Good morning, pickleballers!
Just one more day, then you can spend your weekend playing pickleball.
It’s been a good week here – on Monday, October’s magazine came out which you can download for free here.
And we also released two podcasts – one with Armaan Bhatia and the other our weekly round-up of the latest news. You can get them on iTunes and Spotify.
You are here for the latest pickleball news – so here it is.
Global Pickleball Festival Schedule Unveiled for Dallas 2025
Farmers Branch, USA – The United Pickleball Association (UPA) has released the definitive schedule for the 2025 Pickleball World Championships, set to ignite the Dallas suburb of Farmers Branch, Texas, for 10 days starting October 31. Returning for the third consecutive year to the renowned Brookhaven Country Club, the event is hailed as the world’s largest pickleball festival.
Brookhaven Country Club transforms once again into a spectacle, highlighted by “Pickleball Boulevard,” which will feature dozens of vendors, pop-up courts, and a stage hosting live entertainment.
The competition kicks off with historic events on October 31. This includes pool play for the Collegiate World Championships, the first-ever international collegiate pickleball competition. Running concurrently is the Major League Pickleball (MLP) Cup (Oct 31-Nov 2), offering a $50,000 prize pool and providing the final opportunity to see the 2025 MLP rosters compete in the classic format before the finals on Sunday.
The second week shifts focus to elite professional play with the biggest PPA Tour event of the season, which begins qualifiers on Monday, November 3, leading up to the championships on Sunday, November 9. This PPA event is crucial, offering 3,000 ranking points in each division. Monday also features the Wheelchair Doubles and Wheelchair Hybrid Doubles World Championships.
Beyond the pro brackets, the festival offers diverse community activities, including amateur round-robins like King of the Court and specialty events like the “Drink, Dink & Disco”, the “Battle of the Badges” (Police vs. Firefighters), and a “Wooden Paddle Tournament” returning to the sport’s roots. Entertainment peaks on November 7 with Nashville singer-songwriter Mat Kearney headlining the main stage, preceded by Jacob Stelly. Amateur players can register now for divisions, while fans can purchase tickets for the MLP and PPA events.
Waters Remains Dominant Amidst Upsets at PPA Virginia Beach Cup
Virginia Beach, USA – The Fasenra Virginia Beach Cup presented by JOOLA delivered high drama and major upsets as the tournament progressed toward the semifinals, though world No. 1 Anna Leigh Waters remains firmly on track for a historic three-championship repeat.
Waters, the 18-year-old phenom from Delray Beach, Florida, continued her dominant performance, keeping her triple-title hopes alive across women’s singles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles. In women’s doubles, Waters and partner Anna Bright advanced with a commanding 11-0, 11-0 victory. In mixed doubles, Waters and Ben Johns, the top seeds, easily advanced to the semifinals.
However, the men’s brackets saw top talent challenged and eliminated. The biggest shock came in men’s singles on Thursday, where No. 15 seed Christopher Haworth upset Argentina’s No. 2 seed Federico Staksrud with a score of 12-10, 11-2. Staksrud was also involved in a tense three-game battle in men’s doubles a day earlier, where he and partner Hayden Patriquin overcame a 4-10 deficit in the third game to secure a tight 12-10 win.
The Men’s Doubles Round of 32 was characterised by close contests, with eight of 16 matches extending to three games. Notably, the unseeded team of Jonathan Truong and Tam Trinh (No. 24) pulled off an upset against the ninth-seeded team of Riley Newman and Pat Smith (11-4, 6-11, 11-7).
The mixed doubles semifinals are set: top-seeded Waters/Johns face No. 7 Tina Pisnik/Andrei Daescu, who battled through a comeback victory against No. 3 Anna Bright/CJ Klinger (7-11, 11-3, 11-4). The other semifinal features No. 2 sibling duo JW Johnson/Jorja Johnson against No. 4 Parris Todd/Christian Alshon. Singles champions will earn $3,330, while doubles champions split $9,000.
Wazir and Sewing to Play For Gold Medals at APP AARP Open in Fort Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale, USA – The APP Tour AARP Open, held at The Fort, saw intense professional pickleball action despite ongoing weather concerns, with top seeds Ammar Wazir and Sofia Sewing successfully claiming gold in their respective singles divisions.
The tournament, which serves as the second-to-last stop before the APP Tour Championships in December, was threatened by thunderstorms scheduled for the first three days, potentially necessitating alternate plans. However, play culminated with the gold medal matches, confirming victories for several key competitors.
In men’s pro singles, Ammar Wazir will play for the gold medal in a match against Dusty Boyer. Wazir had entered the tournament aiming for his third consecutive APP Tour singles victory after wins in Chicago and the Great Lakes. On the women’s side, Sofia Sewing, who is the top seed, goes up against Bobbi Oshiro for the gold.
Other notable results saw John Cangelosi earn a bronze medal in men’s pro singles. Seone Mendez also celebrated a significant achievement, securing her first-ever APP Tour medal with a bronze finish in women’s pro singles.
In the masters division, Mark Wilder and Heather Iffert took home the gold medal in mixed pro doubles.
Asia Rankings Shake-Up: Hong-kit and Long Maintain Singles Supremacy
Asia – Following the recent PPA Tour Asia Cups in Malaysia and Vietnam, the updated PPA Tour Asia Rankings reveal strong consistency at the top of the singles ladder but significant movement in the doubles categories.
Hong Kong’s Jack Wong Hong-kit successfully maintained his Men’s Singles No. 1 ranking with 3,900 points, though he faced stiff competition from Vietnam’s Phuc Huynh, who rose to 3,600 points after winning the MB Vietnam Cup 2025 Men’s Singles gold.
On the female side, China’s Yufei Long remains the Women’s Singles leader with 4,050 points. The biggest leap came from Roos van Reek, who surged from seventh place just a month prior to No. 2, thanks to recent silver and bronze medal finishes in the Panas Malaysia Cup and MB Vietnam Cup. Sahra Dennehy also climbed to No. 3 after winning gold in Vietnam.
In Men’s Doubles, Hong-kit still tops the rankings alongside partner Kim Eunggwon, despite early exits in the two recent Cups. Hot on their heels are Tyson McGuffin and Eric Oncins, who secured the joint second spot after an impressive run, winning gold in both the Malaysia and Vietnam tournaments.
Chinese Taipei’s Ting Chieh Wei leads the Women’s Doubles rankings (4,700 points), narrowly beating Australia’s Nicola Schoeman (4,500).
The Truong siblings dominated the Mixed Doubles rankings. Jonathan and Alix Truong secured the No. 1 ranking in the Men’s and Women’s Mixed Doubles divisions, respectively, following their golden conquest in Vietnam.
MLP and Minor League Pickleball Forge Partnership for Amateur Pathway
USA – Major League Pickleball (MLP) has officially partnered with The Dink Minor League Pickleball (MiLP) to significantly boost exposure and create a clearer professional pathway for the country’s top amateur players. This collaboration is set to elevate MiLP’s 2025 State Championships and Regional Showdowns, adding MLP team branding, activations, and giveaways.
The core benefit of the partnership is providing amateurs with “real pathways” and momentum toward The Dink MiLP National Championship in Dallas this December. Winners of these key events will not only earn “Dream Tickets” to Nationals but will also represent local MLP teams.
Six high-profile events will launch the expanded MiLP experience. The Texas State Championship (Oct 18–19) will be hosted by the Texas Ranchers, providing registered players with exclusive swag bags. Simultaneously, the Brooklyn Pickleball Team will host the New York State Championship.
Regional Showdowns include the Southeast event in Bradenton, Florida, featuring activations from the Florida Smash, Miami Pickleball Club, and Palm Beach Royals. The Southwest Regional Showdown, presented with the Phoenix Flames, promises Flames-branded merchandise, and winners will represent the team at Nationals in full uniforms.
Further State Championships include the California event (Nov 1–2), sponsored by the LA Mad Drops and featuring an MLP Cup watch party, and the Florida State Championship (Nov 8–9), hosted by the Orlando Squeeze, where winners will advance to Nationals as official Squeeze MiLP teams, complete with full team kits.
Collin Johns to Lead UPA Asia Trailblazers Program After RPO Partnership
Asia – UPA Asia has significantly upgraded its talent development initiative, the Trailblazers Programme, by entering a strategic partnership with the Racket Professional Organisation (RPO). The collaboration aims to raise the standard of pickleball coaching and player training across Asia.
The partnership builds upon the success of the inaugural season by expanding its focus to include extensive coaching development and mentorship. RPO will serve as the official technical partner, leading the creation of new coaching standards and curriculum to support the sport’s surging growth across the continent.
In a major announcement, former world No. 1 doubles player and RPO Centre of Excellence Technical Director Collin Johns has been appointed Head Coach for the UPA Asia Trailblazers Pre-Selection Training Camp. Johns will design and lead the December camp, bringing his elite experience to one of the region’s most important development initiatives. He emphasised that the program provides a crucial opportunity to work with players and coaches shaping Asia’s next era of pickleball.
Kimberly Koh, Managing Director of UPA Asia, called the partnership a “cornerstone” of the strategy to build a sustainable future for the sport, noting that investing in coaches means investing in the entire ecosystem.
The camp will also serve as a training ground for Asian coaches through RPO’s COEBRA Program. Players interested in becoming part of the Class of 2026 must submit applications by October 19, 2025. Top selections will be announced by March 2026, earning a two-year UPA Asia pro contract and an all-expenses-paid immersion opportunity to compete on the Carvana PPA Tour in the United States.
Chris Beaumont
Founder and Editor-in-ChiefChris Beaumont is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of World Pickleball Magazine. Chris follows the global game closely, reporting on the latest news, developments, stories and tournaments from all five continents. He also hosts the World Pickleball Podcast, interviewing people at…
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