Johnson Ranch plays home to Northern California's first professional pickleball tournament

Northern California had its first professional pickleball tournament last weekend with the Association of Pickleball Professionals Sacramento Open at Johnson Ranch Sports Club in Roseville. The tournament lasted from Sept. 22 until Sunday and was played at the club's new 24-court pickleball complex that opened back in May. The complex is the second-largest in California right behind Indian Wells in Southern California which features 48 courts. Some competitors in the tournament were from Southern California and were impressed with the facility. "Yes we have so many wonderful facilities in SoCal, but wow, did Johnson Ranch impress me," Mary Brascia said. "I loved playing at this club. The staff and volunteers at this tournament were so welcoming and inviting." Brascia won gold in Women's Pro Doubles with her sister, Maggie Brascia, as the duo won their championship match 11-6, 11-5. Tournament matches were best two out of three games with each game being played to 11. In pickleball, competitors play to 11 points and the serving player or team are the only ones that can win points by winning a rally. "We have been working so hard on our games and to see it pay off is awesome," Mary Brascia said. "We just want to keep getting better and build off of this." Maggie Brascia also won Mixed Pro Doubles with 17-year-old Hayden Patriquin. Patriquin is from Yucaipa in Southern California and has played pickleball for a little over three years. Many pickleball players get into the sport after playing tennis, but for Patriquin, he was a baseball player. Patriquin also competed in the Men's Pro Singles division on Sunday. While Patriquin didn't make it to the championship, he went further than he ever has by winning two matches and making it to the quarterfinals. "I think my biggest strength is my speed being young," Patriquin said. "I never played tennis, so it's hard to figure out my technique and how I get power but I would assume just putting my whole body into it and my hips into it." Pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in the United States and while the majority of players are over 65, the demographic is starting to skew younger with more than 27 percent aged 18 to 34, according to thepickleballplayer.com. "As the tournaments went on, I started to see more and more juniors, which was really cool to see and it's great to see all the younger kids coming in," Patriquin said. The Men's Pro Singles division was won by Kyle Lewis. In Men's Pro Doubles, Mario Barrientos and Darrian Young took home the trophy, winning their championship match in three games. Young also took silver in Mixed Pro Doubles with Anna Bright and was a World Champion in both events in December 2021. "It's always a good time when you're playing pickleball and you get to lift a trophy, become a champion and get some money," Young said. "Some of my biggest strengths would be my size and length. I am able to reach for balls that most people can't do while using lots of touch and deception. The venue at Sacramento was great and so was the weather. It's always fun to be in different parts of the country competing, seeing new venues and meeting new people." In the senior divisions, Mattias Johansson won gold in the Men's Singles while Jennifer Lassandro won the Women's Singles. Rick Witsken and Dayne Gingrich came out of the consolation bracket to win gold in Pro Doubles. Gingrich also won gold in Mixed Doubles with Nathalie Bagby. Bagby also took gold in Women's Senior Pro Doubles with Beth Ballamy. Overall, the tournament was a success with approximately 100 professionals and 500 amateurs competing.