When Federico Staksrud could not travel to the Australia Pickleball Cup because of visa problems, Christian Alshon turned to Benjamin Bramblett, his social media manager and full-time hitting partner. Bramblett, a left-hander who last played pro events years ago, and Alshon go back three years.
The stand-in pair won their round of 32 match 11-4, 11-2, took the round of 16 and reached the men's doubles quarterfinals against No. 11 seeds George Wall and Joey Wild. Alshon admitted expectations were modest after Bramblett's long break from tour play.
Coachino Insight
Solid fundamentals travel: a regular practice partner who knows a pro’s patterns can hold up at tour level, which is why a steady hitting partner matters so much in training.
Vietnam has named eight players for the China–ASEAN Open in Guilin, scheduled for October 30 to November 2. Dân trí’s roster report includes Trần Tuệ Ngọc and Nguyễn Đắc Tiến, with Nguyễn Hải Long coaching the team and Lê Ngọc Anh leading the delegation. The ten-person group combines athletes with its coach and delegation leader. Vietnam’s sports authority separately confirms a planned 32-team competition spanning singles, doubles and mixed doubles, with the draw still to come.
Coachino Insight
A team event across five disciplines rewards balanced preparation and flexible pairings, giving coaches a different planning challenge from a stand-alone singles or doubles tournament.
Tyson McGuffin defeated Jimmy Liong 11–4, 11–4 to reach the Hong Kong Slam’s last 16. After the match, he reflected on the change from his early pickleball days to a global professional circuit. The next singles test is Hunter Johnson, while McGuffin also remains involved in doubles at the event.
Coachino Insight
An experienced player’s perspective can help developing athletes separate a long career from one tournament. Coaches can pair match review with discussion of sustainable progress.
Tama Shimabukuro will play for Team Asia International at the MLP Nations Cup in place of Vietnam's Hien Truong, the league announced on Tuesday, according to Pickleball.com. The report does not say why the change was made.
The 15-year-old joins Jack Wong, Rika Fujiwara, Macy Ybañez, Lingwei Kong and Jimmy Liong in Group B alongside Team Australia, Team Europe – East and Team Latin America. The new team event runs from October 30 to November 1 at Brookhaven Country Club, just before the Opendoor Pickleball World Championships.
Coachino Insight
A 15-year-old earning a place on a regional all-star side shows how young the international game is getting. Junior programmes can point to his path through Asian tour events.
