Pickleball Takes Over Billie Jean King National Tennis Center
The Association of Pickleball Players (APP tour) hosted the second annual 2023 Boca Raton APP New York City Open pickleball tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows in Queens. This is the same iconic location of the US Open and has the Arthur Ashe Stadium as a backdrop.
More than 1,100 pros and amateur players attended due to it being a golden ticket qualifier to the USA Pickleball Nationals. It was the perfect venue in NYC for over 850 amateur players to attend, many for the first time.
It also featured APP pros largest prize money opportunity during the season. Luckily for pickleball fans, the APP tour made a 3-year contract deal for ESPN+ coverage for the event, so those not in attendance had an opportunity to watch the action.
Mens Pro Doubles
Gold Medal Men’s Doubles Winners: Andrei Daescu & Rob Nunnery
Silver: Hunter Johnson and Yates Johnson
Bronze: John Cincola and Brendon Long
Womens Pro Doubles
Gold Medal Women’s Doubles Winners: Simone Jardim - Parris Todd
Silver: Megan Fudge and Alix Truong
Bronze: Riley Bohnert and Emily Ackerman
Mixed Pro Doubles
Gold Medal Mixed Doubles Winners: Susannah Barr & Rob Nunnery
Silver: Simone Jardim & Stefan Auvergne
Bronze: Maggie Remynse & Andrei Daescu
Mens Pro Singles
Gold Medal Men’s Singles Winner: William Sobek
Silver: Vuk Velickovic
Bronze: Jhonnatan Medina Alvarez
Womens Pro Singles
Gold Medal Women’s Singles Winner: Salome Devidze
Silver: Megan Fudge
Bronze: Judit Castillo-Gargallo
Final Thoughts
While there were some upsets in 2023, particularly in men’s singles, with newcomer Vuk “Wolf” Velickovic overtaking the #8 seed and making it to the gold medal match, the lineup of the pro players was fairly expected. We are looking forward to the 3rd annual Boca Raton APP New York City Open pickleball tournament in 2024 - rumored to have an even bigger prize purse. Keep an eye out for open registration if you want your chance to see the action in person, or wait to watch the coverage on ESPN+.
