In case you missed it, these the results of the men’s, women’s, and mixed pro doubles events at the 2021 Minto US Open Pickleball Championship.
Mixed Pro Doubles
- GOLD – Simone Jardim / Ben Johns
- SILVER – Lindsey Newman / Riley Newman
- BRONZE – Lucy Kovalova / Matt Wright
Women’s Pro Doubles
- GOLD – Callie Smith / Catherine Parenteau
- SILVER – Lucy Kovalova / Simone Jardim
- BRONZE – Anna Leigh Waters / Leigh Water
Men’s Pro Doubles
- GOLD – Ben Johns / Collin Johns
- SILVER – Adam Stone / Dekel Bar
- BRONZE – Riley Newman / Tyson McGuffin
These names might look familiar because they are pretty consistent with the latest World Pickleball Rankings tally. Players earn points and move up the ranks by participating and performing well in tournaments. There ranking tournaments and major tournaments. The major tournaments are worth more points. You can find out more here.
As of the first quarter (and pretty much for the past few years), Ben Johns and Simone Jardim have dominated the professional pickleball scene. If they are playing in the tournament, expect them to make the top of the podium.
The next ranking tournament will be the Cincinnati Pickleball Open and the next major tournament will be the PPA Atlanta Georgia Open. I don’t expect to see significant changes at the top of the list as Ben and Simone have consistently outperformed all of their peers but we may see some names shift in the middle ranks.
I thoroughly enjoy watching these amazing athletes compete against one another and I follow their progress much more closely than your average pickleball fan. As new players enter the scene and new partnerships form and grow stronger, we will see the more established players challenge like they never have been before. The Callie Smith and Catherine Parenteau women’s doubles team is a perfect example of this.
After watching them take this match from Lucy Kovalova and Simone Jardim at the 2021 Newport Beach Doubles Shootout (though eventually losing to the Lucy and Simone team in the gold medal match), I knew that Callie and Catherine were on the verge of unseating these legends. It was only a matter of time.
Callie and Catherine finally did it at the 2021 Minto US Open Pickleball Championship. These are exciting times and I can’t wait to see these two teams battle it out again on the pickleball court.