Seeds tumbled in Friday's singles quarterfinals at the Hang Seng Bank Hong Kong Slam, PPA Tour Asia reports. Noe Khlif beat world No. 1 Christopher Haworth 13-11, 11-3 after losing their two earlier PPA matches, and Judit Castillo again stopped top seed Kaitlyn Christian, this time 12-10 in the third game. Second seed Chao Yi Wang also went out, to Andie Dikosavljevic.
Federico Staksrud edged home favourite Hong Kit Wong in three games, and Ben Johns beat his brother Collin in straight games. Khlif now meets 15-year-old Tama Shimabukuro in the semifinals.
Coachino Insight
Two of the biggest names lost to players who had faced them recently. Scouting a familiar opponent and changing the plan can turn a losing record around.
Singapore's Sengkang Town Council will stop pickleball on courts close to housing blocks from November 1 and restrict the nine courts that remain to 10am to 7:30pm, Pickleball News Asia reports, citing an Instagram post by local MP Abdul Muhaimin. Residents chose the measures in a vote after noise complaints.
Other town councils have already acted, from a court ban in Holland-Bukit Panjang to foam-ball sessions in Mountbatten. The site cites more than 700 noise complaints in 18 months as monthly bookings approach 8,000.
Coachino Insight
Noise is now one of the biggest limits on growth in dense cities. Programmes near homes can cut complaints with foam balls, sensible hours and courts sited away from residents.
Ben Johns and Gabriel Tardio have advanced from the Hong Kong Slam men’s doubles semifinals. Official results show that they beat Tama Shimabukuro and JW Johnson, taking the opening game 11–7 and the next 11–6. The defeated pair had won their quarterfinal in straight games. This confirms a final berth, not a title. The displayed date records our verification of official results, not a news article’s publication.
Coachino Insight
For doubles preparation, review the partnership’s full run and the next opponent separately. A clean semifinal result still leaves another match to plan for.
Source: Pickleball.com official results·Published:
Judit Castillo has reached the Hong Kong Slam women’s singles final after defeating Kiora Kunimoto, her partner in the women’s doubles draw. The official semifinal record lists victories of 11–8 and 11–7. The next pairing is against Andie Dikosavljevic, with no completed final score available in the reviewed record. The displayed date records our verification of official results, not a news article’s publication.
Coachino Insight
Facing a familiar doubles partner requires a different competitive plan. Coaches can help players separate shared practice habits from the demands of a singles match.
Source: Pickleball.com official results·Published:
Tama Shimabukuro advanced to the Hong Kong Slam men’s singles final by beating Noe Khlif in straight games. The official completed-match record shows an 11–8 opener followed by an 11–2 second game. His previous round against Grayson Goldin had required three games. Hunter Johnson is listed as his final opponent, without a completed final score. The displayed date records our verification of official results, not a news article’s publication.
Coachino Insight
The shorter semifinal follows a longer quarterfinal. Coaches can discuss how players reset their preparation between opponents while keeping recovery and final-match planning separate.
Source: Pickleball.com official results·Published:
DUPR has appointed JOOLA as title sponsor, expanding a partnership that already includes college competition and an official ball agreement. The announcement also adds a shopping benefit: eligible DUPR+ members receive a $30 gift card for JOOLA products, while annual membership costs $19.99.
The offer applies only in eligible countries, but the announcement does not identify them. JOOLA already sponsors the DUPR College Pickleball Tour, and its JOOLA HC-40 serves as DUPR’s official ball for competitions it operates or sanctions.
Coachino Insight
For athletes weighing DUPR+, the gift card exceeds the annual fee in face value, but country eligibility remains an important unanswered detail.
The Global Pickleball Summit 2026, organised by RacketPro in Hong Kong from October 18 to 20, moved the conversation from growth to structure, Pickleball News Asia reports. Timed just before the Hang Seng Bank Hong Kong Slam, it opened with social play and a session with pros such as Ben Johns, Anna Bright and Len Yang.
Panels covered growth data, education, sustainable facilities, national federations, youth curricula and technology, and one asked whether the Olympics should be the goal at all. Erika Von Heiland Strader, who leads the Global Pickleball Federation, said recreation drives participation while governance brings legitimacy.
Coachino Insight
Talk of curricula and youth pathways at a global summit signals demand for qualified coaching. Coaches who document their programmes will be better placed as federations set standards.
The Johns brothers will be on opposite sides of the net in Friday's men's doubles quarterfinals at the Hang Seng Bank Hong Kong Slam, PPA Tour Asia reports. Collin Johns and Len Yang ended local hopes by beating Hong Kit Wong and Eunggwon Kim 11-3, 8-11, 11-5, setting up a meeting with Ben Johns and Gabriel Tardio, only the third such clash in PPA history.
Wong is still alive in singles and faces Federico Staksrud next, while Kaitlyn Christian meets Judit Castillo, who beat her in Brisbane last week.
Coachino Insight
Facing a sibling or regular partner means meeting someone who knows every habit. Players can practise changing patterns mid-match so familiar rivals cannot settle into reading them.
Picklers, the Dubai club that started pickleball on three courts in 2024, will host its first Minor League Pickleball event on November 14, Pickleball News Asia reports. MiLP Dubai will run DUPR 12 and DUPR 16 divisions for teams of two men and two women, with a singles DreamBreaker deciding tied matches.
Founder Patrick Chucri, a former Davis Cup player for Lebanon, estimates the UAE had around 30 active players when he began and about 15,000 now. The club, which has six indoor courts, also wants to help set up a national federation.
Coachino Insight
Picklers built coaching levels, junior programmes and referee training before chasing big events. New markets can copy that order: structure first, then competition that rewards progress.
The Pickle Yard Conference League is preparing to open its second season in Bacoor, Cavite, with eight teams combining Filipino and international players. A contributed Philstar report says the season is scheduled to run from October 24 through November 27. Organizers describe regular competition and exposure to different playing styles as central goals of the expanded league.
Coachino Insight
A regular league gives coaches a sequence of matches to review with players. Training plans can address recurring patterns instead of reacting only to isolated tournament results.
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.
Wednesday at the Hang Seng Bank Hong Kong Slam went entirely to form, PPA Tour Asia reports, with every seed in every event reaching the round of 16. The nearest miss came from women's singles second seed Chao Yi Wang, who needed a 14-12 second game to get past Allyce Jones.
Christian Alshon and Noe Khlif, seeded in all three events, won every match they played. Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters began their Hong Kong campaign by beating Hannah Blatt and Grayson Goldin 11-3, 11-3 in mixed doubles.
Coachino Insight
A day without upsets shows the gap between seeded pros and the rest of a deep field. Rising players should study how the favourites close out matches without wasting points.
