Lea Jansen has pulled out of women's singles and mixed doubles at the PPA Tour's Virginia Beach Open with a broken left patella, but she is still playing women's doubles with Kate Fahey. The pair beat Daria Walczak and Alex Walker 11-2, 11-4 on Thursday and face fifth seeds Alix Truong and Layne Sleeth in Friday's quarterfinals.
The Dink's Erik Tice reported that the 34-year-old had played on the injury since May, through the Major League Pickleball season, until an MRI found it. Jansen expects about three months out and has left every remaining 2026 event.
Coachino Insight
A reminder for coaches: pain that lingers for months deserves a scan, not more matches. An early diagnosis can save a season that toughness alone puts at risk.
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.
