Welcome to The Week in Pickleball, our Monday roundup of what happened in the game over the last seven days. This week: a run of first-time champions in Virginia Beach, a seventh straight title in Louisville, US stars at the richest pro event in Asian pickleball so far, a new title sponsor for DUPR and a warning about fake balls.
The week in 30 seconds
- Virginia Beach Open: Kate Fahey took double gold, and Schupp, Martinez Vich and Sewing won their first PPA titles.
- APP Louisville Open: Livornese and Munro won their seventh straight men's doubles gold.
- Hong Kong Slam: Anna Leigh Waters won double gold, Patriquin and Staksrud upset Johns and Tardio, and Hunter Johnson and Andie Dikosavljevic won singles for the second week running.
- JOOLA x DUPR: the rating platform is now "DUPR powered by JOOLA."
- Fake balls: a player's warning about counterfeit pickleballs is a good reminder to buy from trusted sellers.
On tour
Three pro events to catch up on: last weekend's PPA Virginia Beach Open and the first APP Louisville Open here at home, then the Hong Kong Slam, where many of the top US pros made the trip.
Mojo Energy Pouches Virginia Beach Open
Virginia Beach, VA · Oct 12–18
- Women's singlesKate Fahey def. Helena Jansen Fink11-1, 11-9
- Men's singlesJohn Lucian Goins def. Jaume Martinez Vich11-5, 11-3
- Mixed doublesKate Fahey / Eric Oncins def. Catherine Parenteau / Riley Newman11-13, 11-4, 11-9
- Women's doublesCatherine Parenteau / Sofia Sewing def. Layne Sleeth / Alix Truong11-8, 11-6
- Men's doublesElliott Schupp / Jaume Martinez Vich def. Noe Khlif / Riley Newman11-4, 4-11, 11-4
- With many of the top stars skipping the event, it was a week of first titles. Kate Fahey took double gold, and her mixed win was her first PPA doubles title.
- Schupp and Martinez Vich won their first PPA titles in their first event as a team. Martinez Vich had lost 10 PPA finals before this one.
- Sofia Sewing won her first PPA title, and Goins won singles without dropping a game.
Humana APP Louisville Open
Kentucky International Convention Center, Louisville, KY · Final: Oct 18
- Men's doublesRichard Livornese Jr. / Jack Munro def. Zack Marceau / Aidan Schenk12-10, 11-2
- Women's doublesBobbi Oshiro / Kat Stewart def. Glauka Carvajal Lane / Domenika Turkovic11-2, 11-9
- Mixed doublesRoos Van Reek / Jack Munro def. Domenika Turkovic / Jay Devilliers11-3, 11-5
- Men's singlesRonan Camron def. Dusty Boyer11-9, 5-11, 11-8
- Women's singlesDomenika Turkovic def. Kat Stewart9-11, 11-4, 11-7
- Livornese and Munro made it seven straight APP men's doubles golds, after coming back from match points down in game one.
- Turkovic won back-to-back singles golds and took silver in both doubles events.
- In the AARP 50+ division, Carolina Lopez Ascarate won all three of her events.
Hang Seng Bank Hong Kong Slam
Kai Tak Arena, Hong Kong · Oct 19–25
- Women's singlesAndie Dikosavljevic def. Judit Castillo11-1, 11-5
- Men's singlesHunter Johnson def. Tama Shimabukuro11-4, 6-11, 11-7
- Mixed doublesBen Johns / Anna Leigh Waters def. Anna Bright / Hayden Patriquin
- Women's doublesAnna Bright / Anna Leigh Waters def. Tyra Hurricane Black / Jorja Johnson11-6, 11-4
- Men's doublesHayden Patriquin / Federico Staksrud def. Ben Johns / Gabriel Tardio11-6, 11-8
- The first PPA Tour Asia 1500 event and the tour's 2026 finale, with up to US$1.1 million in prize money, the richest pro purse in Asian pickleball so far.
- Upset of the week: No. 2 seeds Patriquin and Staksrud beat the world No. 1 team of Johns and Tardio for men's doubles gold, without dropping a game all tournament.
- Anna Leigh Waters won double gold: women's doubles with Anna Bright and mixed with Ben Johns, beating Bright and Patriquin in the final.
- Hunter Johnson and Andie Dikosavljevic won singles for the second week running, after both won at the Australian Pickleball Cup. Johnson beat 15-year-old Tama Shimabukuro in the final.
- Singles was chaos early on. World No. 1 Christopher Haworth fell to Noe Khlif in the quarterfinals, and top women's seed Kaitlyn Christian lost to Judit Castillo, 12-10 in the third.
Around the game
Brand news
DUPR is now "DUPR powered by JOOLA"
JOOLA has signed on as title sponsor of DUPR, the rating system many club and tournament players use to find level-matched games. The two were already partners: JOOLA backs the DUPR College Pickleball Tour, and its HC-40 is the official ball for DUPR-run events, including Minor League Pickleball. DUPR announced the deal on Oct 22. In JOOLA CEO Richard Lee's words, DUPR shows players where their game stands, and JOOLA gives them the gear to take it further.
Curious about JOOLA's paddles? Here's how the Pro V lineup compares.
Read the announcement ↗Heads-up
First fake paddles, now fake balls?
Player Ed Ju warned on Instagram that some of the Life Time balls he bought seemed counterfeit: one played more like an indoor ball and "flew off" his paddle. As The Dink points out, his post alone doesn't prove where the balls came from or how common fakes are. But counterfeit paddles are already a known problem, including a convincing fake JOOLA bought from a third-party marketplace seller.
How to stay safe: buy from the brand or an authorized retailer, check who the actual seller is on marketplace listings, and test a few before you buy in bulk.
Read the story at The Dink ↗Coming up
The next two weeks are some of the biggest on the calendar.
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Oct 30–
Nov 1MLP Nations CupBrookhaven Country Club, Farmers Branch, TXThe first MLP Nations Cup: eight regional teams playing for national pride and a $50,000 prize pool. Tama Shimabukuro, a Hong Kong finalist, joins Team Asia International in place of Hien Truong. -
Oct 31–
Nov 8USA Pickleball National ChampionshipsBarnes Tennis Center, San Diego, CAUSA Pickleball's national championships, with free general admission for spectators. If you're playing, read USA Pickleball's Know Before You Go guides first. - Nov 2–8Opendoor Pickleball World ChampionshipsBrookhaven Country Club, Farmers Branch, TXA PPA Tour Major worth 3,000 ranking points, straight after the Nations Cup at the same venue.
New on our blog this week
Tips & Strategy
How to Dink in Pickleball
The soft shot that wins kitchen battles, with drills.
Read it →Paddle Tech
RPM Friction Pro V2 compared
Widebody, hybrid or elongated: which one is yours.
Read it →Paddle Tech
11SIX24 Power 2 compared
Pegasus vs. Vapor vs. Hurache-X, side by side.
Read it →Inspired by the pros? 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.