Shimabukuro earns first PPA North America men’s doubles main draw win
14-year-old Tama Shimabukuro has been on the rise since his performance overseas at the PPA Fukuoka a few months ago. This week, Shimabukuro teams up with 16-year-old Andre Mercado in men’s doubles for a first-time partnership. What initially seemed like a potential David-and-Goliath matchup turned into a breakthrough win, as Shimabukuro and Mercado defeated rising singles star Chris Haworth and India’s No. 1 player, Armaan Bhatia, in two games on Championship Court.
Shimabukuro and Mercado’s steadiness at the kitchen and quick hands often gave them the edge over the more experienced Haworth and Bhatia. Shimabukuro, in particular, capitalized on several inconsistent or sharply angled dinks, hitting two ATPs during the match, including one on the final point to seal the victory.
Walking away with an 11-9, 11-1 win, No. 39 Shimabukuro and Mercado will face a bigger challenge in No. 7 seeds Eric Oncins and Matt Wright tonight.
Selkirk Combine’s Lenhard shines in doubles
Rafa Lenhard is known to string together some impressive victories in tournaments, but typically in singles. Last week at the Rock City Rally Challenger PPA tournament, Lenhard was dominant, winning a gold medal in singles and then a gold medal in men’s doubles with partner Troy Akin. This week, the duo stays together to see if they can repeat their successes.
In the round of 64, No. 42 seeds Lenhard and Akin faced their first test against No. 21 Eric Roddy and Jack Sock. After Roddy and Sock took the first game swiftly with an 11-2 scoreline, they appeared poised to close out the match with an 8-1 lead in game two. Lenhard and Akin locked in after the huge deficit, remaining consistent with their shots and allowing their opponents to make the errors. They eventually were able to tie it at 10-10, before taking game two 12-10. Game three was closer out of the gate, but Lenhard/Akin proved to be too strong, taking the third game 11-9.
Lenhard/Akin now move on to the round of 32, where they will the Utah Black Diamonds team of No. 11 Tyler Loong and Connor Garnett.
New & rekindled partnerships succeed in round of 64 tests
Catherine Parenteau is testing a new mixed doubles partnership with rising pro Eric Oncins, while Rachel Rohrabacher is playing her second tournament with Andrei Daescu.
Parenteau and Oncins looked solid in their debut, needing just under 22 minutes to dismantle Paula Rives and Chuck Taylor, 11-1, 11-6. They came out hot in game one with a 7-0 lead, then secured game two with steady, incremental point gains on each side out. The duo now faces the seasoned partnership of No. 24 seeds Maggie Brascia and Julian Arnold.
The last time we saw Rohrabacher and Daescu team up was back in 2023 at the Tournament of Champions. Rohrabacher was just getting started in pro pickleball, but the duo found early success, even defeating Anna Bright and James Ignatowich in two games. Rohrabacher and Daescu showed their dominance in their Vegas debut, earning a pickle in under eight minutes. Game two began with another quick 7-0 lead before they closed out the match 11-5. They’ll next face No. 28 seeds Mary Brascia and Blaine Hovenier for a spot in the round of 16.
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