As most people saw, a random player from the qualifiers made it all the way to the finals, beating Julian Arnold in the quarterfinals, which is an insane win, and then defeating Dylan Frazier in the semifinals. If you know how the PPA brackets work, you know that players from the qualifiers have to play a top-seeded player. Collin was set to play the 3rd seed. When they posted the bracket a day before the tournament, the 3rd seed was Jay Devilliers, one of the best singles players. On the day of the tournament, Tyson dropped out, and Jay moved to the 4th seed. Somehow, the new 3rd seed was Wyatt Stone, a very good up-and-coming player but not known for his singles play and definitely not considered a top 10 singles player. I am not saying that Collin couldn’t beat Jay, but it wouldn’t have been as easy as beating Wyatt 11-2 and 11-3.
Collin then played the 19th seed and won easily 6 and 2. In his first real test, he faced Julian Arnold and lost the first game 4-11 but figured out Julian’s game and won big 11-3 and 11-1.
In conclusion, I am not saying that Collin is not deserving of his amazing run, but it’s worth considering what would have happened if the tournament had been reseeded correctly or if Tyson had been fit for singles. But hey, shick happens.
Clayton Boydston is a self proclaimed pickleball fanatic! A former semi-pro soccer player, he was looking for a new athletic outlet as he transitioned out of soccer. He discovered pickleball when he moved to Utah County in the summer of 2021. From the moment he stepped on the court he was addicted. He studied hours of professional pickleball matches, drilled for hours, and played matches every chance he got. He started as a 3.0 player and quickly advanced to the pro ranks. Clayton loves everything pickleball and loves writing about the latest news and events of this sport he loves.
He is also a pickleball instructor and of the founders of the Boydston Pickleball Academy where they teach beginners all the way up to advanced players.