The North Carolina Open main draw kicks off on Wednesday as the second tournament to adopt the modified traditional draw format. The tournament will feature one event per day, with all semifinals scheduled for Saturday. Team Selkirk had a stellar showing at the Red Rock Open over the weekend, earning one gold, two silvers, and one bronze. They’ll look to carry that momentum into this week’s competition.
Parenteau pairings
Wielding the Selkirk Labs Project 008 paddle, Catherine Parenteau has been nearly unstoppable, winning five gold medals this season alone. While she recently announced her withdrawal from the singles field, Parenteau will still compete alongside Anna-Leigh Waters. The women’s doubles No. 1 seeds hold an 87–4 record over the past year, with one loss to Callie-Jo Smith/Etta Tuionetoa and three to Rachel Rohrabacher/Anna Bright.
Parenteau will also team up with her mixed doubles partner, Christian Alshon, in North Carolina. The duo has been testing their partnership since last year and has earned one silver and one bronze medal this season. They enter the tournament as the No. 3 seeds, just behind the Johnsons and Ben Johns/Anna-Leigh Waters.
The return of “The Girlies”
“The Girlies,” made up of Rachel Rohrabacher and Anna Bright, are back in action this week. Rohrabacher and Bright enter the tournament as the No. 2 seeds. Expect another chapter in one of pickleball’s greatest rivalries to unfold, with Rohrabacher/Bright likely facing off against Parenteau and Waters in the final. Parenteau and Waters currently lead the head-to-head 8–3.
Sock in singles
Jack Sock has pulled off impressive singles wins in his short career, but his performance at the Red Rock Open was his best showing yet. Heading into the tournament, Sock was 0–4 against No. 1 Federico Staksrud but dug deep to claim a three-game victory. He then defeated Connor Garnett in three games before falling to Hunter Johnson on Championship Sunday.
Sock will be tested early in this tournament, landing in a tough quarter of the draw. He is likely to face the talented lefty Max Freeman in the round of 32 and a potential rematch with Hunter Johnson in the quarterfinals.
Ignatowich resurgence
After a fairly slow start to the season, James Ignatowich found his form at Red Rock. Ignatowich and Hurricane Tyra Black proved they were a force to be reckoned with, taking down CJ Klinger/Mari Humberg and Rachel Rohrabacher/Hayden Patriquin on their way to Saturday’s doubles semifinal. Ignatowich also pulled off impressive singles upsets over top-10 player Jaume Martinez-Vich and rising talent Zane Ford.
This week, Ignatowich will not compete in singles but will team up with longtime friend Ryan Fu in men’s doubles and Etta Tuionetoa in mixed doubles.
Emerging Pros on the rise
One of the newer names on the PPA Tour is Mehvish Safdar, who will partner with pickleball veteran Lucy Kovalova as the No. 13 seeds. Safdar, a member of the Selkirk Emerging Pros team, was drafted by the Utah Black Diamonds as one of their starting four.
Team Selkirk’s Pierina Imparato will also be competing in Raleigh after winning the women’s doubles gold medal at the first PPA Challenger event over the weekend. Imparato will partner with Mohaned Alhouni in mixed and Samantha Parker in women’s doubles.
Tune in to Pickleball TV to stay up to date on all the action at the North Carolina Open!
