🌍 APP spotlights its international wave, from Turkovic's first gold to Van Reek's Triple Crowns
Summary by Coachino Daily Digest · Original reporting by APP
Published
The APP says players from abroad have shaped its 2026 season, winning titles in Malaysia and England and breaking through in the United States. Croatia's Domenika Turkovic took her first APP Tour gold in Columbus, beating Jessica Evanier 11-8, 11-7, and now has seven medals this year.
The Netherlands' Roos Van Reek collected Triple Crowns in Vietnam and Penang, Vietnam's Quang Duong won singles gold in Penang, and 19-year-old Australian Nicola Schoeman claimed mixed gold in Detroit. Hungary's Bálint Bakó, part of the Touring Pro program, earned his first medal there.
Coachino Insight
International players now win regularly on American courts. For coaches abroad, the tour development pathways show a realistic route from national rankings to professional medals.
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.
Gabe Tardio says joining Ben Johns in men’s doubles redirected his career—and brought nerves that initially held him back. Speaking on Pickleballers, he explained that he had been considering an Indian pro league and an overseas/APP Tour schedule before Johns approached him.
Tardio instead reached a PPA Tour deal. Their debut at the Mesa Cup in February 2025 ended with silver against Andrei Daescu and Christian Alshon. He said familiarity helped him regain his natural game; the partnership has since collected 19 gold medals and won more than 95% of its matches.
Coachino Insight
Tardio’s account highlights the pressure of a new partnership: he linked his early hesitation to unfamiliarity with Johns, and greater comfort to time spent playing together.
