Styling and Swaggering Into the Eyes of the Nation
| July 11, 2023
Hopefully, Tyson McGuffin’s wife Megan makes sure he’s looking his best today. There will be a lot of cameras on the pickleball court.
Well, McGuffin was looking his normal, part-surfer-boy, part-hipster self on Friday during the first day of the Skechers Summer Invitational at Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles, but if there is ever a day to make sure the best pickleball players in the world look sharp, today is the day.
McGuffin won’t be just trying to play well today, he’ll be trying to look good, too, and that’s up to Megan.
At least that’s what he said.
“My wife dresses me every morning,” McGuffin said after a Friday victory with partner Anna Leigh Walters. “Mustache, mullet, muscles and a lime green shirt. She doesn’t let me leave without dressing me.”
McGuffin had the whole combination working on Friday. If Day 1’s action was the amuse-bouche, that makes today the main course. Pickleball and the PPA Tour will be on national television for the first time ever. Action starts at 1pm PT and runs until 3pm PT today on CBS.
McGuffin and the rest of the PPA stars will need to be looking their best today as the PPA Tour is back for a second week in a row to showcase matches with new pairings and even new formats.
“Life’s easy playing with her,” McGuffin said of his victory alongside Waters over Tyler Loong and Jessie Irvine. “Very easy and I’m not going to lie. I just kept telling myself, ‘don’t talk and let her do it all.’ She’s a total phenom. I’m a happy man.”
Friday was a day of doubles pairings that featured the PPA’s top players, and the PPA’s top players, competing with some unfamiliar partners.
Callan Dawson and Ben Johns teamed up and beat Tyler Loong and McGuffin, 11-9, 11-4. A.J. Koller and Jay Devilliers, an aggressive twosome, beat Collin Johns and Pat Smith, 11-9, 11-9 and Leigh Waters and Catherine Parenteau defeated Callie Smith and Jessie Irvine, 11-7, 11-5 in just some of the incredible matches featured all day.
And more of the same, just to a wider audience, will be on display today. Check out some of these pairings:
The Waters will take on Lucy Kovalova and Callie Smith in the first match of the day on CBS and the Johns brothers will match off against Matt Wright and Riley Newman in the finale.
Other games set for Saturday include Yana Grechkina/Irina Tereschenko against Allyce Jones/Meghan Dizon; Devilliers/Koller against Dawson/Loong; and McGuffin/Jones against Spencer Smith/Lea Jansen.
It’s going to be a day full of electricity and will be back at noon PT on Sunday when CBS Sports will feature singles matches, including McGuffin vs. Johns and Anna Leigh Waters vs. Parenteau.
“Just a beautiful venue,” Parenteau said. “We’re just happy to be here.”
