STORYLINES FOR THE ZIMMER BIOMET MASTERS POWERED BY INVITED
January 2, 2025
|OVERALL TOP 5:
- GRAND SLAM: Starting the year with a SLAM – one of only 4 tourneys worth 2,000 points.
- FINALE: Brothers Ben and Collin Johns will play together one last time.
- RIVALS: Waters and Parenteau vs. Bright and Rohrabacher is the best rivalry in pickleball.
- NEW YEAR, NEW PARTNERS: Which of the many new pairs will click?
- 3 OF A KIND: How many players will claim a title in all 3 disciplines in 2025? Just Waters, Ben Johns, and Frazier in ’24.
VENUE/TOURNEY/TV:
- WHITE OUT tradition – all players will be decked in white.
- Event #2 of the 2025 Carvana PPA Tour season – features a progressive draw.
- Each day of coverage begins at 10am Pacific, with round of 64 starting Tuesday.
- Year 3 at Invited’s Mission Hills Country Club.
- Over 1,250 players participating.
- 4-6pm Pacific on FS1 for QF Friday and 4-6pm Pacific on Tennis Channel for Semifinal Saturday.
MEN’S SINGLES:
- Defending medalists: Dylan Frazier, Federico Staksrud, Jack Sock
- Federico Staksrud (1) ended a dominant ’24 with a win at Daytona in December.
- Ben Johns is not playing singles in this event.
- Collin Shick’s (17) final PPA event before heading back to med school.
- WATCH OUT FOR: Hunter Johnson (3) – won the PPA Finals and was on a rampage at the end of ’24.
WOMEN’S SINGLES:
- Defending medalists: Anna Leigh Waters, Catherine Parenteau, Brooke Buckner
- Can anyone beat ALW (1)? Just one loss to Devidze (not playing this one) in 2024.
- Can Brooke Buckner (2) cement her status as the #2 player in the world?
- WATCH OUT FOR: Kaitlyn Christian (5) – got her first win at Daytona and is full of confidence.
MIXED DOUBLES:
- Defending medalists: Waters/Johns, Bright/Ignatowich, David/Wilson
- ALW and Ben Johns lost but once in ’24 (Bright/Daescu in Austin) – who will challenge them?
- Tennis stars pair up on the 20X44 as Sock and Bouchard (20) are a first-time partnership
- Shock waves – St. Louis MLP teammates Bright and Patriquin are the 3 seed.
- WATCH OUT FOR: Tina Pisnik and Dekel Bar (6) – can one of the most consistent teams from 2024 get off to a good start in the new year?
WOMEN’S DOUBLES:
- Defending medalists: Waters/Parenteau, Bright/Rohrabacher, Wright/Dizon
- Will the rivalry be renewed with the top two seeds staging a ’24 rematch?
- What will the Pisnik/Fahey (8) partnership look like?
- WATCH OUT FOR: MLP Champion Dallas Flash partners Jorja Johnson and Hurricane Tyra Black (3) – can they disrupt the rivalry?
MEN’S DOUBLES:
- Defending medalists: Johns/Johns, Newman/Wilson, Staksrud/Tellez
- Ben & Collin Johns (1) are motivated to end their partnership in gold.
- Patriquin and Staksrud (2) won the PPA Finals and were the hottest team at the end of ’24.
- Pat Smith and Jay Devilliers (12) – are they healthy enough to find the success of past years?
- WATCH OUT FOR: Daescu and Alshon (6) – height, reach, firepower – watch out for this first-time partnership.