If you’re a fan of pro pickleball or a competitive amateur player, you’ve probably had this week circled on your calendar for months. We certainly have.

The Pickleball World Championships are being held this week just outside of Dallas, with more than 3,500 players expected to participate across all divisions.

Brookhaven Country Club, the host facility, annually becomes the site of the biggest pickleball party of the year, with dozens of vendors and activities lining what is known as Pickleball Boulevard.

Our team will be on site all week filming Pickleballers episodes, providing highlights and bringing you behind-the-scenes content. Details below.

Also in this issue:

• If you don’t know about Eric Oncins yet, you will soon 🎧

• Attention men: You’re probably overplaying in mixed doubles 😬

• It means more when country pride is on the line 🇺🇸

• JOOLA releases new HC-40 ball 👀

• PPA Tour announces expansion of Challenger Series 📈

Let’s get cookin’. 🧑‍🍳

HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK

International team pickleball hits different

This weekend’s Pickleball World Cup in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, showed yet again that international team pickleball has a bright future.

With national pride on the line, nearly 70 countries competed over several days until there were two remaining: Team USA and Hong Kong, China. The home team prevailed in front of a raucous crowd, thanks to points like this.

We hope the U.S. Olympic Committee was watching.

🔗 Check out this point on Instagram, Facebook or TikTok

PICKLEBALLERS

How Eric Oncins became one of pickleball’s rising stars

In case you missed it last week, Brazilian pickleball pro Eric Oncins joined the Pickleballers podcast to share his journey from growing up in São Paulo to becoming one of the sport’s fastest-rising stars.

From being drafted in Major League Pickleball to signing with the PPA Tour, Eric’s story is proof that passion and perseverance can take you anywhere — and that the next great pickleball star might come from anywhere in the world.

🔗 Check out the latest episode of Pickleballers on YouTube or Spotify

THE PROS

The biggest event in pickleball is here

The biggest annual event on the PPA Tour calendar — the Pickleball World Championships — is being held this week at Brookhaven Country Club just outside of Dallas.

Fittingly, it's the 100th tournament in PPA Tour history, and there are more than 3,500 players expected to participate across all divisions. Here’s what you need to know:

• The tournament started Monday with pro qualifying, and will continue through Sunday, with one round in each division (singles, mixed doubles and gender doubles) to be played each day.

• There are 3,000 ranking points on the line for the winners of each division, making the Pickleball World Championships the most significant event of the season in that regard.

• The weather forecast looks favorable throughout the week, with mostly sunny skies expected and highs ranging from 70-80 degrees and light winds.

• All of this week's matches can be viewed on Pickleballtv -- in addition to several broadcast windows on Tennis Channel and ESPN 2, which can be found here.

Outside of the pro and amateur events, there are numerous activities planned across the grounds, including a Celebrity Pickleball Showdown on Wednesday featuring Dallas Mavericks legend and Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki, former Dallas Cowboys star and Pro Football Hall of Famer Terrell Owens, World Series champion J.D. Martinez and renowned online streaming personality Tfue.

You can find the week’s full schedule of events here.

Because of this event's significance in terms of PPA Tour points, all of the top players are in the field this week.

Our team will be on site throughout the week to provide highlights, behind-the-scenes content, match analysis and more.

🔗 Draws, schedule and storylines for the Pickleball World Championships

INSTRUCTIONAL

How men overplaying in mixed doubles can lead to losses

Mixed doubles success often boils down to two factors:

1. How steady the female player is.
2. The male player finding the right balance in how "big" he plays.

"Big" in this sense refers to how much of the court the male player will take. If they hesitate to take attackable balls and put them away, that will hurt the team's chances of success.

But a male player who plays too big can also negatively impact the team.

One of the most frequent areas for improvement in mixed doubles – at all levels, even pro – is the male player finding the right balance of just how “big” he should be playing.

DOWNSIDES TO OVERPLAYING

There are several downsides to the male player getting too big.

The match becomes 2 vs. 1: No matter how good the male player, it is really hard to play 2 vs. 1. While overplaying can be a strategy when the scales are extremely unbalanced on the court, the disadvantage of playing 1 vs 2 should be weighed against the benefit.

You open up too much court: This is related to the 2 vs 1 problem, but distinct. When the male player consistently steps in front of his female partner – particularly simply to dink balls back into play – he leaves large areas of the court exposed and creates imbalance on his side. Oftentimes this leads to a more stressful backhand shot for the male player – whether that is defending a down the line attack or resetting a well-placed dink there.

You break your partner’s rhythm: This downside is a big one. Optimal doubles play occurs when both players on the team are playing in rhythm. This requires a male player who is in rhythm AND a female player who is also in rhythm. Watch any pro match where the male player is regularly stepping in front of the female player to handle routine shots. What you will often see is a female player who is completely out of rhythm. Think about it – how can she possible gain rhythm if she never knows whether the next shot traveling toward her will be her ball or not?

🔗 How you can find the right balance of aggression without overplaying

TRENDING

The PPA Challenger Series has announced that it will expand to 16 events in 2026, up from 10 events this year, which was the inaugural season for the PPA Tour's developmental tour.

This year the Challenger Series hosted players from nearly all 50 states, more than 30 countries and six continents. The events are designed to give lower level pros and aspiring amateur players a shot at earning PPA Tour rankings points and cash prizes.

Think of it like the NBA G League or the minor leagues in baseball.

🔗 Find the full 2026 Challenger Series schedule here

PRODUCT OF THE WEEK

JOOLA releases new HC-40 ball

While JOOLA has been widely known for its innovation in the paddle space, the company’s engineers have been in the lab cooking up another key piece of pickleball equipment: A new ball.

The JOOLA HC-40 hardcourt pickleball is engineered for precision and consistency, featuring a patent-pending hole placement pattern and a proprietary polymer blend that enhances durability, shape retention and overall roundness.

JOOLA’s engineers say they found the sweet spot for equidistant hole spacing, maximizing flight consistency and eliminating unpredictable wobble. They promise you’ll feel the difference from the first hit.

The new balls are USAP-approved for tournament play and available in packs of 3, 12, 40, and 100.

🔗 Shop the new JOOLA HC-40 ball here

QUICK HITS

• Throwback: This point stands the test of time

• Woah: We love a good ping pong highlight

• Perfection: This Erne footwork was real nice

• Lob defense: This is a unique strategy

• Hmmm: We think there was a fault here