adidas pickleball star William Sobek wins Gold in New York epic

William Sobek, the rising star of the pickleball world, and adidas athlete, won the Gold medal at the Association of Pickleball Players (APP) 2023 Boca Raton New York City Open in an epic encounter that has been hailed as one of the greatest pickleball matches ever.

The 18-year-old defeated Australia’s Vuk Velickovic in an epic tie breaker, saving 7 match points along the way. It meant the youngster picked up his first Gold medal of his career and continues to rise up the rankings in the world of pickleball.

At the start of the tournament, held at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, few would have predicted a final between this pair. Velickovic was an unseeded qualifier but managed to knock out number 1 seed Hunter Johnson along the way, while Sobek, seeded 7th, beat Hunter’s brother Yates in a brilliant comeback win.

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Fans treated to epic final

While it was not the final many had predicted, those in attendance in New York were treated to what has been claimed by some as the best pickleball match ever. Sobek took the first game 11-8, controlling the court and playing in a calm and mature manner way beyond his years. However, Velickovic has a never say die attitude and fought back in the second game 11-3, taking the match to a tie break.

Velickovic seemed to be cruising the tie break, and was leading 14-6, meaning he was just one point away from victory. But Sobek raised his game, and kept his nerve point after point. Incredibly, he saved 7 match points and eventually won the tie break 16-14 to wrap up the most amazing of comebacks in front of a delighted home crowd.

Speaking to reporters after the match, Sobek expressed his delight, saying: “It means so much to me – I’ve been fighting so hard for this. I’ve been playing pickleball since I was four years old, training and practicing every single day to be here. Finally having that work pay off when it means most is truly amazing. The crowd was amazing, the level of play is so competitive, and I’m just so happy to be here in New York. I’ve earned a few bronzes at the last few APP tournaments, so it’s such a big relief to break through and pull off winning my first APP gold medal.”

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