KALAHEO — Judy Honda of Waimea partnered with Kea Gillis of Honolulu to win the silver medal in women’s 3.5 doubles, 60-64 age bracket, during the 2018 Margaritaville USA National Pickleball Championships that wrapped up earlier this month at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Palm Springs, California.
KALAHEO — Judy Honda of Waimea partnered with Kea Gillis of Honolulu to win the silver medal in women’s 3.5 doubles, 60-64 age bracket, during the 2018 Margaritaville USA National Pickleball Championships that wrapped up earlier this month at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Palm Springs, California.
The Honda/Gillis duo played in a 21-team, double-elimination bracket through seven matches, or 16 games in one day. The pair had to battle back through the loser’s bracket to make the championship match, where they lost 7-11, 11-2, 11-5 to the duo of Paula McCann and Judy Lelevier, a team from Encinitas, California.
The 10-day tournament is the largest pickleball tournament in the world, drawing 2,200 players of all ages and skill levels to the facility that is planning on adding a championship pickleball court to its inventory of world-class tennis courts.
The United States Pickleball Association recently signed a five-year deal with the Indian Wells Tennis Garden to host this annual event.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
