The Association of Pickleball Players (APP) rang in Labor Day weekend with a thrilling display of talent on Championship Sunday at the 2025 APP Chicago Open. Standing room-only capacity crowds looked on in excitement at Danny Cunniff Park in Highland Park for the culmination of five action-packed days for the world’s first and world’s best pickleball tour.
Ammar Wazir won men’s singles gold in his hometown tournament, the second-straight for the Hoffman Estates, Ill. resident. Longtime APP Tour pro Shelby Bates broke through and won her first career gold medal on tour alongside Sofia Sewing, who also earned her fifth APP Tour women’s singles title of the season. Jack Munro continued his stellar season on the doubles front as he took home golds in both men’s doubles with Will Howells and mixed doubles with Megan Fudge.
The 2025 APP Chicago Open also showcased a large field of amateur players of all ages and skill levels from across the country, plus the AARP Champions and Masters Pro Divisions. Pro players battled for hardware and prize money, and all amateur medalists earned an APP Passport guaranteeing pre-registration for the season-ending 2025 APP Tour Championships in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Women’s Pro Singles
The women’s pro singles final was a heavyweight battle between four-time singles champion Sofia Sewing and two-time defending champion Katerina Stewart. The opening frame was neck-and-neck, but Sewing pulled away late, 15-12. Sewing maintained her momentum throughout game two, cruising past Stewart 15-6 to clinch her fifth APP Tour women’s singles title of 2025.
“I just wanted to go out there and have fun,” Sewing said. “I did everything I could to come out and play well today. Thank you to all of the volunteers, everyone who helped put this event together. This is my first time here [in Chicago], I’ve really enjoyed it.”
Domenika Turkovic took home the women’s singles bronze medal.
Men's Pro Singles
Defending champion Ammar Wazir returned to the court in his hometown of Chicago to face APP U.S. National Team member Ronan Camron in the men’s pro singles final. Game one was a marathon and could have broke either way, but Wazir emerged, 20-18. Wazir took control early in game two and never looked back, winning 15-9 to secure his second straight gold medal in front of a raucous crowd of supporters.
“I’ve been in Hoffman Estates [IL] for 15 years now, and I’m just so grateful for everyone coming out,” commented Wazir. “It’s crazy because last year I played this tournament, I didn’t even qualify for the main draw. And now, I’m sitting here with the gold medal, so it’s pretty cool.”
Dusty Boyer earned the men’s singles bronze medal.
Women's Pro Doubles
First-time finalists Shelby Bates and Sofia Sewing faced off against the APP Tour’s No. 1-ranked women’s doubles duo, Jill Braverman and Megan Fudge in a showdown for the ages. Bates and Sewing jumped out to a 6-1 lead in game one, holding on to win 11-8. Facing a 9-4 deficit in game two, Braverman and Fudge rallied back to tie it at 10 points apiece. Bates and Sewing took control from there, winning the final two points to clinch the match, 12-10, marking Bates’ first career APP Tour gold and Sewing’s seventh of 2025.
“I’ve been doing this for however many years with the APP, and this is my first Championship Sunday,” an emotional Bates said post match. “It’s been a rollercoaster ride. My parents have supported me through this journey, and there’s been highs and lows. It’s just a really special moment for me, and to do it with [Sofia] is amazing. I don’t have any more words.”
Amanda Hendry and Christine Maddox earned the women’s pro singles bronze medals in Chicago.
Men's Pro Doubles
The top two seeds faced off in the men’s pro doubles final, with Will Howells and Jack Munro battling the Pacific Northwest duo of Erik Lange and Max “Purple Jesus” Manthou. Game one went in favor of the one-seeds, with Munro and Howells winning 11-5. Munro and Howells showed no signs of slowing down in game two, winning 11-6 for their sixth men’s doubles title together in 2025.
“They’re our greatest competitors,” Munro said of Lange and Manthou. “I was feeling one specific pattern [today], and I just stayed with it.”
“We really kept our feet going, making sure we saw the ball down and the kitchen, moved forward and attacked off of that,” added Howells.
Richard Livornese, Jr. and Tanner Tomassi won the men’s pro doubles bronze medals.
Mixed Pro Doubles
The championship action concluded with the mixed pro doubles final, pitting Megan Fudge and Jack Munro against Daria Walczak and Will Sobek. Walczak and Sobek came out firing, taking game one handedly, 11-5. Fudge and Munro, already with two mixed doubles titles together in 2025, channeled their championship mindset and roared back, taking game two 11-3 and game three 11-2 to earn title number three as a duo.
“We definitely found our groove, we found our spots, we just had to be more consistent and patient. I think patience is an understatement,” said Fudge.
“She was a wall,” Munro said of Fudge. “I had to generate a little bit of offense with the balls that I had. I trusted Megan would get me those balls, and that’s exactly what happened.”
Yana Newell and Randy Blanco teamed up for mixed pro doubles bronze.
AARP Champions Pro Action
In AARP Champions Division (50+) competition in Chicago, Lee Whitwell won the triple crown with three gold medals – taking home the women’s singles title, women’s doubles gold with Angela Simon and mixed doubles gold alongside Jaime Oncins. Youssef Bouzidi won the men’s singles title, and Oncins paired with Marcello Jardim for men’s doubles gold.
AARP Masters Pro Action
In AARP Masters Division (60+) action, Lupita Curiel and Howard Mendel won the women’s and men’s singles titles, respectively. Heather Iffert and John Moorin won mixed doubles gold, Yannet Brister and Kelly Ojeda won the women’s doubles crown, and Dan Granot and Scott Moore took home the men’s doubles title.
Additional Details
Full tournament results are available here. Highlights from the 2025 APP Chicago Open will air nationwide on CBS Sports Network in the coming weeks.
The APP Tour continues with the 2025 APP Women's Open, Oct. 3-5 in Columbus, Ohio. More information about upcoming APP events—including APP Tour dates, player registration and ticket information—is available on theapp.global. Pickleball enthusiasts can also stay in the know by following the APP on Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok, Threads and LinkedIn.
