The weather wasn't the only bit of perfection at the The OWL APP Newport Beach Open - the drama, upsets, and storylines were plentiful in the APP's first of two trips to Southern California this year. With the temps in the mid to high 70s, the ocean breeze and a slight cloud cover for most of the week, the largest pickleball tournament outside the US Open and USA Pickleball National Championships was primed perfectly for its nearly 1800 players. And, like fireworks on the Fourth of July, the social media chatter was going OFF.
Red, Might and Blue: When the APP Tour happens to coincide with a national holiday, you let freedom ring!
Match Math: The APP recorded a whopping 1,071 matches on Friday alone - for the biggest tournament ever outside the USAP Nationals and the US Open, who would expect anything less? But...whose job was it to call the Guiness Book of World Records?
It's Not Whether You Win Or Lose: Making the podium is great at a tournament, but let's be honest, nobody is playing pickleball for the medals. The friendships and experiences at an APP Tour event is second to none and we'll never get tired of hearing about it!
Giving Back: The APP collaborated with locally-based The Sasha Project to raise money for Children's Hospital of Los Angeles. Sixteen-year-old Sasha lives with Cerebral Palsy Right Hemiplegia and plays pickleball on her school's team. Her hand-painted denim jackets raise money for Art Therapy at CHLA and this unique piece from Sasha, in honor of the APP, is no different.
Raw and Real: APP pro Ryler DeHeart has been stepping up his social media game lately and he took to Instagram to give a thoroughly honest take about pickleball and life. Wise words from one of the most respected veterans of the APP Tour.
New Places, New Partners: There are plenty of surprises in pickleball and sometimes partners are one of them. We are happy to be bringing people together here at the APP Tour!
We 🫶 ESPN: Not only was ESPN the home of all the live coverage of The OWL APP Newport Beach Open, but Allison Harris got some love for this slick Around the Post, coming in at number 3 on SportsCenter's Top 10!
Start 'Em Young: APP pro Andre Mick made quite the impression when he visited an LA-area firehouse to film video content while in town. When the firefighters showed up to The OWL APP Newport Beach Open, they did so with this little guy in tow. Future pickleballer indeed!
Come For the Pickleball: Come for the pickleball, stay for literally everything else. There's nothing better than Newport Beach, California over July 4th weekend and hopefully players took advantage and enjoyed the entire experience. This one did!
Purple Reign: Erik Lange and Purple Jesus Manthou took their first men's pro doubles title of the year, much to the pleasure of their purple-wearing fans in attendance. This match-winning rally and the cheer from the crowd is just another testament to the level and intensity of pickleball and the fans on the APP Tour!
Hometown Hero: SoCal native Emily Cederquist had herself quite the weekend with her family in attendance to cheer her on. Cederquist won her first singles medal of the year when she took bronze on Thursday. She followed that up with a thrilling gold medal performance on Saturday as she and her partner, Yana Newell defeated heavy favorites Megan Fudge and Jill Braverman, in an intense women's pro doubles final. Hugging your friends and family on court at the end? Priceless.
Four Fingers: In December of 2023, Chris Haworth had a New Year's resolution to win a gold medal. Seven tournaments into the year he has four - count them, four - gold medals in men's pro singles. Break out those digits and count 'em up!
Save the Best for Last: The last two gold medal matches both featured Megan Fudge, and she made them count. She and Jack Munro each won their first ever mixed pro doubles golds when they beat Bobbi Oshiro and Will Howells, the reigning champs from New York, and Fudge followed that up with an epic, teeth-clenching battle with Kate Fahey that could quite possibly have been the best APP match ever. After winning the first game 22-20, Fudge dropped game two to Fahey, 12-15, but after calling a medical timeout for tightness in her quad, Fudge pulled off the game three win, 19-17 to earn her sixth gold of the year, which leads all current APP pros. Counting the number of game and match points in that one would definitely require fingers AND toes.
Whew! We're going to need some time to recover from that one! That's all from Newport Beach, California, and after a short break, we'll see everyone again from Chicago, home of the APP!
*Coming to a future APP Tour stop? Tag us in your social posts @officialAPPTour and you could be featured in a future Social Roundup!
