Pappadopoulos wins 8th consecutive U.S. Open

Jul 4
2 min read

Gladstone, MI — One of Livi Pappadopoulos’ breakout moments occurred at the 2018 U.S. Open in Michigan. With only one pro win to her name, she bested 2018’s bronze medalist Emily Christopherson, 2017 world champ Meredith Ingbretson, and 2-seed Ellie Davenport, each 3-0.

History re-wrote itself in the 2026 U.S. Open, when a stronger and older Ingbretson (31) and Pappadopoulos (25) met again in the semi-finals, this time with another 3-0 victory to Pappadopoulos. Nevertheless, Ingbretson’s appearance at this year’s Open was strong, showcasing peak shape that may pose a considerable threat to other top seeds leading up to World Championship week.

The other women’s semi-finals was a rematch from last weekend’s Midwest Championships between 3-seed Aini Anderson and 2-seed Shana Verstegen. 17 year-old Anderson, who is undefeated in falls this year outside of her matches against Pappadopoulos, shut the semi-finals out 3-0.

Anderson and Pappadopoulos met in the finals. It was an electric, back-and-forth sparring battle with Pappadopoulos victorious (3-0). Ingbretson defeated Shana Verstegen (3-1) to place third.

After a week break, second-seed Tanner Hallett returned to the men’s bracket and collected his 17th career win over a thrilling- yet controversial- finals match against Marcus Heineck. The men timed out on the one log. The two log floated for a brief period after “time in,” but Heineck’s side sunk up to his knees after just a few seconds. After two quick lost falls, Heineck switched sides, won a fall, then Hallett came back to finish him off. The match was a crowd-pleaser, and both athletes’ ability to ride out the sinking log demonstrated remarkable skill and control.

Connor Birdsong placed third (his first top three of the season) and Sean Stafford placed fourth.

For the first time in 2026, Cole Bennetts (6th) and Efer Christopherson (7th) cracked the top eight. 19 year-old Caden Frost (8th) made a surprising run in his third pro tournament with wins over veteran competitors Andrew Serpico and Jake Ogle. His run through the back bracket ended in a tight 3-2 loss to Bennetts and 3-0 loss to Christopherson.

Connor Birdsong won his first boom running event of the season with a smoking 14.148 seconds over 2x World Champ Cameron Pilgreen. Meredith Ingbretson took the women’s title.

RESULTS

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