We all know Ben Johns. We’re familiar with Federico Staksrud. We see Quang Duong. We are impressed by Chris Haworth.
They are four of pickleball’s finest. They are the superstars of the sport, especially in singles competition.
But Alex Crum? Alex who?
The casual fan might not know who is Alex Crum. But those following pro pickleball certainly know him now after a remarkable week that saw him make his mark in the sport.
To put it simply, he had a great week. And that’s putting it mildly.
The 33-year-old tennis coach and part-time rapper (he goes by the name “AC Baby”) had a week for the ages, rising from the depths of anonymity with a stunning display of pickleball skill and talent. Over the past 10 days, Crum beat some of pickleball’s more heralded names—the best of the best if you will.
Alex Crum Shocks PPA Tour and APP Tour Top Seeds
First, Crum entered the Veolia Atlanta Pickleball Championship men’s singles qualifier and won to make it to the main draw. He makes the most of his opportunity by stunning Staksrud, 11-9, 5-11, 11-6, in the Round of 64 and then beating Mota Alhouni (no. 27) and Zane Navratil (no. 49) to make it all the way to the Round of 16. His Cinderella run ended in the Quarters with a 10-12, 11-3, 3-1 defeat to Dylan Frazier, another top player, but his amazing run no doubt shook the PPA Tour. In fact, it might be enough to propel him to the top 50 rankings.
Crum, though, wasn’t done. Days later, he entered the APP Tour tournament at New York and made it all the way to the final. Perhaps fittingly, he sealed his seat in the championship match with another upset for the ages: a 15-13, 18-16 stunner over APP Tour no. 1 Chris Haworth. Haworth, of course, is to the APP what Staksrud is to the PPA Tour. In fact, he might even be more dominant than the dynamic Argentine, as the former had gone unbeaten for a full year before falling to Crum the other day.
Now, Alex Crum has a choice to make in case he does fall within the top 50 of the PPA Tour (he is expected to land between no. 40 and 45). In this case, he will automatically be seeded to the main draw of upcoming tournaments—but only if he signs a full-time contract with the PPA Tour (he has until 16 June 2025 to do so). His alternatives would be to play PPA Challenger Series events or continue playing on the APP Tour or other professional circuits.
We reckon those options aren’t all that bad for someone who first picked up a paddle at age 31 and is teaching tennis as his regular day job.
But perhaps pickleball really is his calling. So, remember the name Alex Crum.
