Why Federico Staksrud’s Cincinnati Title Just Means More

by | Sep 21, 2023 | Championship, Championship Sunday, cincinnati open, Cincinnati Open 2023, Featured Player, Federico Staksrud, Finals, gold, pickleball, PPA, ppa 2023, ppa tour, ppa tour 2023, Tournament

“Just when you think he’s in trouble, he rallies back.”  That’s what PPA commentator Michelle McMahon said of Ben Johns during the first game of the Men’s Singles final at the Baird Wealth Management Cincinnati Open on Sunday.  She’s not wrong—earlier in the day,...

Tennis players’ relationship with pickleball is evolving in real time

by | Sep 20, 2023 | All-Access, Championship, jack sock, Paddles, pickleball, pickleball 2023, Players, PPA, ppa 2023, ppa tour, sam querrey, tennis, tennis vs pickleball, Tournament

Last December, Jack Sock and Sam Querrey had Ben Johns and Matt Wright a little worried. OK, maybe not worried, but perhaps a tad surprised. After all, Sock and Querrey had a 10-8 lead against Johns and Wright in game one and there’s no way Johns and Wright, two of...

From the Stats Desk: Cincinnati Open Championship Sunday Preview

by | Sep 13, 2023 | Championship, Championship Sunday, cincinnati open, Cincinnati Open 2023, Finals, pickleball, pickleball 2023, PPA, ppa 2023, ppa tour, ppa tour 2023, statistics, stats preview, sunday preview, Tournament

BEN JOHNS enters Sunday with 99 career titles, 18 Triple Crowns, and eight “Double-Triples” with Anna Leigh Waters. ANNA LEIGH WATERS enters Sunday with 77 career titles, 17 Triple Crowns, and eight “Double Triples” with Ben Johns. CATHERINE PARENTEAU needs one win to...

Buckner, pregnant with her third child, keeps competing

by | Sep 13, 2023 | Brooke Buckner, Cincinnati Open 2023, Featured Player, Finals, Paddles, pickleball, pickleball 2023, PPA, ppa 2023, ppa tour, ppa tour 2023, third child, women's doubles

Court temperatures were like a radio station – “Hot 101, Power 102,” you get the idea. But it didn’t bother Brooke Buckner. She’s from North Carolina. She knows what humidity is like. Or maybe she was just crazy from the heat? It had to be miserable, right? While a...

Carvana PPA Tour and Major League Pickleball Announce Full Merger to Form a Unified Professional Pickleball Organization

by | Sep 13, 2023 | Championship, merger, MLP, News, PPA, ppa 2023, ppa tour, ppa tour 2023, Stream

Merger of Two Largest Pro Pickleball Organizations Is Backed By $50M Investment Led By Private Equity Firm SC Holdings and Financier/MLP Team Owner Al Tylis, Along with PPA Tour Owner Tom Dundon and Various MLP Team Owners AUSTIN and DALLAS, TX., September 13, 2023 –...

Ben Johns: 101 Titles

by | Sep 11, 2023 | 100, Ben Johns, Championship, Championship Sunday, cincinnati open, Cincinnati Open 2023, Finals, men's doubles, mens singles, pickleball, pickleball 2023, PPA, ppa 2023, ppa tour, ppa tour 2023

It was a bittersweet ending to Ben Johns’ century-eclipsing 100th title weekend in Cincinnati—he finished with 101 titles—but he probably should have punctuated his festivities with a Triple-Crown.  First, Ben and Colin Johns scrapped and clawed their way to perhaps...