STORYLINES FOR THE VIZZY HARD SELTZER ATLANTA OPEN PRESENTED BY ACRYTECH SPORTS SURFACES 

OVERALL TOP 5:

• FIELD OF DREAMS: Everyone is back with a full field fighting for a major title.
• A TON OF POINTS: 2,000 points go to the winner, the most available just 4 times per year.
• A PERFECT 10: Can Federico Staksrud make his 10^th straight singles final in 2024? 
• MLP IMPACT: Some players excelled, others floundered, at MLP – what’s the PPA impact?
• LET’S SEE HOW WE PROGRESS: One round of each discipline will be played each day, leading to Quarters Friday, Semis Saturday, Championship Sunday. 

VENUE/TOURNEY/TV:

• Event #10 of the year – one of 4 major titles and the second of ’24 – Masters was the 1st.
• Big pickleball week at Life Time Peachtree Corners with PPA and MLP back to back. 
• Broadcast start times are 11am Eastern Wednesday through Sunday.  
• Coverage on PickleballTV (Prime Video, Roku Channel 229, Samsung TV Plus 1184, and many more).
• Championship Sunday coverage includes a 2-hour block on FS1 from 2pm to 4pm Eastern.  

WOMEN’S SINGLES:

• Defending medalists: Waters, Mary Brascia, bronze not played
• Anna Leigh Waters is back, looking for her 5^th title. She has not lost in singles in 2024.  
• 2024 winners throughout the draw: Mary Brascia (3), Jansen (4), Castillo (5), Devidze (7), Buckner (8).
• Bouchard (22) returns to try to make another run in singles. 
• WATCH OUT FOR: Catherine Parenteau (2) – will she secure her first gold of 2024? 

MEN’S SINGLES:

• Defending medalists: JW Johnson, Garnett, Kusmider
• Ben Johns (2) is not the #1 seed for the first time in a PPA singles event he is participating in. 
• JW Johnson (6), the defending champion, is looking for his first singles medal in ’24. 
• Jack Sock (10) made his first PPA singles final in Red Rock – can he take the last step in the ATL? 
• WATCH OUT FOR: Federico Staksrud (1) is him – can he make 10 straight Sundays and put a stranglehold on the #1 ranking with a championship?

MIXED DOUBLES:

• Defending medalists: Waters/Johns, Todd/Newman, Parenteau/McGuffin
• AL Waters and Ben Johns are the top seed, back together, looking for crown # 5 on the season (#7 in mixed for Ben who won 2 titles with Etta Wright in April). 
• DEEEEEEEEEEP field, check out these seeds: Black/Frazier (11), Dizon/Daescu (13), Wright/Loong (14), Smith/Devilliers (15).
• WATCH OUT FOR: Sock/Parenteau (12) – have not hit the podium in 2024. Will this be the week they reach their full potential?

WOMEN’S DOUBLES:

• Defending medalists: Bright/Waters, David/Johnson, Parenteau/Todd
• AL and CP (1) are back, with a single loss on the docket in ’24, looking for title #5 on the campaign.
• Bright and Rohrabacher (2) have played brilliantly in ’24, with 4 titles of their own and a victory over Waters and Parenteau. 
• Jorja Johnson and Mari Humberg are a very dangerous 12 seed. 
• WATCH OUT FOR: Lucy Kovalova and Parris Todd (6) – fun new pairing, but could face AL/CP in the quarterfinals. 

MEN’S DOUBLES:

• Defending medalists: Johns/Johns, Newman/Wright, Frazier/Johnson
• Break up, Part 1: Staksrud is paired with Wright as the 3 seed, as in not with Pablo. 
• Break up, Part 2: Tellez is paired with Ignatowich as the 4 seed, as in not with Federico.
• Break up, Part 3: Tellez beat Staksrud in men’s doubles on Sunday at MLP (Ranchers vs. Squeeze). 
• WATCH OUT FOR: Giant killers Daescu and Tardio (8) could play the Johns brothers in the quarters (who they pickled in St. George and are 2-0 against in 2024).