Turns out, it's not always sunny in Philadelphia. But then again, maybe it depends on who you ask?
Fútbol x Pickleball: The 2023 PickleballSuperstore.com APP Philadelphia Open was kicked off on Wednesday with a fun session with the APP’s Shelby Bates and Philadelphia Union defender Jack Elliot, an avid pickleballer in his own right. Jack picked up some new tips to improve his game on the court while Shelby got the chance to put a little shine on her soccer skills. Maybe we’ll see Jack on the APP Tour someday?
A little rain never hurt anybody: After a short rain delay, the pros got back to their singles events, no worse for wear. After her vocal showcase, Salome Devidze booked herself a ticket to Championship Sunday to face off against Christa Gecheva!
Yo, Adrian: Meanwhile, Susannah Barr took advantage of her time in Philly to rock out on some of the most famous steps in cinema history. The Philadelphia Museum of Art sits behind 72 stone steps, which were made famous in the 1976 movie "Rocky." It's the Rocky pose at the end for us!
Women's Equality Day: After earning their first doubles gold at the APP Sunmed St.Louis Open, there were no two better women to showcase on Women's Equality Day than Barr and Megan Fudge. Those smiles say it all!
Death, taxes, and Andrei Daescu playing for doubles gold: After Andrei Daescu and mixed doubles partner, Barr, guaranteed their appearance on Championship Sunday in the mixed doubles event, Daescu and men's doubles partner, Rob Nunnery, earned themselves yet another spot on Championship Sunday, setting up a gold medal rematch from the APP Sunmed St. Louis Open with CJ Klinger and Andre Mick. In contrast, just two weeks ago in St. Louis it was Klinger and Mick coming out of the winner's bracket final. In what other sport can you earn a point for putting the ball around the net? (Spoiler alert: he did it again on Championship Sunday!)
Sunday Funday: Women's pro singles kicked off the Championship Sunday lineup, as first-time finalist, Gecheva took on Devidze. After winning silver in St. Louis, Devidze captured her fourth singles gold medal of 2023.
Skills showdown: Jack Foster also made his first finals appearance as he pushed his good friend Yates Johnson to a tiebreaker. Johnson won the tiebreaker 15-7 to take home his third men's singles gold of the year. As if the word "tiebreaker" wasn't enough to tell you what kind of match this was, check out this sequence from the second game. Wowza.
Courts of gold: Three of the four people in the mixed doubles final ended the day with at least one gold medal, as Daescu began his Championship Sunday playing with Barr and against Nunnery and Vivian Glozman. After also winning gold in St. Louis, Barr and Daescu claimed their fourth mixed doubles championship in 2023. This point by Nunnery is impressive and surely Daescu is wishing he'd save those for the next match!
Girl power: The top-seeded women's pro doubles duo of Parris Todd and Simone Jardim made it back to Championship Sunday after Jardim missed the APP Sunmed St. Louis Open. They defeated the bronze medalists from St. Louis, Mari Humberg and Allison Harris, to take home their eighth women's doubles title of the year. While their medal count is undoubtedly impressive, this gem from Jardim might be the win of the weekend.
Brotherly love: Daescu and Nunnery put an exclamation point on the 2023 PickleballSuperstore.com APP Philadelphia Open by winning their third gold medal as a pair and Daescu's eighth this year.
Full circle: In our preview of the 2023 PickleballSuperstore.com APP Philadelphia Open posted earlier this week, Fudge said one of the things she was looking forward to about Philly was getting to take her kids to the Liberty Bell, which her son, JR, is learning about in school. We love it when a plan comes together!
That's all from the City of Brotherly Love. We're right back at it again next week in Chicago!
