The fans show their appreciation as Ben Johns (right) and Gabriel Tardio (left, holding a paddle) raise their first\u00a0place trophy in the men\u2019s doubles championship at the Zimmer Biomet Cape Coral Open.<\/p>\n
MARK CLIFFORD<\/p>\n
After a week of intense competition, champions were crowned in five pickleball brackets Sunday as the Zimmer Biomet Cape Coral Open concluded at The Courts, Cape Coral.<\/p>\n
In the championship matches, the top-seeded men\u2019s doubles team of Ben Johns and Gabe Tardio swept J.W. Johnson and C.J. Klinger, 11-9, 11-3, 11-7.<\/p>\n
The No. 1 player in men\u2019s singles, Hunter Johnson, was tripped up by Federico Staksrud, 11-9, 11-7, in the men\u2019s finals.<\/p>\n
In the most exciting finals of the day, mixed doubles, Anna Leigh Waters and Ben Johns were down a match point in the fourth game before rallying to win a five-game thriller, 11-7, 9-11, 3-11, 12-10, 11-5.<\/p>\n
Waters, whose career record in finals is 60-2, also won the women\u2019s doubles with Anna Bright. They defeated Jade and Jackie Kawamoto, 11-9, 11-5, 11-2. <\/p>\n
In women\u2019s singles, Kaitlyn Christian recovered from losing the first set to dominate the next two over Genie Bouchard, 13-15, 11-6, 11-2.<\/p>\n
Pickleball has certainly grown in popularity from its origins. It is now a serious sport where professionals compete for hundreds of thousands in prize money. The sport has its own organization, the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA), which holds many big tournaments throughout the year, including the Cape Coral Open. <\/p>\n
Connor Ogden, chief operating officer of the PPA Tour, said they were excited about holding the biggest tournament in the state at The Courts, Cape Coral.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the first major event in Florida this year. We had all the top players in the world come and compete and we set record ticket sales,\u201d Ogden said. \u201cWe\u2019re excited about the growth of pickleball taking place in Florida.\u201d<\/p>\n
Liv Borski, pro player relations manager for the PPA, manages the players and signs them up for tournaments as well as signing them up with sponsors. She said the game has gotten more competitive and serious.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn order to get in the main draw, they hold a qualifier for those getting into the pros. It\u2019s rare for a qualifier to make it far, so it\u2019s very competitive,\u201d Borski said. \u201cThe sport is so new, people want to get in it and their name out.\u201d<\/p>\n
There were sellouts and near sellouts all week. There wasn\u2019t an empty seat in the house on championship Sunday. Such numbers are economic drivers for the city as people from all over come to watch and compete.<\/p>\n
The sport also has remained true to its roots. While the pros played on the main court, amateur matches were played on the courts outside, where players of all ages also competed for medals.<\/p>\n
Jennifer Owenby of Fort Myers was playing in 5.0 mixed doubles (5.0 is the highest amateur level before pro), and has played for two years.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was a tennis player and I noticed a lot of people were playing pickleball. I tried it and it was so much fun,\u201d Owenby said, who has played only five tournaments. \u201cThe pickleball community is a great group of people.\u201d<\/p>\n
Belin Dekin, also of Fort Myers, has played about the same time. She was living in Turkey when she was introduced to the sport. She played above her class Sunday.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve played in close to 20 tournaments. Some good, some bad. We played in the 5.0 division. We usually play 4.5. So, no medal this time,\u201d Dekin said. \u201cAs an adult, it\u2019s hard to get back to being competitive after playing as a kid.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even kids are picking up paddles. <\/p>\n
Mason Fier, 11, of Fort Myers, has played for about a year after his grandmother bought him paddles.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe growth of the sport is huge and a lot of people love playing the game,\u201d Fier said, who was playing in his first tournament. \u201cI\u2019ve made a lot of friends through the community.\u201d<\/p>\n
Among those who can be considered a fan is Cape Coral Mayor John Gunter, who handed out the championship trophy to all the winners.<\/p>\n
\u201cI never went to a pickleball tournament or watched one. This is incredible. There\u2019s economic impact with events like this. More importantly, it puts the city on the map for pickleball. I\u2019m glad they chose Cape Coral,\u201d Gunter said.<\/p>\n