Anna Leigh Waters and Ben Johns are both missing from this week's Mojo Energy Pouches Virginia Beach Open, which leaves the PPA Tour stop unusually open. Pickleball.com's Jim Kloss blames the upcoming MLP Nations Cup and the Opendoor Pickleball World Championships for the thinner top end.
Kate Fahey and Roscoe Bellamy are the top singles seeds. Kloss expects No. 20 men's doubles pair Luca Mack and Anouar Braham to beat their ranking and calls mixed doubles the hardest event to call. Each pro title is worth 1,000 ranking points.
Coachino Insight
Weeks without the biggest names are when developing pros earn points and belief. Coaches should watch which double-digit seeds turn a kind section of the draw into a deep run.
Hunter Johnson beat Tama Shimabukuro in the PPA Tour Asia Hong Kong Slam men’s singles final, after defeating Federico Staksrud in the semifinals. Crowds packed Kai Tak Arena for an event offering $1.1 million in prize money and 1,500 World Pickleball Ranking points.
Staksrud’s quarterfinal comeback against Hong Kit Wong drew controversy: an extended equipment timeout and a 1-point penalty for inappropriate language preceded his 12-10 deciding-game win. Anna Leigh Waters won women’s doubles with Anna Bright and mixed doubles with Ben Johns.
Coachino Insight
For athletes and coaches, the Staksrud-Wong match puts equipment readiness and on-court conduct in focus: both became central issues during a closely contested deciding game.
Thailand and the Philippines will host PPA Tour Asia events for the first time in 2027. The opening schedule features PPA Asia 500 tournaments in Bangkok, Manila, Penang and Ho Chi Minh City.
Bangkok opens proceedings on 27–31 January 2027, followed by Manila on 24–28 February 2027. The circuit then returns to Malaysia and Vietnam in March. Ranking points from these events count toward qualification for the PPA Finals in California, with further calendar announcements still to come.
Coachino Insight
For players planning their Asian schedule, the newly announced stops offer ranking opportunities tied to Finals qualification, alongside access to new host markets.
The East Coast Regional in Fort Lauderdale awarded 200 players free entry to the Pickle Money Ball National Championship. Each division’s Top 4 qualified for the Las Vegas tournament, scheduled for July 26-31, 2027, with more than $1 million in amateur prize money.
Held at The Fort, the regional drew more than 550 competitors and offered a $625,000 prize pool. Division winners received $2,000 per player, with payouts extending through the Top 16. It was the final regional of 2026 and the tour’s biggest event to date.
Coachino Insight
For amateur players, the qualification pathway offers both prize money and waived entry fees: Luke Schmidt turned a $100 local qualifier entry into $1,625 and a national berth.
