Welcome back to The Week in Pickleball, our Monday roundup of the last seven days in the game. This week: a comeback for the ages in the men's doubles final at Worlds, another clean sweep for Anna Leigh Waters, John Lucian Goins over Jack Sock in singles, and Nationals wrapping up in San Diego.
The week in 30 seconds
- Men's doubles: JW Johnson and 15-year-old Tama Shimabukuro came back from two games down to win Worlds.
- Anna Leigh Waters: won all three of her events: singles, doubles with Anna Bright and mixed with Ben Johns.
- Men's singles: John Lucian Goins beat Jack Sock in straight games for back-to-back Worlds titles.
- Upset: last year's men's doubles champions went out in the quarterfinals.
- Nationals: USA Pickleball's national championships finished on Sunday in San Diego.
On tour
Worlds week in Dallas: a 3,000-point PPA Major at Brookhaven Country Club, with five titles decided on Championship Sunday.
Opendoor Pickleball World Championships
Brookhaven Country Club, Farmers Branch, TX · Nov 2–8
- Men's doublesJW Johnson / Tama Shimabukuro def. Christian Alshon / Andrei Daescu5-11, 5-11, 11-4, 11-8, 11-4
- Mixed doublesBen Johns / Anna Leigh Waters def. JW Johnson / Jorja Johnson9-11, 11-6, 11-9, 3-11, 11-4
- Women's doublesAnna Leigh Waters / Anna Bright def. Catherine Parenteau / Sofia Sewing11-4, 11-9, 11-5
- Women's singlesAnna Leigh Waters def. Kate Fahey11-3, 11-2
- Men's singlesJohn Lucian Goins def. Jack Sock11-5, 12-10
- JW Johnson and 15-year-old Tama Shimabukuro lost the first two games of the men's doubles final 11-5, 11-5, then won the next three for their first title together. "JW went crazy at the end of that match, and I think I lost my voice hyping him up," Shimabukuro said.
- Alshon and Daescu had beaten Ben Johns and Gabe Tardio in the semifinals. Last year's champions, Hayden Patriquin and Federico Staksrud, went out in the quarterfinals.
- Anna Leigh Waters swept her three events again: women's singles over Kate Fahey, women's doubles with Anna Bright, and mixed with Ben Johns. The mixed final against JW and Jorja Johnson went the full five games and lasted more than two hours. It was her 46th career Triple Crown, and her 18th straight title with Bright, a PPA Tour record.
- John Lucian Goins won his second straight Worlds singles title without dropping a game all week, beating Jack Sock 11-5, 12-10 in the final.
- At the Challenger Showdown earlier in the week, eight players earned 2027 PPA Tour contracts: Riley Inn and Alex Emery, Matt Burkhardt, Allie Reichert and Madalina Grigoriu, Eileen Wang, and Anne-Sophie Courteau and Juan Varon.
Around the game
Nationals
USA Pickleball Nationals wrap up in San Diego
The Oceanview USA Pickleball National Championships finished on Sunday after nine days at Barnes Tennis Center, with amateur, pro, junior and wheelchair divisions. Results and match replays are on the event site.
Results and replays ↗Pros
Ben Johns brings back a lefty forehand
In a singles match against Brandon French early in Worlds week, right-handed Ben Johns hit a run of forehands with his left hand. Afterwards he explained that he liked having two forehands in his tennis days, used it in pickleball until it stopped working, and says it's working again.
Read the story at The Dink ↗Upset
Defending champions out in men's doubles
Eric Oncins and CJ Klinger knocked out defending champions Hayden Patriquin and Federico Staksrud in the quarterfinals, 11-4, 11-8, a month after losing to them in Chicago. Oncins was playing through a hip injury that had already forced him out of singles. "CJ is basically carrying me all week," he said.
Full story at Pickleball.com ↗Amateur
YMCA National Pickleball Tournament heads to Naples
The first YMCA National Pickleball Tournament runs Nov 13–15 at the USOP National Pickleball Center in Naples, FL, for players 18 and over from YMCAs across the country. It's open to spectators, and division winners get an invitation to the 2027 US Open Pickleball Championships without going through the lottery.
Read the announcement ↗Coming up
- Nov 12–15APP Arizona OpenArizona Athletic Grounds, Mesa, AZThe APP Tour's next US pro stop, with amateur divisions alongside the pros.
- Nov 13–15YMCA National Pickleball TournamentUSOP National Pickleball Center, Naples, FLThe first national tournament for YMCA players, open to spectators.
- Nov 16–22Proton Daytona Beach OpenHolly Hill, FLThe PPA Tour's first stop after Worlds, back in Florida.
Paddles the pros play
Three paddles from brands we carry, each played by a pro from this week's draws.
New on our blog this week
Pickleball 101
Pickleball scoring explained
Why games start at 0-0-2, and where to stand.
Read it →Paddle Tech
Does paddle grit wear off?
How fast spin fades, and how to keep it.
Read it →Places to Play
The Space Coast, FL
Where to play from Cape Canaveral to Vero Beach.
Read it →Inspired by Worlds? Ask a Royal Ambassador.
Your local Royal Ambassador is on court every week. Find yours to try the paddles the pros use, talk through what suits your game, book a demo and get a good deal.
Find your ambassadorThe Week in Pickleball comes out every Monday. Results and dates are from the tours and organizers listed above.