Hayden Patriquin, just 16 years old, played pro men’s singles today at the APP Mesa Open in Arizona. Patriquin isn’t yet a well-known name among pickleball players, but judging by his performance today, that could soon change.

In his first match, Patriquin easily defeated Canadian Brett Forsythe 11-1, 11-6.

Next, Patriquin went up against one of the top singles players in the world, Zane Navratil. Patriquin took an early lead. Navratil, warming up after a bye, battled back. Patriquin ultimately lost 13-15, but showed tremendous poise under pressure. The game is available on YouTube here.

Navratil stormed through the second game 11-0, and Patriquin got knocked down to the loser’s bracket, where he defeated Rafa Hewitt 15-9 and lost to Jay Devilliers 5-15. According to the World Pickleball Rankings, Hewitt is the #16 men’s singles player and Devilliers is #5.

Patriquin has played pro singles before (for example, at the Hyundai Masters PPA in La Quinta, Calif., last November and the PPA Championships in Las Vegas last October), but today’s performance shows that Patriquin has reached a new level. Ringing in the new year with a new rising star: Hats off to Hayden!