If you follow pro pickleball closely, you likely woke up this morning and saw replays of a controversial ending to a match at the PPA Tour Asia MB Hanoi Cup in Vietnam.

Christian Alshon, one of the favorites to win the event in men’s singles, hit a return on match point that appeared to land on or even inside the baseline, but his opponent — Hoang Nam Ly — called the ball out. After some words between the players and ref, the call stood, and the match was over.

You be the judge — check out the replay here.

Also in this issue:

• Pickleball changed everything for Roscoe Bellamy 🎧

• How Dominator pickleball nets use tech from basketball 🏀

• Augie Ge becomes the latest pro to join 11SIX24 👀

• Pickleball’s biggest names get rock-star treatment in Vietnam 🌏

• Reviewing the RPM Friction Pro V2 🔥

Let’s get cookin’. 🧑‍🍳

LOWLIGHT OF THE WEEK

This terrible call decided the match

We’ve been known to blast U.S.-based pros for making bad calls, and we plan on holding the rest of the pickleball world to that same standard as the game grows globally.

In a singles match Wednesday night at the PPA Tour Asia MB Hanoi Cup in Vietnam, Hoang Nam Ly made this highly questionable call on match point against U.S. star Christian Alshon. The ball looks clearly in on the replay, and Alshon pleaded with the ref to overturn it, but there was no challenge system available and the call stood.

🔗 Check out the replay on Instagram, Facebook or TikTok

PICKLEBALLERS

Roscoe Bellamy: How pickleball changed everything

Roscoe Bellamy is the co-host of Pickleballers and currently the No. 6 ranked men’s singles player in the world. But before he was a pro pickleball player, he was on a path to pro tennis. A product of a tennis dynasty — his father founded Tennis Channel and his mother was a pro player — Roscoe was the No. 1 nationally ranked junior player in the U.S. at one point before multiple injuries slowed his career.

In this episode, Roscoe sits down with Jared and longtime friend Wesley Burroughs for a rare look at the man behind the mic. The conversation covers Roscoe's full journey, first in tennis and then pickleball, the mental shift that unlocked his best pickleball, and what it actually takes to compete at the top of the sport while running one of the game's biggest media brands.

🔗 Watch the full episode on YouTube or listen on Spotify

PICKLEBALLERS & LUZZ GIVEAWAY: Each week we’re doing a giveaway to celebrate the latest episode. This week we are giving away a brand-new Luzz Pro 4 Inferno paddle! Enter here!

FEATURED STORY

How Dominator used experience in basketball to become a leading manufacturer of pickleball nets

For decades Dominator has been a well-known brand in the basketball world.

Since the company was founded in the early 2000s, they’ve specialized in making quality hoops and lighting for backyard courts, becoming a household name in the niche industry.

In the late 2010s, they started to notice a trend: More and more people were putting pickleball lines on their basketball slabs, or opting to build a pickleball court in their backyard instead of a basketball court. Given their expertise in equipment manufacturing, they jumped on the opportunity and started making their first-ever pickleball net, which launched in 2019.

At the time it wasn’t much – just a $300 net that was very easy to move on and off the court – and then COVID happened. People started working from home and backyard court construction took off as millions started playing pickleball and people started re-investing in their properties.

“As pickleball developed and became more popular, the equipment developed with it,” said Ben Tillman, the senior director of marketing for Dominator. “We’ve been blessed to be on the forefront of that, because court construction and court equipment was our niche. So as the sport took off and has continued to grow, the pickleball category has become a significant part of our business.”

Today Dominator offers three different tiers of pickleball nets ranging from $389 for their portable net to $1,999 for their pro-level net. They also offer permanent in-ground net systems and various lighting options for backyard installation.

“At the beginning it was people who already had basketball courts and wanted to add pickleball,” Tillman said. “Now we have a lot of people who don’t care about the basketball part at all – they just want pickleball, and in some cases they are converting a tennis court into multiple pickleball courts. A lot of our customers are all-in on pickleball, and we have a lot of good options for them.”

🔗 Learn more about Dominator or shop Dominator nets here — use code “KITCHEN” for 10% off

THE PROS

Anna Leigh Waters makes overseas debut at PPA Tour Asia event in Vietnam

Anna Leigh Waters is making her international pickleball debut this week at the PPA Tour Asia MB Hanoi Cup in Vietnam.

Waters leads a strong U.S.-based contingent of players that also includes Ben Johns, Anna Bright, Hayden Patriquin, Federico Staksrud, Kate Fahey, Christian Alshon, Gabe Tardio, Catherine Parenteau, Tyra Black, Tyson McGuffin and more.

The MB Hanoi Cup is the first event of the PPA Tour Asia season, which currently includes 10 events scheduled in 5 countries throughout Asia.

Main-draw matches started Wednesday evening (U.S. time), and matches will be broadcast on PickleballTV and the PPA Tour Asia YouTube page throughout the week.

NEW PLACES, NEW FACES (kind of)

There are several new partnerships or partnerships we haven’t seen in a while in the draws this week.

Tyson McGuffin/Riley Newman: This is a partnership the OG pickleball fans can appreciate. McGuffin and Newman played almost exclusively together for much of 2020 and 2021, with tons of success. Newman eventually went on to partner with Matt Wright, while McGuffin partnered with Jay Devilliers and others following their breakup. This is the first time McGuffin and Newman will be back on the same side of the net since.

Federico Staksrud/Hayden Patriquin: They are the last team to have beaten Ben Johns/Gabe Tardio, with a win over the top seeds at the Pickleball World Championships last fall. That was also the last time Staksrud/Patriquin played together -- can they pick up where they left off?

Gabe Tardio/Tyra Black: They've played together twice before -- once in 2024 and once in 2023, making the quarterfinals both times. But that was also before they both cracked the top 5 in their respective divisions.

🔗 Check out the draws and schedule for the PPA Tour Asia MB Hanoi Cup

TRENDING

Augie Ge this week became the latest pro player to sign with rising paddle brand 11SIX24. He joins Dekel Bar and a handful of other pro players who have switched to the company’s latest model — the 11SIX24 Power 2, which has been getting a lot of buzz in the paddle industry.

The Power 2 features a new grit technology that 11SIX24 calls “HexGrit.” The paddle face is very gritty to the touch, allowing players to generate great spin, and the HexGrit is more durable than raw carbon fiber and other grit technologies on the market.

🔗 Learn more about 11SIX24’s latest signing

GEAR

Review: RPM Friction Pro V2 packs a punch

James Ignatowich is on a heater.

The former PPA Tour pro started his own paddle company -- RPM Pickleball -- in 2025, and the brand saw immediate success. RPM's first paddle, the Friction Pro, received great feedback from multiple reviewers and quickly sold out of the initial stock. Ignatowich has continued to see high demand for that model in the months since.

But he's also been focused on what's next for the brand, and recently released the RPM Friction Pro V2, an updated version that offers more power and pop than the original Friction Pro while maintaining the Gen 3 feel that many high-level players prefer.

The Friction Pro V2 currently comes in two models:

▪️ RPM Friction Pro V2 16mm Elongated (James Ignatowich signature)

▪️ RPM Friction Pro V2 14mm Elongated (Ryan Fu signature)

In a recent interview with The Kitchen, Ignatowich said he has essentially moved to China to be at the factory where RPM paddles are made, which has allowed him to be very hands-on and make small tweaks that ultimately impact performance.

He compared the RPM Friction Pro V2 to an iPhone update -- it's not a complete overhaul, rather a 5-10% improvement from the original.

"With me in China I was able to really dial in the materials," he said.

🔗 Read our RPM Friction Pro V2 review here and shop all RPM paddles here — use code “KITCHEN” at checkout for 15% off

QUICK HITS

• Amazing: Pickleball in Asia hits on a whole different level

• Throwback: We don’t get to see many points like this in singles

• Hmm: Which state has the strongest pickleball players?

• Wow: This was the shot of a lifetime