Anna Leigh Waters’ Nike outfits are some of the best in the game, and this year at the Opendoor Pickleball World Championships, Waters revealed a new signature shoe and limited edition merch collection on Pickleball Boulevard.

Waters is one of the lucky few pro players who has a signature pickleball shoe.

“Usually when I have these special shoes like this, nobody else can buy them. But there’s actually a Nike booth here at Worlds and if you’re on site, you can buy them here. Unfortunately, they’re not selling them online so you have to be at Worlds,” explained Waters at the Pickleballtv desk in her post-match interview.

Her signature shoes are seriously so cool. They’re the classic Nike pickleball shoe design with a sleek white, black, and gray color scheme. But most notably, they have this sparkly overlay that makes the shoes shimmer on court. And topping everything off, there’s an ALW crown embossed on the tongue of the shoe.

“I honestly didn’t have too much say in the design. They surprised me, which is really cool,” Waters said.

When she first saw the shoe, they reminded her of a familiar red carpet look.  

“They look like what I wore to the ESPY Awards last year with the black dress and sparkly earrings. This shoe was meant to bring fashion onto the court. I love trying to be as fashionable as possible as I can out there, so it’s really special for me to be able to wear them, but also see other people wear them too. People have been coming up to me and having me sign their shoes so it’s been awesome,” said Waters.

Another special Nike look from Worlds is her signature ALW shirt. The black shirt features a silver championship ring embossed with her name, a crown, and her favorite motto for the court, “Just be you.”

For the shirt, Waters had a little bit more input with the design.

“I sent them a bunch of Nike tees that I loved so I had an idea of what I wanted it to look like. The black and silver went with the signature shoes. But the biggest thing on here that I had was the saying ‘Just be you.’ That’s my saying on the court when things get tough. Or I say it before matches to help pump me. And I think it applies to everybody, no matter if you’re playing pickleball or doing something else. If you’re you and focused on yourself, good things happen,” said Waters.

Waters also wore her signature new hat to compete in women’s doubles today. The black baseball hat embellished with her ALW logo and the Nike swoosh was a fun switch up compared to her usual visor look.

“Nike did a little collab with my logo here at Worlds and I felt like I needed to wear it earlier in the week to get more comfortable with it. It was really cool for me to wear it once out there with my logo, and the swoosh,” said Waters.

Waters' Nike looks only get better and better with every tournament.

To keep up to date on all things pickleball, follow us on Instagram.

If you watched Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters play mixed yesterday in the round of 64, you might’ve noticed that their outfits were a little off. The top seeds are usually aligned with their outfits. But this time, the pair missed the mark on their matching.  

Waters wore a teal skirt and black shirt from Nike. And Johns wore bright blue shorts and a white shirt.

This mis-match was something that the broadcasters on Pickleballtv, Sarah Ansboury and Michelle McMahon noticed too and inquired about during their post-match interview.

“Ben, I don’t think you did your job today with matching Anna Leigh’s outfit, so what’s going on here?” asked Ansboury.

Johns, Waters, and McMahon couldn’t help but laugh at Ansboury’s burning question.

“It’s entirely my fault. She told me what to wear in the morning and I think I packed in the dark. I packed the blue instead of the teal, and somehow, I didn’t have a black shirt. It was a catastrophe this morning, I take full responsibility. Blame being color blind and dressing in the dark,” said Johns.

Then Waters interrupted.

“I’m sorry you can’t blame your partial color blindness. He’s not actually color blind,” Waters clarified.

Johns has shared previously that Waters’ handles the fashion in the partnership. Waters establishes the color combinations and Johns matches. So far this season, he’s churned out some really nice looks to compliment Waters in mixed.

But this look didn’t compliment her at all. His outfit isn’t bad, it’s just not matching hers.

However, during the round of 32, Johns showed up to play singles in one of his best looks from the tournament.

Johns wore this excellent green, teal, and white look that is worthy of the best dressed list. He wore JOOLA’s new green hat, baby blue shirt, teal shorts, white compression sleeves, white crew socks, and JOOLA court shoes.

This look is so excellent. Especially considering his fashion mishap from yesterday. I love the color combination with the blue, teal, and green. Such a lovely color combination that looks so sharp on him

And I have to acknowledge the styling. Where most people fall short is the styling. A good outfit isn’t strictly about having a matching top and bottom, it’s also about the styling. Do the shoes, hat, and every accessory match? And the easiest way to achieve that is by simply wearing all black or white accessories. Johns nailed it by wearing all white accessories and keeping the look clean.  

But the funny thing is — I can only assume this look wasn’t intentional. This was a happy accident in his fashion game. Johns said so himself, he’s not a fashion guy and blames having partial color blindness. He shows up to play, and his fashion is the last thing on his mind.

So when he shows up in a look that’s this well done, I must give him some praise.  

Only Ben Johns can show up with his best fit of the tournament to play left-handed singles on grandstand court. But at least he (unintentionally) looked his best.

To keep up to date on all things pickleball, follow us on Instagram.

Ben Johns has made headlines at this week's Opendoor Pickleball World Championships with a ‘new’ weapon: a left-handed forehand.

But while most pickleball fans might consider it to be a new shot for Johns, it’s better characterized as a return to a tool that he previously relied on in singles back in 2016 and 2017.

“Back in the day when people played singles, it was pretty much all drives,” he explained. “Then, I started dropping and coming in—the cat and mouse style as we know it today—and that required me to just hit backhand slices, basically backhand drops. So I stopped using my left hand and I stopped really hitting a bunch of passing shots, as I would just drop and come in… that’s kind of the style I just continued to play for singles after that.”

With the massive gameplay changes that pickleball has undergone over the past decade—from new balls (including the LT Pro 48 on the PPA Tour) to more powerful paddles—Johns has opted to break out the lefty forehand once again.

“You can’t really drop and come in super well with this ball. You can hit accurate drops, but the ball bounces pretty high and people have a lot of spin on their paddles, so they can just take a drop and do a lot with it, so cat and mouse doesn’t really work very well. You can hit drops occasionally just to stay in the point, but you’re not gonna drop and come in very often, and that’s kind of what I do well with my backhand,” he noted. “I don’t really generate a lot of good power with my backhands, so I went back to the left hand to kind of experiment and see if I could hit it harder.”

Johns won his opening round singles match against Brandon French 11-7, 1-11, 11-5 on Tuesday before falling to No. 9 seed Noe Khlif 8-11, 8-11 in Wednesday’s Round of 32.

While he admits he doesn’t know how much more he will play singles in the future, Johns plans to keep using the lefty forehand when he does.

“When I do play singles, you can expect to see it.”

Dallas skyline glows pickleball yellow to celebrate Worlds

Pickleball took over the Dallas skyline Tuesday night as two of the city’s signature landmarks lit up for the 2026 Opendoor Pickleball World Championships.

Reunion Tower transformed its iconic ball into a giant yellow pickleball, while Bank of America Plaza glowed yellow alongside it, bringing the Worlds celebration to downtown Dallas.

Bryan Renahan, Director of Brand Marketing for the PPA Tour, organized the activation in collaboration with Reunion Tower and the Dallas Sports Commission.

“Worlds is the biggest week in pickleball, and we wanted all of Dallas to know it’s here. Turning the Reunion Tower ball into a giant pickleball, with Bank of America Plaza glowing yellow right next to it, was our way of welcoming the best players in the world to the city,” said Renahan.

The one-night display took place Tuesday, Nov. 3. Reunion Tower’s lights ran from 5:30 p.m. until midnight, while Bank of America Plaza remained yellow from sunset through sunrise Wednesday morning.

The skyline tribute comes as the world’s top players compete at Brookhaven Country Club in nearby Farmers Branch. PPA Tour competition continues through Sunday, Nov. 8, with world titles on the line in men’s and women’s singles, men’s and women’s doubles, and mixed doubles.

For tournament schedules, broadcast information, tickets and more, check out our complete guide to the 2026 Opendoor Pickleball World Championships.

The Opendoor Pickleball World Championships continue Wednesday with Round of 32 action in all five pro events.

Here is the order of play:

Live broadcast coverage from Brookhaven Country Club begins at 11am CT on Pickleballtv and the PBTV app.

October was one of the busiest months on the PPA Tour. From international events to the biggest upsets of the year, here’s everything you missed this month.  

Pickleball Industry News

Pickleball betting hit the Polymarket. Lululemon dropped their first pickleball bag.

Actor and comedian Jamie Foxx revealed that he throws epic pickleball parties on Wednesday nights. 

NHL forward for the Edmonton Oilers Zach Hyman incorporated pickleball into his Halloween costume when recreating Timothy Chalamet and Kylie Jenner red carpet look.

The PPA Tour signed Martin Thomas. 

A new MLP team, the Houston Hammers, was added to the roster. 

And this creator made a pro pickleball anime series.

Pro Pickleball News

Anna Leigh Waters visited Malaysia and the Philippines with Franklin to grow the game.

Genie Bouchard partnered with Bumble.

Gabe Tardio, Federico Staksrud, and Lacy Schneemann went on the Pickleballers Podcast.

Blaine Hovenier went to a Dallas Cowboys game.

Ben Johns dropped another “Ben Eats” episode while in Vegas.

Anna Leigh Waters did an ad with L’Oreal Paris.

Dylan Frazier competed in a few new looks from Volair Pickleball featuring Spiderman and Star Wars.

A few of the pros play pickleball on a water taxi to promote PPA Chicago.

Greg Dow asked a few of the pros who they’d least like to be stuck on a desert island with. Anna Bright said her's was Zane Navratil.

Alex Walker and Greg Dow visited the bean in Chicago.

Martin Emmrich carried around a pumpkin taped to his belly to understand how Tammy Emmrich feels during her third trimester.

Mary and Maggie Brascia participated in their annual blow up pickleball night for Halloween.

A few of the pros shared their Halloween costumes. Genie Bouchard was Britany Spears, Parris Todd was a pickleball paddle with her dog, and Allyce Jones and her family were the X-men.

PPA Australia Pickleball Cup Recap

Several of the top pickleball athletes from the states visited the southern hemisphere for the Australia Pickleball Cup.

Ahead of the action, they adventured around Australia and got to meet kangaroos, koala bears, and enjoy the local cuisine. 

Christian Alshon’s social media manager Benjamin Bramblett stepped in to partner up with Alshon after his original partner, Federico Staksrud had visa issues. The pair made it all the way to the quarter finals.

Familiar faces won the gold. Jorja Johnson and Hurricane Tyra Black who won women’s doubles. Hurricane Tyra Black and Gabe Tardio won mixed. Gabe Tardio and Hayden Patriquin won men’s. And Hunter Johnson won men’s singles.

PPA Asia 1500 Hong Kong Slam Recap

Anna Bright did villain hitting in Hong Kong. She also squeezed in a hike before the quarter finals. 

A bunch of the pros went to Disney Land Hong Kong including Allyce Jones, Mari Humberg, Kaitlyn Christian, and Anna Leigh Waters.

Hunter Johnson got really into the opening ceremony dance routine.

And top pros secured the victories abroad including Anna Bright and Anna Leigh Waters who won women’s doubles. Federico Staksrud and Hayden Patriquin upset Ben Johns and Gabe Tardio and won men’s doubles. Hunter Johnson won his second singles title in a row. Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters won mixed. And Australian pro, Andie Dikosavljevic won back-to-back titles in women’s singles.

PPA Tournament Recaps

Back in the states, the PPA Tour started the month in Las Vegas for the Rate Vegas Open.  

Genie Bouchard made her return to the pro court. She and Marcela Aquila Ampon enjoyed some free time on the Las Vegas strip.

Hunter Johnson won men’s singles and Kaitlyn Christian won women’s singles. Anna Bright and Anna Leigh Waters won women’s dubs.

And in a shocking upset, Anna Bright and Hayden Patriquin beat Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters for the gold.

And Andrei Daescu and Christian Alshon defeated Gabe Tardio and Ben Johns in men’s doubles.

The best dressed pros included Abbigal Hatton, Kate Fahey, and Pablo Tellez.

Then, tour went to Illinois for the Veolia Chicago Cup.

The issue of taunting was brought up after a women’s singles match with Maria Ford and Genie Bouchard where Ford basically screamed after every single point.

Anna Leigh Waters won her 200^th title on the PPA Tour.

Federico Staksrud and Hayden Patriquin won men’s doubles. Anna Bright and Anna Leigh Waters won women’s. Ben Johns and Anna Leigh won mixed. Anna Leigh won women’s singles. And Roscoe Bellamy won men’s singles.

The best dressed players included Hurricane Tyra Black, Chris Haworth, and Kiora Kunimoto.

PPA Tour Mojo Energy Pouches Virginia Beach Open

After that, the tour went to Virginia Beach.

Underdogs Jaume Martinez Vich and Elliott Schupp went on an impressive run to win men’s doubles. Sofia Sewing and Catherine Parenteau won their first title together in women’s doubles.

Kate Fahey won women’s singles. She and Eric Oncins won mixed. And John Lucian Goins won men’s singles.

The best dressed pros included Helena Jansen, Layne Sleeth, and Alix Truong.

The MLP Nations Cup took place ahead of PPA World Championships, where the pros competed as teams to represent their country of origin. USA took the victory.  

What was your favorite moment from October? Let us know on Instagram.

There are some moments that compel us to take a step back from our daily routines and consider what’s truly important in our lives.

Hong kit “Jack” Wong, one of the top pro pickleball players out of Asia, experienced one of those moments on Sunday when a car he was driving flipped during a crash.

“After the MLP Nations Cup, the next day I was resting,” he recalled.  “On the way to the court to practice, I got hit by a car and the car just flipped.”

Somewhat miraculously, Wong was able to leave the flipped vehicle largely unharmed.

“The only scratch I had was from when I was crawling out from the car,” he noted.

Despite avoiding any major physical harm, Wong admits that the crash has stayed on his mind.

“The night after the accident, I kept thinking about it. It kept going through my mind. I couldn’t really sleep.”

It seems like that would be a troubling preface coming into the biggest event of the year on the PPA Tour calendar, the Opendoor Pickleball World Championships, but Wong won his opening-round matches in both men’s singles and mixed doubles with Kei Sawaki on Tuesday.

With a traumatic experience in the rearview mirror, though, Wong is focused on more than just the results.

“I was really lucky; I could have died or been really seriously injured, but I’m just glad that I’m alive and really appreciate life,” he shared. “I’m trying to really just enjoy every moment on the court and just play and have fun.”

Wong will take the court later Tuesday evening in men’s doubles with Eunggwon Kim.

Anna Bright is a beloved pro, but her mom has become a fan favorite on the pro tour as well. Liping Bright travels to Anna’s tournaments to cheer her on courtside, sells merch from her Pickle Peacock store, and spark so much joy on tour, you’ll leave feeling like you’ve made a pickleball best friend for life. Liping has become a legend in pro pickleball.

At the Opendoor Pickleball World Championships, Liping got to play women’s doubles with her daughter in the split pro age division – and the pickleball world loved it.

Ahead of the world championships, Bright revealed on her podcast with Kate Fahey that she was playing with her mom.

Bright estimated that her mom’s DUPR is a 3.7 and Liping was a little nervous playing with her pro athlete daughter. But when it came time to play, these two were ready to compete.

Unfortunately, they lost in a tight match against Tina Pisnik and Julie Johnson. But the Bright women secured a win against Aila Main and Mya Bui.

“It was super fun and special to my mom and I. I’m really glad we were able to get a win against a really solid team,” said Bright.

“The videos kind of speak for themselves. She’s so cute. And I already made the joke that it’s only Monday of Worlds and we’ve already had the performance of the tournament from Liping Bright so I really don’t know what the rest of us are playing,” said Bright.

Bright revealed how much she enjoyed playing split age because she gets to play a more aggressive left side role. In mixed doubles, Bright has been the recipient of “highlight reels” where her mixed partner Hayden Patriquin plays a dominant point and Bright doesn’t even get to hit the ball.

But – that’s the name of the game. Especially for mixed doubles. And getting to play that more aggressive style on the left is a fun switch up for Bright.

“I love playing split age. I find it incredibly fun, especially for women. We get to play kind of a novel style. I never thought I’d be on the opposite end of the ‘let your partner play’ discourse. I’m seeing a lot of comments of people saying that this is how I want my mixed partner to play, and they’re talking about me,” said Bright.

“I’m doing my best impression of a 4.8 male playing mixed,” said Bright on her Instagram story.

But nevertheless, it was special for Bright to play alongside her mom. And Liping even scored a highlight reel from Instagram humor page, @memesofpickleball. 

The cherry on top was their matching Pickle Peacock shirts and pink hair bows. This women’s doubles duo was dressed for success.

But what warmed my heart was seeing the pure joy radiating from Liping as she played next to Anna at the biggest tournament of the year. This will certainly go down as a special memory for the Bright girls.   

To keep up to date on all things pickleball, follow us on Instagram.

Even though Lea Jansen isn’t competing at this week’s Opendoor Pickleball World Championships as she recovers from a fractured patella in her left leg, she is still making headlines with the release of her new signature paddle with JOOLA.

Debuting in lime green and light purple, the paddle is inspired by Jansen’s tap-centric serve routine, with a lime green bleed at the top of the paddle marking exactly where she taps it against her body.

But the paddle and its corresponding release carry an extra significance and serve a greater purpose for Jansen: her battle with Type 1 Diabetes.

Jansen was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when she was 23 years old, but that hasn’t stopped her from becoming one of the most decorated players on the PPA Tour with seven career titles and over 70 career medals.

Managing her blood sugar through long tournament days, travel, and match-day adrenaline has taken trial and error, but through working with her care team, Jansen has developed a routine that brings together nutrition, training, mental performance, support, and treatment.

In recognition of that effort and perseverance, JOOLA is making a $10,000 charitable donation to Breakthrough T1D to support its mission to cure, prevent, and better treat Type 1 Diabetes.

“This paddle is me, right down to the lime green mark where I tap it before every serve. After my Type 1 Diabetes diagnosis, there were days when I wasn’t sure I’d get back to playing my best. Working with my care team, I found a way, and I’m proud this launch also supports Breakthrough TID and the research that will change life for people living with TID,” said Jansen.

The Lea Jansen Hyperion Pro V is available now on JOOLA’s website and will also be available this week at Pickleball Central on Pickleball Boulevard at the PPA World Championships.

In one of the biggest upsets of the day, newly signed PPA pro Natalia Simson upset Genie Bouchard in the round of 64 at the Opendoor Pickleball World Championships. But here’s the kicker, Simson is only 13 years old.

As the 54 seed, Simson went up against the 13^th seeded Bouchard. The final score was 11-3, 4-11, 11-5.

“It feels really crazy,” began Simson. “I’ve been working on my singles game a lot recently and I just switched to playing with the JOOLA Agassi, but it feels crazy to win.”

Simpson was in complete shock during her post-match interview. She admitted that she came into the match not expecting to win.

“I wasn’t even expecting to win this one because Genie has had a lot of good runs in the past. And we were partners in Virginia Beach so I love playing with her. But I’m excited to pull this one out,” said Simson.

To prepare, Simson watched a little bit of film, but had low expectations going up against one of the best women’s singles players in the draw.

“I was a little bit stressed out and nervous in the beginning, but then I got into a rhythm. My serves were really good in that second game. I was also really focusing on making my shots and just grinding the game. I knew I could come back by just grinding it,” said Simson.

Simson’s dad was also courtside, cheering her on and reminding her to stay focused.

“My dad was telling me to stay positive because I can get down on myself sometimes. And he was reminding me to stay in the game and I was able to come back in and put on pressure,” she said.

Simson previously competed on the Junior PPA Tour before going pro and entering the main draws. She believed that playing with the juniors was incredibly helpful in developing her game.

“Playing on the junior tour helped my singles game a lot. It helped my competitiveness, being able to stay in the rally, and it helped my mental game. I won a few titles there and a lot of the juniors that I used to play are now moving into the pros as well. So it’s pretty cool,” said Simson.  

Even though Simson didn’t expect the win, she couldn’t be more excited about this new career highlight at pickleball’s biggest event of the year.

“I’m super excited, I can’t wait to play tomorrow. Hopefully I can pull it out. But it’s still kind of crazy, I can’t believe I actually won,” said Simson.

Tomorrow Simson will play Samantha Parker in the round of 32.

To keep up to date on all things pickleball, follow us on Instagram.

Main draw competition at the Opendoor Pickleball World Championships begins Tuesday with Round of 64 action in all five pro events.

Here is Tuesday’s order of play:

Live broadcast coverage from Brookhaven Country Club will be available on Pickleballtv and the PBTV app starting at 11am CT.

The question of who will share the court with Academy-Award nominated actor and entrepreneur Mark Wahlberg at this week’s MUNICIPAL Celebrity Pickleball Showdown presented by Corient at the Opendoor Pickleball World Championships has now been answered.

Joining Wahlberg are Emmy Award-winning actor Jeremy Piven, former tennis pro John Isner, mixed martial artist “Suga” Sean O’Malley, professional basketball player Isabelle Harrison, and media personality and entrepreneur Richard Rawlings.

They will take the court alongside some of the world’s top pros, including Ben Johns, Anna Bright, Roscoe Bellamy, Kate Fahey, Tyson McGuffin, Brooke Buckner, and Lacy Schneemann on Thursday, Nov. 5, at 7pm CT for a one-night-only showdown on Powerball Championship Court.

Co-founded in 2019 by Wahlberg and his longtime producing partner, Stephen Levinson, MUNICIPAL is a performance-lifestyle and athleisure brand that has two retail stores in California, a robust online merchandise catalog and sights set on growing to 20 flagship clothing stores, gyms and coffee shops over the next several years.

The brand has entered the pickleball space in 2026, a move that is most evident in its multi-year partnership with Major League Pickleball’s Dallas Flash that will begin with the 2027 season. The partnership will see MUNCIPAL outfit players and team personnel in competition uniforms, performance gear and lifestyle apparel.

“We’re excited to introduce MUNICIPAL to America’s fastest-growing sport,” said Wahlberg. “The pickleball community embodies the principles our brand was built on: dream, plan, hustle, repeat. It’s a community of people who push themselves to be their best, both on and off the court, and that’s the driving ethos of MUNICIPAL.”

To add onto the excitement, MUNICIPAL will also preview a new product at this week’s event. Wahlberg will debut the brand’s first-ever court shoe, the CRT-01, giving fans an exclusive opportunity to get a first look ahead of its early 2027 release.

Live broadcast coverage of the event will begin at 7pm CT on Tennis Channel following Round of 16 coverage of the World Pickleball Championships.

Purchase tickets here.

Find more information about the participants below.

Mark Wahlberg is known for films such as The Fighter, Boogie Nights and The Departed, where he was nominated for an Academy Award, and hit television projects Entourage and Boardwalk Empire. Wahlberg also leads a business empire where he holds a stake in prominent companies including Flecha Azul Tequila and the event’s title sponsor, MUNICIPAL.

Jeremy Piven is an actor, comedian, and podcast host. His four-decade career across film and television has been recognized with three Emmy Awards and two Golden Globes for his role as super-agent ‘Ari Gold’ on HBO’s Entourage. Piven is also touring the country with his successful standup comedy show, and releasing this winter, he can be seen in his film The Performance, based on the short story by Arthur Miller.

John Isner is a retired American tennis star, former world No. 8 and 16-time ATP Tour singles champion who made history playing the longest match ever at Wimbledon in 2010. He currently co-hosts the popular tennis podcast Nothing Major alongside fellow former ATP professionals.

“Suga” Sean O’Malley is a former UFC Bantamweight World Champion and one of the most recognizable personalities in combat sports. Known for his explosive striking, colorful personality, and competitive spirit, Sean will bring that same energy from the Octagon to the pickleball court.

Isabelle Harrison is a professional WNBA player and former University of Tennessee standout who has built an impressive basketball career since being selected in the first round of the 2015 WNBA Draft. Beyond the court, she is a fashion, beauty and lifestyle influencer who uses her platform to inspire audiences through sports, wellness and personal style.

Richard Rawlings is an entrepreneur and media personality best known for starring in Discovery Channel’s Fast N’ Loud.  He’s the founder of Gas Monkey Garage, a Dallas-based global automotive and lifestyle brand. As a transcontinental road rally veteran, he’s a former Cannonball Run Record holder and a two-time winner of Gumball 3000.