![Judit Castillo competing in the USA Pickleball National Championships this past November.](https://cdn.pickleball.com/news/1705945879936/Judit_Castillo_Cover.png?width=1320&height=528&optimizer=image)
Looking back at APP Punta Gorda
DALLAS, TX - The APP’s first tournament of the year finished up over the weekend.
Here’s who began 2024 with a gold medal in Florida.
Women’s Singles: Judit Castillo
Castillo established herself as one of the best singles players on tour after a stellar 2023 campaign during which she earned 8 medals. She’s kept her form going into 2024, earning her second title on the APP Tour. The Spaniard overcame Megan Fudge 15-13, 18-16 to clinch the title.
Men’s Singles: Chris Haworth
It’s hard to imagine a better start to the year for Haworth, who claimed his first pro gold medal with a 15-9, 16-14 victory over Hunter Johnson. The two had faced off in finals before, with Johnson having emerged victorious in each of their previous Championship Sunday encounters. This title will elevate Haworth’s confidence as he continues to become a consistent medalist on the pro tour.
Mixed Doubles: Jorja Johnson and Yates Johnson
We’re used to seeing a ‘Johnson and Johnson’ pairing on the PPA Tour when Jorja plays with her brother JW, but it’s not one seen commonly on the APP Tour. Nevertheless, this new ‘Johnson and Johnson’ duo took advantage of No. 1 seeds Parris Todd and Hunter Johnson (yes, Yates’ brother) falling in the quarterfinals to Will Howells and Bobbi Oshiro and made it to Championship Sunday. They faced off against Andrei Daescu and Megan Fudge, coming away with an 11-8, 11-7 victory. It’s hard to imagine Jorja not playing with JW regularly, but this last name-sharing tandem showed how well they can play together, too.
Women’s Doubles: Bobbi Oshiro and Milan Rane
Though both Oshiro and Rane have earned gold medals before, this is the first time they have done so playing together. They took out No. 1 seeds Megan Fudge and Susannah Barr in a tight-three game semifinal before overcoming the new pairing of Parris Todd and Jorja Johnson in two games, 11-8, 12-10. With three medals together since August, Oshiro and Rane could become one of the top women’s doubles pairings on the APP Tour this year.
Men’s Doubles: C.J. Klinger and Will Howells
The men’s doubles gold medal match was somewhat disappointing, considering the battles that both teams had endured to make it there. Klinger and Howells overcame frequent medalists Hunter and Yates Johnson 11-9, 13-11, while Andrei Daescu and Rob Nunnery survived a scare from Ryler DeHeart and Michael Loyd 11-7, 7-11, 11-9. Nunnery sustained an injury in that semifinal match that didn’t heal by the time Sunday’s match came around, causing him and Daescu to forfeit the gold to Klinger and Howells after the ladder took the first game, 11-1. Even though the match wasn’t a classic, this result is still an ideal start to the campaign for Klinger and Howells.
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