The Fasenra Virginia Beach Cup main draws got underway Tuesday at Pickleball Virginia Beach, featuring some of the sport’s biggest names.
Chief among them: Anna Leigh Waters, the world’s No. 1-ranked female player in the Professional Pickleball Association. She’s trying to repeat her impressive feat of a year ago, when she took first-place awards in women’s singles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles.
She’s top-seeded again in all three brackets, getting a bye in singles and in women’s doubles with Anna Bright, but winning a match Tuesday with Ben Johns in mixed doubles.
Winners in the men’s singles round of 64 included No. 1 seed Hunter Johnson, No. 2 Federico Staksrud, No. 3 Connor Garnett and No. 4 Christian Alshon, as well as two prominent former pro tennis players — No. 6 Jack Sock and No. 23 Donald Young. Alshon once played tennis for the Virginia Cavaliers.
Women’s No. 1 Anna Leigh Waters got a bye and will take on No. 33 Kiora Kunimoto. No. 2 Kaitlyn Christian will face No. 37 Tamaryn Emmrich. No. 8 Genie Bouchard will meet No. 29 Mehvish Safdar.
Former Hickory High and George Mason tennis player Sutherlyn Brinn earned her way into the women’s singles event via qualifying, beating Alicia Reed 11-9, 12-10, but lost 11-4, 11-3 to Jalina Ingram in the main draw’s first round.
Virginia Beach’s Meredith Cutchin and Hampton’s Mikaela Smith entered the women’s singles pro qualifier but lost.
Numerous amateur divisions are being held this week in conjunction with the pro event, putting the player total at more than 1,000.
Pro action is scheduled to resume at 10 a.m. Wednesday, though the forecast calls for occasional rain.
Both singles champions will make $3,330 apiece, and the runners-up will gain $1,832. But in men’s, women’s and mixed doubles, the champs will split $9,000 and the second-place finishers will divide $4,950. Money goes down to players who make the round of 16 in each bracket.
PickleballTV will cover each day’s action starting at 10 a.m.
