STORYLINES FOR THE PROTON AUSTRALIA PICKLEBALL OPEN

OVERALL TOP 5: 

• AUSTRALIA: First international stop for the PPA Tour
• AUSSIES: Can an Aussie make it to Championship Sunday?
• DEEP SOUTH: How will the Carvana PPA Tour stars living in the US adjust in Australia?
• BOOMERANG: Will the US players build their brand and return to Australia and will more Aussies head to the US to compete after this event?
• OPEN DOWN UNDER: 1,000 Carvana PPA Tour points for the winners. 

VENUE/TOURNEY/TV:

• Event will be played at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.
• Event #3 of the 2025 Carvana PPA Tour season – features a traditional draw: Singles on Thursday, mixed Friday, men’s/women’s doubles Saturday and Championship Sunday.
• THURSDAY IS WEDNESDAY IN THE US: Coverage starts at 6pm Eastern on Wednesday Jan 29 in the US, with coverage stretching until 2am. 
• PickleballTV will have the broadcast. 

MEN’S SINGLES:

• TOP 5 SEEDS: Tyson McGuffin, Quang Duong, Gabe Tardio, Dave Bacalla, Phuc Huynh
• Top seeded Tyson McGuffin seeks his first singles gold since August of 2023. 
• Can top Aussie players Tom Evans (6) or Mitch Hargreaves (9) make a run?

WOMEN’S SINGLES:

• TOP 5 SEEDS: Kaitlyn Christian, Ekaterina Biakina, Jessie Irvine, Lara Giltinan, Helena Spiridis
• Kaitlyn Christian (1) is a heavy favorite, with a gold and silver start to her 2025 season. 
• Can Jessie Irvine (3) medal in singles for the first time on the PPA Tour?

MIXED DOUBLES:

• TOP 5 SEEDS: Jessie Irvine/Gabe Tardio, Lacy Schneemann/Tyson McGuffin, Tyra Black/CJ Klinger, Jay Devilliers/Allyce Jones, Alix Truong/Collin Johns
• Tom Evans/Helena Spiridis (11) are a couple of Aussies looking to do some damage AND have a big upcoming pickleball announcement. 
• Watch out for the 6 seed Duong/Glozman who could upset teams in the top 5. 
• Navratil is paired with top Dutch player Roos van Reek as the 7 seed. 

WOMEN’S DOUBLES:

• TOP 5 SEEDS: Tyra Black/Allyce Jones, Lacy Schneemann/Vivian Glozman, Alix Truong/Jessie Irvine, Kaitlyn Christian/Andie Dikosavljevic, Emilia Schmidt/Danni-Elle Townsend 
• Black/Jones found great chemistry as partners in the back half of ’24 – can they cash the one seed and win gold?
• Emilia Schmidt is a top Aussie player – can she and Townsend break into the medals?

MEN’S DOUBLES:

• TOP 5 SEEDS: Tyson McGuffin/Gabe Tardio, Collin Johns/Jay Devilliers, Quang Duong/CJ Klinger, Zane Navratil/Joey Wild, Dave Bacalla/Max Wild
• Potential brother vs. brother matchup in the quarterfinals: Bao Duong and Phuc Huynh (6) would face Quang Duong and CJ Klinger (3) if they both advance. 
• Navratil is playing with former practice partner in Austin, the Aussie Joey Wild.