Junior Spotlight – Elise, Noah & Caleb Yeung
Elise, Noah and Caleb Yeung are three siblings from Chandler, Arizona that are forging a deep love for pickleball. Their father, Bruce Yeung, a professional sports photographer and avid pickleballer, introduced them to the sport last year during the pandemic which allowed them to be outdoors, to have fun and to get exercise. Over the course of the last year, they have played in USA Pickleball Sanctioned Tournaments with much success which has solidified their pursuit of further development. Additionally, all three will be competing at the USA Pickleball Nationals Championship in December.
Elise, 13, is the youngest of the three is in eighth grade at Chandler Preparatory Academy. She would like to learn a double backhand and to also improve her skills with her left hand as she is a “switch hitter.” Elise has participated in Juniors Tournament and will be playing in junior singles and mixed doubles with her brother Noah this year at Nationals. She enjoys watching Lucia Kovalova/Matt Wright play against Ben Johns/Simone Jardim because the matches are so exciting and they all play so well. Outside of pickleball, she enjoys taking Wushu classes and making stickers for water bottles, backpacks and just about anything a sticker would stick on. She hopes to start a Pickleball Club at her school so that she can introduce her friends to the sport.
Noah, 15, attends Chandler Preparatory Academy and is in the tenth grade. He played his first tournament in May of this year and placed first out of twelve teams in the 3.0 19+ division. Noah has played in two USA Pickleball sanctioned tournaments and has received two gold medals in men’s doubles 3.0 19+ and also won a bronze medal in men’s singles 3.0 19+. His goals are to continue improving and to exceed his dad’s skill level so that he can dominate his dad on the court and continuously remind him of that. He enjoys having fun on the court and hitting around the post shots, ernes and tweeners. Noah is looking forward to competing at Nationals with his doubles partner Jayden and his sister Elise in the Junior Division.
Caleb, 17, is a senior at Chandler Preparatory Academy and in the midst of applying for colleges. Caleb played in his first tournament in the beginning of 2021 at the Red Mountain Tennis Club in Mesa, Arizona where he and his father finished fifth in the Men’s Doubles 3.5 19+ division. It was unexpectedly windy on tournament day which affected their shots but that made Caleb determined to learn, to practice and to compete in the different weather conditions. Caleb has since played in four USA Pickleball sanctioned tournaments finishing with a bronze followed by 3 gold medals and is looking forward to competing at Nationals in December. His goal is to be the best player he can be and hopes to be a sponsored Franklin player competing at the 5.0 / Pro level like Ben Johns. Caleb models his game after Ben and strives to master Ben’s backhand flicks. Caleb loves the local State Forty Eight Clothing Apparel for its quality and design but especially for representing Arizona everywhere. Besides enjoying the mental strategy of pickleball, Caleb also enjoys playing chess online.
Given the quick success that Elise, Noah and Caleb have achieved, they are striving to improve their game, have fun on the courts and have great potential to become the next generation of formidable pickleball players.
