With the Proton Australia Pickleball Open set to unfold on the 28th of January at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, consider this list of things to watch out for in this major tournament:
Overall Top 5
- AUSTRALIA: First international stop for the PPA Tour
- AUSSIES: Can an Aussie make it to Championship Sunday?
- DEEP SOUTH: How will the Carvana PPA Tour stars living in the US adjust in Australia?
- BOOMERANG: Will the US players build their brand and return to Australia and will more Aussies head to the US to compete after this event?
- OPEN DOWN UNDER: 1,000 Carvana PPA Tour points for the winners.
Venue/Tourney/TV
- Event will be played at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.
- Event #3 of the 2025 Carvana PPA Tour season – features a traditional draw: Singles on Thursday, mixed Friday, men’s/women’s doubles Saturday and Championship Sunday.
- THURSDAY IS WEDNESDAY IN THE US: Coverage starts at 6pm Eastern on Wednesday Jan 29 in the US, with coverage stretching until 2am.
- PickleballTV will have the broadcast.
Men’s Singles
- TOP 5 SEEDS: Tyson McGuffin, Quang Duong, Gabe Tardio, Dave Bacalla, Phuc Huynh
- Top seeded Tyson McGuffin seeks his first singles gold since August of 2023.
- Can top Aussie players Tom Evans (6) or Mitch Hargreaves (9) make a run?
Women’s Singles
- TOP 5 SEEDS: Kaitlyn Christian, Ekaterina Biakina, Jessie Irvine, Lara Giltinan, Helena Spiridis
- Kaitlyn Christian (1) is a heavy favorite, with a gold and silver start to her 2025 season.
- Can Jessie Irvine (3) medal in singles for the first time on the PPA Tour?
Mixed Doubles
- TOP 5 SEEDS: Jessie Irvine/Gabe Tardio, Lacy Schneemann/Tyson McGuffin, Tyra Black/CJ Klinger, Jay Devilliers/Allyce Jones, Alix Truong/Collin Johns
- Tom Evans/Helena Spiridis (11) are a couple of Aussies looking to do some damage AND have a big upcoming pickleball announcement.
- Watch out for the 6 seed Duong/Glozman who could upset teams in the top 5.
- Navratil is paired with top Dutch player Roos van Reek as the 7 seed.
Women’s Doubles
- TOP 5 SEEDS: Tyra Black/Allyce Jones, Lacy Schneemann/Vivian Glozman, Alix Truong/Jessie Irvine, Kaitlyn Christian/Andie Dikosavljevic, Emilia Schmidt/Danni-Elle Townsend
- Black/Jones found great chemistry as partners in the back half of ’24 – can they cash the one seed and win gold?
- Emilia Schmidt is a top Aussie player – can she and Townsend break into the medals?
Men’s Doubles
- TOP 5 SEEDS: Tyson McGuffin/Gabe Tardio, Collin Johns/Jay Devilliers, Quang Duong/CJ Klinger, Zane Navratil/Joey Wild, Dave Bacalla/Max Wild
- Potential brother vs. brother matchup in the quarterfinals: Bao Duong and Phuc Huynh (6) would face Quang Duong and CJ Klinger (3) if they both advance.
- Navratil is playing with former practice partner in Austin, the Aussie Joey Wild.
