Pickleball Slam 4 Sees Tennis Legends Andre Agassi And James Blake Take The Title - Recap And Detailed Match Analysis

James Blake was the X-factor at the 4th iteration of the Pickleball Slam, leading his team to victory. Chris Allmeid for Ares Pickleball Slam 4 The fourth installment of the Pickleball Slam event was held last night at Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida, playing to an energized, raucous, sell-out crowd and broadcast live on ESPN. Tennis legends Andre Agassi and James Blake came out on top in the “Battle of the Sexes” competition against touring pickleball pros Genie Bouchard and Anna Leigh Waters, splitting the singles ties before dominating the doubles match to take home the title, the $1M prize, and to keep Agassi undefeated in Pickleball Slam events.

Final scores: Match 1: Singles: Anna Leigh Waters d. James Blake 15-13, 15-5 Match 2: Singles: Andre Agassi d. Genie Bouchard 15-11, 4-15, 15-5 Match 3: Doubles: Agassi/Blake Waters/Bouchard 25-23, 21-15 I was onsite in Florida last night, taking in the action from the crowd and furiously taking notes as the match progressed.

Here is a summarized recap of my thoughts and observations throughout the evening. Overall Event and Match Observations The play on the court turned out to be far more high level than many may have anticipated, given the “exhibition” nature of the match. A $1M prize, the presence of the hyper-competitive Waters on the court, and the surprisingly solid play from James Blake in particular immediately turned this into a serious and highly competitive match.

The crowd (and TV audience) was treated to great play and more than a few stellar rallies worthy of ESPN’s upcoming highlights shows. The crowd was very “Pro-Pickleball,” with the ladies getting far larger crowd reactions from the onsite entertainers. This may have been a surprise to many, given that Andre Agassi is (by far) the most famous “name” involved.