The Report
Utah's teenagers won all of Ottawa
Good morning, pickleballers.
The new worldpickleballmagazine.com is live, and there's a quick tour at the bottom of this email. First, three stories. Teenagers, mostly from Utah, won every pro title at the PPA Ottawa 125. The MLP Nations Cup starts tomorrow outside Dallas. And the Picklr's rescue loan goes before a judge on 10 November. Plus two new this morning: Houston becomes MLP's 21st team, and China's points route into the PPA.
Plus, because yesterday's Report didn't go out, four pieces from Wednesday: singles in the rankings, Southeast Asia's amateur boom, the spin cap and the one-point match.
The Lead · PPA Tour Canada
Canada built a tour. Utah's teenagers won all of it.
All five pro titles at the PPA Ottawa 125 went to teenagers, and nobody over 17 stood on the top step. Andrew Caldarella, 17, of Provo, Utah, won men's and mixed doubles. Elsie Hendershot, 13, and Kelly Goodnow, 14, took two golds each. Danny Phillips, 16, won men's singles. Utah supplied three of the four singles finalists.
Canada was further down the podium: Marie-Christine Salvas, of Drummondville, Quebec, took mixed bronze with Xavier Richard.
Why it matters: a national tour should grow a national game. Right now it's giving strong US juniors a nearer ranking event. The next test is the PPA Toronto 125, 26–29 November.
Business · Major League Pickleball
Houston is MLP’s 21st team, and an old franchise on its sixth name
On 28 October Major League Pickleball named the Houston Hammers, led by Hugh Zhang, as its 21st team for 2027. The Dink reports the franchise began as Team Clean in 2021, then played as Clean Cause, Frisco Clean Cause, the Frisco Pandas and the Nashville Chefs, before sitting out 2026.
Nobody has said what Zhang paid. The public record puts recent MLP deals between "over $10 million" and $16 million.
Why it matters: MLP had 22 franchises in 2025 and will have 21 in 2027. It isn't expanding, it's refilling, and the missing price is the number buyers need.
Asia · PPA Tour Asia
Half the draw: China’s CPC points route into the PPA
At the PPA Asia 125 in Jinan, half of every 32-player pro draw was reserved for Chinese players entering on domestic CPC points or Chinese Tennis Association wildcards. Home players then won three of the five titles.
Nanjing, this week, is the fifth PPA event in China since December 2025, and again lets home players in on CPC points.
Why it matters: It's a pathway, not yet a protected market. But the evidence is one tournament deep, and nobody has said whether the half-draw quota applies in Nanjing.
Preview · MLP Nations Cup
The USA are favourites, but Asia's twelve places are the real story
The first MLP Nations Cup starts at Brookhaven Country Club in Farmers Branch, outside Dallas, at 15:00 London time on Friday 30 October. The final is at 20:00 on Sunday. Eight regional teams, 48 listed players, two pools of four, and the top two go through to the semi-finals. Australia play Asia International first.
The USA, with Ben Johns and Anna Bright, are favourites on paper. The bigger number is twelve: Asia's roster places, the same as Europe's and double the host nation's.
Why it matters: it's the kickoff to Worlds week, and every match is on one Championship Court. With three matches each, game and point difference will probably decide the pools.
Business · The Picklr
The Picklr goes to court on 10 November. The guarantees are the real story
At 2pm on 10 November in Dallas, Judge Scott W. Everett holds the final hearing on up to $4.365 million in rescue financing from Dynamus Alliance for the Picklr, which filed for Subchapter V bankruptcy in October.
The clubs are open. The franchisor, Picklr Franchise, Inc., did not file, and nor did the roughly 77 franchisee groups. But the loan's milestones are tied to a sale of the franchise agreements, and the parent company guaranteed many franchisees' rents.
Why it matters: this isn't indoor pickleball failing. It's growth sold with guarantees the company couldn't afford to honour.
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In case you missed it · Wednesday
Four from yesterday
Twelve out of twelve: why singles deserves more than 15%
The men's world top 12 is exactly the men's doubles top 12. A singles title is worth less than a doubles semi-final loss. Our call is 25%.
The players are travelling now: Singapore and Beihai
More than 1,000 amateurs at the OCBC-Great Eastern Open, and a self-funded Vietnam team won six golds in Beihai.
Forty-five out of 5,408: the spin cap you can't see
Four weeks into USA Pickleball's 2,100 RPM cap, only 45 of 5,408 approved paddles are new listings, and the list can't say which were spin-tested.
How to win a one-point match: choose to receive
If you win the toss, receive. In a one-point match, the toss beats being the better team.
New site
A quick tour of the new site
The new worldpickleballmagazine.com is live. Here's where to find things.
Live scores. The live desk follows every event we cover, from the PPA Asia Nanjing Challenger this week to the MLP Nations Cup and the European Open next week.
Heat Check. Who's hot right now, worldwide. It blends PKLStats Rating v2 with our own results rating and recent form, with regional lists for Europe, the UK, Asia, Australia & NZ and Latin America. It's a measure of form, not a prediction. Every player has their own page with form, ranking and results, Ben Johns for example.
Fantasy and Traders. Pick a side. Fantasy is a free points game. Traders lets you trade player prices from real results, using credits only, not real money. Fantasy and Traders are unofficial fan games. They are not affiliated with the PPA Tour, APP Tour or any other tour.
Free back issues. Every issue of the magazine is free to download, including Issue #20, September 2026.
En español y em português. The site is now in Spanish and Portuguese too.
Have a look round and hit reply to tell me what you think.
— Chris
That's the Report
Utah's teenagers, a Nations Cup that starts tomorrow, and a court date for the Picklr. Worlds starts on 2 November, and we'll be on the live desk throughout.