The Association of Pickleball Players (APP) made pickleball history this weekend in Columbus, Ohio with the inaugural APP Women’s Open presented by The James, celebrating the best in women’s pickleball and supporting breast cancer research. In the first-ever pro and amateur tournament dedicated entirely to women, hundreds of players, spectators, volunteers and more joined together for an energetic and inspiring showcase on national television.
Coinciding with the beginning of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the historic event raised $25,000 for the Stefanie Spielman Fund for Breast Cancer Research at the OSUCCC – James.
Pickle & Chill hosted the action throughout the weekend, culminating with thrilling championship matches on CBS Sports Network as players battled for the hardware. Ohio natives Shannon Pretorius and Sheri Courter won gold medals in their home state, while Susannah Barr, Jill Braverman, Megan Fudge, Karin Ptaszek-Kochis, Angela Simon and Lee Whitwell earned golds of their own.
Women’s Pro Doubles
Megan Fudge, the APP Tour’s all-time women’s total medal leader, paired up with pickleball veteran Jill Braverman to take on Allison Harris and Daria Walczak in the women’s doubles final. Game one was back-and-forth, but the powerhouse duo Braverman and Fudge pulled through, 11-9. The duo kept it rolling in game two, cruising to an 11-4 win to secure the gold.
“It’s a privilege to be out here and play in such an amazing event,” said Fudge. “We wanted to put on a good show for everybody, and hope they enjoyed it. Thanks to everybody for coming out and to all the sponsors, it’s truly an amazing cause. I know so many women and men are fighting something that is so hard to beat and we’re praying for a cancer-free world”.
Braverman shared a heartfelt message following the win: “I want to dedicate this [win] to my mother-in-law who is currently going through chemo. She is such an inspiration, and I was thinking about her this whole match”.
Susannah Barr and Arielle Butler took home the women’s doubles bronze medals.
Women’s Pro Singles
An electric women’s singles gold medal match followed suit on championship court, pitting Ohio native Shannon Pretorius against Domenika Turkovic. Pretorius cruised in game one in front of her home state crowd, 15-6. Turkovic dug deep and responded with a nail-biting 16-14 win in game two, forcing a decisive third game. Pretorius jumped out to an early lead in game three and held on, 15-10 to clinch her first career APP gold medal.
“It feels so amazing,” said Pretorius, a native of Chagrin Falls, Ohio. “I’ve come really close this year, and to do it here at the APP Women’s Open feels amazing. I had so many close matches and I really pushed over and got those wins, so it feels great.”
Alla Mikhno earned women’s singles bronze in Columbus.
Split-Age Women’s Pro Doubles
The APP Women’s Open presented by The James also featured a unique format for pro players in split-age doubles, where a 50-and-older pro is paired up with a 50-and-younger pro. After a full day of action on Saturday, a battle of titans met in the finals with Megan Fudge and Angela Simon taking on Susannah Barr and Sheri Courter. Game one went 11-6 in favor of Barr and Courter. Their momentum carried into game two as they pulled away late, 11-8 to secure the split-age doubles gold.
“This lady is a beast out there,” Barr said, referring to Courter. “She just picked me up. I was having a hard time seeing the ball at first, and then we settled in and found our groove. Shouts out to Angela and Megan, they played great and are amazing competitors.”
“This weekend was so special to be part of,” Barr continued. “We had a huge crowd supporting us, the staff has done an amazing job, all these women came together, and to have the first gold is pretty awesome.”
“This is my hometown,” added Courter, a native of nearby Dublin, Ohio. “I saw a lot of friendly faces out there, but I also saw just a lot of women supporting everyone. It’s a really special event.”
Amanda Hendry and Lee Whitwell took home the split-age doubles bronze.
AARP Champions Pro Action
In AARP Champions Division (50+) competition in Columbus, Karin Ptaszek-Kochis defeated Lee Whitwell to win women’s singles gold, while Angela Simon and Lee Whitwell teamed up for women’s doubles gold.
Additional Details
All pro winners are shown below, with full tournament results available here. The APP Tour returns to action October 9-13 for 2024 APP Dallas Open, held at the venerable Oasis Pickleball Club in Rockwall, Texas.
More information about upcoming APP events—including APP Tour dates, player registration and ticket information—is available on theapp.global. Pickleball enthusiasts can also stay in the know by following the APP on Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok, Threads and LinkedIn.
Full results can be found here.
