“The Race” Update: Mixed Doubles Going Down to the Wire

With Las Vegas in the rearview mirror, we’re one step closer to the CIBC PPA Tour Finals taking place Nov. 30-Dec. 3 in San Clemente, California.  

Qualification for San Clemente is based on The Race, a ranking system based on player performance throughout the calendar year.

To learn more about The Race and how it differs from the traditional PPA Tour rankings, you can read our article here. Keep in mind that the 2023 Biofreeze USA Pickleball National Championships coming up November 5-12 do not reward PPA ranking points and will not contribute to The Race totals.

There’s just one more tournament where players can earn points to qualify for the tour finals: the Hertz Gold Cup presented by TIXR at Pictona in Holly Hill, Florida, taking place Nov. 15-19. Since it’s a PPA 1000 event, there are a maximum of 1000 points up for grabs in each bracket.

Let’s see where everyone’s at going into the last qualifying tournament of the season. 

Women’s Doubles

There are 16 PPA Tour Finals spots for women’s doubles, and 12 of those spots have been claimed. Irina Tereschenko, Yana Newell, Lacy Schneemann, and Jade Kawamato currently hold the last four spots. Tereschenko and Kawamoto are coming off an impressive fourth place finish in Vegas that propelled both of them into qualifying position. Kawamoto’s move into the no. 16 slot pushes Jorja Johnson, who didn’t play in Vegas, out of qualifying position with Lauren Stratman close behind her as the second player out. With only a few hundred points separating the three players, Johnson and Stratman could both qualify with strong performances in Holly Hill.

Men’s Doubles

There’s just one spot unclaimed for men’s doubles, and Dekel Bar is in prime position to take it after a seventh-place finish in Vegas. Callan Dawson and Tyler Loong hold the first two spots outside of qualifying, and both would need nothing short of a gold medal in Holly Hill to oust Bar from that last spot. It’s a long shot with how stacked the field is expected to be, but crazier things have happened.

Women’s Singles

All but one of the eight spots for women’s singles have been claimed, with Lauren Stratman currently holding the remaining open spot. Yana Newell is within striking distance, though, after a strong summer in which she came away with two consecutive medals in Seattle (bronze) and Fountain Valley (silver). It will take a similar performance from Newell in Holly Hill to capture that final spot and book her ticket to San Clemente. More towards the top of the list, highly decorated singles player Lea Jansen holds the no. 3 spot even with not having competed in a singles draw since July. Jansen retired from singles after the Baird Wealth Management Seattle Open but confirmed with lead PPA broadcaster Dave Fleming that she will be putting her singles retirement on hold to compete in San Clemente.

Men’s Singles

Similarly, for men’s singles, just one spot remains unclaimed. Pablo Tellez has it now, having passed Jaume Martinez Vich after a quarterfinal run in Las Vegas. Even with that run, though, Tellez is by no means out of the woods. He’s got Martinez Vich, Dylan Frazier, Julian Arnold, and Gabriel Joseph right on his tail, and all it would take is one good day of singles from one of them to overtake the Columbian in the 11^th hour.

Women’s Mixed Doubles

This is by far the closest race ahead of Daytona. Six of eight spots are filled, with Lucy Kovalova and Lauren Stratman occupying the final two open spots. The competition for the last spot is especially tight, with only 25 points separating the final qualifier in Stratman and the first two players on the outside in Lea Jansen and Callie Smith. Any run—even a single win—by either Jansen or Smith could be the difference-maker that propels one into the finals and sends the other one home at the end of the tournament. Look for emotions to be high right from the jump in mixed doubles.

Men’s Mixed Doubles

The men’s mixed doubles race is a bit more set in stone, with seven out of the eight spots already having been filled. Matt Wright is holding down the last spot, and only Julian Arnold has a shot at catching him. It’s only a small shot, though, as Arnold would have to come away with a silver medal—and hope for an early exit from Wright—to do so. It’s also worth noting that Arnold is signed up to play this tournament with his off-court partner Lauren Stratman, who will be trying to hold on to the final qualifying spot in mixed on the women’s side. The tandem will need to bring it if they want to book the final mixed doubles spots in San Clemente.