Latest news with #ZaneFord
Daily Mail
14 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Pickleball star slams his paddle as he descends into shocking meltdown... only to suffer ultimate humiliation
The only thing more humiliating than an on-court meltdown, is failing to execute the crashout - as one pickleball player discovered this week. Zane Ford, a pickleballer on the Carvana PPA Tour, exploded after a brutal blow during the Select Medical Orange County Cup in California on Wednesday. The 20-year-old lost match point on a wayward volley back to opponent James Ignatowich that he fired left of the line. The misfire, which sealed his defeat in the Round of 32, triggered an explosive reaction from the world No 14. Ford, who turned pro in 2023, immediately let out a frustrated cry before repeatedly launching his paddle to the ground. Despite repeatedly slamming the paddle on the Humana Championship Court, humiliatingly it refused to crack, forcing Ford to resort to using his knee. A crash out worthy of Humana Championship Court 😳 @jignatowichpb with a clutch win that had Zane Ford very upset 😬 — Carvana PPA Tour (@PPAtour) June 18, 2025 He tried hitting it on his knee but it still weathered his attacks, merely bending a little bit. Ford, a Pennsylvania native, later took to social media to apologize for his actions before attempting to justify his unsportsmanlike behavior. 'First of all, I'm sorry for damaging such a beautiful paddle,' Ford said in a video shared to Instagram. 'At the end of the day, I'm here to win. I put my whole life into this, and I wanna be the best player in the world, so my emotions got the better of me that day. I'm working on it and trying to get to a better spot with that. 'I'm here to win. This is my life. This is what I do to make a living. This is all I ever really think about. Of course I'm going to get upset when I lose the first game 11-0 and then lose 1 and 4.' In a second video, Ford claimed that his outburst actually helped to grow the sport after a clip of his meltdown went viral.
New York Post
17 hours ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Pickleball star struggles to break paddle in epic meltdown
This pickleball player might need to learn a thing or two from John McEnroe. After losing match point at the Humana Championship Court during the Carvana PPA Tour, pickleballer Zane Ford went wild on his paddle — and it just wouldn't break. He lost the point on a wayward volley back to James Ignatowich that went too far to the left of the line and immediately drew an anger-filled reaction from Ford. Zane Ford crashes out after being upset at tis Pickleball tournament. X, @PPAtour He screamed, 'Come on, Jimmy!' after the point fell and the match was sealed. Ford, 20, instantly began smashing his paddle on the court, slamming it over his knee to finally get it to snap. Ignatowich couldn't help but crack up laughing at the wild scene as he walked off the court, enjoying his victory. Ignatowich's win was actually an upset, coming into the tournament as a No. 46 seed against Ford, who was a No. 10 seed. Zane Ford had to break his paddle over his knee in order to bend it fully. X, @PPAtour Ford took the first game of the match impressively, 11-0, before falling apart, losing 11-1 and 11-4 to seal his fate. Ford is the No. 14-ranked singles player in the league, while coming in at No. 63 in doubles. Ignatowich is ranked No. 65 in PPA play. Pickleball has risen in popularity dramatically as it competes for fans with tennis. The sport was created in 1965, but quickly grew in popularity in 2020 during the COVID pandemic.
