Controversial champion at US Open pickleball

The Nasty Nelson (hitting the ball directly at an opponent) is an increasingly popular shot in pickleball. Although it is not prohibited by the rules, it has caused much controversy regarding fair play in sports .

The 35-39 year old women's doubles final at the 2025 US Open Pickleball tournament between Kristen Herndon - Mariana Paredes and Evi Cruz - Laura Linares Tavera. In the deciding game with the score at 10-4, Mariana won the right to serve and she made a controversial move.

Couple Kristen Herndon - Mariana Paredes won the gold medal in a controversial way (Photo: Mariana).

Instead of serving cross-court, Mariana hit the ball straight at her opponent, Evi Cruz, who was at the net, surprising him. The referee awarded the point to the serving team and the pair Kristen Herndon - Mariana Paredes won the gold medal in an unexpected way.

The clip after being posted caused a stir on social networks. Some people thought that Mariana played unfairly. While others thought that it was a smart move from the American female tennis player.

Mariana Paredes later also spoke up right below the video recording her controversial tackle: "The person in that video is me. The reason I made that tackle was to protect my teammates, they were targeting her throughout the match.

I apologised to my opponent more than once after that, it was part of the game anyway. The first time I ended a game like that, I was desperate to win a point and an opportunity came up, I quickly took it. There was nothing wrong with that."

In fact, Mariana wisely took advantage of the ball-touching rule specified in the USA Pickleball rulebook.

However, to ensure fair-play in competition, players can win points in serves by using more advanced techniques such as Topspin (a shot that creates spin from the top of the ball) to make it difficult for the opponent to receive the ball.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/nha-vo-dich-gay-tranh-cai-o-giai-pickleball-us-open-20250513151408957.htm