Kiora Kunimoto and Elliott Schupp have reached the mixed doubles quarterfinals at the Arizona Open, continuing a promising partnership that has quickly made an impact on the PPA Tour.
The teenagers, aged 18 and 19 respectively, have battled through three rounds this week, defeating seeded opponents at every stage.
Kunimoto and Schupp began their campaign by taking down 22nd seeded Etta Tuionetoa and Will Howells on September 15. They followed that up with another impressive victory over ninth seeded Kaitlyn Christian and Connor Garnett on September 16 before overcoming the 25th seeded Meghan Dizon and John Lucin Goins on September 17.
Their run in Arizona, however, is not a fluke.
The pair previously paired up for two tournaments on the PPA Challenger Series in August, finishing sixth at the Seattle Challenger before striking gold at the Atlanta Challenger Series two weeks later.
Across those two events, Kunimoto and Schupp compiled an 11-2 record together. Their impressive form has continued in the Arizona desert, where they have now progressed to the quarterfinals.
For two young players still making their way through the professional ranks, the results underline the value of regular competition against strong opposition. Their performances also provide another example of the talent emerging through the PPA Challenger Series.
Kunimoto and Schupp’s run is the latest evidence of how effectively the Challenger Series is developing players capable of competing at the highest level of the PPA Tour.
The success of the teenage pairing is also a boost for the Challenger programme, which continues to establish itself as the primary pipeline for the next crop of PPA pros.
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