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- Pickleball is taking off in these 10 cities
Pickleball is taking off in these 10 cities
Huge upsets and drama at PPA Tour Arizona Open
After a couple months off, the Pickleballers Podcast is BACK THIS WEEK. And we’re starting the new season off with a guest who is one of the biggest stars in the sport — Gabe Tardio.
We dive into Tardio’s rise in pro pickleball and the partnership with Ben Johns that completely changed the men’s doubles landscape on the PPA Tour. The first episode of Season 5 of Pickleballers will debut THIS THURSDAY — you won’t want to miss it!
In this issue:
Ouch: This was a DIRECT head shot 😮
We’re giving away the unreleased RPM Jade 🙌
Pickleball is taking off in these 10 cities 🏙️
Huge upset at PPA Tour Arizona Open 🤯
Registration open for Honcho winter leagues 💪
MLP looking for a new commissioner 👀
Let’s cook! 👨🏻🍳
VIRAL VIDEO OF THE WEEK
The most savage head shot we’ve ever seen
This week’s clip is not exactly a highlight, but we still had to feature it because we couldn’t believe it when we saw it for the first time.
We’ve never seen somebody get drilled in the face at point-blank range quite like this before, and we just have one question after watching it: Why did he look right at the guy who was about to hit an overhead a few feet away?
The good news is he does appear to be wearing protective eyewear, which we highly recommend (friendly reminder that you can get 10% off a pair of Kitchen Blockers when you use code “KITCHEN” at checkout).
🔗 Check out this clip on Instagram, Facebook or TikTok
GIVEAWAY
We’re giving away 8 UNRELEASED RPM Jade paddles
We’ve teamed up with RPM Pickleball to give away EIGHT of their UNRELEASED “ultra spin” Jade pickleball paddles! 💎
The Jade is one of the most hyped paddle releases we can remember, with a new foam core and durable grit surface that is touted to hold up even after several months of heavy play.
We’ve had ours for a couple weeks (review coming soon!), and have been extremely impressed with how it plays.
HOW TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY
2️⃣ TAG a few friends on Instagram (every tag is a new entry!)
3️⃣ FOLLOW @rpmpickleball and @thekitchenpickleball on Instagram.
The giveaway ends Sept. 23.
🔗 Shop all RPM paddles here — use code “KITCHEN” at checkout for 15% off!
PICKLEBALL GROWTH
The 10 US cities where pickleball is growing the fastest
Last week we told you about the 10 countries where pickleball is growing the fastest, based on the latest DUPR user data.
We also have recent numbers on where the sport is taking off in the U.S. (some of the cities on the list might surprise you).
BEHIND THE DATA
DUPR pulled 12 months of new user growth to see which U.S. cities are seeing the biggest increases in participation. All areas of the country were represented in the Top 10 — West Coast, East Coast, Midwest and the South.
All of the cities on the list had DUPR growth rates well above what we’ve seen overall in the U.S. the past couple years (in 2025 the sport had a participation increase of 14.7% nationwide, according to a report from the Sports & Fitness Industry Association).
THE FASTEST GROWING PICKLEBALL CITIES IN THE U.S.
10. Cumming, Georgia: 56% year-over-year growth
9. Las Vegas, Nevada: 57%
8. Fort Lauderdale, Florida: 60%
7. Lexington, Kentucky: 60.1%
6. Ashburn, Virginia: 61%
5. Fremont, California: 62%
4. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: 64%
3. Seattle, Washington: 70%
2. Huntsville, Alabama: 70.6%
1. Cleveland, Ohio: 71%
THE PROS
Things got HEATED at PPA Tour Arizona Open
This weekend’s matches at the PPA Tour Arizona Open delivered some intense moments between a few of the top players in the game. Chris Cali from Sorry Not Sorry breaks down all the action and drama here, and below is a look at what went down in each division.
MEN’S DOUBLES: After upsetting Ben Johns/Federico Staksrud in the Round of 16, Nico Acevedo/Yuta Funemizu made the men’s doubles final, but couldn’t quite complete their Cinderella run. They faced Christian Alshon/Andrei Daescu in Sunday’s final, with Alshon/Daescu winning a three-game thriller 11-7, 7-11, 15-13.
WOMEN’S DOUBLES: With no Anna Leigh Waters/Anna Bright in the draw for this tournament, Parris Todd/Rachel Rohrabacher took advantage of the opportunity and won their second gold medal together. They defeated Tyra Black/Meghan Dizon in Sunday’s final 11-4, 10-12, 11-6.
MIXED DOUBLES: We saw some drama and chirping between Waters and Alshon in Sunday’s final, but ultimately Johns/Waters cruised to the win over Alshon/Rohrabacher 11-3, 11-6.
MEN’S SINGLES: Sunday’s final between Chris Haworth and Federico Staksrud was an absolute war. They went back and forth the entire match, but in the end it was Haworth who was able to pull away late and win 10-12, 11-9, 11-6.
WOMEN’S SINGLES: We got a familiar final between Anna Leigh Waters and Kate Fahey, and a familiar result. After a close first game, Waters cruised in Game 2 to close it out. Final score: 11-9, 11-4.
PPA TOUR TAKING OVER OPERATIONS OF ARIZONA ATHLETIC GROUNDS PICKLEBALL COMPLEX
Arizona Athletic Grounds and the PPA Tour have announced a multi-decade partnership that will make the “PPA Campus at Arizona Athletic Grounds” a national home for the the professional and amateur pickleball organization.
Arizona Athletic Grounds is already home to multiple annual PPA Tour events, including the Mesa Cup in February and the Arizona Open, which was held this weekend at the 41-court facility.
The PPA Tour will take over year-round operations of the Arizona Athletic Grounds pickleball complex, including four “medal courts” with spectator stands and a covered Championship Court with seating for up to 2,000 spectators. The venue will continue to host marquee PPA Tour events, while also introducing new tournaments and serving as a year-round pro and amateur training base.
As part of the new partnership, PPA will also fund a significant capital investment in the campus, including additional shade, seating and other improvements to support year-round play. Several new initiatives are planned to launch in early 2027.
PICKLEBALL LEAGUES
Registration now open for Honcho’s winter leagues
Registration for all Honcho winter leagues is officially open! League play starts the week of Nov. 9, and if you sign up now you get an EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT + an additional discount when you use code “KITCHEN.” 🐦
Note: No league play the week of Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Years. 🥳
ABOUT HONCHO LEAGUES
🏓 8 weeks of league play.
📍 90+ cities nationwide.
🤝 Beginner-friendly and competitive leagues.
🍻 A great way to meet new people and find a consistent crew to play with.
🔗 Register here — use code “KITCHEN” for the lowest price
MAJOR LEAGUE PICKLEBALL
Samin Odhwani moving on after 2 seasons as MLP commissioner
Major League Pickleball announced last week that Samin Odhwani will no longer be the commissioner of the league. He served in the role for two seasons.
The announcement comes several weeks after the conclusion of a record-breaking 2026 season that saw the New Jersey 5s win their first title.
Odhwani said in a post on X that he is leaving MLP to join Apollo Sports Capital, an investment platform of Apollo (NYSE: APO) that led a $225 million investment in Pickleball Inc. earlier this year. Pickleball Inc. is the parent company of the PPA Tour, MLP, Pickleball Central, Pickleball.com and Pickleball TV.
Odhwani will remain MLP’s commissioner until a successor is in place, and he will also have a seat on Pickleball Inc.’s board moving forward.
QUICK HITS
Unbelievable: Game-point lob serve winner
Chaos: This point had everything
So close: This was almost the greatest shot ever
Throwback: Peak pickleball right here
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