Imani Phillips picked up two golds and a silver on the final day of the maiden National Pickleball Championships at the WER Joell Tennis Stadium on Sunday.

Phillips started off the day by defeating Melisa Judd 2-0 in the women’s singles final. Her combination with Sue Chiappa delivered silver in the women’s doubles before the 22-year-old teamed up with Matt Dragonetti to triumph over husband and wife, Tom and Patricia Mills, 2-1 in the 4.0 mixed doubles.

“I’m so happy to be the No 1 pickleball player on the island and this is the start of many more to come ,” Phillips said.

“The singles final was really great for me because it was an adjustment from the doubles. I played the mixed doubles semi-finals before, then I did singles so I had this moment of adjustment.

“I was making shots that I wanted to execute. It was a really good final and I’m proud of my efforts.

“I would say the mixed doubles final was the hardest because there were a lot of fast balls coming our way. Tom and Patricia are a great team, they’re super strong but it was nice to get the upper hand.”

Phillips is heading back to the United States on Tuesday to continue her pursuit of a professional career.

“I’m headed to Fort Myers, Florida, to train before I play my last tournament of the year in Daytona Beach from December 18 to 22,” she said.

“The tournament I’m going to is part of the Pro Pickleball Association Tour. Turning professional is my next step and I’m looking forward to it.

“I think my career in pickleball has expanded so quickly that I don’t want to create ceilings in as far as I want to go.”

Gavin Manders ended the tournament with two gold medals. His first success came over his student Tariq Simons in the men’s singles final. The former Davis Cup player also combined with Michael Way to win the men’s doubles 4.0, with victory over Tom Mills and Ryan Matcham.

Manders and Judd missed out on a spot in the mixed doubles final after losing to the Mills couple in the semi-finals.

“I don’t take these types of moments lightly because I don’t know for how long I'll be out here,” Manders said.

“To be able to play someone I’ve helped to build and is part of my family, it’s just a special moment for me.

“Obviously getting a win over him was great because he beat me in the latter part of my tennis career, so it was also special.

“The toughest match for me was the mixed doubles because we lost that one. Of the ones that I won, probably the one against Tariq was the most difficult of them all.”

Natalie Chaves and Ruth Stovell overpowered Stacia Ming and Natasha Trott to win the women’s doubles 3.0 The mixed doubles title for the same division went to Joe Logan and Leslie Jackson.

Judd and Patricia Mills triumphed in the women’s doubles 3.5, while the men’s title was won by Gary Perry and Vince Chaves.

Juniors also got their chance to shine on the big stage, with prizes awarded from the under-10 age group up to under-14 level.

Gionni Araujo achieved double success by winning the under-10 boys single and also picking up the doubles with Gavin Manders Jr.

Ella Metschnabel took the honours in the under-14 singles, with the doubles won by Isabella Neururer and Arabella Davies.

Hasan Khan secured victory in the boys under-14 singles, with Owen Stewart and George Peniston winning the doubles.

Dragonetti, the former Pickleball Association of Bermuda president, was delighted to enjoy the fruits of the hard work he put in during his two-year tenure.

“It feels great to see the progression of pickleball on the island,” Dragonetti said.

“Winning a tournament is one thing, but having all these people playing is probably more gratifying than anything.

“This was our vision from the very beginning in 2022. We just keep it going and there’s a lot of positive momentum on the island.

“I stepped down from my position on the PAB so I can focus on my full-time job. The amount of time that this board gets together, and the effort that they put in is monumental.

“I said I will give two years to get the work started and I stepped down in October this year. There’s less of a commitment from me, but I’m still very much involved in the pickleball community.”