Pickleball Pioneers: Charting New Territory with Progressive Draws
Pickleball, borrowing a page from tennis, has adopted the progressive draw format for tournaments. The PPA Tour’s introduction of this format at the USA Pickleball National Championships in November 2023 was just the beginning. With its success, the format is now being incorporated into larger tournaments in 2024, including the recent PPA Masters in Palm Springs, California.
The progressive draw is reserved for PPA Slams and Cups, where the stakes are high and ranking points are plentiful. This format offers a structured schedule, allowing fans to follow the action more closely and players to manage their time and travel plans efficiently. However, it does pose strategic challenges, particularly for newer professionals who have to navigate a longer path to reach the top, especially with the top eight seeds automatically advancing to the Round of 16.
Lea Jansen, a professional pickleball player, has publicly expressed support for this format. As the season unfolds, the PPA Tour will undoubtedly gather more insights from players and fans about the progressive draw.
Understanding the Progressive Draw Format:
Unlike traditional formats where brackets are played out in a single day, the progressive draw spreads the matches across the event week. This ensures a mix of singles, doubles, and mixed doubles play each day, enhancing the viewing experience. The format begins with qualifiers fighting for a spot in the Main Draw, which typically features the top 40 players, leaving room for eight qualifiers. As the event progresses from Tuesday to Sunday, the competition intensifies, culminating in the championship matches.
Determining Main Draw Placement:
Placement in the Main Draw hinges on several factors:
The top 10 players ranked by PPA points from the past year.
Priority is given to singles players and doubles teams composed of PPA touring players.
Doubles teams with one PPA touring player are next in line.
The PPA committee also has the discretion to make two wildcard selections for seeds 13 and 14.
Additional qualifications are based on PPA Points to round out the Main Draw.
For more details on pickleball formats and scoring, delve into articles about rally scoring and the nuances of keeping score in pickleball.
