November 13, 2022/USA Pickleball National Championships

2022 Margaritaville USA Pickleball National Championships: Daily Updates

Final Sunday Notebook & Recap

BY MELISSA ZHANG 11/13/2022

Top 10 Moments from the 2022 Margaritaville USA Pickleball National Championships:

Today marked the final day of competition for the 2022 Margaritaville USA Pickleball National Championships! This year’s event welcomed 2,291 players in total including both Pros and amateurs, 4,158 total matches, 102 USA Pickleball certified referees, 176 brackets and 3,350 hours of service from 303 volunteers. Additionally, this year’s competition marked the first National Championships in which every single match was overseen by a certified referee. Spectators were out in full force over the last 9 days to watch some of the best pickleball competition in the world. Let’s look back at the top 10 moments from the 2022 National Championships:

1.) TRIPLE CROWN WINNER: 15-year-old Anna Leigh Waters is your 2022 National Championship triple crown winner! Waters ousted Lea Jansen in Women’s Singles on Sunday morning, followed it up with an extraordinary five-game Women’s Doubles win with Catherine Parenteau against Jessie Irvine and Anna Bright in the afternoon, and finished it off with a three-game Mixed Doubles win with Riley Newman in the evening.

2.) BROTHER BOND: Ben Johns and Collin Johns teamed up to win the Men’s Doubles title on Sunday, besting JW Johnson and Dekel Bar in the championship match. The Johns brothers, having advanced through the losers’ bracket, won three games against Johnson and Bar before having to play one game to 15 in order to claim gold. Ben Johns also won gold in Men’s Singles and silver in Mixed Doubles to take home three medals from the week.

3.) HALL OF FAME: The four Pickleball Hall of Fame inductees from the Class of 2022 were honored on Saturday at Championship Court following Thursday’s Hall of Fame Induction Banquet/Dinner at the Indian Wells Country Club. The inductees are Norm Davis, Pat Kane, Larry Moon, and Wesley Gabrielsen. Congratulations to all four on their induction into the Pickleball Hall of Fame!

4.) NEW ATTENDANCE RECORD FOR THE SPORT: Center Court at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden hosted 5,522 fans at the peak of Championship Sunday, the LARGEST-EVER crowd of pickleball spectators!

5.) RISING STAR: 10-year-old Leo Chun from American Fork, UT won gold in the Men’s Singles 3.0 19+ bracket on Thursday. Leo, who is sponsored by Franklin, also played with his father Cedric in Mens’ Doubles 3.5 19+ and Mixed Doubles 3.0 19+ with Nancy Cook. We look forward to hopefully seeing much more of Leo in the years to come!

6.) DEFENDING CHAMPS: Senior Pros Dayne Gingrich and Jennifer Dawson successfully defended their titles and brought home three medals each from Palm Springs. Dawson defended her titles in Women’s Senior Pro Singles and Women’s Senior Pro Doubles with partner Cammy MacGregor. Gingrich defended his Men’s Senior Pro Doubles title with Dave Weinbach, won Men’s Split Pro Age with Dekel Bar after battling against Mircea Morariu and James Ignatowich in the gold medal match, and earned the silver in Senior Pro Mixed Doubles with Dawson.

7.) NEW EVENT: A new and exciting doubles event was successfully introduced to the competition roster this year: Mixed Pro Split/Age! Anna Bright and Dave Weinbach claimed the first-ever title in this bracket, earning a resounding 11-5, 11-4 win against Eva Welsher and Rafa Hewett in the gold medal match. Bright, a former collegiate tennis player at the University of California (UC) Berkeley, complemented Weinbach’s aggressive style of play perfectly as the two didn’t drop a single game on their way to the podium.

8.) LEGENDS TEAMING UP: NBA Hall of Famer Rick Barry found another Hall of Fame inductee to play in this year’s National Championship with: Pickleball Hall of Famer Mark “Yoda” Friedenberg. The two joined forces on Sunday to earn the Senior Men’s Doubles 75+ gold medal. Barry has continued his time at Indian Wells, having won gold in Senior Men’s Doubles 65+ at the 2021 National Championships as well.

9.) NEVER GIVING UP: Catherine Parenteau made an incredible shot on her way to winning gold in the Women’s Doubles bracket on Sunday with partner Anna Leigh Waters. Parenteau tripped and fell during play, returning a shot during the rally from the ground, and eventually won the point with Waters. The pair played in an exhilarating five-game match against Jessie Irvine and Anna Bright that saw Parenteau and Waters making a monumental comeback after dropping the first two games.

10.) VETERANS DAY: In honor of Veterans Day, Indian Wells saw a number of events at Nationals honoring our veterans. Army veteran of 32 years and certified pickleball referee Tom Richardson was handing out stars to veterans from the USA Pickleball tent. The Palm Desert High School choir came out to sing the National Anthem on Championship court, while spectators enjoyed a flyover of two P-51 Mustangs, courtesy of the Palm Springs Air Museum. Franklin also honored Veterans Day by giving away free American flag-designed pickleball paddles to 100 veterans.

Saturday Notebook

BY MELISSA ZHANG 11/12/2022

Eight Moments from Day Eight of the 2022 Margaritaville USA Pickleball National Championships:

Women’s and Men’s Doubles duked it out today on the Pro side, with an incredible amount of action. The duos of Anna Leigh Waters / Catherine Parenteau and Jessie Irvine / Anna Bright will face off in the gold medal match tomorrow. Waters will be looking to defend her title, which she won last year with mother Leigh Waters, while Parenteau earned bronze with Irvine last year.
Parris Todd and Lauren Stratman took home third place after falling to Irvine and Bright 11-5, 11-8 in the bronze medal match.
On the men’s side, the duos of Dekel Bar / JW Johnson and Ben Johns / Collin Johns will face off tomorrow for the gold. In a thrilling bronze medal match, the Johns bested Riley Newman and Matt Wright in a three-game match, 11-9,6-11,11-8. Newman and Wright took home the bronze, with Newman having won gold last year with Tyson McGuffin.
The four Pickleball Hall of Fame inductees from the Class of 2022 were honored today at Championship Court following Thursday’s Hall of Fame Induction Banquet/Dinner. The inductees are Norm Davis, Pat Kane, Larry Moon, and Wesley Gabrielsen. Congratulations to all four on their induction into the Pickleball Hall of Fame!
Today’s amateur competition featured Junior Mixed Doubles, Junior Boys Doubles, Men’s Doubles 19+, 35+, and Women’s Doubles 50+, 55+, 60+. In the Mens’ Doubles bracket, two father-son duos taking on the competition together were 10-year-old Dylan and Albert Galarza and 11-year-old Leo and Cedric Chun. The gold medalists from today’s amateur action included Andy Lum and Danny Lum, Daniel Roditi and Ky the Cowboy McMakin, Chase Carman and Bobby Carlsen, Barbara Dunne and Annie Feller, and Berta Russo and Pamela Cooke.
The Pickleball Legacy Scholarship Foundation gave out junior scholarships to four recipients on Championship Court today. The recipients were Jaden and Karina Lam, Kale Klein, and Chloe Igleski, and each of the scholarships consisted of $750. The Foundation’s mission is to promote pickleball among youth players and specifically by rewarding qualifying youth players with scholarships to assist with the financial burdens associated with higher-education.
With it being Franklin day at the 2022 Margaritaville USA Pickleball National Championships, Franklin held a scavenger hunt and gave out prizes to those who finished the hunt first. The first clue was delivered via social media and attendees had to track down a few more clues in order to complete the scavenger hunt. Franklin also was giving away X-40 pickleballs on Championship Court, as well as other gear!
New Belgium Brewing hosted a Fruit Smash happy hour with Pro Irina Tereschenko this afternoon at the Margaritaville 5 o'clock Somewhere Bar. Guests were able to try all of the different Fruit Smash seltzer flavors, learn more about the product, get free giveaways, and hang out with Irina.

On Tap for Sunday, November 13th

The FINAL day of the 2022 Margaritaville USA Pickleball National Championships will feature FIVE gold medal matches that you won't want to miss: Women’s Pro Singles Gold, Men’s Pro Singles Gold, Women’s Pro Doubles Gold, Men’s Pro Doubles Gold, and Mixed Pro Doubles Gold.
On the amateur side, Men’s Skill/Age Doubles 50+, 55+, 60+, Mixed Skill/Age Doubles 19+, 35+, and Junior Boy’s Doubles will take center stage on the final day of action here at Indian Wells.

Where to Buy Event Tickets:

Don’t miss out on the premier event in all of pickleball! Get your tickets for Nationals here.

Where to Watch:

Visit the 2022 Live Cam here to watch a static live camera view of Championship Court beginning at 9:30 am.

How to Follow:

Everything related to the event, including daily updates, is posted here on the main event website. In addition, fans can get updates, photos, and videos from the following social media channels:

Friday Notebook

BY MELISSA ZHANG 11/11/2022

Seven Moments from Day Seven of the 2022 Margaritaville USA Pickleball National Championships:

30 teams battled it out today in the Mixed Doubles competition. Top-seeded Anna-Leigh Waters and Riley Newman punched their ticket to Sunday’s gold medal match following an undefeated run to tonight’s finals. Newman, having won last year’s title with partner Lindsay Newman, will be looking for his second consecutive gold medal in Mixed Doubles.
No. 2 seed Catherine Parenteau and Ben Johns found themselves in the gold medal match as well, winning two tight matches against Dekel Bar and Jade Kawamoto (15-13) and Lucy Kovalova and Matt Wright (16-14) to put themselves in the bronze medal match. Johns, who will also be playing in the Men’s Singles gold medal match, sealed another title match appearance on Sunday.
Third-seeded Parris Todd and JW Johnson took home the bronze after upsetting No. 2 seed Catherine Parenteau and Ben Johns on Championship Court in an exhilarating two-game match to earn a spot in the winner’s bracket final. They ended up facing Parenteau and Johns again in the bronze medal match, conceding 12-10,11-7 to earn third.
Friday’s amateur competition welcomed Women's Doubles 19+, 35+ and Women’s Singles 50+, 55+, 60+, as well as Men's Singles 50+, 55+, 60+. Among the gold medalists crowned today were Lidu Purcell and Crystal Afutiti, Alex Chan and Dawnita LiaBraaten, Jib Chattrabhuti and Rachel Barrack, Lance Cowart, Glenn Erickson, and Lee Sponaugle
In honor of Veterans Day today, Army veteran of 32 years and certified pickleball referee Tom Richardson was handing out stars to veterans from the USA Pickleball tent. Richardson is also USA Pickleball’s District Ambassador for Central Georgia.
Spectators at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden enjoyed a flyover with two P-51 Mustangs this afternoon, courtesy of the Palm Springs Air Museum. The Palm Desert High School choir also came out to sing the National Anthem.
Franklin also honored Veterans Day today by giving away free American flag-designed pickleball paddles to the first 100 veterans.

On Tap for Saturday, November 12th

The penultimate day of the 2022 Margaritaville USA Pickleball National Championships welcomes Pro Women’s Doubles (Played Through Bronze) and Pro Men’s Doubles (Played Through Bronze) to Indian Wells Tennis Garden. A multitude of amateur action awaits spectators, with Junior Mixed Doubles, Junior Boys Doubles, Men’s Skill/Age Doubles 19+, 35+, and Women’s Skill/Age Doubles 50+, 55+, 60+ all taking place tomorrow as well. You won’t want to miss it!

Where to Buy Event Tickets:

Don’t miss out on the premier event in all of pickleball! Get your tickets for Nationals here.

Where to Watch:

Visit the 2022 Live Cam here to watch a static live camera view of Championship Court beginning at 9:30 am.

How to Follow:

Everything related to the event, including daily updates, is posted here on the main event website. In addition, fans can get updates, photos, and videos from the following social media channels:

Thursday Notebook

BY MELISSA ZHANG 11/10/2022

Six Moments from Day Six of the 2022 Margaritaville USA Pickleball National Championships:

1. Defending champion Anna-Leigh Waters, the youngest professional pickleball player in history, punched her Pro Women’s Singles ticket to Super Sunday! The 15-year-old prevailed against Lauren Stratman, Parris Todd, and Salome Devidze to earn a spot in the gold medal match on Sunday. #2 seed Ben Johns is through to the Pro Men’s Singles gold medal match after a 11-2, 11-4 win against defending champion Tyson McGuffin. Johns, who has pulled off the triple crown at a tournament on nine different occasions, took on Yates Johnson, Hunter Johnson, Julian Arnold, and McGuffin on his way to the championship match.
2. The Pickleball Hall of Fame Induction dinner/banquet took place tonight at the Indian Wells Country Club. Members of the pickleball community gathered to honor the four 2022 Inductees to the Pickleball Hall of Fame, who are: Norm Davis (Contributor Category), Pat Kane, Wesley Gabrielsen, and Larry Moon (Competitor Category).
3. USA Pickleball hosted an Ambassador Lunch, sponsored by Selkirk, for all of its ambassadors across the country. Around 100 attendees heard from Lance Cowart, USA Pickleball’s Managing Director of Field Operations, Stu Upson, USA Pickleball Chief Executive Officer, Robert Quicksilver, President of the USA Pickleball Board of Directors, and the Selkirk team.
4. Pro player Michelle Esquivel did a meet-and-greet today at noon with CRBN Pickleball at the Pickleball Central tent. At 1, Pro player Dekel Bar did a meet-and-greet with Engage Pickleball.
5. In honor of Paddletek Day today at Nationals, Pros Catherine Parenteau and Kyle Yates held autograph signing sessions at the Paddletek tent. Championship Court spectators were treated to some great Paddletek giveaways!
6. Amateur brackets saw competition amongst Mixed Skill/Age Doubles 50+, 55+, 60+ (4.5 and 5.0) and Men’s Skill/Age Singles 19+, 35+. 11-year-old Leo Chun, who is sponsored by Franklin, took home gold in the 3.0 19+ Men's Singles today! Congratulations Leo!!
On Tap for Friday, November 11th
- Our Pros return tomorrow for Mixed Doubles Pro (Played Through Bronze). A total of 30 duos will team up for their shot to win the title, which was claimed last year by Lindsay Newman and Riley Newman.
- There’s no shortage of amateur competition either tomorrow, with Women’s Skill/Age Doubles 19+, 35+, Women’s Skill/Age Singles 50+, 55+, 60+, and Men’s Skill/Age Single’s 50+, 55+, 60+!
- Check out the Demo Cage tomorrow for a number of different demos! From 9 am to 2 pm, a variety of sponsors will be on-site to provide paddles for Nationals spectators to test out. If you’re in the market to try out a new paddle, you don’t want to miss it!
Where to Buy Event Tickets:

Don’t miss out on the premier event in all of pickleball! Get your tickets for Nationals here.

Where to Watch:

Visit the 2022 Live Cam here to watch a static live camera view of Championship Court beginning at 9:30 am.

How to Follow:

Everything related to the event, including daily updates, is posted here on the main event website. In addition, fans can get updates, photos, and videos from the following social media channels:

Wednesday Notebook

BY MELISSA ZHANG 11/09/2022

The fifth day of the 2022 Margaritaville USA Pickleball National Championships welcomed in more Pros for an exciting day of doubles competition with the Women’s Split Pro Age and Men’s Split Pro Age brackets!

Anna Bright and Beth Bellamy teamed up to win each of their second gold medals at this year’s Nationals, with Bright earning her second gold in two straight nights after claiming a title yesterday with partner Dave Weinbach.

Bright and Bellamy, sporting matching outfits as a Women’s Split Pro Age duo, came out on top against Eva Welsher and Callie Smith in an intense three-game match (9-11,11-2,11-9) on Championship Court.

With Welsher and Smith securing silver, Kim Jagd, a Coachella Valley native and former beach and indoor volleyball standout, and Megan Fudge took home bronze as they played well after rebounding from one loss to Bright and Bellamy.

On the Men’s Split Pro Age side, Dayne Gingrich and Dekel Bar battled against Mircea Morariu and James Ignatowich in the gold medal match after Morariu and Ignatowich prevailed against Weinbach and Wesley Gabrielsen, an 11-time national champion who will be inducted into the Pickleball Hall of Fame this week in Palm Springs.

Gingrich and Bar took home the title with an 11-7, 11-7 win against Morariu and Ignatowich. This is Gingrich's third medal, having won gold in Senior Pro Men's Doubles with Weinbach and silver in Senior Pro Mixed Doubles with Jennifer Dawson.

The amateur competition was hot today with a diverse range of players competing in Women’s Skill/Age Singles 19+, 35+ and Mixed Skill/Age Doubles 50+, 55+. 60+ (4.0).

On Tap for: Thursday, November 10th

The top Pros are in full force tomorrow, with Men’s Singles Pro (Played Through Bronze) and Women’s Singles Pro (Played Through Bronze) in action for Day 6.
On the amateur side, Nationals will welcome Mixed Skill/Age Doubles 50+, 55+, 60+ (4.5 and 5.0) and Men’s Skill/Age Singles 19+, 35+.

Where to Buy Event Tickets:

Don’t miss out on the premier event in all of pickleball! Get your tickets for Nationals here.

Where to Watch:

Visit the 2022 Live Cam here to watch a static live camera view of Championship Court beginning at 9:30 am.

How to Follow:

Everything related to the event, including daily updates, is posted here on the main event website. In addition, fans can get updates, photos, and videos from the following social media channels:

Tuesday Notebook

BY MELISSA ZHANG 11/08/2022

Day 4 at the 2022 Margaritaville USA Pickleball National Championships saw some light rain over Indian Wells Tennis Garden, but cleared up with plenty of time to successfully introduce a new and exciting doubles event to the competition roster: Mixed Pro Split/Age!

There were a total of 14 teams in the inaugural competition, with each duo featuring 1 Pro over 50 and 1 Pro under 50.

Anna Bright and Dave Weinbach faced Eva Welsher and Rafa Hewett in the gold medal match, with Bright and Weinbach earning a resounding 11-5, 11-4 win to claim the first-ever title in this bracket. Bright, a former collegiate tennis player at the University of California (UC) Berkeley, complemented Weinbach’s aggressive style of play perfectly as the two didn’t drop a single game on their way to the podium.

Welsher and Hewett finished with silver, while Susannah Barr and Rick Witsken claimed bronze. Witsken earned his second medal in two straight nights after securing the gold yesterday with partner Beth Bellamy.

Mircea Morariu played today with Jorja Johnson after competing with her mother, Julie Johnson, yesterday for Senior Pro Mixed Doubles. Morariu and Johnson were ousted by the eventual bronze medal duo of Witsken and Barr. Competition was fierce, and more importantly fun, all day for Mixed Pro Split/Age! Thanks to all the teams who came out and participated.

On Tap for Tomorrow: Wednesday, November 9th

The Pros are starting to arrive in full force! We welcome the Men’s Pro Split/Age and Women’s Pro Split Age competition to the courts tomorrow! Plenty more action to come, and on the amateur side, Mixed Skill/Age Doubles 50+, 55+. 60+ (4.0) and Women’s Skill/Age Singles 19+, 35+ will be on full display. Get ready for another day of action!

Where to Buy Event Tickets:

Don’t miss out on the premier event in all of pickleball! Get your tickets for Nationals here.

Where to Watch:

Visit the 2022 Live Cam here to watch a static live camera view of Championship Court beginning at 9:30 am.

How to Follow:

Everything related to the event, including daily updates, is posted here on the main event website. In addition, fans can get updates, photos, and videos from the following social media channels:

Monday Notebook

BY MELISSA ZHANG 11/07/2022

Coming off of an exciting weekend, Day 3 at the 2022 Margaritaville USA Pickleball National Championships welcomed Senior Pro Mixed Doubles competition on Championship Court!

Jennifer Dawson, who has won Women’s Doubles and Women’s Singles gold since the tournament began, earned her third consecutive medal in three days with her Mixed Doubles silver tonight.

After winning the Men’s Doubles title last night, Dayne Gingrich and Dave Weinbach found themselves on opposite nights of the net tonight for the bronze medal match.

Gingrich and partner Jennifer Dawson won in straight sets against Weinbach and partner Nathalie Bagby to advance to the finals and play Beth Bellamy and Rick Witsken. Gingrich and Witsken, who used to play as partners, faced off in an intense three-game battle tonight (11-2, 11-5, 11-3). Bellamy and Witsken prevailed to win the gold, claiming the Mixed Doubles title from defending champions Dawson and Gingrich.

Witsken, who was world-ranked on the ATP Tour in both singles and doubles, has had an extensive tennis career as player, director and coach, founding his own coaching business.

On the amateur side, Women’s Doubles 65+, 70+, 75+, 80+ and Men’s Singles 65+, 70+, 75+, 80+ dominated the action today. In Men’s Singles 80+, Kenji Nishioka earned the silver medal after also claiming the silver at the 2022 Indoor National Championships earlier this year.

A major name in the sport of tennis won gold in the Women’s Doubles 80+ bracket today. Alice Tym played on the international tennis circuit from 1964 to 1970, competing in all four Grand Slam events and achieving a world ranking as high as 13th in the world in 1969.

Tym, who is a member of the University of Tennessee Chattanooga Hall of Fame, the University of Florida Sports Hall of Fame, Peoria High School Hall of Fame and the Peoria Sports Hall of Fame, and the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Hall of Fame, claimed gold today with her partner “Tuey” Tuey.

On Tap for Tuesday, November 8th

Tomorrow welcomes 14 Pro players to Indian Wells, for a new event: Mixed Pro Split/Age! Featuring 1 Pro over 50 and 1 Pro under 50, pickleball players of different generations will be sharing the courts for this inaugural bracket.

Notably, Mircea Morariu will be playing with Jorja Johnson after competing with her mother, Julie Johnson, today for Senior Pro Mixed Doubles. Amateur competition continues tomorrow with Mixed Skill/Age Doubles 50+, 55+, 60+ (3.0 and 3.5)

Where to Buy Event Tickets:

Don’t miss out on the premier event in all of pickleball! Get your tickets for Nationals here.

Where to Watch:

Visit the 2022 Live Cam here to watch a static live camera view of Championship Court beginning at 9:30 am.

How to Follow:

Everything related to the event, including daily updates, is posted here on the main event website. In addition, fans can get updates, photos, and videos from the following social media channels:

Sunday Notebook

BY MELISSA ZHANG 11/06/2022

The 2022 Margaritaville USA Pickleball National Championships continued rolling on Sunday with some incredible action on both the professional and amateur side! Jennifer Dawson, the world’s top-ranked player on the Senior Pro Women’s Singles side, earned her second gold medal of the tournament tonight.

Day 2 welcomed Senior Mixed Doubles competition on the amateur side, as well as Men’s Senior Pro Doubles & Women’s Senior Pro Singles. The stunning courts at Indian Wells saw nonstop action all morning and afternoon from Men’s Doubles 65+, 70+, 75+, 80+, 85+ and Women’s Singles 65+,70+,75+,80+,85+.

Among the spectators at Indian Wells were pickleball players Johanna S. Payne and Kenny Besher, the epitome of a pickleball love story. Payne and Besher met one year ago at the 2021 Margaritaville USA Pickleball National Championships and recently got engaged. Congratulations to the happy couple – we love seeing Johanna and Kenny back at Nationals, where it all started.

On the Senior Pro Women’s Singles side, Julie Johnson and Jennifer Dawson faced off – with Dawson winning a gold medal last night and claiming another consecutive gold medal tonight. She finished her singles run with a resounding 11-4, 11-4 win.

Defending champions Dave Weinbach and Dayne Gingrich made their return to Championship Court, with Weinbach ranked No. 1 in the world and Gingrich ranked No. 3. After many hard-fought battles on their way back to the gold, Weinbach, and Gingrich took on David Furman and Scott Fliegelman and defended their title as Men’s Senior Pro Doubles Gold Medalists.

On Tap for Tomorrow:

The very best senior women and men in pickleball duke it out tomorrow in the Mixed Senior Pro Doubles 50+ bracket. Last year’s champions, Jennifer Dawson and Dayne Gingrich, will look to defend their title against fierce competition!

There’s a tremendous amount of amateur action tomorrow, with the following brackets all taking to the court:

Women’s Age/Skill Doubles 65+, 70+, 75+, 80+
Men’s Age/Skill Singles 65+, 70+, 75+, 80+

Where to Buy Event Tickets:

Don’t miss out on the premier event in all of pickleball! Get your tickets for Nationals here.

Where to Watch:

Visit the 2022 Live Cam here to watch a static live camera view of Championship Court beginning at 9:30 am.

How to Follow:

Everything related to the event, including daily updates, is posted here on the main event website. In addition, fans can get updates, photos, and videos from the following social media channels:

Saturday Notebook

BY MELISSA ZHANG 11/05/2022

We saw an incredibly strong start to the 2022 Margaritaville USA Pickleball National Championships, with Day 1 featuring some unbelievable action! The world-renowned Indian Wells Tennis Garden opened its doors this morning to players and spectators from all over the country, ready to enjoy and take part in the toughest competition in the sport.

Over the next eight days, nearly 2,300 athletes will descend upon Indian Wells, 80 more players than last year. Athletes range in age between 8 and 85 years old.

Day 1 featured a bevy of amateur competition, as well as Men’s Senior Pro Singles & Women’s Senior Pro Doubles. The stunning courts at Indian Wells saw nonstop action all morning and afternoon from Men’s Doubles 65+, 70+, 75+, 80+, 85+ and Women’s Singles 65+,70+,75+,80+,85+.

National Basketball Association (NBA) Hall of Famer Rick Barry and Pickleball Hall of Famer Mark “Yoda” Friedenberg teamed up to claim the Men’s Doubles 75+ gold medal. Barry, who has been turning his athletic talents to pickleball in recent years, is bringing home another medal from Nationals, after winning two medals last year in Men’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles.

The top three Senior Men’s Pro players in the world were on full display on Saturday, with No. 2 Paul Olin and No. 3 Mercia Moraria facing off in the bronze medal match. Olin captured the win 0-11, 11-5, 11-8 and Moraria taking the bronze medal home. Defending national champion and World No. 1 Mattias Johansson didn’t drop a single game on his way to the Senior Pro Men’s Singles match and yielded an average of 3 points per game. An intense battle in set two, Johansson dropped one set en route to defending his title, taking down Olin in three sets for the gold.

In the Senior Pro Women’s Doubles finals, defending champions Jennifer Dawson and Cammy MacGregor took on Beth Bellamy and Nathalie Bagby, currently the two top-ranked players in the world respectively. Bellamy and Bagby, both former professional tennis players, took the first two sets 11-3, 11-5. However, it was the defending champions who came out on top in the tiebreaker, winning 15-9 in the third set to claim back-to-back titles.

On Tap for Tomorrow: Sunday, November 6th

Join us tomorrow for much more intense competition, featuring Men’s Senior Pro Doubles & Women’s Senior Pro Singles. Amateur events will include Mixed Age/Skill Doubles 65+, 70+, 75+, 80+. Competition starts at 8:00 AM. You won’t want to miss it – tune in tomorrow for all the action!!

Where to Watch:

11am – 6pm PT – event website

How to Follow:

Everything related to the event including daily updates is posted here on the main event website. In addition, fans can get updates, photos and videos from the following social media channels: