2020 New York Open Recap

Pickleball’s Best on Display at New York Open

One of the new elements added to the New York Open in 2020 was the enacting of the New York Open Pickleball Championships. The tournament featured a multitude of divisions in varying age and skill levels, with the top three finishers in each earning medals. Below are the gold medal winners from the first annual New York Open Pickleball Championships:

l Men’s Doubles 3.0/3.5 (19+): Sim Singh & Brian DeMasi l Men’s Doubles 3.0 (50+, 60+): Brian Fajans & Eric Peskin l Men’s Doubles 3.5 (50+): Joseph Walsh & Timothy Carroll l Men’s Doubles 3.5 (65+): Brian McDermott & Rick Fishman l Men’s Doubles 4.0 (19+): Manual Boya & Gino Riggio l Men’s Doubles 4.0 (50+, 65+): Alfonse Calato & Dave Liell

l Men’s Doubles 4.5/5.0: Alex PopMoldovan & Eden Lica l Men’s Singles 3.0/3.5 (50+): Philip Benigno l Men’s Singles 3.0/3.5 (65+): Robert Lessard l Men’s Singles 3.0 (19+): Andrew Brechner l Men’s Singles 3.5/4.0 (19+): Adam Brechner l Men’s Singles 4.0/4.5 (65+): John Hursh l Men’s Singles 4.0 (50+): Ricardo Romero l Men’s Singles 4.5 (19+): Matthew Stevens l Men’s Singles 5.0 (19+): Eden Lica l Mixed Doubles 3.0 (19+): Kristin Schad & Alex Ellison l Mixed Doubles 3.0 (50+): Beverly Jaycox & Steve Jaycox l Mixed Doubles 3.0 (65+): Beatrix McKane & Allen Faust l Mixed Doubles 3.5 (19+): Regina Prete & Bryan Lillis

l Mixed Doubles 3.5 (50+): Francine Avena & Anthony Avena l Mixed Doubles 3.5 (65+): Katherine Hedden & Michael Rotblatt l Mixed Doubles 4.0 (19+): Joanna Sapir & Michael Kazin l Mixed Doubles 4.0 (50+, 65+): Lucille Conklin & Jack Callanan l Mixed Doubles 4.5: Debbie Drum & Frank Sciacca l Mixed Doubles 5.0: Sari Lee & Scott Golden l Women’s Doubles 3.0: Joan Newton & Maite Gonzalez l Women’s Doubles 3.5 (50+): Maddie Cunningham & Ellen Naidus l Women’s Doubles 4.0 (19+, 50+): Monica DiPinto & Michelle Crismali l Women’s Doubles 4.5/5.0: Katie Taylor & Sara Maher l Women’s Singles 4.5 (19+, 50+, 65+): Tina Cressent

Inglot, Qureshi Triumph in New York

The British-Pakistani pairing of Dominic Inglot and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi captured the New York Open doubles title, downing the American duo of Reilly Opelka and Steve Johnson 7-6(5), 7-6(6) inside NYCB LIVE, home of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. “I think it was, in the end, it was the experience and self-belief,” Qureshi said of the team’s success this week. “I think we’ve been working very hard—last year as well. And me and Dom both sat down and had a very serious conversation about what our goals are this year, and where we both of us as a team.” The week prior, the two came up short in the finals in Montpellier, France, but entered the New York Open feeling confident about their game. After winning the opening set in a tiebreak on Sunday, the pairing went ahead a break in the second set, and had a chance to serve for the match on Qureshi’s racket at 5-4.

Credit photo to Pat Mosquera

But Johnson and Opelka had one last fight in them, breaking serve and forcing the set into another tiebreak. A volley winner from Johnson would save one match point at 5-6, but

Inglot and Qureshi would win the next two points to close out the match and win their first title together.

“I believe in his game and he believes in mine. I think I bring a lot of energy on the court, where he brings a lot of power,” Qureshi said of why the duo has found success together. “For me, obviously I’ve been on the tour a little bit longer than him, so a little bit of experience there as well from me. He’s younger than me. I needed somebody to be a little bit younger. He has more fire is more driven also to do well in the slams and the big tournaments. He’s hungry to win more titles, which pushed me also to work harder, to be in the gym more, and look after my diet and everything like that.

We didn’t have the best start in January, but it’s just about believing in the process and each other. I’m very happy. The last two weeks have been really great, and we’ve been clicking so far.”

Qureshi also added that he was appreciative of the crowd support he and Inglot received throughout the week, especially in the semifinals and finals when he had a few friends in the stands.

“They’re very close friends of mine and sometimes they get over the top, so I had to quiet them down,” he said, half-jokingly. “One of them…got offended that I asked him to quiet down, but luckily he was here again for the finals, so I’m happy for that…and the crowd, I feel like they know their tennis and they respect the good points and the good shots. As a tennis player, it’s really nice to see that. It feels good, and I’m thankful to the crowd. I think it was a great crowd for a final today.”

Theme Nights and Special Events Fill New York Open Week

Credit photo to GF Sports

Amajor highlight of the New York Open this year was the tournament’s focus once again on providing community-driven events and promotions in order to engage the local area and bring everyone together. So beyond just the great tennis played on court throughout the week, it also featured many special events, promotional nights and workshops both to add entertainment value and also to create a positive environment for all members of the community.

That began with the New York Tennis Expo and the New York Open qualifying tournament on the opening Sunday. That day provided thousands of guests a wide array of activities, seminars and free professional tennis that kicked off the tournament week.

“Combining the New York Tennis Expo with Family Day presented by PGA Tour Superstore was an ace for the tournament,” said Peter Lebedevs, New York Open Tournament Director. “We had over 6,500 people attend the day and everyone walked out with a smile.” The New York Open once again held its College Night, which featured

Harvard freshman and Long Island native Brian Shi compete in the first match of the night’s session. Prior to that, Hofstra’s Shawn Jackson and Ostap Kovalenko competed in the doubles’ main draw, and all college students received discounted admission to attend that day’s matches. “We kicked off the week with a great turnout at the New York Tennis Expo, and College Night was once again a

success,” said Tournament Director Peter Lebedevs. “It was our new community events, however, that really brought our event to the next level— from our Veterans and Diversity Hiring Expo to our STEM Education School Day and GF Sports Women’s Elevating Experiences Leadership Brunch. Total attendance for the week is up 20 percent from last year; we are headed in the right direction.”

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