Sydney 125 powered by Franklin: Wong Dominates, Townsend Shines, and a New Junior Generation Arrives

Sydney delivered. Four days of fierce competition across Central Pick and Pickle Point, 451 players, professional standard courts for the first time, and statement-making performances to kick off the 2026 PPA Tour Australia Powered by Franklin season.

The courts were finally purpose-built, no tape, no temporary nets and the level of play matched the surroundings. When the dust settled on the PPA125 Sydney, two names had written themselves into the early narrative of the 2026 season: Hong Kit Wong and Danni-Elle Townsend. Down in the junior draws, a group of young athletes served notice that Australian pickleball’s next generation is very much on its way. And across at Pickle Point, hundreds of amateur competitors made their own marks on the 2026 season opener.

Pro Division Recap

Men’s Pro Singles

If Sydney was a statement event for anyone, it was Hong Kit Wong. The international standout turned in a commanding performance throughout the singles draw, culminating in a gold medal that left little doubt about his intentions for the 2026 season. Mitchell Hargreaves, Sydney’s most celebrated home-court pro, pushed hard and claimed silver, while Harrison Brown continued his consistent presence at the sharp end of the draw, taking bronze.

🥇 Hong Kit Wong 🥈 Mitchell Hargreaves 🥉 Harrison Brown

Men’s Pro Doubles

The Wong–Kim combination that proved so potent through the 2025 season arrived in Sydney with unfinished business and delivered again. Hong Kit Wong and Eunggwon Kim claimed gold in the Men’s Pro Doubles, extending their reign as one of the most formidable pairings on the PPA Australia circuit. Ryan Henry and Harrison Brown were a strong silver medal partnership, with Brown earning a remarkable double podium. While the new pair of Jason Taylor and Jose Farias rounded out the podium with bronze.

🥇 Hong Kit Wong & Eunggwon Kim 🥈 Ryan Henry & Harrison Brown 🥉 Jason Taylor & Jose Farias

Women’s Pro Singles

Andie Dikosavljevic backed up her 2025 Sydney title with a gold medal defence, demonstrating exactly why she remains one of the toughest competitors in the women’s draw. Nicola Schoeman pushed her all the way to silver in a high-quality final, with Katie Morris earning bronze in a draw that continues to deepen at every event.

🥇 Andie Dikosavljevic 🥈 Nicola Schoeman 🥉 Katie Morris

Women’s Pro Doubles

The headline result of the weekend may well have been in the Women’s Doubles, where the pairing of Danni-Elle Townsend and Sahra Dennehy claimed gold, a result that announced this new combination as a genuine force in the 2026 season. They defeated the formidable combination of Nicola Schoeman and Andie Dikosavljevic for silver, while Bernadette Massih and Talia Saunders took bronze.

🥇 Danni-Elle Townsend & Sahra Dennehy 🥈 Nicola Schoeman & Andie Dikosavljevic 🥉 Bernadette Massih & Talia Saunders

VICE Mixed Doubles Pro

Danni-Elle Townsend bookended a dominant weekend by partnering with Joseph Wild to claim the Mixed Doubles gold; her second gold of the event, making her the undisputed standout performer of the Sydney 125. Nicola Schoeman and Mitchell Hargreaves took silver, giving Hargreaves a brace of podium finishes on home courts. Andie Dikosavljevic and Zachary Grabovic secured bronze.

🥇 Danni-Elle Townsend & Joseph Wild 🥈 Nicola Schoeman & Mitchell Hargreaves 🥉 Andie Dikosavljevic & Zachary Grabovic

Pro Podiums at a Glance

Junior Division: Australia’s Next Generation Steps Up

The junior draws at the 2026 Sydney 125 were a genuine highlight of the event and produced their own share of multi-medal performers who are impossible to overlook.

Boys 18 & Under

Oliver Novic was the dominant force in the boys’ junior draw, claiming gold in singles and partnering with Kepueli Fitikefu Jr to take the doubles title as well. Fitikefu Jr had a weekend to remember himself, silver in singles, gold in doubles, and then gold again in the mixed alongside Irie Heather-Pereira. Between them, the pair collected four medals. Jayan Dhall showed real consistency, earning bronze in singles and silver in doubles alongside Mitch Rodgers.

Girls 18 & Under

The girls’ draw produced the weekend’s most compelling junior story. Angelene McLean claimed singles gold and backed it up with silver in mixed alongside Oliver Novic. The Heather-Pereira sisters; Irie and Indiana, combined to win the Girls Doubles gold, then split in the singles, with Irie taking silver and Indiana bronze. Irie completed a remarkable weekend by winning the Mixed Doubles gold alongside Fitikefu Jr. Indiana added mixed bronze alongside Luther Ferris, completing a family podium sweep across three events. Sophie Hawkes and Angelene McLean took doubles silver; Gia Le and Natalie Chan earned bronze.

Junior Podiums at a Glance

Amateur Division Results

Pickle Point hummed all weekend across every age group and DUPR bracket. Here’s the full roll of honour.

Men’s Doubles

Men’s Singles

Women’s Doubles

Women’s Singles

VICE Mixed Doubles

Amateur Repeat Medalists Worth Calling Out

A handful of players deserve special recognition for their performances across multiple events:

Natalie Davenport claimed double gold, in both Women’s Singles and Women’s Doubles (with Kathleen Voon) in the 19+ 3.5–3.99 bracket. Conor Robertshawe claimed gold in Men’s Singles 4.5+ and bronze in Men’s Doubles in the same division, a strong all-round weekend for one of the bracket’s standout performers. Kyron Pinter took gold in 50+ Men’s Singles and shared bronze in 50+ Men’s Doubles alongside his doubles partner Dean Pinter, a family podium to boot. In the women’s 50+ draw, Rosa Morris and Miki Masui both appeared on the podium in singles and doubles, while Mandy Corbett and Naomi Amakawa, silver in 50+ Women’s Doubles, came back to take gold together in the 50+ Mixed Doubles with their respective partners. Ying Luo claimed gold in 35+ Women’s Doubles and bronze in 35+ Women’s Singles, while Sue Heard reversed that, gold in 35+ Women’s Singles and gold in Doubles. Eddie Nguyen won 19+ Men’s Doubles gold and returned to claim gold again in 35+ Mixed Doubles alongside Nancy Dao.

What the Results Tell Us

Three storylines from Sydney will shape the season ahead.

Hong Kit Wong is in form. Two golds in the opening event, singles and doubles alongside Kim, is a shot across the bow at the rest of the men’s field. If Sydney is a preview, the Race for points at the top of the men’s leaderboard is going to be relentless.

Danni-Elle Townsend is a name to circle in 2026. Two gold medals in a single event, doubles with Dennehy and mixed with Wild, is the kind of weekend that builds Race momentum fast. She arrived in Sydney and left as the standout performer of the tournament.

The junior talent pool is real. The Heather-Pereira sisters, Oliver Novic, Kepueli Fitikefu Jr, and Angelene McLean are not just promising, they are competing, winning, and stacking multiple podiums in the same weekend. Watch these names across the rest of the 2026 season.

Up Next: PPA 125 Moreton Bay powered by JOOLA

The tour heads north to Moreton Bay for the next stop on the 2026 PPA Tour Australia calendar. The Race is just getting started, and with Sydney’s podiums now locked in, the field will be recalibrating and re-partnering ahead of another hard-fought weekend on the courts. Those who left Sydney with gold will be looking to back it up, and those who didn’t will be hungry to respond.

Full details and registration at ppatour.com.au/schedule.

View the full results and brackets at pickleballtournaments.com.

Watch all the highlights at https://www.youtube.com/@ppatour.australia