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Tina Fey cracked a pickleball joke during last night’s Emmy Awards while referencing the ongoing beef between rappers Kendrick Lamar and Drake. The punchline didn’t exactly land, but we appreciate the shoutout all the same.

And while we’re dishing out props, here’s to Jackie and Jade Kawamoto. The twins just won their first-ever PPA gold medals. All it took was beating serious odds and toppling a couple of giants in Cincinnati.

In This Issue:
— All the winners from PPA Cincy
— A resetting masterclass worthy of gold
— Sandbagging: It’s not them, it’s you?

And the award goes to…

A gentleman “streaker” reprised his appearance from last year’s PPA Cincinnati by running across Championship Court again this year in nothing but a Speedo, a helmet, and a mask. He was promptly apprehended by security.

An exclusive new pickleball club in Lynchburg, VA, will admit just 100 founding members. Benefits include a full kitchen, conference rooms, and lounge. The privilege comes at $100 per month. The club’s name? The Secret Pickle.

Hong Kong pop singer Alfred Hui has appeared on The Voice (China) and released more than 10 studio albums. A dentist by trade, he’s also caught the pickleball bug and just competed in The Dink MiLP China 2025 National Finals. Not a bad résumé.

Grinding out points may not be pretty, but winning sure is fun. The guys from paddle review channel Pickleball Pursuit, Justin and Louis, help put it into perspective. In the long run, playing clean is more rewarding than going for that trick shot. Right? You know the answer already. It’s time to prioritize winning ugly.

Twin sisters and pickleball legends Jackie and Jade Kawamoto just had the PPA run of their lives, upsetting favorites Anna Bright and Anna Leigh Waters in the semifinals (more on that, below).

The match wasn’t just one of the best matches from Cincinnati; it was one of the best pro pickleball matches ever played.

On paper, this was AB and ALW’s match to lose. But Jade and Jackie made every point uncomfortable by dialing their superpower up to 11: They won with defense, resetting everything and forcing their opponents to hit an extra shot time and time again.

Yes, their lefty/righty combo gives them an edge through the middle. And yes, they have that twin telekinesis thing going on. But their ability to get balls back made all the difference.

Watch closely and you’ll notice it all comes down to one trick of paddle positioning. Take notes before you hit the court next:

✅ Watch the entire match and pay extra close attention to the Kawamotos’ paddle positioning when they’re on defense. A shocking number of shots are executed with both hands on their paddle and the tip facing straight at the ground.

✅ This is the highest percentage technique for consistently returning a ball hit at you at a blistering pace. Two hands on the handle provide critical extra stability. The tip pointing straight down lessens the likelihood of a popup. If you want to be a wall on defense, this is how you do it.

✅ Now, honestly assess your own play. How often are you resetting like this? If your conclusion is, “Not nearly enough,” you are correct. Gold star. Now be better.

In all seriousness, watch the match and take notes. This is pickleball at its purest, most beautiful form. If it doesn’t inspire you to play better, you might be in the wrong sport.

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PPA Cincinnati was one for the ages.

After taking 2024 off for major venue renovations, action returned to the Lindner Family Tennis Center. And the drama certainly made up for lost time.

PPA Cincy 2025 Gold Medalists:

🥇 Women’s Dubs: Jackie and Jade Kawamoto
🥇 Men’s Dubs: Ben Johns and Gabe Tardio
🥇 Mixed Dubs: Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters
🥇 Women’s Singles: Anna Leigh Waters
🥇 Men’s Singles: Christian Alshon

Next up: The Vintage Open brings wooden paddles to Sacramento, CA.

➡️ Read our full event recap.

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While presenting the award for Outstanding Variety Special (Live) at the 2025 Emmy Awards, comedian Tina Fey made a seemingly random pickleball joke that didn’t exactly land with a bang.

“If Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl Halftime Special wins, I am really going to hear it from Drake,” she quipped, referencing the two rappers’ famous ongoing feud. “And Drake and I are supposed to play pickleball tomorrow, so…”

“The unexpected joke was a smash with the audience,” Complex reported. We watched the video a few times and must respectfully disagree. Maybe you had to be there?

For what it’s worth, Kendrick Lamar didn’t win the award. Instead, it went to SNL50: The Anniversary Special.

Either way, it’s yet another example of pickleball pervading the pop culture zeitgeist. Next stop: world domination.

➡️ Watch the clip.

One Reddit user is so fed up with tournaments that he might be ready to call it quits.

The culprit? Sandbaggers, or teams whose skill level is clearly well above the bracket they placed themselves in. Sound familiar? We’ve all been there.

“My group was 50-and-under and we had two young guys who were easily 3.5 or much higher pretty much just standing there and destroying everyone without breaking a sweat,” he said of his most recent experience in a 3.0, 50 tournament division.

The comments came flooding in. Most lament this all-too-familiar fate, but encourage perseverance. Others call for more strictly enforced DUPR play. A few even said maybe he should take a break from competitive events.

But there was a chorus that struck a different tune, too: What if, perhaps, this guy just isn’t as good as he thinks he is?

As one put it, “If you feel like the bracket is full of sandbaggers, it’s most likely you overrated yourself. Most people overrate themselves before a tournament and can’t face the reality that they are not 3.0.”

It’s a fair point. And worthwhile food for thought for anyone looking to see how they stack up against new players.

A review from the Dink Fam...

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