Megan Fudge Ties the APP's All-Time Women's Gold Medal Record, as Kansas City Hosts Its First Pro Pickleball Party
Dispatch from Overland Park: Tristan Dussault's first gold and the five finals that had Kansas on its feet
ARTICLE
We arrived in Overland Park not quite sure what to expect from a city that had never hosted an APP Tour stop before. We're leaving with the certainty that this place just became an official must-stop on the calendar.
The first thing that hits you: the venue
Nothing about this felt improvised from the moment we walked through the doors of AdventHealth Sports Park at Bluhawk. We're talking about a 420,000-square-foot complex — eight basketball courts that convert into 16 pickleball or volleyball courts, an NHL-regulation ice rink just steps away, a massive turf field, and a full family entertainment center with arcade games, bowling, and even a virtual flight simulator for when the kids need a break from all the pickleball. It feels less like a tournament venue and more like a facility built to stay — and it turns out that's exactly the case: the APP just signed a five-year partnership with the city, meaning Bluhawk will be the permanent home of this event through 2030. This wasn't a one-off stop. This was the first of many.
The stands, just as much a part of the story as the court
From the first match of the day, it was clear the Kansas City crowd didn't just show up to watch. You could feel it in every exchange, every point won on Championship Court — the kind of energy a player can't fake not noticing. We heard it straight from the athletes themselves after their matches, without anyone even asking: Ammar Wazir, fresh off his third singles title of the year, said flat out that these are, literally, his favorite matches of the entire season — the energy, the crowd, what it feels like to play up there. And Tristan Dussault, still riding the adrenaline of his freshly won gold, told us — in his own way, without needing to be asked twice — that he could feel that crowd energy literally swinging the momentum of his match.
Before the gold medal matches even started, the house was already loud thanks to the Dillons Border Battle Showcase — Kansas versus Mizzou, pure college rivalry, fighting for bragging rights across singles, doubles, and mixed doubles in front of a crowd that screamed every point like it was the real final. Kansas took the night. And we walked away with the certainty that this tournament understood, from minute one, that a pickleball event isn't only about who wins the gold.
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Live, free, and everywhere at once
What we saw in Bluhawk, anyone could have watched from home the same day, without paying a dime — the APP streams its full tournaments for free on its own YouTube channel, The APP Tour, the same bet on total accessibility that's helped build this sport's fan base from the ground up. And the best part is still on the way: the weekend's biggest moments will hit ESPN2 and CBS Sports Network in the coming weeks. It's played on a court in Kansas, watched for free on YouTube that same afternoon, and ends up competing for national audience on cable networks. We watched it unfold in real time, and it still feels a little crazy how fast this sport moves.
The points that had us on the edge of our seats
If we had to pick one match to tell someone who wasn't there, it would be the mixed doubles final. Allison Harris and Tristan Dussault, seeded 21st, down 5-1 in the second set — and suddenly, out of nowhere, ten straight points that flipped the entire match. They survived five match points against them in the third set. Five. And somehow still found a way to close it out, 12-10. From the stands, it felt like one of those stories people tell for years. "I feel like we beat five match points, but I was never worried," Harris told us afterward, with a calm we honestly couldn't figure out how she held onto through all of that.
Megan Fudge gave us another one of those moments that just stick — not so much because of the scoreline (11-2, 11-0, a clean beatdown), but because of what it meant: her 33rd career gold, tying the all-time record for the entire association among women. And instead of talking numbers, she talked about the partners who got her there. That's the kind of thing that sticks with you more than any stat line.
And for the tensest finish of the weekend, Katerina Stewart. We watched her control the first set without drama, jump out 6-1 in the second, and then suddenly watch Domenika Turkovic wake up with eight straight points that flipped the entire scoreline. Stewart had to weather that storm without cracking, and she did — taking the third set 11-5 to lock up her fourth singles gold of the year. "Domi was cooking me there for a second," she admitted herself afterward, laughing, medal already around her neck. That kind of honesty, said with the adrenaline still running, is what makes these stories feel real.
The rest of the day's champions
In men's doubles, Richard Livornese Jr. and Jack Munro simply kept doing what they've done all year: winning. They beat Etienne Blaszkewycz and Callan Dawson to claim their fifth straight title together, a level of dominance that's starting to feel almost unfair to the rest of the field. "The consistency shows with five straight," Munro said afterward, no drama, like someone who already knows exactly what he's building.
A party that went way beyond the pros
While the circuit's biggest stars soaked up the spotlight on Championship Court, the rest of Bluhawk was buzzing with hundreds of players at every level — from the AARP Champions (50+) Pro Division, where Karin Ptaszek-Kochis and Youssef Bouzidi each took home two golds, to Kansas City-area amateurs who had probably never seen this level of pickleball so close to home.
We're leaving, but we're coming back
The APP Tour already has its next stop marked: Columbus, October 1-4. But Overland Park's story doesn't end here — with the five-year partnership already signed, this city just became a permanent fixture on the calendar. We're already looking forward to coming back.
Pro Results
Division Gold Silver Bronze
Women's Singles Katerina Stewart Domenika Turkovic Amber Policare
Men's Singles Ammar Wazir Tristan Dussault Jake Bower
Women's Doubles Megan Fudge / Katerina Stewart Glauka Carvajal-Lane / Amber Policare Shelby Bates / Christine Maddox
Men's Doubles Richard Livornese Jr. / Jack Munro Callan Dawson / Etienne Blaszkewycz Randy Blanco / Andre Millet
Mixed Doubles Allison Harris / Tristan Dussault Emilia Schmidt / Jack Munro Megan Fudge / Aidan Schenk
Dispatch from Overland Park: Tristan Dussault's first gold and the five finals that had Kansas on its feet
ARTICLE
We arrived in Overland Park not quite sure what to expect from a city that had never hosted an APP Tour stop before. We're leaving with the certainty that this place just became an official must-stop on the calendar.
The first thing that hits you: the venue
Nothing about this felt improvised from the moment we walked through the doors of AdventHealth Sports Park at Bluhawk. We're talking about a 420,000-square-foot complex — eight basketball courts that convert into 16 pickleball or volleyball courts, an NHL-regulation ice rink just steps away, a massive turf field, and a full family entertainment center with arcade games, bowling, and even a virtual flight simulator for when the kids need a break from all the pickleball. It feels less like a tournament venue and more like a facility built to stay — and it turns out that's exactly the case: the APP just signed a five-year partnership with the city, meaning Bluhawk will be the permanent home of this event through 2030. This wasn't a one-off stop. This was the first of many.
The stands, just as much a part of the story as the court
From the first match of the day, it was clear the Kansas City crowd didn't just show up to watch. You could feel it in every exchange, every point won on Championship Court — the kind of energy a player can't fake not noticing. We heard it straight from the athletes themselves after their matches, without anyone even asking: Ammar Wazir, fresh off his third singles title of the year, said flat out that these are, literally, his favorite matches of the entire season — the energy, the crowd, what it feels like to play up there. And Tristan Dussault, still riding the adrenaline of his freshly won gold, told us — in his own way, without needing to be asked twice — that he could feel that crowd energy literally swinging the momentum of his match.
Before the gold medal matches even started, the house was already loud thanks to the Dillons Border Battle Showcase — Kansas versus Mizzou, pure college rivalry, fighting for bragging rights across singles, doubles, and mixed doubles in front of a crowd that screamed every point like it was the real final. Kansas took the night. And we walked away with the certainty that this tournament understood, from minute one, that a pickleball event isn't only about who wins the gold.
LOVE PICKLEBALL?
Get Dink Authority Magazine updates, new editions, pro stories and event alerts.
We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe anytime.
Live, free, and everywhere at once
What we saw in Bluhawk, anyone could have watched from home the same day, without paying a dime — the APP streams its full tournaments for free on its own YouTube channel, The APP Tour, the same bet on total accessibility that's helped build this sport's fan base from the ground up. And the best part is still on the way: the weekend's biggest moments will hit ESPN2 and CBS Sports Network in the coming weeks. It's played on a court in Kansas, watched for free on YouTube that same afternoon, and ends up competing for national audience on cable networks. We watched it unfold in real time, and it still feels a little crazy how fast this sport moves.
The points that had us on the edge of our seats
If we had to pick one match to tell someone who wasn't there, it would be the mixed doubles final. Allison Harris and Tristan Dussault, seeded 21st, down 5-1 in the second set — and suddenly, out of nowhere, ten straight points that flipped the entire match. They survived five match points against them in the third set. Five. And somehow still found a way to close it out, 12-10. From the stands, it felt like one of those stories people tell for years. "I feel like we beat five match points, but I was never worried," Harris told us afterward, with a calm we honestly couldn't figure out how she held onto through all of that.
Megan Fudge gave us another one of those moments that just stick — not so much because of the scoreline (11-2, 11-0, a clean beatdown), but because of what it meant: her 33rd career gold, tying the all-time record for the entire association among women. And instead of talking numbers, she talked about the partners who got her there. That's the kind of thing that sticks with you more than any stat line.
And for the tensest finish of the weekend, Katerina Stewart. We watched her control the first set without drama, jump out 6-1 in the second, and then suddenly watch Domenika Turkovic wake up with eight straight points that flipped the entire scoreline. Stewart had to weather that storm without cracking, and she did — taking the third set 11-5 to lock up her fourth singles gold of the year. "Domi was cooking me there for a second," she admitted herself afterward, laughing, medal already around her neck. That kind of honesty, said with the adrenaline still running, is what makes these stories feel real.
The rest of the day's champions
In men's doubles, Richard Livornese Jr. and Jack Munro simply kept doing what they've done all year: winning. They beat Etienne Blaszkewycz and Callan Dawson to claim their fifth straight title together, a level of dominance that's starting to feel almost unfair to the rest of the field. "The consistency shows with five straight," Munro said afterward, no drama, like someone who already knows exactly what he's building.
A party that went way beyond the pros
While the circuit's biggest stars soaked up the spotlight on Championship Court, the rest of Bluhawk was buzzing with hundreds of players at every level — from the AARP Champions (50+) Pro Division, where Karin Ptaszek-Kochis and Youssef Bouzidi each took home two golds, to Kansas City-area amateurs who had probably never seen this level of pickleball so close to home.
We're leaving, but we're coming back
The APP Tour already has its next stop marked: Columbus, October 1-4. But Overland Park's story doesn't end here — with the five-year partnership already signed, this city just became a permanent fixture on the calendar. We're already looking forward to coming back.
Pro Results
Division Gold Silver Bronze
Women's Singles Katerina Stewart Domenika Turkovic Amber Policare
Men's Singles Ammar Wazir Tristan Dussault Jake Bower
Women's Doubles Megan Fudge / Katerina Stewart Glauka Carvajal-Lane / Amber Policare Shelby Bates / Christine Maddox
Men's Doubles Richard Livornese Jr. / Jack Munro Callan Dawson / Etienne Blaszkewycz Randy Blanco / Andre Millet
Mixed Doubles Allison Harris / Tristan Dussault Emilia Schmidt / Jack Munro Megan Fudge / Aidan Schenk
