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Rain delays wreaked havoc at PPA Virginia Beach. But when the clouds finally parted, a fresh batch of winners was crowned. And wouldn’t you know? Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters prevailed in utterly dominant fashion.

It was a banner weekend for ALW, in particular — she’s catching up, and fast, to Ben’s all-time PPA gold medal mark.

In This Issue:
— Anna Bright reveals her gold medal mindset
— Player suspended 90 days blasts entire PPA Tour
— Even Zane’s wife signs autographs in Malaysia

Let’s get into it.

Chris Haworth, the legendary APP player who signed with the PPA just months ago, has won his first gold medal in his new home. He defeated Christian Alshon, and the elements, 11-8, 12-10 to win men’s singles at the PPA Virginia Beach Cup. See the full results.

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A player hits a hard overhead into an opponent’s leg. She’s mad. “Don’t hit at me, hit towards me! You don’t have to play so aggressive!” Emotions run high. It wasn’t intentional, but now she’s wondering if the other player might be right. Should she change the way she plays depending on the opponent, or just shrug it off?

The APP Tour AARP Open wrapped up in Fort Lauderdale over the weekend. Sofia Sewing claimed her seventh women’s singles crown this year while Jack Munro and Will Howells took the men’s doubles title, their sixth of 2025. And they weren’t done there. See the full results.

[This segment was written by Anna Bright, who just won gold with partner Anna Leigh Waters at PPA Virginia Beach]

After a brief hiatus, Anna Leigh Waters and I have made our return to the top of the podium! After falling just short of gold the last two events, this win could not have been much sweeter. How’d we get over the hump? Read on! (And for extra insights, make sure you’re subscribed to my newsletter!) 

The pressure was definitely on this week in Virginia Beach to get a gold medal, and in all honesty, I was feeling it, as was Anna Leigh, I’m sure. I can’t speak too much as to how she managed it, but for me it was a lot of breathing exercises, meditation, and practice reps. Even if I felt like a nerd for doing these things around other players, they obviously worked for me! Definitely spend time finding what works for you: there is NOTHING worse than playing with a noisy, panicked mind. 

Besides handling the pressure, there were a few key things AL and I did that helped us get over the hump.  These are also things you can implement to help you with whatever humps you’re stuck on! 

Together, these things made all the difference, and I’ve been super impressed with Anna Leigh’s maturity in so many ways in the last few weeks. She’s been not only an amazing partner, but an AMAZING friend. It’s so easy to forget she is still a teenager!

In my newsletter this week I recap the rest of the activity in Virginia Beach, and on Thursday I will be covering these tips in more depth and how they helped us.

➡️ More tips from Anna Bright.

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On Friday, we told you about Dennis Uspensky, a PPA Challenger player who was suspended 90 days from all PPA Tour events for a series of line calls and behaviors almost too offensive to believe.

He wasn’t contrite then, and he’s certainly not walking anything back now. In an Instagram Story post over the weekend, Uspensky tripled down.

He’ll “take” his suspension. But don’t think for a second he’s hiding.

“I'm ready to battle anyone, anytime, right now. I don't need full-time training to be top 10 in the world. I'm already there,” he wrote.

Uspensky has zero notable PPA wins on his record. We’re honestly not sure he has any legitimate pickleball wins to speak of at all.

“This isn't a sport built on soft feelings. It's built on fire, drive, and edge. So in 90 days, I'm coming back to show you exactly what the best player in the world looks like,” he added. “I'll be in Boca Raton if anyone wants to run it. No cameras, no refs—just your paddle and your pride. Come get it.”

Now that is a match we’d pay good money to see.

➡️ Read his full statement and watch the insane video that started it all.

Mother Nature tried her hardest, but eventually the rain cleared and all the matches were held at PPA Virginia Beach.

It was a dominant weekend for the two most decorated players in professional pickleball.

The Winners:
🥇 Women’s singles: Anna Leigh Waters def. Brooke Buckner
🥇 Men’s singles: Chris Haworth def. Christian Alshon
🥇 Mixed doubles: Anna Leigh Waters and Ben Johns def. Jorja and JW Johnson
🥇 Women’s doubles: Anna Leigh Waters and Anna Bright def. Jorja Johnson and Rachel Rohrabacher
🥇 Men’s doubles: Ben Johns and Gabe Tardio def. CJ Klinger and JW Johnson

For anyone keeping score at home, that’s another triple crown for Anna Leigh Waters, the 36th of her career. The gold sweep also moves her tantalizingly closer to Ben Johns for all-time PPA gold medals.

“As of the completion of Virginia Beach, it is Johns 164, Waters 162,” PPA Tour Statistician Jim Ramsey confirmed to The Dink. “Waters entered 2025 nine behind, and has closed the gap to two.”

Ben and Gabe were no slouches, either. They’ve now won men’s doubles gold at five consecutive PPA tournaments.

➡️ Our full event analysis and results.

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Here's something American pickleball fans might not fully grasp: In Southeast Asia, some of the household names from the PPA Tour aren't just seen as professional pickleball players. They're legitimate celebrities.

"It's literally like Ben and Tyson, they were like Justin Bieber walking around the U.S.," Eric Oncins told host Zane Navratil on this week's PicklePod. "We'd go to the mall heading to dinner and fans are just stopping Ben every second. It was crazy. He's a huge celebrity there. Pickleball is so big there."

Both guys were surprised – and ultimately grateful for – the amount of security they were provided at the PPA events in Malaysia and Vietnam just to help them navigate the crowds.

"At first I thought the security, especially in Malaysia, was going to be overkill," said Zane. "And it was. At no point did I ever feel unsafe. But there were so many people. You would never be able to get out of there."

Ben and Tyson were the main draw, mobbed for pictures and autograph requests everywhere they went.

But it wasn’t just them. Even Zane's wife Jenny, who is not a professional pickleball player, signed her share of autographs.

➡️ Read the article.

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