A Bermudian contingent enjoyed medal triumph at the Chase APP Miami Pickleball Open.

At the four-day event held at the Miami Beach Convention Centre, where over 1,200 participants from different parts of the world competed, Sue Chiappa struck gold for Bermuda, when she combined with California resident Massi Furlan to win the over-55 category at 3.5 level.

Meanwhile, Gavin Manders and Benjamin Jones secured a silver medal in the 4.5+ division for the over-19 age classification.

Since this was a premier event, Chiappa and Furlan have qualified for the USA Pickleball National Championships, to be held in Arizona from November 10 to 17.

Manders can still join Chiappa at this prestigious competition if he wins the golden ticket in one of the tournaments used as qualifiers for the big event later in the year.

Mark Cordeiro was three times unlucky, as he missed out on bronze medals in three different events. Cordeiro played in two men’s events with Eddie Anderson and one mixed competition with Marina Anderson.

Manders used the tournament to get a glimpse of higher levels in the sport, as he seeks to go a notch up.

“The tournament was a great experience,” Manders said. “From my perspective, I was going out there more to see exactly how the levels work and get an understanding of how they run their tournaments.

“I’m definitely looking to move up within the ranks quite soon.

“I was there wearing many hats, I was competing but also there as a mentor with Benjamin Jones, experiencing that with him.

“It was about going out there, seeing it and bringing all that knowledge back to Bermuda, to help people along their path within the sport.

“I was also looking at better ways I can use tennis and pickleball together, from the grassroots level to the competition side.

“I’m definitely looking at getting a gold ticket somewhere along the line. I don’t know where yet, but we’d definitely like to be a part of getting a gold ticket to nationals.”

Chiappa was pleased with her performance playing in a competition outside Bermuda for the first time.

“I thoroughly enjoyed participating in the Chase Miami Open Pickleball tournament,” Chiappa said.

“Having never played inside under fluorescent lighting and pickleball united flooring before, it took a bit of adjusting.

“I put my name in the drawer for the mixed doubles looking for a partner and was very fortunate Massi contacted me, as we played very well together.

“We were ecstatic to win the gold medal, which came along with a golden ticket to the National Championships in Arizona later this year.

“I would highly recommend all pickleball players to enter these tournaments if able, it’s a great experience.”

Danny Fox, the Pickleball Association Bermuda vice-president, who also played in the tournament, was pleased with the performance of the six athletes who represented the island in Miami.

“As the PAB, we are very pleased that our small contingent of six walked away with a gold and a silver,” Fox said.

“Add to that Mark Cordeiro with three fourth-place finishes just missing out on bronze in each match.

“This reflects well on how the sport has developed here and, hopefully, inspires others as we look to grow our contingents in future events.

“Gavin having played in high-level matches in tennis really.

“He really benefited from that experience which he passed on to Ben, who got better as each round passed and was more than up to the task.”