The Report
World Pickleball Report - 5 November 2026
Good morning, pickleballers.
Ben Johns is out of Worlds singles. Noe Khlif, the ninth seed, beat the 19th seed 11-8, 11-8 in the round of 32 on Wednesday. Sixth seed Tama Shimabukuro and tenth seed Zane Ford also left the draw. The specialists now own the last 16.
Also today: Challenger singles pools; a 222-match seeding audit (77%); singles coaching for doubles players; WPF anti-doping tests in Türkiye; and LEARN for 3.0 to 3.5.
The Lead · Worlds singles
Khlif beats Johns. Specialists own the last 16
Noe Khlif beat Ben Johns 11-8, 11-8: the same score twice, then a last-16 meeting with seventh seed John Lucian Goins. Donald Young beat sixth seed Tama Shimabukuro 12-10, 11-7. Luc Pham dismantled tenth seed Zane Ford 11-1, 11-3. Three of the top 19 seeds left in one session.
Johns has 189 career titles, including 42 in singles, and remains in men's doubles with Gabriel Tardio and mixed with Anna Leigh Waters. Twelve of 16 higher seeds still won their men's round-of-32 matches — the exceptions included the most famous name in the sport.
Why it matters: a famous doubles reputation no longer buys time in a singles draw. Thursday's last 16 starts at 11:00 Central, 17:00 in London.
Challenger · Singles pools
Sixteen players. Three matches. One contract each
Eight men and eight women begin Challenger Showdown singles pools on Thursday at Brookhaven, in four groups of four. The top two in each pool reach Saturday's semi-finals; the champions earn 2027 PPA Tour contracts. William Hsieh leads the men; Jessica Ho (450) and Masa Grgan (448) sit one and two on the women's Challenger rankings.
Men's window: 12:00 Central (18:00 London); women's from 15:00 Central (21:00 London). Shannon Pretorius sits in women's pool two while also through to the professional round of 16.
Why it matters: a Challenger Series season comes down to three round-robin matches and, for two players, a contract.
Analysis · Seeding
172 from 222. Seeding works, until it doesn't
Higher seeds won 172 of 222 Worlds results through the round of 32: 77%. Women's singles supplied the most early chaos — 10 higher-seed losses in 32 round-of-64 matches. Men's singles recorded the joint-highest overall rate, 39 of 48 (81%), even after Johns, Shimabukuro and Ford departed.
Round two was not more chaotic: 109 of 142 at the round of 64 (77%) and 63 of 80 at the round of 32 (79%).
Why it matters: three famous men's exits do not mean the draw is broken. Through Wednesday, the real outlier was women's singles in the opening round.
WPM Learn
27 free lessons for 3.0 to 3.5. Ranked by players, not views
LEARN just opened on World Pickleball Magazine: 27 free lessons for players moving from 3.0 to 3.5, ranked by what real players recommend — not views. It is a curated YouTube library on WPM, not a WPM course or academy. Only the 3.0→3.5 path is live.
Coaching · Singles
Singles is a different sport
If you are a strong doubles player adding singles, do not treat it as doubles with extra running. Build a deep serve and return, practise diagonal recovery, and learn when a drive earns you the net. Club drills cover serve-and-return targets, a drive-read-choose progression and Liz Truluck's Figure 8 pattern.
Why it matters: start with the return, not the highlight reel. JW Johnson, Jack Sock, Christian Alshon and Hunter Johnson remain in the men's last 16 — the transfer is not automatic, and it is not impossible.
Also new today
Integrity in Türkiye
WPF anti-doping testing begins in Türkiye
The World Pickleball Federation begins testing today at the European Open (Ali Bey Club Manavgat) in one designated category. It has a 67-page rulebook and is not yet a WADA Code signatory; two published effective dates still sit 92 days apart.
That's the Report
Men's singles last 16 and Challenger pools both run this afternoon UK time in Farmers Branch. Anti-doping testing begins in Türkiye. LEARN is open for anyone stuck between 3.0 and 3.5.