PPA Sacramento Vintage Open Recap: Pros Go Old School With Wood Paddles

The PPA Sacramento Vintage Open was unlike any other event on the calendar. Pros swapped out their high-tech carbon paddles for old-school wood paddles, and as you’d expect… chaos followed. From paddle drama to surprise finals appearances, and even some failed attempts at smashing wood paddles, this “throwback” experiment left plenty to talk about.

Paddle Drama Before the First Serve

Even in a wood paddle event, somehow pickleball managed to find paddle controversy. A few brands, including Franklin and Proton, attempted to create “souped-up” wood paddles. While it wasn’t against the rules on paper, it went against the spirit of the event — the idea was that everyone should use the same equipment.

Thankfully, the issue was sorted out. Every pro ended up playing with the Pickleball Central wood paddle (heavy, over 9 oz, tiny sweet spot, and zero spin). Companies could add their logos, but at least the playing field was level.

What It’s Like to Play With Wood Paddles

Wood paddles surprised a lot of people with their raw power, but the drawbacks were clear:

• Tiny sweet spot: off-center shots died immediately.
• No spin: no grit, no dwell time, just flat shots.
• Heavy feel: rewarded quick hands, punished spin-heavy players.

Players like JW Johnson, who thrive on fast hand battles, were better suited to the setup. Spin-based shotmakers struggled.

Singles: Jay vs. the Field

• Jay Devilliers upset Hunter Johnson, who later gave us the worst paddle smash of all time. The wood paddle didn’t break, and honestly, it was painful to watch.
• Jay fell to Gabe Joseph, who continued a sneaky-good season with another finals appearance.
• In the end, Federico Staksrud took gold — his first since the Masters in January — beating Joseph 11-8, 12-10.
  

Women’s Singles: Genie's Breakthrough

• Kate Fahey dominated her side of the draw, dropping just one game to Mary Brascia.
• The headline, though, was Genie Bouchard, who beat Brooke Buckner and Lea Jansen to reach her first PPA final.
• On Championship Sunday, Fahey stopped her run, winning 5 and 9. Still, it was a huge step forward for Genie and great for the sport’s visibility.
  

Doubles Drama

• Mixed Doubles: Jack Sock (full vintage outfit included) and partner Angie Walker pulled off an upset. Meanwhile, Riley Newman looked sharp again, thriving in longer hand battles that wood paddles favor. In the end, Jorja Johnson and JW Johnson proved to be the toughest team, rolling through to Sunday.
• Women’s Doubles: In one of the biggest surprises, Etta Tuionetoa and Lacy Schneemann took gold over Callie Smith and Jessie Irvine. According to Eric Tice, it had been 904 days since Etta’s last gold medal.
• Men’s Doubles: JW Johnson and Dylan Frazier claimed their first title together in 259 days, sweeping James Ignatowich and Augie Ge.
  

Paddle Smashes: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

• Hunter Johnson’s attempt: F-minus. No splinters, no spectacle.
• Jay Devilliers: Better effort, some splinters, but still not full drama.
• Reminder: if you’re going to smash a paddle, make it a show.
  

Was the Vintage Open a Success?

On paper, this tournament sounded fun — throw the pros back to the early days with wood paddles and watch new strategies emerge. In reality, players largely kept their modern strategies while using old-school equipment. The result? Flat rallies, fewer cat-and-mouse exchanges, and a format that felt more like an exhibition than a true PPA event.

Fans agreed. According to PPA’s Connor Pardoe, a Twitter poll showed:

• 44% said “once was enough”
• 31% wanted it back annually
• 25% said “maybe as an exhibition”
  

Given the weak pro draws (many top players were in Malaysia) and just 547 amateur registrations, this probably stays in the “fun experiment” category.

Final Takeaway

The PPA Sacramento Vintage Open gave us drama, comedy, and a few fresh champions. But if you ask me? Once was enough. Pickleball has moved beyond wood paddles — and while it was entertaining to see the throwback, the sport is better off leaving this as a one-time exhibition.

Want to watch more chaos with wood paddles? Check out my YouTube channel where we pit pros against 5.0s with wood paddles.