Pickleball PPA Tour Final Showdown: Roscoe Bellamy defeated Zane Ford 3-11, 12-10, 11-3 on Saturday at Cary Tennis Park in Cary, North Carolina, advancing to his first-ever men’s singles final on the PPA Tour at the Veolia North Carolina Open.
Momentum Shift After Slow Start
Bellamy, the No. 10 seed, dropped the opening game but bounced back strong in the second with a quick 5-0 lead. Ford, seeded 17th, battled back to earn match point at 10-9, but Bellamy stayed composed and pushed the match to a third game.
In the final game, Bellamy took control with smart movement and sharp volleys at the kitchen line.
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Bellamy Finishes Strong Despite Delay
Bellamy led 9-3 in the third when Ford called a medical timeout for a right ankle injury. A few minutes later, Bellamy sealed the win and earned his spot in Sunday’s final.
“I really just had to focus on execution,” he said of turning things around in Games 2 and 3. “I had a gameplan going into the match, but I think I started out a little nervous and not really playing my game. I wasn’t executing properly, so I just told myself to act like it’s practice and to just do what I’ve done a million times before. I tried to follow the game plan and tried to fight as hard as I could, and luckily things went my way.”(Roscoe Bellamy)
One Win Away from History
The former UCLA Bruin will face Gabe Tardio in the championship match. A win would mark Bellamy’s first title on the PPA Tour, making the North Carolina Open a career milestone.
News in Brief: Pickleball PPA Tour Final Showdown
Roscoe Bellamy beat Zane Ford 3-11, 12-10, 11-3 in the Veolia North Carolina Open semifinals, held at Cary Tennis Park. He overcame a slow start and a late injury delay to reach his first PPA Tour final. Bellamy will face Gabe Tardio in Sunday’s men’s singles championship match.
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