Hurricanes steal the show at celebrity pro-am
CARY, NC - The first half of Saturday’s semifinal action featured some high-level singles play, but some new faces took to the court before the doubles matches began.
Some of the area’s biggest sports stars came out to Cary Tennis Park to share the court with PPA pros as part of The Underground North Carolina Celebrity Pickleball Pro-am.
A large contingent of celebrities featured both old and new faces of the Carolina Hurricanes, including Cam Ward, Justin Williams, Sebastian Aho, Martin Necas, Seth Jarvis, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, and current head coach Rod Brind-Amour.
UNC-Chapel Hill basketball legend and avid pickleballer Tyler Hansbrough rounded out the list.
Ben Johns, Catherine Parenteau, Genie Bouchard, Thomas Wilson, Jessie Irvine, and Parris Todd each participated in the event from the pro’s side.
The Hurricanes notched a victory over the Washington Capitals on Friday night, and their stellar play definitely carried over to the pickleball court.
Some highlights included Jesperi Kotkaniemi tagging Jessie Irvine with a put away, Seth Jarvis beating Genie Bouchard in a hands battle, and Justin Williams hitting an erne on Rod Brind’Amour.
Despite some great shots from the hockey players, Bouchard was more impressed with all the Hurricanes fans that came out to support their local team.
“You can tell it’s a special fanbase,” the former Wimbledon semifinalist said. “Last night at the game, almost everyone was in jerseys, and there are a lot of people out here with jerseys, too. They’re super passionate, which is cool to see.”
Brind’Amour, however, expects nothing less from his team’s fans.
“We’ve got the best fans around, and they come out no matter where we are.”
Find the full results from the event below.
Game 1
Tyler Hansbrough/Cam Ward def. Justin Williams/Rod Brind’Amour, 11-5.
Game 2
Genie Bouchard/Cam Ward def. Parris Todd/Rod Brind’Amour, 7-4.
Game 3
Catherine Parenteau/Tyler Hansbrough def. Jessie Irvine/Justin Williams, 7-3.
Game 4
Parris Todd/Martin Necas def. Genie Bouchard/Sebastian Aho, 7-2.
Game 5
Genie Bouchard/Jesperi Kotkaniemi def. Jessie Irvine/Seth Jarvis, 8-6.
Game 6
Thomas Wilson/Justin Williams def. Ben Johns/Rod Brind’Amour, 11-7.
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