Seventeen-year-old Jorja Johnson became the youngest player in APP Tour history to secure a Triple Crown with three gold medals at the APP Sacramento Open on Sunday.
The event at Johnson Ranch Pickleball Complex in Roseville, California, was one of the largest ever APP Tour events with almost 1,500 players, played in front of a capacity crowd and a watching audience via ESPN2 and ESPN+.
Johnson won gold in the women’s singles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles alongside older brother JW.
Johnson’s historic run in Sacramento started under the lights on Saturday night with the women’s pro doubles gold medal match. Johnson and Braverman took on Milan Rane and Yana Newell, making their first Championship Sunday appearance as a duo. Johnson and Braverman’s teamwork and chemistry were on full display, leading them to 11-1 and 11-6 wins to take home the title.
“It was super fun – she makes it so easy”
“Jorja’s a great mover, and I felt like we moved really well together,” Braverman said after her first APP Tour gold medal of 2024. “It was super fun, and she makes it so easy.” Susannah Barr and Megan Fudge won the bronze medals.
Johnson kicked off Championship Sunday by taking on Megan Fudge for women’s pro singles gold. Three epic games ensued, starting with Johnson’s 15-12 win in the opening round. Johnson nearly secured the win in game two, leading 14-12, but Fudge dug deep and scored four straight points to steal the game 16-14. The two battled back and forth in the third game, but Johnson ultimately prevailed 15-13 for her second gold of the tournament.
“I tried to remind myself to just hit my shots and not worry about the score,” Johnson said. Judit Castillo earned the women’s pro singles bronze.
In the pro mixed doubles, Jorja Johnson wrapped up her historic tournament alongside her brother JW, matching up against Daria Walczak and Patrick Kawka – a duo that advanced all the way from the qualifier rounds. The Johnson siblings were a force to be reckoned with, earning 11-5 and 11-2 victories to win the gold and secure Jorja’s third gold of the tournament.
“We played solid defence together,” said the elder JW. “Part of it is being lucky, the other part of it comes from drilling and practicing our defense a lot at home.”
“I loved being out here with my team and my family,” Jorja added. “I couldn’t have won the Triple Crown without them.” Braverman and Tardio teamed up for mixed pro doubles bronze.
In addition to Johnson’s historic Triple Crown, pro gold medal winners included her older brother JW, Jillian Braverman, Andrei Daescu, Will Howells and Gabriel Tardio.
