The Houston PPA Challenger featured a major change: narrower court dimensions for singles. The new dimensions, which include a three-foot reduction in court width, are being tested to encourage longer rallies and make it harder for players to hit passing shots. However, this adjustment didn’t seem to bother the Selkirk Sparta Pros, Anouar Braham and Charlie Treviño, who captured gold in singles and medaled in doubles, respectively.
Braham sweeps men’s divisions in Houston
Anouar Braham has been a dominant force on the PPA Challenger circuit. This past weekend, he demonstrated why he is one of the Challenger’s top performers, winning gold in both men’s singles and men’s doubles in a highly competitive field. Braham teamed up with Bruno Faletto to defeat emerging talents Connor Mogle and Christopher Crouch, as well as seasoned PPA players Carlos Di Laura and Martin Emmrich. Despite several tough matchups, Braham and Faletto did not drop a match on their way to the title.
In singles, Braham dropped only one game to runner-up and fellow Selkirk pro Luca Mack. Braham ultimately took the finals match against Mack, 11-7, 8-11, 11-9. In a field of 64 players, Braham won six highly competitive matches, including two against Selkirk Combine attendees Daniel Traxler and Miles Hoover to come out on top.
Treviño earns gold, bronze in Challenger debut
Charlie Treviño made her PPA Challenger debut this past week and quickly made her presence known, earning a gold medal in women’s singles and a bronze in women’s doubles. Treviño had a tough path to gold, defeating rising PPA talents Jada Bui and Ava Cavataio in straight games, as well as the hard-hitting Zoey Weil in a close three-game match.
In women’s doubles, Treviño paired with Allie Reichert. The duo defeated seasoned veterans Lindsey Newman and Tammy Emmrich, 11-0, 11-3, and Paula Rives and Christa Gecheva, 15-8. Losing to just two teams, Treviño secured her first PPA Challenger bronze medal.
