Katerina Steward, Armaan Bhatia Headline Winners’ Circle in APP Newport Beach Open
The Association of Pickleball Players (APP) successfully held the 2025 Zimmer Biomet APP Newport Beach Open over the Fourth of July weekend in the US. The tournament ended with a bang—pardon the pun—as the APP hosted a capacity crowd for five pulsating Championship Sunday matches at the Tennis and Pickleball Club at Newport Beach.
Here are the full results:
Women’s Pro Singles
First-time APP Tour finalist Katerina Steward upset longtime APP Tour pro Bobbi Oshiro, 16-14, 15-12, to earn her first career APP Tour gold medal.
“I think it’s been a long time coming,” said Steward after the match. “I’ve been working really hard for this moment and I’m happy to see my success come to fruition. Everyone knows Bobbi is such a fighter, so I did my best to try to keep my level up with hers and luckily, I came out on top today.”
Yana Newell completed the podium at the women’s pro singles by capturing the bronze medal.
Women’s Pro Doubles
The veteran pair of Jill Braverman and Megan Fudge secured the gold in women’s pro doubles, fending off an inspired challenge from the Australian duo of Emilia Schmidt and Danni-Elle Townsend via scores of 11-2, 9-11, 11-8. This was Elle Townsend and Schmidt’s first final appearances at the APP Tour.
“Credit to [Schmidt and Townsend], they had a fantastic tournament,” Fudge said post-match. “Anybody that knows me knows how important international pickleball is to me, so kudos to the Australian team, and I hope they keep coming over.”
“It definitely felt like a home crowd advantage,” Braverman added. “TTC at Newport Beach is one of the most beautiful clubs in the world.”
Bobbi Oshiro and Sofia Sewing won the women’s doubles bronze medals.
Men’s Pro Doubles
The third-seeded duo of Richard Livornese, Jr. and Tanner Tomassi took on the fourth-seeded pair of Patrick Kawka and Kyle Koszuta for the men’s pro doubles gold, and after three intense sets, it was the No. 3 seed who pulled out the win, 11-6, 6-11, 11-8. Every one of Livornese, Tomassi, Kawka, and Koszuta was vying for his first-ever APP Tour gold medal, and Livornese and Tomassi got it.
“It was an amazing match,” Livornese said. “I always feel confident with [Tanner] on my side of the net, and I felt like whenever the score was tight, we’d get the ball back and make our adjustments. It’s easy to play with this guy, and a lot of fun.”
“The game plan was to handle their drives, especially in transition, and really just be calm,” Tomassi added. “We bring the energy, but when we’re at the net we try to calm down, and I thought we did that perfectly.”
Will Howells and Jack Munro took home the men’s pro doubles bronze medals.
Mixed Pro Doubles
Santa Monica native Christine Maddox and Max “Purple Jesus” Manthou defended their mixed doubles championship from last October’s 2024 APP Newport Beach Open, by beating Casey Diamond and Sofia Sewing, 11-9, 11-*, to capture another gold.
“Pickleball is meant to be fun,” Manthou said after the match. “It’s a backyard game, I grew up where it was invented, so I’ve seen it my whole life. When I treat it too much like a job, it loses that playfulness, and I’m finding it again. My spirit is feeling good.”
“It just clicked in this tournament,” Maddox said following the win.
Megan Fudge and Jack Munro clinched the mixed pro doubles bronze medals.
Men’s Pro Singles
Armaan Bhatia continued his 2025 tear at Newport, cruising past Kawka, 15-8, 15-11, to clinch the match and win his second gold medal in a row after winning gold at the New York City Open in May.
“I think this tournament was probably one of the best I’ve played singles-wise,” said Bhatia. “It’s been a great week, and I’d like to congratulate Patrick on two tough finals. He’s been playing great, and I hope to have more finals with you.”
Chris Haworth secured the men’s pro singles bronze medal.
Giving Others a Chance to Shine
The 2025 Zimmer Biomet APP Newport Beach Open also showcased a large field of amateur players from across the country including brand-new U16 and U13 divisions, the AARP Champions and Masters Pro Divisions, and the latest round of the season-long Humana Cup competition for pros 50 and over.
Gold medallists from the event earned a USA Pickleball Golden Ticket and secured their rights to pre-register for the 2025 USA Pickleball National Championships, and all amateur medalists earned an APP Passport guaranteeing pre-registration for the season-ending 2025 APP Tour Championships in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
