Over 3,700 pickleball players and over 55,000 spectators from 53 countries swarm Naples, Florida over the course of a week. From April 10-18, US Open National Pickleball Center, the world’s largest outdoor pickleball facility, hosted the 10th Franklin US Open Pickleball Championships. Among those on court were juniors Chelsea Bachman and Isabel Laroque. When they were not playing, the girls watched other players compete.
“It (the tournament) was nothing like I would have imagined,” Bachman said. “There were more than 60 courts, and it was really cool. We watched all the pros and senior pros there every day.”
Near the start of her pickleball journey, Laroque attended the 2025 Franklin US Open Pickleball Championships with her mom and owner of a pickleball club called Forward Pickleball, Keca Ward. The tournament sparked Laroque’s interest in playing at the championships in 2026, and she soon began playing with Bachman at Forward Pickleball in Audubon, Pennsylvania. Ward helped Bachman and Laroque drill and practice throughout the year leading up to the tournament. The girls drilled for hours, perfecting various shots and techniques. Additionally, they participated in open play to practice competing together.
“On the court, they are very athletic, very engaging, excellent pickleball players. They compete at the very highest level in my club, and people love competing against them,” Ward said. “They’ve just excelled so quickly in their game. Both are highly skilled players at this point, and it’s been exciting, not only as the owner, but to members and the community, to watch them grow.”
In February, Bachman and Laroque signed up to play at the tournament and entered through a registration lottery system called the US Open Player Lottery. After they were selected, the girls entered the Women’s Doubles 3.5 Double Elimination 9-29 bracket. They credit their teamwork on the court to their friendship outside of pickleball.
“I feel like both of our energies are normally on the same page,” Laroque said. “Whenever we’re either winning by a lot and we want to keep going or it’s a really close game and we need to be locked in, we feed off each other’s (energy), which really helps.”
Bachman and Laroque won the bronze medal in their bracket. Although the girls had a lead on their opponents early in their last match, they narrowly won the game with a final score of 16-14. Their families and Ward went down to Naples to watch and support them.
“We were cheering them on. The parents were there, the grandparents were there, and then members of the community were there, and everyone was really hyped that they were winning,” Ward said. “They (Bachman and Laroque) stay focused on the court. You have to mentally prepare, which I think they did, and physically prepare, which they did as well.”
Last year, in addition to playing outside of school, Bachman and Laroque also started the Pickleball Club at Conestoga and hope for its growth as well.
“What we really love about pickleball is how it brings us together both on and off the court,” Laroque said. “It’s such a fun and social sport, and we enjoy being able to stay friends while also competing. The competitiveness makes it exciting, but our friendship helps us communicate well and makes us a really strong team when we play together. (Pickleball) is fast paced, engaging and a great way to challenge ourselves while still having fun.”
Fryashti Mishra can be reached at [email protected].
