Egregious Hooks, Poor Conduct Earn Player 90-Day PPA Tour Suspension
Video footage posted to Instagram depicting the conduct of one player during a match at last week's Charleston PPA Challenger has resulted in disciplinary action from the league and will force him to miss at least one upcoming event.
The video in question is below. It was posted to the account of Armando Ferreira. Ferreira calls out the offending player by name, Dennis Uspensky, after losing to him during qualifiers of the ongoing APP Tour AARP Open on Wednesday, October 8.
"SAME GUY WHO CHEATED AGAINST ME YESTERDAY," he posted in the caption. "THREATENED ME AND THE CROWD WATCHING!"
The video reportedly shows Uspensky competing against Noah Torres in the first round of the back draw during last week's Charleston PPA Challenger. It's unclear how Ferreira got this footage or why he was the one to post it to social media.
The Dink has reached out to Ferreira, Torres, and Uspenky for comment. We will update this article accordingly as we learn new information.
In the clips, Uspensky is shown to call multiple balls out that were clearly in. He also appears to use highly offensive language and is seen challenging someone from the crowd to a fight in the parking lot.
A league official from the UPA confirmed to The Dink that Uspensky has been suspended for 90 days from any tour-related events. That includes the LT Open, which begins October 15 at Life Time Peach Tree Corners in Georgia. Uspensky is currently registered to participate.
Since Ferreira's post was published on Thursday, October 9, Uspensky has seemingly doubled down on his actions. In the comments section, he posted the following:
I play with fire. I compete like my life depends on it. I’ve been in the heat of battle at the highest levels — Grand Slam junior tennis, top of D1 at Wake Forest and Pepperdine. I’ve earned my stripes. So when people talk like I’m bad for the sport? That’s laughable. I’ve given everything to this game.
This isn’t about being liked. It’s about competition. If you want a handshake line and soft serves, go watch something else. But if you want passion, fire, and someone who shows up to win every damn time — come play me. Court’s open. Thats just what I bleed.
Now — about the word I used. In the heat of the moment, I said something I shouldn’t have. It was out of line, plain and simple, I should never allow clowns like you two to ever anger me even if you will now be hearing from my lawyer because of your actions. That’s not about being soft — that’s about being accountable. I’ll own that. Won’t happen again.
But don’t mistake accountability for weakness. I stand by my intensity. I stand by my career. And I’ll always stand on the side of fierce, no-holds-barred competition. Respect the name when you speak it.
He also posted this to his Instagram stories:
PPA and APP Pros React
In the comments section to Ferreira's video, several active APP Tour and PPA Tour pros weighed in.
- Dekel Bar: "Wow. Disrespectful to the players and the game. Has to be banned. No room for this in any sport!"
- Julian Arnold: "BAN IT!!!!"
- Jay Evans: "heard some stories but this is next level unbelievable… no place for this"
- Meghan Dizon: "Embarrassing behavior.. good on you for posting 👏"
- Ammar Wazir: "Wait this is the same guy who hooked @dustyboyerpb at the us open 💀"
- Sofia Sewing: "you’d think someone coming from tennis (who claims they were “good”) would have some etiquette on the court. Absolute 🤡 show"
Who is Dennis Uspensky?
Uspensky was born in Atlantic Beach, New York, to Russian parents, according to a report after his upset doubles victory in the 16s Orange Bowl. Having moved to Spain as a child, he played the majority of his junior tennis career overseas. He was ranked as high as the #1 overall recruit for the 2015 graduating class.
Uspensky played college tennis for Wake Forest during his freshman and sophomore year, and even earned the title of 2016 ACC Tournament MVP. He had a very good career at Wake Forest, bouncing between the four and five spots. After two years with the Demon Deacons, Uspensky transferred to Pepperdine, where he played one season. He mostly played at the one spot for the Waves, and had a good season (Pepperdine does not keep cumulative season stats as far back as 2017-2018, like many other D1 schools).
Uspensky then spent the next couple of years pursuing professional tennis, mostly playing in overseas on the ITF World Tennis Tour. He made a couple of finals at the 1500 level, but never captured a signature win, and according to his ATP Tour Profile, amassed career earnings of $22,907.
The last professional match Uspensky played in was in March 2020. Since then, it seems he has turned his life to becoming a professional pickleball player.
The Dink's pro writer, Erik Tice, contributed to this report.
