Will Howells recorded the 14th triple crown in Association of Pickleball Players (APP) history in front of a capacity crowd and national television audience to highlight the 2025 APP Fort Lauderdale Open. The world’s first and world’s best pickleball tour returned to its global headquarters, The Fort, for five days of nonstop pickleball action hosting players of all ages and skill levels at its state-of-the-art facility.
Will Howells, from nearby Boca Raton, Fla., won three gold medals to become the 10th player and fifth man in APP Tour history to accomplish the triple crown feat. Howells’ historic day marked the first triple crown by a men’s player since August 2022, and the APP Tour’s first overall since March 2024.
Pei Chuan Kao, a top-ranked pickleball player from Taiwan, capped an impressive APP Tour debut with the women’s pro singles gold medal, the first of her career. Howells took home golds in men’s pro singles, men’s pro doubles with Jack Munro, and in mixed pro doubles alongside Bobbi Oshiro. Emily Cederquist and Yana Newell won their first women’s pro doubles title as a team in 2025 to round out the Sunday champions.
The 2025 APP Fort Lauderdale Open also showcased a large field of amateur players from across the country, the AARP Champions and AARP Masters Pro Divisions, and hosted the latest round of the 2025 season-long Humana Cup competition for pros 50 and over. Gold medalists from the event earned a USA Pickleball Golden Ticket and secured their rights to pre-register for the 2025 USA Pickleball National Championships.
Men’s Pro Singles
The championship action started with two electrifying men’s singles players, as Will Howells faced off against Grayson Goldin. Both players came out swinging in game one, but Howells pulled away, 15-13. Goldin responded swiftly and took game two, 15-12, to set up a deciding third game. Howells returned from the break in full force, taking game three, 15-5, to clinch his first men’s singles gold medal of 2025.
“I was swinging through my shots, trusting my swings, and making sure I was confident and getting my feet to the ball,” Howells said, following his win.
Chris Haworth took home the men’s pro singles bronze medal in Fort Lauderdale.
Women’s Pro Singles
Two-time women’s singles defending champion Sofia Sewing returned to Championship Sunday against Pei Chuan Kao, making her first finals appearance. Kao continued her meteoric rise throughout the tournament in game one, winning 15-11. Sewing dug deep and kept it close throughout game two, but Kao ultimately pulled away, 17-15, to secure her first career APP Tour gold medal.
“I’m very happy to be here,” Kao said. “Being here for the first time, I told myself ‘Just learn everything’, because the players here are incredible. I’m very happy to get a gold.”
Judit Castillo earned the women’s pro singles bronze medal, her second of 2025.
Men's Pro Doubles
Will Howells’ triple crown quest continued in the men’s pro doubles final, pairing up with 20-year-old phenom Jack Munro against Key West’s Will Sobek, and Eduardo Irizarry. Howells and Munro opened the 2025 season with three straight titles together and picked up right where they left off, as they won game one 11-0. Down 10-3 in game two, Irizarry and Sobek battled all the way back to tie the game at 10 points apiece, fending off nine match points along the way. It was anybody’s game from there, but the champs defended their crown, as Howells and Munro escaped, 13-11, for their fourth consecutive men’s doubles title.
“Simply playing our game,” Munro replied when asked how his confidence grew in the match. “I felt good with my drives, hit deeper serves, and was able to take advantage.”
“We knew what we were capable of with our game,” Howells added. “We got a little bit lax physically there, and had to bring up the energy up towards the end to finish it out.”
Mario Barrientos and Patrick Kawka took home the men’s pro doubles bronze medals.
Women’s Pro Doubles
Next up on championship court was a pair of dynamic women’s doubles teams, with Emily Cederquist and Yana Newell battling Amanda Hendry and Simone Jardim. Cederquist and Newell started strong and didn’t look back as they took game one, 11-6. Hendy and Jardim took an 8-7 lead in game two, but Cederquist and Newell found their momentum and completed the comeback, winning 12-10 for their first APP Tour gold medals as a duo in 2025.
“We knew we wanted to come out with a lot of energy,” Cederquist said following the win. “Our families were behind us. We knew we had a lot of support and it made us really excited to play this match.”
“In these conditions the key is to have good footwork,” Newell added. “We were staying on our toes, moving really well, and moving the ball around.”
Shelby Bates claimed her first APP Tour medal of 2025 alongside Sophia Sewing with bronze in women’s pro doubles.
Mixed Pro Doubles
The last leg standing in Howells’ triple crown pursuit was mixed pro doubles, as he and Bobbi Oshiro faced Megan Fudge and Jack Munro. Howells and Oshiro, the defending champions from the APP Sacramento Open, held strong throughout the match, winning 11-4 and 11-6 to secure the golds.
On the key to victory, Oshiro said, “It’s all about being comfortable with each other, both on and off the court. We bring a different vibe to the court, and we match each other. We trust each other on the court and that’s how we’re able to play well together and take this streak.”
“I trust [Bobbi] a lot,” Howells added. “She’s a great player. She’s super steady and super positive, and it’s always a blast playing with Bobbi.”
“Huge thank you to my family, my girlfriend, the APP, and the crowd here,” Howells continued. “It’s been an awesome, awesome event.”
Jill Braverman and Aidan Schenk earned the mixed pro doubles bronze medals in Fort Lauderdale.
AARP Champions and Masters Pro Action
In AARP Champions Division (50+) competition in Fort Lauderdale, Audra Spielberger was the big winner with two gold medals. Jaime Oncins and Marcello Jardim earned men’s doubles gold, Karin Ptaszek-Kochis earned another women’s singles title and Youssef Bouzidi took home the men’s singles title.
In AARP Masters Division (60+) action, Beth Bellamy and David Spearman took home two gold medals apiece, and Sue Johnston won the women’s singles title.
Humana Cup Competition
The Fort played host to week two of the 2025 Humana Cup, a season-long team competition for pros aged 50 and older. Full Humana Cup standings and results can be found at theapp.global.
Additional Details
Full tournament results are available here. Highlights from an epic 2025 APP Fort Lauderdale Open will air nationwide on ESPN2 on Monday, Apr. 7 from 8-10 pm ET.
The APP Tour returns to action May 7-11 for the 2025 APP Vlasic Classic in Cincinnati, hosted on the city's iconic riverfront. 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.
