Within the first ever Life Time Open, held at Life Time Peachtree Corners, Chris Haworth and Lea Jansen are strolling away $50,000 richer.
Life Time has confirmed continued funding in pickleball, and solely continued that funding with the Life Time Open. All the prize purse was $250,000.
This event was distinctive in a number of methods:
- Professional singles solely – no amateurs enjoying on aspect courts and no professional doubles brackets both
- $250k prize pool – the PPA Tour has gamers which can be on assured contracts, there are not often any tournaments with actual prize cash up for grabs
- Every match was the very best three out of 5 video games, aspect out scoring to 11, win by two
- Every day contestants saved profitable, they performed two matches per day
- All professional gamers had been welcome to play – APP Tour gamers, PPA Tour gamers, and even worldwide gamers had been capable of register for this one – a singular alternative for gamers on totally different excursions to play towards each other
Let’s get into the motion.
High Storylines
Lea Jansen Wins the Title with a Gutty Efficiency
Jansen had easy crusing within the Spherical of 32 and Spherical of 16, beating her opponents by a mixed rating of 66-28 and profitable all six video games. Within the quarters, she confronted off towards APP Tour participant, Bobbi Oshiro, who took the second sport off of Lea, however may solely handle the one.
It was a superb factor for Jansen that she began Sunday off comparatively unscathed on the weekend. Health positively performed an enormous half on this greatest three out of 5 event and Lea had saved the tough work for Sunday.
Within the morning, Jansen squared up towards Salome Devidze, who she had the benefit over heading into this one, having beat Devidze 5 occasions out of their seven matchups. This was a brawl and neither lady needed to surrender.
Lea ended up profitable in 5 video games, 11-7, 12-14, 11-4, 8-11, 11-4. Salome fought laborious and really fought off sport factors in sport two, to mount a comeback win in that one. Jansen was simply an excessive amount of.
Within the remaining, Jansen confronted off towards her Columbus Sliders teammate, Parris Todd. Todd had simply had one other 5 sport semifinal towards Kaitlyn Christian. This 4 sport match was truly longer in time than her 5 sport match with Salome. Each Parris and Lea performed extraordinarily sluggish, with a number of timeouts and challenges used.
Jansen ended up profitable 13-11, 5-11, 12-10, 11-6. This was the primary event win for Lea for the reason that 2024 CIBC Texas Open final June. It would positively be a bit of sweeter with the massive $50,000 prize.
Chris Haworth Beat Fed and Donald Younger on his method to a Second Straight Gold
Chris Haworth has come a great distance since being a 57 seed two months in the past in a PPA Tour event in August. He simply received the PPA Virginia Seashore Cup, and he now took down the Life Time Open.
Haworth has been within the dialog of prime 5 greatest males’s singles gamers during the last yr and a half or so, however it’s tough to match when he was not enjoying on the PPA Tour frequently. Since signing completely on the PPA Tour in August, Haworth has moved himself right into a prime 10 seed shifting ahead.
After beating John Cangelosi and Ronan Camron in straights on Saturday, Haworth confronted off towards red-hot Donald Younger on Sunday morning within the semis. He made fast work of Younger, 11-6, 11-5, 11-9. Younger took down Will Howells and Connor Garnett to make it to the semis. Younger, enjoying in his hometown of Atlanta, very close to his new pickleball facility, made the very best run of his pickleball profession, close to his house.
Within the Finals, Haworth performed Federico Staksrud, with Haworth having the sting all through their historical past enjoying one another. Haworth received sport one, after which misplaced video games two and three – his first sport losses of all the event. He picked up momentum in sport 4 and by no means appeared again, profitable 11-1, 11-1 in video games 4 and 5.
Haworth is again in motion this week within the Fee Vegas Cup, hoping to crack the highest 5 in seeding by the tip of the yr.
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The Eight Semi-Finalists had been all PPA Tour Signed Gamers
This occasion was open to PPA Tour signed gamers, but it surely was additionally open to some other professional participant that needed to enter. Worldwide gamers and gamers who usually play on the APP Tour signed up for this occasion.
The 2 greatest APP Tour singles gamers, Ammar Wazir and Sofia Stitching, didn’t enter this one, however many others did. John Cangelosi, Bobbi Oshiro, Katerina Stewart, Will Howells, and Dusty Boyer all made the quarterfinals.
Nonetheless, the PPA Tour signed gamers had been simply an excessive amount of. Every of the eight semifinalists had been signed gamers. On the ladies’s aspect, the semifinalists had been the #1 – #4 seeds. Parris Todd, Lea Jansen, Kaitlyn Christian, and Salome Devidze. On the boys’s aspect, the highest three seeds made it, in Federico Staksrud, Chris Haworth, Connor Garnett, and Donald Younger was the #14 seed.
Regardless of the semis and finals being between all PPA Tour signed gamers, it was a variety of enjoyable watching the totally different excursions’ gamers compete towards each other, which doesn’t occur a lot in any respect anymore. I’d just like the event to maintain that facet of it.
There have been positively some kinks to work out, however the way forward for the Life Time Open is strong
This was the primary iteration of the occasion, and normally issues will not be 10/10 on the primary strive. General, I just like the idea of this distinctive event and I like that Life Time is into rising the sport of pickleball. It was superior having Andre Agassi current on Championship Sunday, one other key determine within the development of the game.
A few of the issues that the event organizers have to work on for subsequent time:
How do you get MORE of the world’s greatest to enter this event?
The ladies’s bracket solely had 42 whole contestants, however the event was prepared for at the least 64. Does the event have to be at a unique time within the schedule? Does Life Time must put up much more prize cash? Does the prize cash have to be distributed otherwise? The fellows aspect was good, however nonetheless had loads of prime professionals lacking. Even a few of the qualifiers had a DUPR that began with a 4.
Does each spherical being greatest 3 out 5 make sense?
I don’t know the right reply to this. I do know the concept of this event was that it could be a bodily battle. The gamers that made it to Championship Sunday all performed nicely over 15 singles video games within the span of three days. Possibly the primary two rounds are the very best two out of three? That is simply one thing to think about.
Advertising and marketing must be a bit of extra clear. Even I had hassle remembering the place every day was streamed. On prime of that, there was no social media telling us the order of play every day. Moreover, there was no cool bracket graphic made to observe together with, so followers had been left checking in on pickleballtournaments.com to remain up to date with outcomes. Lastly, the fan turnout must be improved. Sunday did have some climate, however for probably the most half, this was one of many smallest crowds I’ve seen on tour this yr – how does the event get extra fan engagement?
General, I like the concept of the Life Time Open – I feel if the operations are tweaked and improved for subsequent yr, this event may proceed to thrive sooner or later.
