Preview to the PPA Tour Round-Up
| July 11, 2023
For the first time ever, PPA stars will take their talents to Frisco, TX. One of the fastest growing cities in the country will showcase the fastest growing sport! What should pickleball enthusiasts expect during the inaugural PPA Tour Round Up?
Well, world-class players switching doubles partners, underrated players getting a chance to steal the spotlight, and unique opportunities for in-person spectators.
MEN’S DOUBLES
Riley Newman just won the biggest PPA event of the year alongside Matt Wright, but without Wright this week, Newman will play with Brandon French in Frisco. This opens the door for Jay Devilliers and Tyson McGuffin, who have plenty of momentum after a strong semifinal run in Vegas. The absence of Matt Wright also gives the overlooked team of Callan Dawson and Tyler Loong a chance to make a breakthrough. Last month, Loong and Dawson defeated Wright (who didn’t have Newman to play with) at the Baird Wealth Management Open en route to a bronze medal finish. Some lesser-known teams to watch are Spencer Smith/Todd Fought and Wyatt Stone/Yates Johnson.
MIXED DOUBLES
You’ll find plenty of world-class talent in the PPA Tour Round Up’s mixed doubles bracket. Catherine Parenteau and Riley Newman made deep runs last week in Vegas’ mixed doubles draw, but not together. They will reunite in Frisco and look to rediscover the form that earned them a gold medal at the Acrytech Atlanta Open event earlier this year. Parenteau/Newman did an exceptional job of finding openings in the court throughout the Atlanta Open, so watch out for that strategy from this powerhouse team at the PPA Tour Round Up. The other top-drawer mixed doubles teams competing this week are Jessie Irvine/Jay Devilliers and Lea Jansen/Tyson McGuffin. An underrated player to watch is entertainer Ryan “Sherbear” Sherry, who knows how to get the crowd fired up with incredible angle shots and his explosive personality!
WOMEN’S DOUBLES
Catherine Parenteau and Lea Jansen, who have had great success together in 2022, decided to switch it up down south. Jansen joins forces with Jessie Irvine, and Catherine Parenteau teams up with Meghan Sheehan-Dizon. Sheehan-Dizon is one of the newer PPA athletes signed at the beginning of this year, so this off-the-radar competitor gets a golden opportunity this week. Believe it or not, Sheehan-Dizon played a heck of a doubles match with Jansen at the Selkirk Labs Showdown a month ago against Irvine and Lucy Kovalova! Sheehan-Dizon proved that she belonged with these three first-class players with some mighty winners at the net and accurate touch shots. This unbelievable match came down to the wire, but Kovalova and Irvine prevailed 10-12, 11-9, 11-8. If Sheehan-Dizon/Parenteau and Irvine/Jansen reach the final at the PPA Tour Round Up, the final score could look very similar.
The main event is complemented by a couple intriguing events at the tournament site, LifeTime Frisco. Tony Romo, Dirk Nowitzki, Jordan Spieth and John Isner headline the Dick’s Sporting Goods Celebrity Battle on Thursday, October 13 at 7 PM. On Saturday night, Dallas locals can play glow-in-the-dark pickleball with phosphorescent paddles and balls!
Catch all the action from the Frisco invitational, including the Celebrity Pickleball Competition, on Tennis Channel and PPA TV!
