Andre Agassi and Anna Leigh Waters won’t play till Wednesday at the U.S. Open Pickleball Championships in Naples, Fla., but on Monday they learned who their first opponents will be.
Tristan Dussault and Stevie Petropouleas advanced to face Agassi and Waters in the mixed pro doubles draw by defeating Ashton Patters and Andi Godwin 11-3, 11-2 in the first round on Monday.
Agassi and Waters are bringing some added attention to this year’s U.S. Open with their decision to team up. Waters, 18, is the No. 1-ranked woman in the sport; Agassi, 54, brings his tennis background to a professional pickleball event for the first time.
Thirty-two teams are still standing in the Mixed Pro Doubles draw after Monday’s opening round.
Also kicking off on Monday were the men’s and women’s pro singles brackets, the men’s and women’s pro doubles draws and the mixed split pro, in which one player on each team must be 49 years old or younger and one must be 50 years or older.
Pro players can be entered into multiple competitions. Petropouleas, for instance, faced Sarah Mulhern in the first round of the women’s pro singles and fell 11-6, 11-0. Mulhern advanced to face Megan Fudge, last year’s silver medalist, who had a first-round bye.
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 advanced to face Waters and her mother and coach, Leigh Waters, the defending champions.
“We’re just really excited to be back,” Leigh Waters told Fox 4 Southwest Florida. “I’m 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.”
In men’s pro singles, 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.
–Field Level Media
