LIVE BLOG: Results and news from Salt Palace Convention Center
SALT LAKE CITY - It's Singles Thursday at The Picklr Utah Open, and I've got all the latest updates from the Beehive State.
Check back here throughout the day, as this article will be modified as results come in.
You can watch the action for yourself on PickleballTV (starting at noon CST) and the PPA YouTube (starting at 10am CST).
4:45pm: Wang continues stellar play, survives epic against Brascia
Zoey Wang booked her spot in the women's singles semifinals with an 11-9, 5-11 11-9 victory over No. 2 seed Mary Brascia in what might go down as the match of the week in Salt Lake City.
Wang found success throughout the match coming forward and finishing points with her backhand volleys and flicks out of the air.
Despite that, the No. 11 seed found herself trailing 5-9 in the deciding game.
Those two numbers remained on the scoreboard for five consecutive side outs until Wang began to cut into the lead.
After another five side outs at 9-9, Wang got back on serve and finished the final two points with volley winners to clinch the victory.
Wang has been a hot streak in singles recently; she earned her first PPA singles medal with a bronze in Bristol last week and now finds herself one win away from her first Championship Sunday appearance.
She says that her training has been the biggest contributor to her recent success.
“I’ve been working on my baseline game, and I feel like my drives have gotten stronger,” she mentioned. “That lets me get to the net more easily because that’s where I can hit my best shots and finish points with volleys.”
Wang will look to keep the momentum going when she faces No. 4 seed Kaitlyn Christian in the semifinals for the second consecutive week.
Christian won their last encounter 11-4, 13-11.
4:00pm: Hewett eases past Goldin to claim final semifinal spot
Rafa Hewett defeated No. 34 seed Grayson Goldin 11-5, 11-2 to punch his ticket to the semifinals.
It's been a good day so far for Hewett, as he notched his first career singles victory over Tyson McGuffin and has yet to drop a game in three matches.
He'll face No. 2 seed Connor Garnett in one semifinal, while top-seeded Federico Staksrud and No. 27 seed Hunter Johnson will clash in the other.
3:30pm: Fahey into quarters after convincing victory over Devidze
Kate Fahey is proving that she is a force to be reckoned with on the singles court.
That was already evident after her silver medal in Kansas City, but it's even more clear now after her 11-3, 11-1 victory over No. 3 seed Salome Devidze.
Devidze—who took home hold in Minnesota and is still the only player to beat Anna Leigh Waters in singles in 2024—has arguably the best baseline drives in the game, but Fahey didn't let them get to her as she earned an impressive triumph.
The No. 14 seed will next face No. 28 seed Cade Pierson with a spot in the semifinals on the line.
2:30pm: Y. Johnson outlasts Tellez in back-and-forth battle
Yates Johnson is into the quarterfinals after a 10-12, 11-7, 12-10 victory over No. 8 seed Pablo Tellez.
The match—for all the great pickleball it featured—was more a testament to the resilience of its participants, as both competitors overcame sizeable deficits multiple times throughout the affair.
After dropping the first game, Johnson found himself in a 1-5 hole in Game 2. He then went on to score the next nine points, with runs of three and six that helped him send the match to a decider.
That run continued as Johnson jumped out to a 5-0 lead in Game 3, but Tellez then scored five of his own to tie it.
That happened again later in the game, as Johnson earned a 10-5 advantage before Tellez again brought it to a stalemate at 10-10. Johnson took the next two points to close it from there.
He'll take on No. 1 seed Federico Staksrud in the quarterfinals.
2:25pm: Petrei stuns top-seeded Jansen in three-game thriller
Marianna Petrei began her day in the women's singles qualifying draw, but she's certainly doing the most with her time in the main draw.
She's into the Round of 16 after a 5-11, 11-5, 12-10 victory over No. 1 seed Lea Jansen.
It looked like Jansen would run away with the third game when she earned a 9-4 lead and had match point at 10-7, but the No. 32 seed kept her cool and proceeded to reel off five consecutive points on serve to close out the match.
She will look to keep her run going when she faces No. 16 Layne Sleeth with a spot in the quarterfinals on the line.
1:30pm: Hewett dominates McGuffin, earns quarterfinal berth
Rafa Hewett is into the quarterfinals after an impressive 11-6, 11-2 victory over No. 3 seed Tyson McGuffin.
The No. 14 seed showed why his two-handed backhand is regarded as one of the best in pickleball, hitting his spots all over the court and not letting McGuffin have a moment’s comfort.
Hewett and McGuffin have faced off several times throughout their careers, but Thursday marks the first time that Hewett has come out on top in singles.
It’s not an achievement he takes lightly.
“I’ve played with [Tyson] quite a bit, and I’m super thankful that he’s been like a mentor to me throughout my whole career,” he said. “Today was my first time taking him out, so that was pretty big to get off my chest.”
Hewett will face either Gabriel Joseph or Grayson Goldin with a spot in the semifinals on the line.
1:15pm: Hoag takes advantage of Todd's withdrawal to make Round of 16
After falling in the final round of the women's qualifying draw Thursday morning, Cass Hoag probably wasn't expecting to compete again on Singles Day.
But Hoag got another chance when No. 5 Parris Todd withdrew ahead of her first-round match, sending her to the main draw.
She took full advantage of that opportunity, beating No. 26 seed Averee Beck 11-1, 11-7.
No. 11 seed Zoey Wang—who took home bronze last week in Bristol--awaits her in the next round.
12:30pm: NAMES TO WATCH: Naveen Beasley, Augie Ge, Patrick Kawka
Naveen Beasley, Augie Ge, and Patrick Kawka are all lower-seeded players who are into the Round of 16 in Salt Lake City after some impressive wins.
Beasley took down PPA Sacramento silver-medalist and 2023 National Champion JW Johnson 15-13, 11-6. He'll take on No. 5 seed Chris Haworth next.
Ge notched an 11-7, 12-10 win over No. 12 seed Collin Shick to set a clash against No. 7 seed Jaume Martinez Vich.
And Kawka—who is competing in his first singles tournament since April—flew through the qualifying draw and most recently beat No. 24 seed Ryan Eveloff to book his spot in the Round of 16, where he'll face either Connor Garnett or Mo Alhouni.
Pay attention to these three as the day progresses.
12:10pm: Goldin takes down Sock in second consecutive week
Grayson Goldin seems to have Jack Sock's number on the pickleball court. The No. 34 seed beat the former tennis star for the second time in as many weeks, this time doing so with an 11-1, 10-12, 11-8 triumph.
It was a back-and-forth match, but both players shared similar struggles with return errors. That was the main cause of Goldin's downfall in the second game, where he squandered a 6-2 advantage by missing three consecutive returns.
He was able to turn things around when it mattered most in Game 3, though, dialing in his powerful serves and heavy drives to eventually secure the victory.
He will face either Gabriel Joseph or Tyler Loong in the Round of 16.
12:05pm: H. Johnson routs Frazier to make Round of 16
Hunter Johnson made quick work of Dylan Frazier, defeating the No. 4 seed 11-2, 11-2 in a one-sided affair that lasted just over 20 minutes.
It's a big upset by seeding, since Johnson is the No. 27 seed, but the former SMU tennis player previously dominated the APP singles scene and has wins over some of the best singles players in the sport.
He'll look to continue his strong form when he faces No. 19 seed Eric Roddy with a spot in the quarterfinals on the line.
11:20am: Loong survives scare from Scarpa
Tyler Loong is into the Round of 32 after an 11-7, 8-11, 11-9 victory over No. 47 seed Anderson Scarpa.
The lefty—who is one of the local favorites and a member of the Utah Black Diamonds in MLP—watched as a 10-5 advantage in the final game turned into a much less comfortable 10-9 edge, but he was able to get the serve back and finish the match on a return error from Scarpa.
He will next face No. 11 seed Gabriel Joseph as he looks to capture his first PPA singles medal since 2020.
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