
Tucson PPA Challenger Recap: Ulery captures first title as Shimabukuro medals in all three events
During the latter half of last week’s Pickleball Central Indoor National Championships, the next wave of pickleball pros converged on Arizona for the Tucson PPA Challenger.
Keilly Ulery was the story of the tournament in women’s singles, as she beat Janet Liu 11-0, 11-5 in the final to secure her first career PPA Challenger title.
It was a big moment for Ulery, who had previously medaled at four separate PPA Challenger events but had fallen short of a title each time.
“It feels like a long time coming in a way. I’ve medaled a few times, but the gold has been elusive for me, so it feels super gratifying to finally get it,” she said afterwards.
Elsewhere, Tama Shimabukuro medaled in all three events he competed in; the 15-year-old sensation earned men’s singles gold with Riley Inn, men’s singles silver, and mixed doubles bronze alongside Samantha Parker.
Here’s a full rundown of the weekend’s medalists from Kino Sports Complex:
Women’s Singles
- Gold: Keilly Ulery
- Silver: Janet Liu
- Bronze: N/a
Men’s Singles
- Gold: Matthew Finnerty
- Silver: Tama Shimabukuro
- Bronze: N/a
Mixed Doubles
- Gold: Jalina Ingram/Rafael Lenhard
- Silver: Chloe Igleski/Lucas Pascoe
- Bronze: Samantha Parker/Tama Shimabukuro
Women’s Doubles
- Gold: Allison Phillips/Samantha Parker
- Silver: Jalina Ingram/Jaeda Minniefield
- Bronze: Zoey Weil/Sydney Sonday
Men’s Doubles
- Gold: Tama Shimabukuro/Riley Inn
- Silver: Rio Newcombe/Connor McCartney
- Bronze: Joel Poland/Eduardo Santini Ayon
Players will now have a few weeks off from competition before the Houston PPA Challenger, which will run from Feb. 20-22.
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