2023 APP Mesa Open Recap

At the conclusion of the 2023 APP Mesa Open, it was Andrei Daescu, Salome Devidze, Hunter Johnson, Parris Todd, Simone Jardim, Susannah Barr and Pesa Teoni who took home the honors, with Teoni in particular making headlines, winning his first-ever pro APP title in front of a packed crowd at Bell Bank Park, Mesa, AZ. Teoni and Daescu won men’s doubles, following a tense battle between Megan Fudge and Salome Devidze in the women’s singles final which saw Davidze earn her first APP Tour gold medal of 2023. Daescu and Barr teamed up for mixed pro doubles and brought home Barr’s first gold medal of 2023, Hunter Johnson added another men’s singles title, and the duo of Todd and Jardim recorded their third-straight women’s doubles gold.

Over 1,300 pro and amateur players took part in the five-day 2023 APP Mesa Open, the APP’s largest tournament draw of the season so far. Championship Sunday highlights will be televised on CBS Sports Network from 9pm EST, showcasing five incredible matches across men’s and women’s singles and doubles, and the concluding mixed doubles match.

Local Phoenix player, Pesa Teoni made history at Bell Bank Park, winning men’s doubles with his partner, Andrei Daescu. “It means so much to me to win gold,” said Teoni, who earned his first-ever professional gold medal. “I partnered up with Andrei at the very last minute, and it was so amazing to be out there competing with him. He’s such a great partner – all he told me was to play my game, trust myself, and nothing would make me uncomfortable. I can’t wait to take this momentum into the next tournament.”

Daescu and Teoni took game one, 11-7 against Hunter and Yates Johnson. The twin brothers dug deep, responding with an 11-9 win in game two and a convincing 11-0 win in game three to force the tiebreaker. Daescu and Teoni came back in dominant fashion, winning the tiebreaker 15-2 to secure Teoni’s first-ever pro gold medal, and Daescu’s third-straight APP Tour men’s pro doubles gold. A remarkable run by William Sobek and Christian Keenum earned them bronze medals on Saturday.

“It was the first time Pesa and I played together, so we kept things simple,” said Daescu. “He’s very open-minded and takes feedback well. I told him to play his game, not worry too much about decision-making, just let loose and go for his shots, and we matched up pretty well. He had a huge support from the crowd today being a local guy. I’m really proud of him.”

Susannah Barr joined forces with Daescu in the mixed pro doubles gold medal match, facing off against the top-seeded Todd and Hunter Johnson – who took the first two games, 11-9 and 12-10, to force a tiebreaker. Daescu and Barr then came out firing en route to a 15-6 victory, securing Barr’s first gold of 2023 and Daescu’s second gold of the tournament. Milan Rane and Brendon Long took home the mixed pro doubles bronze medals on Friday.

“I feel great, I can’t believe it,” Barr said after the victory. “I had a wonderful partner with Andrei [Daescu] and we just played really hard all weekend. He’s super supportive, really high-energy – which I love – and it was a great partnership that just made sense.” 

Hunter Johnson kicked off the day with an 11-5, 11-5 victory in men’s pro singles against Eduardo Irizarry to win gold. The match concluded a terrific run for Irizarry, who earned silver for his first-ever pro medal. Jhonnatan Medina Alvarez took home the men’s pro singles bronze on Thursday – his second medal of 2023. 

“It’s always fun to come out on top, and I was happy to play with both my partners this week,” commented Johnson, who earned two silvers alongside his men’s singles gold. “The atmosphere was amazing – the crowd had so much energy, and that energy really helps me play well on court. It’s awesome to play in front of a crowd like that.”

Megan Fudge started strong in the women’s pro singles gold medal match, winning game one, 11-7. Devidze stormed back from there, taking an 8-0 lead in game two, before winning 11-8. After forcing a tiebreaker with an 11-7 victory in game three, Devidze slammed the door with a 15-9 win to secure her first APP Tour gold medal of 2023. Simone Jardim earned bronze on Saturday afternoon.

“I had a little bit of a slow start, but I got more aggressive, picked up the pace of the ball, and got it going again,” said Devidze after the match. “It was nice to win gold after getting silver in Daytona. I got my first ever pro gold medal here last year – I love playing here, it’s an incredible venue, so it was nice to come back and defend my title in Mesa.”

In a rematch of the 2023 APP Daytona Beach Open women’s doubles  final, Jardim and Todd battled Barr and Fudge for gold. Jardim and Todd defended their title once more, winning 11-4, 12-10, to secure their third-straight women’s pro doubles golds of the 2023 season.

“Everybody’s coming after us and trying to adjust, and there’s no doubt that the other players are going to figure things out,” commented Jardim, who dismissed the prospect of a potential undefeated women’s doubles season. “Parris and I will have to keep making adjustments and keep improving. I know we are driving the competition to get better and raise their game. It’s amazing to be in this position and be so successful as a team with Parris.”

“Simone and I are so comfortable playing with one another – we mesh so well and move like glue out there,” said Todd, who increased her 2023 medal count to seven. “The atmosphere was absolutely great. I was born in Arizona, so I had a lot of my family out to watch me – my grandparents, aunts and uncles, and my dad – so it was truly amazing to have them out and get some family time in before my matches.”

In APP Tour senior pro action in Mesa, Mattias Johansson won senior men’s singles gold, Leslie Bernard earned senior women’s singles gold, David Furman and Kris Heddings brought home senior men’s doubles gold, Beth Bellamy and Nathalie Bagby triumphed in senior women’s doubles gold, and Bellamy and Rick Witsken teamed up for senior mixed gold.

The APP travels to California for its fourth event of the year, the APP Sunmed Sacramento Open, Apr. 26-30 at Johnson Ranch Pickleball Complex. Registration remains open through April 16th. Full tournament information can be found on PickleballTournaments.com.

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