The Association of Pickleball Players (APP) put an exclamation mark on a historic 2025 season with five sensational gold medal matches to round out the GEICO APP Tour Championships in Fort Lauderdale.  

The world’s top pickleball pros and hundreds of amateur players of all ages and skill levels traveled to the APP’s global headquarters, The Fort, for the 2025 season finale. The tournament also showcased the AARP Champions and AARP Masters Pro Divisions and the final round of the year-long Humana Cup competition for pros 50 and over.

A pair of historic singles titles highlighted the pro champions, as Seone Mendez won the women’s singles gold for her first career APP Tour gold medal, and longtime APP Tour veteran Ryler DeHeart clinched his first-ever men’s singles gold. Familiar faces joined them atop the podium, with Will Howells winning two gold medals – one in mixed doubles with Bobbi Oshiro and another in men’s doubles alongside Jack Munro. The South Florida duo of Shelby Bates and Sofia Sewing earned another women’s doubles title together, capping a successful 2025 campaign all-around.

Women’s Pro Singles
A pair of South Floridians met in the women's pro singles final, as multi-time gold medalist Katerina Stewart took on Seone Mendez, making her first championship match appearance. Mendez, a former pro tennis player and fresh off a bronze medal performance at the APP Mesa Open, struck first with a 15-10 win in game one. Stewart relied on her championship prowess to battle back in game two, but Mendez pulled away late, 16-14, to secure her first career APP Tour gold medal.

“I was nervous to come out today - it was my first final in a pickleball tournament,” Mendez said following the win. “I just thought to myself ‘play your game’ and it ended up working out.”

Fellow Floridian Bobbi Oshiro earned the women’s singles bronze medal in Fort Lauderdale.

Men's Pro Singles
In an all-Florida men’s pro singles final, Fort Lauderdale resident Ryler DeHeart faced off against Bradenton resident Dusty Boyer, with each seeking their first career APP Tour singles gold medal. The two finalists traded blows all throughout the match, but DeHeart escaped with a pair of 16-14 wins to clinch the gold – the first in men’s singles for the longtime APP Tour pro.

“I just went out there and went after him, and I got the W,” an emotional DeHeart said. “I had a big support team, it was a great time, I had so much fun, and thank you everyone for cheering me on.”

Tristan Dussault, a rising star at just 17 years old, won the men’s singles bronze medal for his first career APP Tour medal.

Mixed Pro Doubles

The mixed pro doubles final pitted a pair of former champions against one another with Bobbi Oshiro and Will Howells against Sofia Sewing and Casey Diamond. Oshiro and Howells struck first, taking game one 11-6. Game two was tighter in score, but Oshiro and Howells’ momentum was too much to overcome as they won 11-8 for their fourth gold medal as a duo in 2025.

“This really means a lot,” commented Howells. “We started off the year really strong and then had a little bit of a tougher stretch throughout the year, so ending strong means a lot to us.”

“We had a couple of battles last time in Mesa [against Sewing and Diamond], and we know them really well,” Oshiro said. “They’re great competitors, so for us to be able to find that first ball, be aggressive and play high percentage pickleball.”

Megan Fudge and Jack Munro won the mixed doubles bronze medal.

Women's Pro Doubles

Two of the top three seeds battled for women’s pro doubles gold as Jill Braverman and Megan Fudge met Shelby Bates and Sofia Sewing in the final. Braverman and Fudge, winners of six golds together entering the tournament, started strong with an 11-5 win in game one. Bates and Sewing, two-time champions themselves, responded with a hard-fought 11-8 win in game two. Braverman and Fudge jumped out to a 5-2 lead in game three, but Bates and Sewing rallied off the final nine points of the match to win 11-5 and clinch title number three as a team in 2025.

“Aggression was key for us,” Sewing said. “This partnership and our friendship has grown so strong that we always believe in each other, pick each other up, and fired each other up to be as aggressive as possible, and it worked. I couldn’t be happier.”

“We’ve grown throughout the year as partners and as friends, so it’s just been a really special year,” added Bates. “We’ll see what 2026 has in store.”

Bobbi Oshiro and Daria Walczak teamed up for women’s doubles bronze, marking Oshiro’s third medal of the tournament.

Men's Pro Doubles

Will Howells and Jack Munro have been dominant all year long in men’s doubles for the APP Tour, and they met familiar foes in the gold medal match as they took on Richard Livornese, Jr. and Tanner Tomassi. Howells and Munro’s chemistry and power led the way, as they cruised, 11-6 and 11-7 to clinch their eighth gold medals as a duo in 2025, tying the APP Tour single-season record.

“It was Will being Will and me being me,” Munro said. “I’m the rock, and I try to provide Will with all of the resources to succeed. Thank you to the APP, this has been an amazing tour and that’s exactly why I’m here.”

“It’s been an absolute blast playing with Jack this year,” Howells added. “We have great chemistry, we’re good friends off the court, so it really means a lot to us.”

Mark Dancuart and Casey Diamond took home the men’s doubles bronze medals in Fort Lauderdale.

2025 Humana Cup Crowns Its Champions

The GEICO APP Tour Championships hosted the final round of the 2025 Humana Cup, a season-long team competition for pros aged 50 and older. Team Welsher, led by team captain Eva Welsher, finished first overall for the age 50+ pros, while Team Johnston / Moorin, captained by Sue Johnston and John Moorin, took home the title for age 60+ pros. Full Humana Cup standings and results can be found at The APP Tour's Humana Cup home page.

AARP Champions Pro Action
In AARP Champions Division (50+) competition in Fort Lauderdale, Lee Whitwell and Jaime Oncins each won two gold medals including together as mixed doubles partners. Karin Ptaszek-Kochis earned another women’s singles title, and Youssef Bouzidi won the men’s singles gold medal.

AARP Masters Pro Action
In AARP Masters Division (60+) action, Lupita Curiel won the women’s singles title and David Spearman secured the men’s singles title. Jean Halahan and Miguel Nido earned mixed doubles gold, Heather Iffert and Anna Shirley teamed up for women’s doubles gold, and Dan Granot and Howard Mendel won the men’s doubles title.

Additional Details
Full tournament results are available here. Highlights from the 2025 GEICO APP Tour Championships will air nationwide on ESPN2 in the coming weeks.

The APP returns to action in January 2026, with several APP Selkirk Collegiate Series regional qualifier events and APP Next events. The 2026 APP Tour season begins Feb. 18-22 in Daytona Beach, Fla. 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.

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