A Loaded Field and the Pro Debut of John Isner Highlight PPA Texas Open

The PPA Texas Open will take place this weekend at the Oasis Pickleball Club in Rockwall, Texas. Qualifying rounds begin on Tuesday, May 28th, while the Main Draw begins on Thursday. The venue has 42 outdoor courts, 8 indoor courts, and 2 championship-style courts. 

This is an open-level tournament, meaning each winner will earn 1,000 PPA Points toward their player standings. 

Notable players not playing in the Texas Open

• Rachel Rohrabacher
• Jack Sock
• Riley Newman

How to Watch the CIBC PPA Texas Open

*All times are EST

• Thursday, May 30 - Singles 
  • 12-8pm - Humana Championship Court - PickleballTV
  • 12-6pm - Grandstand Court - PPA YouTube 
• Friday, May 31 - Mixed Doubles
  • 12-8pm - Humana Championship Court - PickleballTV
  • 12-6pm - Grandstand Court - PPA YouTube 
• Saturday, June 1 - Gender Doubles
  • 12-8pm - Humana Championship Court - PickleballTV
  • 2-4pm - Humana Championship Court - FS1
  • 12-6pm - Grandstand Court - PPA YouTube 
• Sunday, June 2 - Championship Sunday
  • 12-2:30pm - Humana Championship Court - PickleballTV
  • 2:30pm-4:30pm - Humana Championship Court - FOX
  • 4:30pm-6pm - Humana Championship Court - PickleballTV
  • 11am-3pm - Grandstand Court - Bronze Medal Matches - PPA YouTube

Weather forecast

It looks like the PPA will have a lot of weather to deal with over the four days. Rockwall is an eastern suburb of Dallas, and the PPA may need to secure more indoor facilities to ensure the event goes as planned.

Draws and Predictions

Women’s Singles

Bracket Courtesy of the PPA Tour

Storylines to follow

• Mary Brascia and Parris Todd aren’t playing singles in Texas, moving everyone else up a seed or two - they are both playing women’s doubles and mixed doubles.
• Anna Leigh Waters hasn’t lost a singles match in 2024 – coming off the really long week and a half in Atlanta, does she have enough in the tank to get another win?

• PPA Atlanta Slam was the first time Catherine Parenteau didn’t make the podium in singles, losing to Parris Todd. She has two silver medals and a bronze in 2024 – look for her to bounce back in a big way in Texas.

Players to watch

• Samantha Parker (No. 15 seed) – The last time Parker played singles was at PPA Houston, where she earned a silver medal. She lost handily in the finals to Lea Jansen (3rd) but could exact some revenge in the Round of 16 if they both make it that far.

• Kate Fahey (No. 36 seed) – The newest MLP Premier Level player hasn’t played many singles events on the PPA Tour. She handled herself well in MLP Atlanta, winning 69 percent of her singles points in Dreambreakers. The problem for Fahey is after her first-round match, she faces Kaitlyn Christian (8th), her doubles partner at PPA Atlanta.

Predictions

• Semifinalists: Straight Chalk – Anna Leigh Waters (No. 1 seed), Catherine Parenteau (No. 2 seed), Lea Jansen (No. 3 seed), Salome Devidze (No. 4 seed)
• Finals: Anna Leigh beats Lea Jansen for her sixth win on tour this year

Men’s Singles

Bracket Courtesy of the PPA Tour

Storylines to follow

• After beating Federico Staksrud at PPA Atlanta, Ben Johns regained his No. 1 seed.
• Tyson McGuffin is still looking for his first medal in 2024 in singles. He earned fourth in PPA Atlanta but has a really tough draw in Texas.
• James Ignatowich doesn’t usually play singles but is competing in Texas. I assume this is to help him stay prepared for MLP Dreambreakers. He did just fine at MLP Atlanta, winning 70 percent of his singles points.

Players to Watch

• Michael Loyd (No. 31 seed) – He's due for a deep run in singles with a potential second-round matchup against Connor Garnett (No. 3 seed). Last time we saw Garnett he was dealing with some serving yips, ultimately forcing him to just loft his serve in the last couple of weeks. Loyd could make a deep run in Texas. 

• Yates Johnson (No. 26 seed) – He hasn’t finished outside the Round of 16 yet this year but had been splitting time on both tours (APP and PPA) up until two months ago. He has a ridiculously hard draw and will need to beat Ivan Jakovljevic (No. 38 seed) and Jaume Martinez Vich (No. 6 seed) just to make it to the Round of 16.

Predictions

• Upset Predictions
  • Collin Shick (No. 13 seed)  beats Ben Johns (No. 1 seed) in the Round of 16
  • Jaume Martinez Vich (No. 6 seed)  beats Federico Staksrud (No. 2 seed) in the quarterfinals, marking the first time this year that Fed doesn’t make a podium.
• Semifinalists: Christian Alshon (No. 5 seed), Hayden Patriquin (No. 14 seed), Jaume Martinez Vich (No. 6 seed), and Quang Duong (No. 8 seed)
• Finals: Christian Alshon beats Jaume Martinez Vich for his first PPA Gold in singles

Mixed Doubles

Bracket Courtesy of the PPA Tour

Storylines to follow

• Collin Johns and Andrea Koop could face off against Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters – it is always fun to watch the brothers face each other.
• In some sort of weird scheduling issue, James Ignatowich is not playing with his girlfriend, Anna Bright, in Mixed Doubles. Instead, Bright is playing with Tyson McGuffin as the No. 3 seed.
• No. 6 seed Etta Wright and Christian Alshon are also teammates on the Texas Ranchers. This duo could really make some noise, possibly facing Ben and Anna Leigh in the quarterfinals.

Partnerships to watch

• Will Howells and Alix Truong (No, 30 seed) – This is a new partnership and they bring a ton of firepower. Their seed and draw are unfortunate, having to face Kaitlyn Christian and Martin Emmrich before possibly facing Lucy Kovalova and Matt Wright. 
• Tyler Loong and Catherine Parenteau (No. 13 seed) – Parenteau is very good on the left and Loong has been playing well lately. They will potentially play Thomas Wilson and Viv David in the Round of 16.

Predictions

• Semifinalists: Ben Johns/Anna Leigh Waters (No. 1 seed), Tina Pisnik/Dekel Bar (No. 5 seed), Thomas Wilson/Vivienne David (No. 2 seed), and JW Johnson/Jorja Johnson (No. 4 seed).
• Finals: Ben and Anna Leigh beat Wilson and David in four games

Women’s Doubles

Bracket Courtesy of the PPA Tour

Storylines to follow

• With no Rachel Rohrabacher, Anna Bright is playing with her St. Louis Shock teammate, Kate Fahey, as the No. 4 seed.
• Callie Smith and Lucy Kovalova are back playing together in Texas. They are the No. 3 seed.
• Lacy Schneemann and Kaitlyn Christian (No. 9 seed) are teammates on the AZ Drive. Additionally, Parris Todd and Vivienne David (No. 6 seed) are teammates on the Orlando Squeeze, and are partnered up in Texas.

Partnerships to Watch

• Trang Huynh-McClain and Cass Hoag (No. 19 seed) could pose some problems in the first round against the Brascia sisters. Hoag is coming off a 26th-place finish at PPA Atlanta, and Trang was able to finish in ninth at the same event.
• No. 15 seed Milan Rane and Bobbi Oshiro are a very good team to watch. They play and train together in South Florida all the time. The problem facing them is Anna Bright and Kate Fahey in the second round.

Predictions

• Semifinalists: Anna Leigh Waters/Catherine Parenteau (No. 1 seed), Anna Bright/Kate Fahey (No. 4 seed), Lea Jansen/Alix Truong (No. 10 seed), and Jorja Johnson/Hurricane Tyra Black (No. 8 seed)
• Finals: Anna Leigh Waters and Catherine Parenteau beat Lea Jansen and Alix Truong

Men’s Doubles

Bracket Courtesy of the PPA Tour

Storylines to follow

• Two tournaments in a row without a men’s doubles medal for Ben and Collin Johns. Can they get back to their winning ways in Texas?
• James Ignatowich and Federico Staksrud (No. 3 seed) are a very interesting pairing. Federico is very used to playing the left, so I assume they will play James on the right.
• Tyson McGuffin and Jaume Martinez Vich (No. 5 seed) are playing together for the first time since PPA LA, where they got a silver medal. Can they find the magic again?

Partnerships to Watch

• John Isner and Wyatt Stone (No. 19 seed) are paired up and will have to face a qualifier before Spencer Smith and Chuck Taylor. The former No. 8 ranked tennis player in the world (Isner) has been playing a little pickleball after retiring from tennis last year. We will see what level he is at in Texas.
• John Cincola and Stefan Auvergne (No. 32 seed) are teammates on the Frisco Pandas and paired up at a PPA event. If they can beat the Arizonans – Rio Newcombe and Eduardo Santini – they will face Dekel Bar and Matt Wright.

Predictions

• Semifinalists: Ben and Collin Johns (No. 1 seed), Matt Wright/Dekel Bar (No. 4 seed), Dylan Frazier/JW Johnson (No. 2 seed), and Jaume Martinez Vich/Tyson McGuffin (No. 5 seed)
• Finals: Ben and Collin beat JW and Dylan in the finals