Pickleball is exploding across the globe and Australia is no exception. It is now the fastest growing sport in Australia. It is expected that in 2025, over 100,000 Aussies will pick up a paddle and enjoy the game. The PPA Tour recognizes this explosive growth by bringing the biggest and best pro tour to Australia for the first time, with the Proton Australia Pickleball Open. The tournament will begin on Tuesday from the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.

 

 

 

A number of top pros from the PPA’s USA tour will be playing in Australia, and they will be the top seeds in all the events. Making the trip are Tyson McGuffin, Gabe Tardio, Jessie Irvine, Kaitlyn Christian, Collin Johns, Allyce Jones, Jay Devilliers, Zane Navratil, Lacy Schneemann, Alix Truong, CJ Klinger, Vivian Glozman, and Quang Duong. The contingent from the US tour will be the favorites to win. The most interesting part of this tournament is to see if any of the US-based players will be upset in the earlier rounds.

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Tyson McGuffin (@tysonmcguffin)

 

The tournament will feature the best players Australia has to offer. MLP Australia has been a huge success and is growing by leaps and bounds. The skill level is also increasing, but how will they do against some of the best players in the world?

 

Some names to watch are Danni-Elle Townsend, the first pick in the MLP Australia draft; Nicola Schoeman; only 16, but with a growing skill level; and, Somer Dalla-Bona, who won multiple gold medals in the last year on the PPA Australia tour. On the men’s side, one familiar name is Tom Evans. Evans played in a few US PPA events in 2024, and showed off his skills, especially in singles. A couple of other men to watch are Kyle Stoker, a tennis convert who defeated Evans in a recent event, and Harrison Brown, a young and up and coming Aussie.

 

3. Say hello to Jeff’s Shed

 

The tournament is being held in January, which is the middle of summer in Australia. The event will be held indoors at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre or, as the locals call it, Jeff’s Shed. It opened in 1996, and got its nickname from the then Premier of Victoria State, Jeff Kennett. It’s one of the largest convention centers in the southern hemisphere.

 

 

 

The top seed goes to Tyson McGuffin/Gabe Tardio. They will be overwhelming favorites to win this one. Watch out for #3 seed Quang Duong/CJ Klinger. They should defeat #2 seed Collin Johns/Jay Devilliers in the semis. Keep an eye on #6 Bao Duong/Phuc Huynh, a couple of youngsters who are improving.

 

 

The top seed goes to regular US partners Tyra Black/Allyce Jones. They will be challenged by #2 Lacy Schneemann/Vivian Glozman and #3 Alix Truong/Jessie Irvine. The #5 seed goes to Emilia Schmidt/Danni-Elle Townsend. Schmidt has experience on PPA US, while Townsend is an Aussie to watch.

 

 

The mixed event could well be the most competitive of the doubles events. The top seed is Gabe Tardio/Jessie Irvine. While they have a PPA gold to their credit, they will not be a big favorite in this one. The #2 seed is Tyson McGuffin/Lacy Schneemann. At #3 is CJ Klinger/Tyra Black. While they have not played together much, this is a natural pairing, allowing Black to be on the left where she is more comfortable. Way down at #36 is Joseph Wild/Danni-Elle Townsend. Wild has some experience and game to complement Townsend, so that is a longshot pair to keep an eye on.

 

 

Singles is obviously the area where we could well see some upsets. The Aussies in general are more recent tennis converts, so they should have more success at singles than doubles. Tyson McGuffin has the top seed, and at #2 is Quang Duong. It would not be an upset to see that be the final. Tom Evans gets the #6 seed, and may well face #3 Gabe Tardio in the quarters. If that happens, it will be a good match to watch. Aussies to watch out for are #22 Harrison Brown and #24 Kyle Stoker.

 

 

Kaitlyn Christian has the top seed and will be difficult for anyone to beat. The #2 seed goes to Ekaterina Biakina, while Jessie Irvine gets the #3 seed. Aussie women to keep an eye on are #12 Somer Dalla-Bona and #13 Nicola Schoeman. 

 

This should be a great event. Expect the Aussie players to be fired up to show what they can do against some of the best players in the world. It is a fantastic opportunity for them to show their stuff. I would love to see an upset or two. G’day, mate and tune in to Pickleballtv to catch all the action.

 

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