Next stop on the PPA Tour is the Veolia Lakeland Open presented by Six Zero. The tournament starts Tuesday. It will be followed by the Florida Dairy Farmers Daytona Beach Open to close out 2025. With so many PPA pros calling Florida home, I am sure having two tournaments in Florida around the holidays is a welcome treat.

 

Hayden Patriquin takes this tournament off, but all the other big names will be in action, albeit with some new partnerships.

 

 

With Hayden Patriquin out, Federico Staskrud switches to pair with Tyson McGuffin and they receive a #4 seed. They are in the top half of the draw, so #1 seed Gabe Tardio/Ben Johns will likely be there in the semifinals, should both teams progress that far. But, Staksrud/McGuffin will have to get by #5 seed Eric Oncins/Dylan Frazier in an expected quarterfinal match that will be very interesting. Staksrud will no doubt go back to his usual left side, while Oncins has been playing top 10 pickleball, usually paired with Matt Wright. Frazier has bounced around a little bit partner-wise, and has not been playing up to his normal level since switching away from the JOOLA paddle. We will see if playing with Oncins gets Frazier back to a high level.

 

In the bottom half of the draw, the #2 seed goes to Andrei Daescu/Christian Alshon. They have been very steady, although they played their worst-ever match together at Worlds when they lost in the semifinals 11-2, 11-4 to CJ Klinger/JW Johnson. This time, Klinger/Johnson have the #3 seed, and if all goes to plan, there will be a semifinal rematch. Both teams have relatively smooth draws, so I suspect a rematch is in the cards. I cannot imagine Daescu/Alshon playing as badly as they did at Worlds, so a revenge match will be worth seeing.

 

As usual, the men’s doubles draw is loaded with interesting early matchups. In the Round of 32, expect to see #15 seed, the veterans Travis Rettenmaier/Donald Young, take on the young duo of #22 Ryan Fu/Tama Shimabukuro. Fu is an “elderly” 26 and Shimabukuro is 14. Shimabukuro has won matches in PPA men’s doubles draws, so at 14 years old, we may well be witnessing a future #1 player in the world. Another youth vs. veteran match in the Round of 32 will likely pit #26 Johns Lucian Goins/Tom Protzek vs. #6 Jaume Martinez Vich/Jay Devilliers. Goins and Protzek have enjoyed success at singles; can they translate it to doubles?

 

As is always true, the men’s doubles draw is filled with interesting teams and storylines. For myself, I want to see Shimabukuro in the early rounds, and then that expected Klinger/Johnson vs. Daescu/Alshon rematch in the semifinals.

 

 

 

Anna Leigh Waters and Anna Bright have righted the ship in women’s doubles, returning to their gold medal perch after suffering a couple of upsets. They have as good a draw as they could hope for, and I do not see them being challenged until the final in Lakeland. Their expected semifinal opponent would be #4 seed Catherine Parenteau/Etta Tuionetoa. If Parenteau/Tuionetoa can get that far, I do not see them as likely to much contest Waters/Bright. Tuionetoa has just not been playing top 10 pickleball for quite some time like she used to, and Parenteau has not played well in any match against Waters since their partnership ended. Standing in the way for Parenteau/Tuionetoa in the quarters will be the winner of an expected Round of 16 match between #7 Allyce Jones/Mari Humberg and #9 Tina Pisnik/Kate Fahey. That Round of 16 match will be a good one. Jones is underrated and is a very good partner for Humberg. Pisnik and Fahey played well in the last tournament and may be ready to take another step up the ladder.

 

In the bottom half of the draw, the #2 seed goes to Tyra Black/Parris Todd. Black is playing as well as anyone not named Waters. But, Todd is not as effective a partner for Black as is Jorja Johnson. Statistically, Black/Todd are significantly better with Black on the left, but this pair often makes the error of playing Todd some on the left. One thing to watch for is whether they correct this unforced error and now keep Black 100% on the left. The #3 seed goes to Jorja Johnson/Rachel Rohrabacher. This is another team of two very talented platers who are not all that well matched. Rohrabacher is much better on the right, due to the effectiveness of her backhand, and Johnson is similarly better on the right for the same reason. Johnson is a little better than Rohrabacher on the left, but you can see when these two play together, they are never quite sure which side to play on, likely due to both understanding they are better right side players.

 

Standing in the way in the bottom half of the draw is #5 Jackie and Jade Kawamoto, a team no one wants to play. The Kawamotos have no trouble understanding their strengths and thus they play together so well. They will likely play Johnson/Rohrabacher in the quarters. Expect that one to go three games. For Black/Todd, their likely quarterfinal opponent is #6 Lacy Schneemann/Lea Jansen. Jansen will get to play right side, where she now seems more comfortable. Schneemann is the most up and down of any top player on the women’s side, so predicting that quarterfinal match is tough.

 

 

 

Anna Leigh Waters and Ben Johns continue to roll in mixed doubles. They have the top seed, of course, and a favorable draw. I do not see a team testing them until the semifinals. In the semis, they will probably face the winner of a quarterfinal duel between #4 Anna Bright/Eric Oncins vs. #5 Jessie Irvine/Gabe Tardio. Oncins has been better at men’s than mixed, but here he gets a chance to play with his best partner ever in Anna Bright. Irvine and Tardio is an example of a team, like the Kawamotos, where the sum is better than the parts, so they will be a tough out.

 

In the bottom half of the draw, the #2 seed goes to Jorja and JW Johnson. They have been playing extremely well, with their roadblock being Waters/Johns. This time it looks like they will get #8 Parris Todd/Federico Staksrud in the quarters. Staksrud has never been as successful at mixed doubles as he is at men’s doubles (or singles), so I do not see the Johnsons faltering early.

 

The #3 seed is Tyra Black/Christian Alshon. They keep playing well together, but are looking for that true statement win. They will likely play #6 Rachel Rohrabacher/Andrei Daescu in the quarters, which should be one of the best matches to watch of the entire tournament.

 

A really entertaining Round of 32 match will be #11 Alix and Jonathan Truong vs. #21 Jade Kawamoto/Hunter Johnson. Jonathan Truong is a rising young player and I do not think most fans have yet to recognize how well he is playing and improving. Kawamoto/Johnson will try to capture some of the good play they experienced in MLP. Look for the Truongs to take that one and give a high seed real trouble at some point.

 

 

 

Coming off his gold medal at Worlds, Federico Staksrud reclaims the #1 seed, dropping Hunter Johnson back to #2. Every draw in men’s singles is difficult, and Staksrud will be tested in Lakeland. His likely opponents are #26 Grayson Goldin in the Round of 32, #13 Noe Khlif in the Round of 16, and the winner of #8 Ben Johns vs. #10 Dylan Frazier in the quarters. That is quite a lineup, and the fact that Johns is down to a #8 seed speaks to the quality of the men’s singles draw.

 

For Hunter Johnson, he likely faces #16 Jay Devilliers in the Round of 16, and then the winner of #7 Jack Sock vs. #9 John Lucian Goins in the quarters. Lurking at the very bottom of the draw are #4 Christian Alshon and #6 Chris Haworth. Haworth has been steadily working his way up the seeding ladder. At Lakeland, he will be tested with early round matches against #25 Eric Oncins and #12 Zane Ford.

 

Men’s singles is just so difficult. Very good players are seeded in the 20s, so no one is an overwhelming favorite.

 

 

Women’s singles is getting more depth, but one constant is Anna Leigh Waters at #1. She will have an interesting Round of 16 match against the winner of #15 Salome Devidze vs. #20 Cailyn Campbell. Campbell is only 15, but if someone emerges to challenge Waters in singles, it likely will be one of the up and coming teenagers. 

 

The rest of the top of the draw features #4 Brooke Buckner, #6 Catherine Parenteau, and #11 Laura Giltinan. Keep an eye on Giltinan. She may well be able to upset Parenteau in the Round of 16.

 

In the bottom half of the draw, Kate Fahey is the #2 seed and Parris Todd is the #3 seed. Fahey will have to get by #5 Lea Jansen, while Todd will be tested by the winner of a Round of 16 match between #8 Zoey Wang and #9 Genie Bouchard. Bouchard has really improved at singles, so her getting to the semis or the final will not be much of an upset.

 

For an early round match to watch, check out Round of 32 play between #4 Brooke Buckner and #27 Kiora Kunimoto. Kunimoto is 17 years old and has an accomplished singles game. Buckner will be favored, but a Kunimoto victory will be only a minor upset.

 

 

In men’s doubles, with Patriquin out, I have to go with Tardio/Johns over Daescu/Alshon. Patriquin is right now playing as well as anyone, so his absence will be missed. On the other side of the draw, I just cannot see Daescu/Alshon playing as badly again as they did in the semifinal at Worlds.

 

In women’s doubles, Waters/Bright have too easy of a draw. I do like the Kawamotos to grind their way to the final, but lose.

 

For mixed doubles, Waters and Johns are just too tough to bet against. Jorja and JW should get to the final, but lose in four games.

 

In men’s singles, Staksrud has a tough draw, but so does everyone else. I think he can go back-to-back and defeat Alshon in the final.

 

Finally, in women’s singles, you have to go with Waters to win. I will go with Genie Bouchard in some upsets to get the silver.

 

Fantastic matches will be the order of the day, every day. Catch the early round matches I have highlighted. All the action will be on Pickleballtv.

 

Follow me on X @pickleball_jim.