After over a month off from play to start the Major League Pickleball (MLP) season, the PPA Tour is back in action this week.
The PPA Veolia Atlanta Pickleball Championships are taking place at the Life Time Peach Tree Corners, in a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia.
The tournament is a Slam level tournament, meaning it is worth 2,000 PPA Points, instead of the normal 1,000 PPA Points for an Open level tournament. This also means this tournament is a progressive draw, with the Rd of 64 starting on Tuesday, May 13.
Top Storylines
Anna Leigh Waters is going for 150 Gold Medals
Anna Leigh is quickly approaching 150 gold medals on the PPA Tour. She is currently at 148, and needs two victories this week to reach the milestone.
A little backstory: Waters won her 100th gold medal at the PPA North Carolina in April 2024. Since then, she has been on a tear, and had the opportunity to win the 150th gold last month at the same exact PPA North Carolina tournament.
However, Jorja Johnson had other plans, beating Anna Leigh and Catherine in women’s doubles and Anna Leigh and Ben in mixed doubles.
I believe Anna Leigh will be as intense as ever, playing alongside Anna Bright for the first time in over a year and a half. She and Ben will be looking for revenge against the Johnson siblings.
LifeTime Ball
This is the first time we are seeing the LifeTime ball, “LT Pickleball” on the pro scene. Since this event is being played at Life Time Peach Tree Corners, this partnership makes sense.
Multiple sources have told me this ball plays fast. Like, really fast. Think of a ball with similar speed to the Dura Fast 40, with this Gen4 paddle technology. If you are a pickleball purist, and like a slower game, I do have hope for you - The humidity levels are consistently in the 70% - 80% range throughout the entire tournament.
The First Tournament After “The Breakup(s)”
It feels like it is an eternity ago, but Catherine Parenteau announced the partnership breakup between Anna Leigh Waters and her, on April 7, 2025. That was 35 days ago.
Erik Tice
Since then, Rachel Rohrabacher and Anna Bright also split up. Anna Bright and Anna Leigh Waters are partnering together for the rest of the 2025 season, and Rachel Rohrabacher and Catherine Parenteau are partnering for at least the PPA Atlanta Championships.
They are the #1 and #2 seeds, so they will both need to make the finals in order for the rivalry match to take place.
How to Watch the PPA Veolia Atlanta Pickleball Championships
Tuesday, May 13 - Round of 64
- 10am - 6pm EST - Championship Court - Pickleballtv
- 10am - 6pm EST - Grandstand Court - Pickleballtv
Wednesday, May 14 - Round of 32
- 10am - pm EST - Championship Court - Pickleballtv
- 10am - 6pm EST - Grandstand Court - Pickleballtv
Thursday, May 15 - Round of 16
- 10am - 6pm EST - Championship Court - Pickleballtv
- 10am - 6pm EST - Grandstand Court - Pickleballtv
Friday, May 16 - Quarterfinals
- 10am - 6pm EST - Championship Court - Pickleballtv
- 10am - 6pm EST - Grandstand Court - Pickleballtv
Saturday, May 17 - Semifinals
- 10am - 6pm EST - Championship Court - Pickleballtv
- 1:30pm - 4:30pm EST - Championship Court - Tennis Channel & Pickleballtv
- 10am - pm EST - Grandstand Court - Juniors - Pickleballtv
Sunday, May 18 - Semifinals
- 10am - 4:30pm EST - Championship Court - Gold Medal Matches - Pickleballtv
- 1:30pm - 4:30pm EST - Championship Court - Tennis Channel & Pickleballtv
- 9am - 1pm EST - Grandstand Court - Bronze Medal Matches - Pickleballtv
Weather Outlook
The weather looks to be alright, heading into PPA Atlanta. The biggest worry on the graphic is obviously the Sunday afternoon thunderstorms. If that continues to be present in the forecast, the PPA Tour may move Championship Sunday matches up, so stay tuned.
Let’s get into the action.
Women’s Singles
Top Storylines
- 345 days - The number of days since Anna Leigh Waters’ last loss in singles, as of Tuesday, May 13th. She lost to Salome Devidze in a crazy 2024 CIBC Texas Open tournament last year. If Waters can win in Atlanta, she will have gone a full calendar year on the PPA Tour without losing a match in singles.
- A lot of newly signed women are making one of their first automatic main draw appearances - which one of them can make a run?
- (2) Kate Fahey, (3) Kaitlyn Christian, (4) Parris Todd, (5) Brooke Buckner, and (6) Lea Jansen, are all fighting for that second spot behind ALW in the rankings. Fahey has the slight edge right now, but who will face off against ALW in the finals in Atlanta?
Predictions
- Semifinalists: Straight chalk - (1) Anna Leigh Waters, (4) Parris Todd, (2) Kate Fahey, and (3) Kaitlyn Christian
- Finals: Anna Leigh beats Kate Fahey in three games in the finals.
Men’s Singles
Top Storylines
- (2) Hunter Johnson has to sit out MLP Orlando with an apparent kitchen knife accident on his right pointer finger. That event ended just over two weeks ago - is Johnson going to be 100% in Atlanta?
- Coming off the most recent gold medal in North Carolina, can Gabe Tardio make it two in a row as the 11 seed?
- A crazy Round of 64 matchup is between (54) Eric Oncins and (15) Zane Ford. As Oncins earns more points throughout the year, he will be seeded better, but this one is going to be great.
- (4) Ben Johns has won one gold in the last six months in singles. He is coming off an MLP event where he was highly scrutinized for withdrawing. Can he bounce back and win in Atlanta? He usually rises to the occasion at the larger tournaments.
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Predictions
- Semifinalists: (1) Federico Staksrud, (5) Jaume Martinez Vich, (9) Michael Loyd, and (7) Christian Alshon.
- Finals: Alshon defeats Fed for his third gold of the year.
Mixed Doubles
Top Storylines
- (2) Jorja and JW Johnson beat (1) Anna Leigh Waters and Ben Johns in the most recent PPA Tour event in North Carolina. Revenge will be on the mind of ALW and Ben.
- (5) Anna Bright and Quang Duong are partnering again for the second time ever. They earned a fourth place finish at UPA Worlds in November together.
- Texas Ranchers teammates, Christian Alshon and Etta Tuionetoa are parterned on the PPA Tour, and they are the four seed.
- It is absolutely insane that there are 76 main draw entries, so there are actually 18 Rd of 128 matches. The depth of the field on the PPA Tour is the largest it's ever been.
Predictions
- Semifinalists: (1) Anna Leigh Waters/Ben Johns, (9) Tina Pisnik/Andrei Daescu, (2) Jorja & JW Johnson, and (4) Etta Tuionetoa/Christian Alshon
- Finals: Anna Leigh and Ben beat Jorja and JW Johnson in four.
Women’s Doubles
Top Storylines
- Of course, the top storyline is (1) Catherine Parenteau/Rachel Rohrabacher vs. (2) Anna Bright/Anna Leigh Waters. Parenteau/Rohrabacher have 100 more points, so they are the top seed. If the pickleball Gods are looking down upon us, both these teams will make it to the finals to give us an epic rivalry match.
- (3) Parris Todd and Hurricane Tyra Black pose the biggest threat to the top two teams making it to Championship Sunday.
- (9) Kate Fahey and Tina Pisnik have had a bit of success on the PPA Tour this year, but have yet to make it out of the quarterfinals.
Predictions
- Semifinalists: (1) Catherine Parenteau/Rachel Rohrabacher, (9) Kate Fahey/Tina Pisnik, (2) Anna Bright/Anna Leigh Waters, and (3) Parris Todd/Hurricane Tyra Black
- Finals: Bright and Waters beat Parenteau and Rohrabacher in three games in the finals
Men’s Doubles
Top Storylines
- There is a three-way fight for the top spot in men’s doubles - here are the medal counts for the top three seeds:
- Patriquin/Staksrud - 🥈🥈🥈🥈🥉
- Tardio/Johns - 🥇🥇
- Alshon/Daescu - 🥇🥇🥇🥉
- (5) CJ Klinger/JW Johnson have played four times this year as a partnership, and they have earned two bronze medals. I would say they have not met their potential yet, can they take out the #1 seed in the quarters to make it to the semis?
- (6) Collin Johns/James Ignatowich are teaming up for the second time together in 2025. They lost in the Rd of 16 to Ge/Martinez Vich in the CIBC Texas Open.
Predictions
- Semifinalists: Straight Chalk - (1) Hayden Patriquin/Federico Staksrud, (4) Dylan Frazier/Dekel Bar, (2) Gabe Tardio/Ben Johns, and (3) Christian Alshon/Andrei Daescu
- Finals: Fed and H beat Alshon and Daescu in the finals
