The Indoor Championships is a tournament where you can expect the unexpected. Last year, James Ignatowich shone, not only by earning his first-ever gold medal in men’s singles and winning mixed doubles alongside Catherine Parenteau but also by giving his viral 'Big Poppa Jimmy' interview. It’s also where Parenteau captured gold in women’s singles while Dylan Frazier clinched the men’s doubles title with JW Johnson.
This year, the field looks a little different: James Ignatowich and Dylan Frazier are two big names who have decided not to travel to Minnesota for the tournament. Other notable absences include the men’s and women’s World No. 1 players, Ben Johns and Anna-Leigh Waters. With gaps in veteran showings and emerging players making waves in recent events, the Indoor USA Championships is set to be an exciting tournament.
Parenteau looks to repeat victory
Catherine Parenteau enters women’s singles as the top seed and reigning champion. Parenteau has already added a silver medal in singles to her impressive resume this season, but she will be in pursuit of her first singles gold of 2024. While Parenteau is favored to lift the title, she will likely need to overcome the No. 3 seed, Salome Devidze, and No. 2 seed, Lea Jansen, both of whom were podium finishers at last year’s Indoor Championships and have had impressive starts to 2024.
Parenteau’s mixed doubles partnership with Jack Sock has made tremendous strides as the season has progressed. The duo finally had the highly anticipated clash with the No. 1 mixed doubles team, Ben Johns and Anna-Leigh Waters, at the Mesa Arizona Cup, where Parenteau and Sock took the first game and kept it close in the second and third games. Parenteau and Sock have yet to reach the podium but with their growing synergy, a breakthrough seems imminent.
Jack Sock changes it up
Since the beginning of the year, Jack Sock has teamed up with fellow Selkirk athlete Collin Shick. While the duo is dynamic and refreshing to watch, they have not been able to reach the later rounds of tournaments so far. This time, Sock will test a new partnership with Julian Arnold, who has reached the quarterfinals in doubles several times this season. Although this new pairing heads to Minnesota as the No. 9 seeds, they are definite contenders to shake up the draw.
In singles, Sock has achieved major upsets against top-10 players: Connor Garnett and Jay Devilliers at the Masters, and Tyson McGuffin at the Mesa Arizona Cup. Starting the year with a strong bronze medal finish, Sock has found a consistent challenger in Federico Staksrud, who has stopped his singles campaign twice. With the Luxx Control Air paddle in hand, Sock is targeting his second singles podium finish and possibly a third finals showdown with Staksrud.
Pablo Tellez sights set on men’s doubles gold
Pablo Tellez and Federico Staksrud have consistently shown why they are a top team in men’s doubles. In the past three tournaments, the duo has reached the quarterfinals twice and earned a bronze finish at the Masters. Due to key absences in the draw causing shifts in partnerships, Tellez and Staksrud stand out as one of the few top seeds with extensive experience playing together. With Tellez's tricky lefty spins and Staksrud's aggressive playstyle and serves, the pair are among the favorites to secure the title.
Tune In
Be sure to tune in on PickleballTV from March 6 to catch all the action at the Indoor USA Championships!
