Megan Fudge earned a gold and silver medal to make Association of Pickleball Players (APP) history in Cincinnati, becoming the APP Tour’s all-time career medals leader in front of a capacity crowd and national television audience at the 2025 APP Vlasic Classic.
Fudge’s 69th and 70th medals etched her name in the record books, surpassing the career medals total previously held by JW Johnson (68). Sawyer Point, located on Cincinnati’s iconic riverfront, hosted the world’s first and world’s best pickleball tour over five days, welcoming players of all ages and skill levels in addition to the sport’s elite professionals.
Victorious in women’s doubles alongside Jill Braverman and runner-up in mixed doubles with Jack Munro, Fudge’s two medals were her most meaningful yet as she commented, “It’s an honor.”
“It’s been such a blessing these past three years, and it’s amazing to get that record breaker with a gold to seal the deal”, Fudge continued. “I just appreciate everything that the APP has done to provide an amazing tour for us players and give us a platform to play and I just feel extremely blessed.”
Will Howells continued his remarkable run of late with two gold medals, one in men’s doubles with Munro and the other in mixed doubles with Bobbi Oshiro. Sofia Sewing won another women’s singles title, while Grayson Goldin collected his first men’s singles gold medal since May 2024, also in Cincinnati.
The 2025 APP Vlasic Classic in Cincinnati also showcased a large field of amateur players from across the country and the AARP Champions Pro Divisions for pros 50 and over. Gold medalists from the event earned a USA Pickleball Golden Ticket and secured their rights to pre-register for the 2025 USA Pickleball National Championships, 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 Mother’s Day Championship Sunday slate started with two previous women’s pro singles champions against one another as Sofia Sewing faced Judit Castillo. Game one went in favor of Castillo, 15-11, who held match point in game two before Sewing rallied to win 16-14. Sewing then came out firing in the third game and held on, 15-10, to win her third APP Tour women’s singles gold medal of 2025.
“Honestly, I just wanted to make my mom happy today,” said Sewing. “I just kept thinking about my mom and thought, ‘oh, she’s going to be so sad if I lose this’, and I want to make her happy on Mother’s Day.”
Maria Klokotzky earned women’s pro singles bronze, her first APP Tour medal of the season.
Men’s Pro Singles
Grayson Goldin, the men’s pro singles champion from 2024 in Cincinnati, returned to championship court to face a new challenge, Armaan Bhatia – the number one ranked men’s singles player in India. Bhatia started strong in his first APP Tour finals appearance, taking game one 15-11. Goldin dug deep and responded with a 15-11 win of his own in game two, setting up a third game tiebreaker. Goldin maintained his momentum and won, 15-8, to secure his first men’s singles gold medal of the season and first since the 2024 APP Vlasic Classic last May.
“It’s been a tough year mentally, and getting over that hump means a lot,” an emotional Goldin said. “I just love this place. I love the crowd. It’s just a beautiful place and I feel really comfortable here. I don’t know what it is. Even though I’m a Florida boy, I really love Cincinnati.”
Ammar Wazir earned the men’s pro singles bronze medal.
Women's Pro Doubles
Megan Fudge entered the women’s pro doubles with 68 career APP Tour medals, tied for most all-time. She and Jill Braverman took the court against Emily Cederquist and Yana Newell, defending champions from the 2025 APP Fort Lauderdale Open. With a place atop APP Tour history on the line, Fudge would not be denied, as she and Braverman dispatched Cederquist and Newell, 11-5 and 11-3 to clinch the record-breaking gold.
“It’s kind of a chess game out there,” Braverman commented. “We came up with a plan, they had a plan, and it’s sometimes who adjusts better. Kudos to Yana and Emily, they are incredible players. It’s fun to have this rivalry, and I’m sure we’ll be seeing them many more times this year.”
Judit Castillo and Allison Harris secured the women’s pro doubles bronze medals in Cincinnati.
Men’s Pro Doubles
Will Howells and Jack Munro have been on an absolute tear on the APP Tour men’s doubles circuit, winning four consecutive gold medals heading into the APP Vlasic Classic. They took on Casey Diamond and Kyle Koszuta, each making their first Championship Sunday appearance of 2025. Howells and Munro took control of the match early, winning game one 11-7. The duo cruised in game two, 11-2, to clinch their fifth gold medals as a team in as many events this season.
“Playing with Jack, there’s a lot of trust,” Howells commented. “We’re having a lot of fun out here and we believe in ourselves every time we step on the court.”
“I trusted my partner, and trusted myself,” Munro added. “Yesterday I didn’t feel good, I was able to reset and fully trust myself today, and it paid off.”
Ryler DeHeart and Richard Livornese, Jr. paired up for their second men’s pro doubles bronze medals as a duo this season.
Mixed Pro Doubles
The championship action concluded with a mixed doubles heavyweight battle, as top-seeds Will Howells and Bobbi Oshiro took on two-seeds Megan Fudge and Jack Munro. Howells and Oshiro, winners of the previous two APP Tour mixed doubles titles, continued their impressive run with a 11-6 win in the opening frame. Fudge and Munro responded in turn, taking game two 11-7. Howells and Oshiro roared back in game three, jumping out to a 7-1 advantage early and holding on to win, 11-9, for their third consecutive golds.
“Our strength comes from experience being able to play with each other at these tournaments, and being able to trust each other at the end of the day,” Oshiro said following the win. “We trust what we have to say, where to hit, who takes which balls, so that helps going into these matches when it gets down to the wire.”
Jill Braverman and Will Sobek won the mixed pro doubles bronze medals.
AARP Champions Pro Action
In AARP Champions Division (50+) competition in Cincinnati, Jaime Oncins took home two gold medals – one with Lee Whitwell in mixed doubles, and another alongside Tao Thongvanh in men’s doubles. Audra Spielberger and Natalija Todorovic-Shaw won the women’s doubles title, Karin Ptaszek-Kochis secured women’s singles gold, and Youssef Bouzidi won the men’s singles title.
Additional Details
Full tournament results are available here. Highlights from an incredible 2025 APP Vlasic Classic – Cincinnati will air nationwide on CBS Sports Network on Saturday, May 17 and Sunday, May 18 from 6-8 pm ET.
The APP Tour returns to action May 20-25 for the 2025 Zimmer Biomet APP New York City Open, hosted at the legendary USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows. 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.
