The US Open Pickleball got underway in Naples, Florida, on Monday, with Tristan Dussault and Stevie Petropouleas reaching the mixed doubles main draw by defeating Ashton Patters and Andi Godwin 11-3, 11-12.As the tournament progresses, all eyes will be on the newly formed pair of Anna Leigh Waters and Andre Agassi, who will not play before Wednesday.
However, following Monday’s matches, their opponents for the first round were confirmed.Waters and Agassi will open their campaign against Dussault and Petropouleas.Agassi, an eight-time Grand Slam-winning tennis star, and Waters, the most consistent player on the PPA Tour with 50 mixed doubles titles, created a buzz by pairing up for the US Open. Due to their age difference – 36 years, to be precise – Waters, 18, and Agassi, 54, the pickleball world is quite intrigued to see how they fare in the tournament.While Waters usually pairs up with Ben Johnson in the mixed doubles event, the rules of the US Open Pickleball required her to forge a new partnership. As per the tournament regulations, one player on each team must be 49 years old or younger, and one must be 50 years or older.A total of 32 teams will be in contention in the mixed doubles draw.Meanwhile, the men’s and women’s singles and men’s and women’s doubles have already started.There were just two first-round matches in the women’s pro doubles draw. Brittni Tonnessen and Volly Johnson beat Petropouleas and Miranda Cabieses 12-10, 11-8. Barbara Fuzesi and Meray Maalouf were 11-7, 11-6 winners over Eva Kohutova and Emma Wang.Fuzesi and Maalouf will face Waters and her mother and coach, Leigh Waters, the defending champions, in the next round.”We’re just really excited to be back,” Leigh Waters told Fox 4 Southwest Florida. “I am both playing and coaching. Anna Leigh is playing with Andre Agassi in the pro mixed doubles, so there’s just a lot of excitement, a lot of buzz this year.”Tanner Tomassi edged Juan Varon 12-10, 11-4 to set up a second-round meeting with defending champion Jack Foster. Jayden Broderick beat Samuel Higginson 11-7, 11-2 to advance to face 2024 silver medalist Christopher Haworth.