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- Pure filth from Ben Johns in the desert
Pure filth from Ben Johns in the desert
How James Ignatowich built a paddle company from scratch
If you’ve played pickleball for long, you’ve probably witnessed significant others playing together on the court (or maybe you’ve been one half of the couple). This is just a guess, but it probably involved some bickering and tense moments after missed shots or poor decisions.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. This week we’re breaking down a few tips for all the life partners out there who also want to be cordial pickleball partners. More below.
Also in this issue:
We still don’t understand how this angle was possible 🤯
How James Ignatowich built a paddle company from scratch 🎧
Chris Haworth claims No. 1 ranking in men’s singles 📈
Is this the best singles paddle on the market? 🤔
Let’s get cookin’. 🧑🍳
HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK
This shot from Ben Johns was pure filth
We’ve watched Ben Johns hit crazy good shots for so long we take it for granted. But make no mistake, the angle on this shot was pure unadulterated filth.
Johns took a relatively ordinary dink out of the air, and at the last second opened the paddle face to hit a sharp-angled dink for a clean winner.
Len Yang, his opponent, commented on Instagram that he was “definitely not ready for that one.” … I don’t think any of us were.
🔗 Check out this highlight on Instagram, Facebook or TikTok
PBALLERS
James Ignatowich: The PPA termination, building RPM from China & the future of paddle tech
We're trying something new this week — a remote podcast focused on the biggest stories & relevant topics in pickleball. It's called PBallers, and our first guest as part of the new format is James Ignatowich, a former top pro turned paddle company founder.
His paddle brand, RPM Pickleball, is one of the fastest-growing and most talked-about paddle brands in the sport.
In this episode, James joins Roscoe and Jared virtually from Shenzhen, China, where he's living full-time and running RPM's operations on the ground. They get into why James has zero regrets about leaving the tour, what it actually takes to build a paddle company from scratch, and why being in China is the biggest competitive advantage in the game right now.
James opens up about his PPA termination, calling it suspicious given RPM's early success, and shares a telling detail — he was already mentally checked out of pro play before it happened, more excited about the company than any upcoming tournament.
PBALLERS & RPM GIVEAWAY: Each week we’re doing a giveaway to celebrate the latest episode. This week we are giving away a brand-new RPM Friction Pro V2 paddle! Enter here!
THE PROS
PPA Tour Greater Zion Cup: Chris Haworth claims No. 1 singles ranking + wild moments
Chris Haworth joined the PPA Tour late last summer with big expectations from fans and pundits. Many considered him a top 5 singles player in the world despite mostly competing on the APP Tour to that point.
But even though there was a lot of excitement from the outside, Haworth said he didn't personally have any expectations, knowing that it would be a tough climb up the rankings in arguably the deepest division in all of pro pickleball.
He started as a No. 52 seed in his first tournament last September, losing in the Round of 16 to Hunter Johnson, but soon after broke through with his first win of the year and by the end of the 2025 he had three golds and had cracked the top 10.
He has continued on that trajectory so far in 2026, and on Sunday at the Greater Zion Cup in Utah he claimed his third title of the year and overtook Johnson as the No. 1 player in the PPA Tour's 52-week rolling points standings.
Haworth defeated Federico Staksrud in Sunday's final -- 11-9, 11-5 -- and now that he's reached the top of the division, the question is: How long can he say there?
GREATER ZION CUP NEWS & NOTES
▪️ Ben Johns/Gabe Tardio faced their stiffest test of the year on Sunday before ultimately defeating Hayden Patriquin/Christian Alshon 13-11, 3-11, 3-11, 11-2, 11-7 in the men's doubles gold-medal match.
▪️ Anna Leigh Waters earned the 43rd Triple Crown of her career, with convincing wins in women’s doubles with Anna Bright and mixed doubles with Ben Johns. Singles was a little closer — Waters was beaten in Game 1 of Sunday’s final by Kate Fahey, but she rebounded with wins in Games 2 and 3 to take the title.
If you missed any of the action, Chris Cali is back this week with another video recap breaking down the week’s craziest moments, insane highlights, terrible line calls, crash outs and more. Watch here.
INSTRUCTION
How to play pickleball with your significant other (and not argue with them)
They don’t call it “Mixed Troubles” for nothing. While a regular pickleball partnership has its own challenges, playing pickleball with your significant other is a different sort of challenge altogether.
Here are a few tips to help lifetime partners who wish to also be pickleball partners. There is a world in which this can happen – without the angst.
HAVE A COMMUNICATION PLAN
A common problem that arises in any pickleball partnership is how players communicate with one another. This problem is only exacerbated when your pickleball partner is also your lifetime partner. Small problems we may have off court get magnified when we step on the court.
It helps to have a plan for on-court communication BEFORE you step onto the court. Things like:
▪️ You can/cannot make play or strategic suggestions to me when we play.
▪️ I prefer you speak to me like this: ________.
▪️ I prefer you NOT speak to me like this: ________.
HAVE A STRATEGIC PLAN
It helps to understand your partner’s general approach to the game: Prefers the soft game, likes to attack, poaches, does not poach, etc.
Adapt your approach to what you expect your partner will do. If you are not sure what your partner’s tendencies are, then a bit of study might be in order. You can also discuss strategy off court. If you are playing competitively with your partner, then a more detailed strategic plan is in order:
▪️ Who is the setup player?
▪️ Who is the “hammer?”
▪️ Do you want to hit your third shots toward the middle or to the outside?
▪️ Who takes middle third shots?
QUICK HITS
GEAR
Is the JOOLA Agassi Pro V the best singles paddle on the market?
Several top singles players on the PPA Tour, especially on the women's side, are currently using the Agassi Pro V in singles. The list includes Kate Fahey (ranked No. 2), Brooke Buckner (ranked No. 4) and Lea Jansen (ranked No. 5).
The Agassi shape is a great fit for players coming over from tennis, because the sweet spot is shifted further toward the top of the paddle and it has a handle that is plenty long enough for players who like to hit a two-handed backhand. The elongated shape also helps singles players reach more balls when they're outstretched.
All of those traits make it a great pick for players who love to play singles. You can find our current list of the top singles paddles here or learn more about the development of the JOOLA Pro V series here.
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