Pickleball 52 looks ahead to this weekend’s English Nationals at Bolton Arena and assesses the top three men’s singles title contenders.
Louis Laville
The favourite for the men’s draw will of course be Louis Laville. Louis is the reigning champion at the English Nationals, and will be looking to retain his title this year.
Louis is ranked number 1 for men’s singles, men’s doubles and the mixed doubles. The 28-year-old is the highest-ranked European player by some distance, sitting at 12,150 points according to the ProKennex global rankings. He is also currently ranked second in the world.
The gap to the second-highest ranked player is 3,950 points, and the ranking dominance is reflected in the formbook.
Louis has won three of the four major events he has played within the last year, including wins in the Belgian Open and European Open.
His only loss in this period came in the Round of 16 at the World Pickleball Championships, falling 15-13 to a tough opponent Jefri Wiranda.
It would be something of a shock if Louis did not retain his title this weekend in Bolton, but this is likely to be a much tougher test than it was last year, as the standard across the country continues to improve at a rapid pace.
Freddie Powell
Freddie Powell pushed Louis hard last year and will hope to go on better this time around. Ranked third in the UK, and seventh in Europe, Freddie is an exceptional player with a phenomenal backhand.
He reached the quarter-finals of the European Open in February this year, ultimately falling 19-17 to Carlos del Salto Capilla.
Last year he reached the final of the English Nationals, where he of course faced Louis Laville. After taking the first game 11-7 he succumbed after losing the next two 11-8, 11-4.
Freddie has proved over the years that he absolutely belongs in the conversation with the top European players, so could this be the year he makes that breakthrough and wins the Nationals? Only time will tell.
Beating Louis will be far from easy, but his showing in last year’s final proves he is not a million miles away.
James Chaudry
32-year-old James Chaudry is the fifth-highest ranked UK player, and the 15th ranked player in Europe.
James proved his talents with an impressive showing in the 2023 European Pickleball Open, reaching the semi-finals, before being beaten by Carlos del Salto Capilla; who had just beaten Freddie Powell in the quarter-finals, before losing to Louis Laville in the final.
James unfortunately also lost in the third-place play-off, falling to Marcello Paiva. Despite these tough losses, this performance proved he is right amongst the best in the continent.
If he can replicate this kind of stellar form, he could well be a dark horse for the Nationals this year.
