PicklePod

The 15 Seed That Beat Ben Johns

PicklePod

Show Notes

One of the wildest pickleball Sundays in a long time just got even crazier. A 15 seed nearly hijacks men’s doubles, a bird literally crashes the singles final, and the new PPA format changes are already reshaping who gets rewarded, who gets punished, and who might be gaming the system.

Nico and Zane break down the finals day in Mesa from top to bottom, starting with Chris Haworth vs Federico Staksrud and the absurd momentum swing that followed the most bizarre replay of the weekend. Then they unpack the run of the tournament: Yuta Funemizu and Nico Acevedo storming through the draw, saving match points, ripping off upset after upset, and coming within touching distance of a title that would have rewritten the sport’s rankings logic.

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0:00 Intro

6:09 Chris Haworth receives luck from above

9:09 An epic run in men's doubles

17:31 Is Yuta the most slept on? Nico’s next partner?

22:21 Best 2/3 finals format

25:53 Pickleball officially becomes a nighttime sport

32:48 MLP hunting for a new commissioner

39:17 WPR has a singles problem

49:47 Anna Leigh Waters vs Kate Fahey

54:07 Mean comments

1:01:53 Women's doubles results

1:04:22 Nico’s combine experience Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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