Tennis Rivals Reunite in San Clemente Pickleball Showdown

Eight years after their last tennis clash, Jack Sock and Donald Young are back on opposite sides of the net, but this time it is in San Clemente and they are holding pickleball paddles. Competing in the PPA Select Medical Orange County Cup, both former tennis pros are part of an elite bracket filled with familiar names from the ATP and WTA tours. Sock’s narrow victory and Young’s rapid win in their opening matches have set the stage for a second-round singles showdown that promises more than just nostalgia.

Sock’s path to Round Two was anything but smooth. After dropping his first game to No. 55 seed Martin Emmrich and barely surviving the second, Sock found himself down 7 to 10 in the deciding game. That is when Emmrich rolled his ankle while diving in the kitchen, briefly stopping the match. Sock helped Emmrich to the bench, but once play resumed, he got back to work. Sock saved another match point and pulled off a 12 to 10 escape. Young, on the other hand, crushed Travis Rettenmaier in under 20 minutes and looks focused heading into the rematch.

The San Clemente bracket is full of names that once filled Grand Slam draws. Sock could face Sam Querrey in mixed doubles, turning a former Davis Cup partnership into a head-to-head clash. Young might see either one again in the quarterfinals. On the other side of the draw, Eugenie Bouchard is quietly putting in work of her own. This tournament has the feel of a reunion and a reckoning. Old rivalries are getting a second life and the pickleball court is now their proving ground.