The biggest pickleball tournament of the season, the PPA World Championships, kicks off tomorrow in Texas, and Team Selkirk is ready to make its mark.
Acevedo on the hunt for gold
In his short time on tour, Nico Acevedo has already delivered some of the biggest results and upsets. Acevedo will once again team up with Jaume Martinez-Vich in hopes of repeating their success at the Chicago Cup. The duo earned a silver medal together, taking down Tama Shimabukuro/JW Johnson, Len Yang/Dylan Frazier, and Eric Oncins/CJ Klinger along the way. This time, they're on the hunt for gold and Acevedo's first men's doubles title.
In mixed doubles, Acevedo will form a new partnership with Sofia Sewing. Both players enter the tournament with credentials that exceed what their No. 43 seed might suggest. Acevedo and Sewing will face Eunggwon Kim and Xiao Yi Wang-Beckvall in their opening match.
Kunimoto looks to build on doubles success
Eighteen-year-old Kiora Kunimoto has been making waves in doubles over the past few tournaments, and she'll reunite with talented 19-year-old lefty Elliott Schupp for mixed doubles.
Kunimoto and Schupp made a deep run at the Las Vegas Cup, taking down Meghan Dizon/John Lucian Goins and Kaitlyn Christian/Connor Garnett before falling to Anna Leigh Waters and Ben Johns. With Kunimoto's consistency and Schupp's fast hands and explosive movement, the duo is sure to be one to watch at this tournament.
Kunimoto has always been a strong contender in singles, but she's been on a roll recently, highlighted by a big win over Kate Fahey in Las Vegas. Kunimoto enters the tournament as the No. 6 seed and finds herself on the same side of the draw as Jorja Johnson and Kaitlyn Christian.
Sparta Pros on the rise
Selkirk Sparta Pros have been pulling off some big upsets in recent tournaments and will look to disrupt the draw once again in Texas.
Estee Widdershoven has notched several recent singles wins over Sofia Sewing, Genie Bouchard, and Mari Humberg, and she'll look to carry that momentum into the World Championships this week. In mixed doubles, Widdershoven will pair up with Yuta Funemizu, in a first-time partnership.
Sparta Pro Chloe Diskin and partner Anne-Sophie Corteau battled through qualifiers today to secure the top finish and earn a spot in tomorrow's main draw. The duo will also compete on Friday, November 6, in the PPA Showdown for a chance to earn a PPA contract.
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