Genie Bouchard competing at the Cape Coral Open.
Genie Bouchard competing at the Cape Coral Open. PPA Tour

3 things to watch for on Tuesday at PPA Atlanta

Main draw competition at the Veolia Atlanta Pickleball Championships begins Tuesday with early-round action in all five pro events.

This week’s event is a Slam worth 2,000 points and is the final opportunity for players to qualify for next week’s PPA Tour Finals.

Here is the order of play:

 

Now, let’s get into what to watch for.

  • Genie Bouchard is back in the draw after spending nearly two months away from competition. The 2014 Wimbledon runner-up hasn’t played a match on the PPA Tour since February, but she still has a shot at earning the final qualifying spot for the PPA Finals in women’s singles. She will begin her campaign against No. 54 seed Rachel Summers before taking the court with Pat Smith in mixed doubles and Marcela Hones in women’s doubles.

 

  • Hurricane Tyra Black and Eric Oncins are less than two weeks removed from their mixed doubles title in Sacramento, but they won’t be running it back in the Georgia capital. Black will team up with Will Howells, while Oncins will reunite with his former Texas Ranchers teammate Tina Pisnik, who he made the final in Newport Beach with earlier this season. Both Black and Oncins will be looking to make another deep run this week in Atlanta.

 

  • One of the day’s most intriguing matchups comes from the men’s doubles draw, where No. 24 seeds Anderson Scarpa/Greg Dow will face No. 44 seeds Will Howells/Clayton Powell. Howells has played almost exclusively with his New Jersey 5s teammate Noe Khlif this season, so it’ s notable that they aren’t playing together at one of the year’s biggest events. This partnership with Howells is also a big opportunity for Powell, a talented 19-year-old who has been quietly rising up the ranks since signing with the Tour earlier this year. This will be the final match of the day on Showcase Court 6.

 

Live broadcast overage from Life Time Peachtree Corners begins at 10am ET on Pickleballtv.