Venice Beach Pop Paddle Tournament

The weekend of June 15-16, 2019 was not just another normal weekend on the Venice Beach Pop Paddle Tennis Courts. Venice Beach is widely considered the ‘Mecca’ of Pop Paddle Tennis. Approximately 100 players descended on these historic courts to battle it out in a legendary Singles and Mixed Doubles City of Los Angeles Tournament. This strong showing of support for the tournament was a foreshadowing of the growing popularity of the sport. People came from as far as NY to compete for fun, camaraderie, and generous prizes donated by the local community. There was also a large showing of contenders from private local clubs as well as the always strong presence of Venice locals. The recurring theme among participants and local volunteers was that they came to play and to show their true love for the game which is known for its always addictive nature.

Ernesto Russo, Scott Doerner, Daniel Wulff. Photo by: Nic Emery

Results were as follows:

Women’s A/Open Singles:

1st place: Mae Canete
2nd place: Esme Gregson

Women’s B Singles:

1st place: Dani DiLaurentis
2nd place: Leora Juster

Men’s Open Singles:

1st place: Scott Doerner
2nd place: Ernesto Russo
3rd place: Daniel Wulff

Men’s A Singles:

1st place: Jeano Georgian
2nd place: Sebastian Valdenaire
3rd place: Maxime Cazettes

Men’s B Singles:

1st place: Faisal Bisharat
2nd place: JP LaPointe

Mixed Doubles Open/A:

1st Place: Daniel Wulff & Christine Canete
2nd Place: Clay Schwartz & Romy Hightower

Mixed Doubles B/Social:

1st Place: Quinn Evan Goldstein & Jane Rockwell
2nd Place: Jeff Wismer & Hilary Nowan

Upcoming Tournaments:

There are several upcoming tournaments in July, August and September. The next tournament is July 27-28th featuring National Men’s and Women’s Doubles as well as a children’s event on Sunday, the 28th. This particular event comes a year in advance of the 50 year anniversary of these legendary courts.

Many thanks to the tournament sponsors:

Cycle Bar, Cryo Soul, Surfside Venice, Great White, Vitalyte, Joy Ride Santa Monica, Zinque, Muscle Beach, The Venice Farmer’s Market, Studio MDR, Bellissimo and Espresso Yo’Self.