top of page
Search
Jesse Handsher

Chapala 2023 Tournament Review

Updated: Oct 2, 2023

The 2023-4 Mexico Pickleball Tournament season got off to an incredible start the weekend of August 24-27. 2023 in Chapala, Jalisco. Hosted at the Montecarlo Hotel on the shores of beautiful Lake Chapala, Jalisco, Mexico’s largest lake, Juan Carlos Castro, Jonathan Hernandez, and Pickleball Chapala organized a star studded and well attended 4 day tournament and training certification.




With over 120 players from all parts of Mexico including Baja California South, Queretaro, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico City, Guadalajara, and local players the tournament drew some of the best players from Mexico. With most of Mexico taking the summer off from major tournaments, Pickleball Chapala’s tournament was a major event in which many players of all levels had been waiting for.


Starting on Thursday August 24 with a training certification clinic hosted by Castro, Hernandez, and Aldo Manriquez, the weekend tournament embarked on its mission to help spread the sport of pickleball throughout Mexico by not only exhibiting great play, but also by instructing the instructors across Mexico to teach the game of pickleball more widely in Mexico. Cinthya Diaz, 38, who has traveled across Mexico for many pickleball events said, “There are many places in Mexico where pickleball is just starting to grow, or has the potential to become a major sport, but the problem is that the sport’s instructors are located in only a few cities. The training program is a great idea to spread the knowledge and access of the game across Mexico.”


Friday through Sunday of the tournament weekend was packed with incredible matches from all levels and categories. Uriel Mendoza (Chapala) and Meno Manriquez (Los Barriles, BCS) defeated Jairo Renteria and Victor Renteria (both from Chapala) in a tight 3 game match for the Open Men’s Finals. Georghette Ochoa (12 years old from Los Barriles, BCS) and Clarett Prat (San Carlos, Sonora) competed in the Men’s Open Division and actually advanced to the Quarterfinals.


The female team from Queretaro (Jessica Torres and Rosalba Alvarez) won Gold in the Women’s Intermediate category, and Jonathan Hernandez (Los Cabos, BCS) and Clarett Prat won gold in Open Mixed.


Besides the incredible play, perfect weather, and fun atmosphere, the Chapala Tournament acted as the unofficial kickoff for the Pickleball Tournament season in Mexico. With the huge growth of the sport in


Mexico, this 23-24 season is already shaping up to be bigger than ever. In the upcoming months, there are at least 5 tournaments per month across Mexico, and many weekends have more than one tournament scheduled. Many of the tournaments are also able to access larger sponsors and now are able to offer cash prizes for category medalists. The growth of tournaments, larger purses, and the overall numbers of players in Mexico, shows how this sport is winning the hearts of many people, of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds across Mexico. The community around pickleball in Mexico is growing every day and the camaraderie will only continue to increase.


47 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

Comments


bottom of page