Among the many stars that shone at the 2025 USA Pickleball National Championships in San Diego, it was two up-and-coming APP Next stars of the future who seized their opportunity to cement their growing reputations. Jae Centonze and MJ Greiner, regular competitors on the world’s leading tournament series for next generation pro players – APP Next – and members of the APP Touring Pro Program at the APP’s global headquarters at The Fort, both registered standout performances in the men’s singles competition, taking significant steps forward in their professional development.

Centonze, 19, competed in the men’s pro singles division, taking on a deep field featuring some of the top-ranked players in the world. As the No. 23 seed, Centonze faced off against No. 10 seed Will Sobek in the opening round and advanced with an 11-6, 11-6 victory. The Belleview, Fla. native then dispatched multi-time gold medalist Richard Livornese, Jr. in the second round, 11-7, 11-5, to advance to the quarterfinals. In a hard-fought battle in the next round, Centonze fell to the eventual champion Patrick Kawka, but can hold his head high after a remarkable performance.

In the 5.0 age 19+ men’s singles division, Greiner was one of the youngest players in the field at just 13 years old. Seeded No. 2, Greiner won his opening round matchup, 11-5, 11-8. The West Palm Beach, Fla. native then cruised in the semifinals, 11-2, 11-2, to advance to the championship match against California native Dylan Galarza. In the final, Greiner defeated Galarza, 11-8, 11-3, to clinch the gold medal. In the highest-rated amateur division for his age group, Greiner did not drop a single game in his impressive run to gold.

“I am so proud of both Jae and MJ on their amazing performances at the USA Pickleball National Championships”, said APP Founder Ken Herrmann. “Jae played his heart out in an always-tough men’s pro singles division and showed how he can keep up with the elite players at the top. MJ impresses me more and more every day, and is well on his way to becoming a star on the APP Tour. San Diego certainly got a show with these two, and caught a glimpse of just how bright the future of pickleball is with the APP.”

Centonze and Greiner are back in action this weekend, Dec. 5-7, at the final APP Next competition of 2025, held in Fort Lauderdale at the APP’s global headquarters, The Fort. Fans can follow all the updates on the APP’s Instagram, X, Threads, TikTok, Facebook and LinkedIn pages, with full results available via TheAPP.global.  

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