March 24, 2024, 7:02 p.m.
Just wrapped up the last day of the APP Miami open. I didn’t make it to championship Sunday but had a great time watching and supporting friends. My mixed doubles partner, Jenna Hessert, came up just short in the finals but fought hard the whole match. I got to speak on a panel at the raquetX convention later on in the afternoon which was a really cool experience. Overall Miami has been a blast, and I can’t wait to do it all again in Delray Beach in just a few weeks.
March 23, 2024, 2:16 p.m.
So last night we got to enjoy Miami a little bit and take in some of the scenes and nightlife. The rain was absolutely crazy. I had to walk to Walgreens at one point, and the rain was up between my knees and my ankles. It was wild, but it was fun. The hotel we're staying at is doing a concert every night for Miami Music Week, so we got to do that and that was a lot of fun. I got to enjoy some time off since I don't play today, and then today I get to come watch some of my friends. There are a lot of underdogs doing well and in men's doubles, which is really fun to see, I always root for the underdog. I love watching people come into the sport like I have and do well. It's fun to see people that haven't done well in the past do well now and I'm always rooting for them. So the rest of the day today I'm just going to watch - I'm going to watch my mixed doubles partner, Jenna, and hopefully she gets some good wins and then tomorrow I'll come back and watch her singles final and just enjoy Miami a little bit more.
March 22, 2024, 6:03 p.m.
Jenna and I just finished our back draw semifinal. We were able to win one more match since the last time I caught up, we had a great win over Yates and Regina, and that was a really fun match for us - kind of a big momentum build as well, just to build on good matches. Then we had a tough one there against Ryler and Riley. The first half of the game I felt like we had some things not go our way. We had a couple points that we had on our paddles and missed a few balls by an inch or a couple of net tapes, but that happens. So my tournament is officially over. I get to enjoy a little bit of Miami so I'll probably go out to a nice dinner tonight, maybe catch up with a few of my friends that are playing on the tour and just enjoy the night. Tomorrow I'll get to come watch gender doubles and relax a little bit, maybe hit a few balls but just get to enjoy watching.
March 22, 2024, 3:45 p.m.
Jenna and I just finished our first back draw match and we won, 15-6 against Eduardo Irizarry and Alejandra Lopez Borobia. It was a realy good match for us. We came out this morning and we didn't have much energy when we started, so that was our main focus - to have good energy and try to have fun and enjoy the moment. So that's what we did. Obviously you're going to play better when you do that. It was a really long break and it's unfortunately raining outside here in Miami, so we couldn't really go out and do much. There are a lot of restaurants and shops around here that, maybe if it was nice, we could have taken our mind off pickleball, but we had to stay here. We got to watch a lot of good matches, a lot of good points, pick up a few tips along the way. But it went by pretty quick, so that was nice. I think we have maybe three or four more matches, so right back to work, and hopefully we can get a few more wins!
March 22, 2024, 10:07 a.m.
Jenna and I just played our main draw first round - did not go as planned unfortunately. I feel like maybe we got in our own heads a little bit. Every match is such a big opportunity right now on the tour because points are so valuable. This being a major, there are more points on the line and we know we kind of need them to start making main draws consistently and not have to play the qualifier. I think maybe there's a little too much pressure on ourselves, unfortunately. But that happens, and we get another chance to play. We don't play again until four o'clock today, which is a long longer break than usual. So we'll probably leave here, get some lunch, try to decompress and maybe forget about the match that we just played. We'll keep up with the scores a little bit, see who's doing what and then come back ready to play at four o'clock.
March 22, 2024, 9:02 a.m.
Jenna and I had a great day in the mixed doubles qualifier yesterday. After that I went home, relaxed for a little bit, took a shower, decompressed, and went and had a great dinner on the beach. It was a local pizza place, I don't even remember the name of it, but it was really good. There's so much activity going on on the beach, so it's kind of a fun atmosphere to be in. I hung out there for maybe an hour our two and just relaxed. I went home and got some good rest and then woke up this morning ready to go. We play Anderson Scarpa and Arielle Butler. I don't know Arielle, but I think Jenna knows her pretty well, so we have a pretty good game plan going into it. Hopefully we get a good result. Check back soon!
March 21, 2024, 6:19 p.m.
Just finished the mixed doubles qualifier with Jenna Hessert, who's in the women's pro singles final, so congratulations to her. This was really big for us. We live in the same city, we practice together every day. We've had some really tough matches together, some tough losses that hurt quite a bit, so to get through is huge for us. And I'm really happy for her so I'm excited for tomorrow. A good end to a bad start to the day. I'm excited for tomorrow so check back in!
March 21, 2024, 4:09 p.m.
Overall a kind of below average day for me. I would say not the result I was hoping for, but a few things to build on, a few things to work on. Just have to keep it all in perspective. It was fun to play a couple of people I didn't know and just see some new faces - that was good. Now I have the mixed pro doubles qualifier in an hour or so. I have to get on the practice court to get ready for that and then hopefully win those and then be back tomorrow. My mixed partner is Jenna Hessert, who, I think just made the women's pro singles final, so I get a pretty good partner, luckily. Hopefully she can pull me through!
March 21, 2024, 3:37 p.m.
I just played my semifinal back draw match, the third win in a row, I got a win over Yates Johnson, who I played in a lot of big matches, a lot of main draw semifinals, I don't think a final yet, but a lot of semifinals. I've known Yates since we were 16, 17. We're close to the same age. We're both pretty high-level tennis players. I actually moved from Oklahoma to a tennis academy in Texas when I was a senior in high school, and then they came along that next year, but I kind of stayed connected to the academy and met them and I've known them for a long time, so it's good to all be back on tour together. It's a different sport, but it's still really fun. I know I have one match left, so I'm just going to try to play my best and find my game. Catch you after that one!
March 21, 2024, 2:55 p.m.
I just finished by second back draw match against Purple Jesus. I actually don't even know his real name to be honest, but everyone calls him that so we'll go with it. It was a really close match, 21-17, same as the one before - think I was up like two points the whole time but he was keeping it close. I never really had a big lead and was able to pull it out so it was good. I play Yates next, so that will be a fun match.
A big day for me today, I just officially signed with Babolat Sports, so that's really exciting for me. It's a new look for me and my first tournament ever playing with this paddle. I'm kind of going through the trials and tribulations of that, I know a lot of people can relate. Switching paddles is something normal and something you kind of have to do and I love Babolat and I love this paddle, but like with everything, it's just going to take a little bit to get used to. So, onto the next one and hopefully another win!
March 21, 2024, 1:58 p.m.
I just got done with my first back draw match. We had a bit of a break, it was about two-and-a-half hours between the main draw and the back draw, so between then I just tried to eat, stretch, stay loose, and hit a few balls. The back draw match was a good match, Zack played really well, and it was close. I think I had a lead the whole time but it was like two or three points, kind of back-and-forth. So I'm glad to get that one and I think I have like four or five more matches left. Should be a good day.
March 21, 2024, 9:27 a.m.
Hey guys, Chris here again. Just played my second round against Alexander Crum. It was a really tough match for me and I didn’t feel great from the beginning. Alex came out playing lights out and started with some amazing passing shots to get up early, and kept the lead the whole time. All credit to him, I wouldn’t be surprised if he makes a deep run.
I still have the chance to play for 9th place and hope that I can find some rhythm and end on a high note. Stay tuned for more.
March 21, 2024, 8:37 a.m.
Hi everyone, this is Chris Haworth here at the first day of the Chase APP Miami Pickleball Open. Spring break plus music week in Miami definitely makes for a crazy environment but it has been really fun to walk around and take in all the energy of the city. It’s singles day today which is my favorite day of the week. I woke up early and had a great warm up with my friend Zack Taylor. 8 A.M. start time was a little earlier than usual and I’m not a morning person at all, so I was really glad to get through my first round against Jayden Broderick. The level of the singles field is crazy and I know every match today will be a battle. Excited for you guys to keep up! Check back soon.
