Fudge’s Two Golds Highlight APP Championship Pickleball in NYC

APP Release/Photos courtesy of Association of Pickleball Players

The Association of Pickleball Players (APP) put on a show under the bright lights of the Big Apple as champions were made at the 2024 Zimmer Biomet APP New York City Open. More than 1,400 players descended to one of the most prestigious settings in sports: the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, which was transformed into a pickleball mecca for its third consecutive year hosting the APP Tour.

Among the competitors were two of the biggest legends in tennis, as Ivan Lendl and Kim Clijsters returned to the site of the U.S. Open to showcase their pickleball skills.

The sport’s elite professionals battled for gold in front of national television audiences on CBS Sports Network and Fox Sports 1 (FS1), with seven champions bringing home the hardware and their share of a $150,000 prize pool. Megan Fudge earned two golds, Chris Haworth secured his third men’s singles title, and Mario Barrientos, Jack Munro and Yana Newell each earned their first APP Tour gold medals of 2024.

Mixed Pro Doubles
The championship action began under the lights on CBS Sports Network with mixed pro doubles, pitting Will Howells and Bobbi Oshiro against Mari Humberg and CJ Klinger. Game one was tightly contested, with Humberg and Klinger emerging 14-12. Oshiro and Howells regrouped and came back strong, taking game two 11-8 and maintaining their momentum in game three, 11-6, to secure their first golds as a duo in 2024. 

“We had the right gameplan,” said Oshiro. “It was all about executing and trusting each other, and we got it done.”

“Bobbi is a great player and we had to step it up,” Howells added. “Execution was huge. We have a lot of trust in each other since we play so much together, and trust goes a long way.”

Susannah Barr and Rob Nunnery earned the mixed doubles bronze in New York City.

Men’s Pro Singles
The action continued with men’s pro singles, as defending APP Tour champion Grayson Goldin took on Chris Haworth, who has been dominant on the circuit throughout 2024. An electrifying game one could have gone either way, with Haworth sneaking by, 20-18. Goldin siezed momentum early in game two, but Haworth was relentless, winning 18-16 to clinch the gold.

“It feels amazing,” Haworth said after his third APP Tour men’s singles gold in five tournaments. “With rally scoring, it’s hard to win consistently so I’m really proud of myself for doing that. I was telling myself not to give up, but unfortunately for me Grayson wasn’t giving up either. He played a great match and hopefully we play a lot more.”

Alexander Crum took home men’s singles bronze, his first APP Tour medal of the season.

Women’s Pro Singles
Friday night’s championship action concluded with women’s pro singles, as APP Tour veteran Megan Fudge battled Yana Newell. Much like the men’s final, the match’s opening frame was neck-and-neck – with Fudge victorious 16-14. Fudge took control of game two early and never looked back, cruising to a 15-5 win to wrap up her second women’s singles title of 2024.

“The big thing was stepping up and letting myself rip the ball,” said Fudge, who has medaled in women’s singles in every APP Tour event thus far in 2024. “I got really lucky in that first game to sneak that one out and in the second game, I relaxed a little bit more, went after my shots, and was able to his some good passing shots to help me.”

Bobbi Oshiro earned women’s singles bronze in New York City.

Men’s Pro Doubles
The championship action resumed on Saturday night under the lights, with men’s pro doubles kickstarting live coverage on FS1. In each players’ gold medal match debut for 2024, Mario Barrientos and Jack Munro faced off against Erik Pailet and Ben Newell. Hungry for the title, Barrientos and Munro started strong and never looked back, winning 11-6 and 11-5 to secure their first APP Tour gold medals of 2024.

“It was crazy,” Munro said following the win. “We had the hands, the drops, the energy, it was perfect.”

“My determination to get out there, play my best, and have fun got us the win,” added Barrientos. “I want to give a big shoutout to all my Hispanic friends and people who’ve been following me along to the US to play pickleball.”

Will Howells and CJ Klinger teamed up for men’s doubles bronze.

Women’s Pro Doubles
Women’s pro doubles put the exclamation point on the championship action, with Megan Fudge and Yana Newell challenging the defending champions Allison Harris and Simone Jardim. Fudge and Newell, who faced each other in the women’s singles final earlier, showcased their newfound partnership in convincing fashion, taking game one 11-2. Their chemistry kept the momentum rolling as they took game two, 11-7, to secure Fudge’s second gold of the tournament and Newell’s first of 2024.

“Allison and Simone came out firing in that second game,” Newell commented. “The ball was moving so fast back and forth that I couldn’t see anything. Every time I see Megan smiling it just calms my nerves. I continued trusting her shots and her decisions, and it just works for us.”

Susannah Barr and Mari Humberg secured the women’s doubles bronze.

APP NYC Pro Shuffle
The action continues on Sunday, May 26, with an all-new nationally televised event: the APP NYC Pro Shuffle. In this exciting new APP Tour pro event, 16 men and 16 women will compete for the right to be crowned the best doubles player on the APP Tour. The men’s and women’s players will be divided into four pools of four players each, and “shuffled” into different team matchups for round robin play. The top teams will advance to knockout rounds, and champions will be crowned.

Live coverage of the APP NYC Pro Shuffle airs on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on APPTV, available on YouTube, and from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

Additional Details
All pro winners are shown below, with full tournament results available here. The APP returns to action in Orange County, California on July 3-7 for the 2024 APP Newport Beach Open, held at the venerable Tennis and Pickleball Club at Newport Beach.

More information about upcoming APP events—including APP Tour dates, player registration and ticket information—is available on theapp.global. Pickleball enthusiasts can also stay in the know by following the APP on Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok, Threads and LinkedIn.

APP Pro Results