While Major League Pickleball dominated the conversation in Austin, there was plenty happening elsewhere across the sport. The APP Tour produced two double-gold winners in Cincinnati, Mohaned Alhouni enjoyed a standout weekend at the Boise Challenger, and Zachary Grabovic and Andie Dikosavljevic claimed mixed doubles gold in New Zealand.

  • Katerina Stewart and Jack Munro each won two gold medals at the APP Vlasic Classic Cincinnati.
  • Mohaned Alhouni captured both Men’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles titles at the Boise PPA Challenger.
  • The weekend offered another reminder of the depth developing beneath pickleball’s biggest headline events.

Stewart and Munro Lead the Way in Cincinnati

The biggest story outside MLP came from the APP Tour, where two players left Cincinnati with a pair of gold medals.

Katerina Stewart successfully defended her women’s singles title before adding women’s doubles gold alongside Riley Bohnert. Meanwhile, Jack Munro won men’s doubles with Richard Livornese Jr. before returning to claim mixed doubles gold alongside Jill Braverman.

Stewart’s singles title defence was not entirely straightforward. Domenika Turkovic raced into an early lead in the final, but Stewart settled quickly and eventually secured an 11-6, 11-3 victory to collect her second consecutive APP singles crown.

Her second gold arrived in the women’s doubles draw, where she and Bohnert produced arguably the upset of the tournament. Seeded seventh, they defeated top seeds and defending champions Megan Fudge and Sofia Sewing, overturning an 8-4 deficit in the second game by winning the final seven points of the match.

Munro’s men’s doubles final was considerably more straightforward. He and Livornese controlled the championship match from the outset, defeating Ronan Camron and Drake Palm 11-4, 11-3 to secure back-to-back APP men’s doubles titles as a partnership.

The mixed doubles final, however, delivered one of the most dramatic finishes of the weekend. Munro and Braverman trailed 7-2 in the deciding game against top seeds Sofia Sewing and Casey Diamond before storming back to win 11-9 in the decider and complete Munro’s double-gold weekend.

Elsewhere in Cincinnati, Dusty Boyer secured the first APP gold medal of his career by defeating Ronan Camron in the men’s singles final, while Bobbi Oshiro quietly assembled one of the most impressive weekends of anyone in the draw, collecting three bronze medals across professional competition.

If you’re following how the global game is shifting week by week, the World Pickleball Report breaks this down every day in our morning briefing.

Alhouni Completes Boise Double

The Boise PPA Challenger produced its own double-gold winner in Mohaned Alhouni.

Alhouni first partnered Bruno Faletto to the men’s doubles title before returning on Sunday to win mixed doubles alongside Lindsey Newman. What stood out was not simply the medal count but the route taken. Both championship runs required comebacks, with Alhouni’s side losing the opening game in each final before finding solutions and taking control of the match.

The Challenger also crowned Adam Harvey as men’s singles champion and Marianna Petrei as women’s singles champion. Carlota Trevino and Kelly Goodnow secured women’s doubles gold to round out the weekend’s championship action.

Mixed Doubles Gold for Grabovic and Dikosavljevic in New Zealand

Across the Pacific, the PPA125 New Zealand event concluded with Zachary Grabovic and Andie Dikosavljevic claiming mixed doubles gold.

The pair defeated Lucas Pascoe and Sarah Burr 11-9, 11-9 in the final after navigating a competitive draw that featured several tight contests. Their title run continues a strong season for one of the most promising partnerships currently competing in Australasia.

The Bigger Picture

None of these events carried the profile of MLP Austin, but they remain important markers within the wider professional landscape.

The APP Tour continues to produce players capable of building momentum through repeated success. Challenger-level tournaments remain valuable proving grounds for emerging talent. Meanwhile, international events such as the New Zealand stop provide an increasingly useful measure of depth beyond North America’s biggest tours.

For Stewart, Munro and Alhouni, the weekend was about more than collecting medals. It was about establishing form at a point in the season when momentum can quickly become opportunity.

Further Reading

For a clearer view of where the sport is heading each month, you can download the latest free issue of World Pickleball Magazine.

Photo of Chris Beaumont

Chris Beaumont

Founder and Editor-in-Chief
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Chris Beaumont is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of World Pickleball Magazine. Chris follows the global game closely, reporting on the latest news, developments, stories and tournaments from all five continents. He also hosts the World Pickleball Podcast, interviewing people at…

View All Articles →