
3 things to watch for on Thursday at the Veolia Bristol Open
Main draw action from the Veolia Bristol Open continues Thursday with mixed doubles, with play running through the quarterfinal round.
Click here to see the draws, and find this week’s broadcast schedule below:
Now, let’s get into what to watch for.
- James Ignatowich has withdrawn from mixed doubles with an illness. He and Tyra Black were set to be the No. 7 seeds, so now No. 72 seeds Jaeda Minniefield/Kentaro Hamaguchi will advance to the Round of 32. They will face either Maggie Brascia/DJ Young or Genie Erokhina/Mohaned Alhouni. Ignatowich is still expected to compete in the men’s doubles draw on Friday with Ryan Fu.
- Anna Bright/Andrei Daescu are teaming up for the first time since October of 2024. Team captains of the St. Louis Shock and Columbus Sliders, respectively, both players will be looking to make a deep run as they gear up for next week’s Toray MLP Playoffs taking place in San Diego, CA. Bright/Daescu do have a title together from the 2024 Austin Open, where they beat Anna Leigh Waters/Ben Johns in the final to secure gold.
- One potential matchup to look out for is Tina Pisnik/Eric Oncins taking on Mari Humberg/CJ Klinger in the Round of 32. Pisnik/Oncins are teammates on the Texas Ranchers and played together for the entirety of the MLP regular season, while Humberg/Klinger aren’t too far removed from a run to the semifinals at the Orange County Cup that was highlighted by a victory over Etta Tuionetoa/Christian Alshon. This projects to be an incredibly high-quality Round of 32 matchup, if both teams make it to that point in the draw.
Live broadcast coverage from Bristol Sportsplex begins at 11am ET on Pickleballtv.
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