Ignatowich.
Anna Leigh is gonna win, that is all.
Race Update: Brooke overtook Lea for #2 spot, and Chao Yi “Zoey” Wang nudged up to spot #12, bumping Lacy Schneemann down.

Men’s Singles

Christian Alshon is not playing singles, leaving the field more open for mid-range players to swoop in and take his spot. At least it’ll be competitive and not leaving his spot to a “lucky loser” with a late scratch.
Tyson, struggling with foot issues, withdrew from singles in Virginia Beach. If he stays in this time, he should make light work of the competition until quarters where he’ll likely face Dylan Frazier. Or he’ll get upset by Rafa in R16, it’s hard to know.
Tyler, after getting through a qualifier and Eric Roddy, will face partner CG in R16. Pardoe loves seeing this matchup, doesn’t he?
Race Update: With Tyson’s and Christian’s withdrawal in VA Beach, Jaume was able to overtake 5th position. They are now 6 and 8, respectively, and Hunter Johnson has jumped from 11th to 9th.

Mixed Doubles

Big Poppa Jimmy is partnering with Parenteau for the first time since early 2023, where they won gold. But 2024 James is a very different player, and even CP has been floundering in mixed. She needs to find a partner for 2025 that will be more consistent than Jack Sock - maybe that’s BPJ?
Shock teammates Anna Bright and Big H are pairing up (perhaps decided on their long hike through the Grand Canyon?) and should have a pretty clear path to semis where they’d either take on Ben & AL or Fed & Rohrabacher.
Off-court couple Julian Arnold & Lauren Stratman aren’t pairing up on-court this time around; he’ll be with Atlanta partner Maggie Brascia, and Lauren is playing with Donald Young.
Vivienne David, still without Thomas Wilson, is playing with Augie Ge. Viv on the left will be worth tuning in for, and can help strengthen her flexibility in MLP going into 2025.
Race Update: Tyson & Big H remain tied at #8, but Riley is nipping at their heels. BPJ took over the #3 spot from Thomas Wilson, Dekel eeked up just a bit (from 7 to 6), further solidifying his chances for finals. Zero changes in the top 10 on the women’s side of mixed.

Women’s Doubles

It’s a small field, with a bracket of just 34. We expect another AL & CP gold medal, but AB & RR are back for this event, so maybe we’ll see them take down the giants once again.
Mari and Jorja just got bronze in VA Beach and are back for another shot at finals. Their corner of the bracket looks pretty decent, it shouldn’t be too hard for these two.
It’s been a minute since we’ve seen the Kawamoto sisters pair up. They last played together in February, where they were knocked out in R16 at the Mesa Arizona Cup.
Race Update: The only change was Jorja, who jumped from spot #12 to #9! She’s now just 100 points from overtaking Hurricane Tyra for 8th place.

Men’s Doubles

Big H is coming off his glorious gold-medal win in VA Beach over the Johns bros. This time he’s partnering with Alshon, and they’ll have to get through Fed & Matt Wright to have another go at Ben & Collin.
Alshon has used 2024 to become the Swiss Army knife of pickleball. Left, right, mixed, gender doubles, singles. He’s found a way to excel regardless of where he is on the court. Here’s hoping for another spicy Alshon vs Johns matchup
Tyler & CG should have an easy time in the first round, but would face Tyson & Jaume (another matchup we’re sure Pardoe loves to see) in R16. Past that, they’ll either need to topple Big Dawgs JW & Dyl or hotshot Quang Duong and CJ Klinger to make semis.
Race Update: Overall, no changes in the top 10, but Hayden did jump up from #13 to be tied with Tardio for 10th. He’s only 200 points from making the 8-seed cutoff, so he needs to stay ahead of Gabe, Christian and Pablo.