PPA Tour

First-Time Champions, Fahey's Double Gold and a Dominant Goins Highlight PPA Virginia Beach Open

by Erik Tice on

Kate Fahey takes home two gold medals, Elliott Schupp and Jaume Martinez Vich break through in men's doubles, and John Lucian Goins puts together a flawless singles performance.

The 2026 Mojo Energy Pouches Virginia Beach Open wrapped up Sunday with five champions crowned, several career milestones reached, and a few results that could have significant implications moving forward.

With several of the PPA Tour's biggest stars absent, including Anna Leigh Waters and Ben Johns, the tournament presented opportunities for players who don't always find themselves competing on Championship Sunday.

And some certainly took advantage.

Kate Fahey was the only player to capture two gold medals, winning women's singles and mixed doubles. Elliott Schupp and Jaume Martinez Vich each earned their first career PPA Tour titles, while John Lucian Goins dominated the men's singles draw without dropping a game.

Catherine Parenteau and Sofia Sewing also captured women's doubles gold, with Sewing earning her first career PPA Tour championship.

Here are the biggest storylines from Virginia Beach.

Top Storylines

1. Kate Fahey Wins Double Gold, Including Her First PPA Doubles Title

Kate Fahey entered Virginia Beach as the top seed in women's singles and one of the favorites to take advantage of a tournament without Anna Leigh Waters.

She left with two gold medals.

Fahey defeated No. 21 seed Helena Jansen Fink 11-1, 11-9 in Sunday's women's singles final, adding another championship to her impressive resume.

Her route to the final included dominant victories over Zoey Weil (11-0, 11-3) and Catherine Parenteau (11-1, 11-7).

But her most significant accomplishment of the weekend may have come in mixed doubles.

Playing alongside Eric Oncins for the first time, Fahey captured her first career PPA Tour doubles title with an incredible comeback against Catherine Parenteau and Riley Newman.

After dropping the opening game 13-11, Fahey and Oncins responded with an 11-4 victory in Game 2. The deciding game appeared to be slipping away when Parenteau and Newman built an 8-2 advantage.Instead, Fahey and Oncins scored nine of the final ten points to complete the comeback, winning 11-9 and securing gold.

It was Oncins' second career mixed doubles championship and a potentially important breakthrough for Fahey. She has already established herself among the tour's best singles players, but doubles success has been harder to come by.

Virginia Beach could represent a turning point.

The two championships marked the first double-gold performance of Fahey's PPA Tour career, coming one day before her 30th birthday.

Not a bad birthday present.

2. Elliott Schupp and Jaume Martinez Vich Earn Their First PPA Tour Titles

For Elliott Schupp and Jaume Martinez Vich, Virginia Beach will be a tournament neither forgets anytime soon.

The No. 7 seeds captured men's doubles gold with an impressive 11-4, 4-11, 11-4 victory over No. 3 seeds Riley Newman and Noe Khlif.

The championship was particularly significant because it represented the first career PPA Tour title for both players.

And they accomplished it in their first tournament playing together.

The duo navigated a competitive draw, defeating Pablo Tellez and John Lucian Goins 11-6, 11-6 before knocking out Luca Mack and Anouar Braham 11-7, 11-5.

In the semifinals, they took down No. 2 seeds Andrei Daescu and Will Howells 11-6, 11-7 to earn their spot in Sunday's championship match.

Schupp and Martinez Vich came out firing against Newman and Khlif, taking the opening game 11-4. Their opponents responded with an identical 11-4 score in the second, setting up a winner-take-all third game. But Schupp and Martinez Vich regained control, winning the decider 11-4 to capture the championship.

For Schupp, the victory came in his first career PPA Tour final.

For Martinez Vich, the milestone was a long time coming. He had previously reached 10 PPA Tour finals without winning a title, making Sunday's men's doubles victory especially meaningful.

3. John Lucian Goins Dominates Men's Singles Without Dropping a Game

Three consecutive deep tournament runs finally paid off for John Lucian Goins.

After reaching the men's singles semifinals in Las Vegas and Chicago, Goins took the next step in Virginia Beach, capturing his third career PPA Tour singles title.

And he did it in dominant fashion.

Goins defeated Jaume Martinez Vich 11-5, 11-3 in Sunday's championship match, completing a tournament in which he didn't drop a single game.

Six matches. Six victories. All in straight games.

His path included an 11-5, 11-8 victory over Eric Oncins in the Round of 16, followed by an 11-1, 11-3 demolition of George Rangelov in the quarterfinals.

Rangelov had previously eliminated Jack Sock, but couldn't find an answer for Goins.

The No. 5 seed then defeated No. 2 seed Noe Khlif in the semifinals to set up his championship showdown with Martinez Vich.

Sunday's final wasn't particularly close.

Goins controlled the match from start to finish, denying Martinez Vich a second gold medal and securing his first PPA title since 2025.

In a men's singles division that continues to feature unpredictable results, Goins is making a strong case that he belongs in the conversation among the tour's elite singles players.

Reaching three consecutive semifinals is impressive enough. Turning the third into a championship without dropping a game is even better.

4. Sofia Sewing Captures Her First PPA Title Alongside Catherine Parenteau

Sofia Sewing arrived on the PPA Tour with significant expectations following her emergence as one of the sport's promising new talents.

On Sunday, she reached an important career milestone.

Sewing partnered with Catherine Parenteau to capture women's doubles gold, defeating Alix Truong and Layne Sleeth 11-8, 11-6.

The victory was Sewing's first career PPA Tour championship.

For Parenteau, it was her first women's doubles gold of 2026 after consecutive silver-medal finishes in Las Vegas and Chicago alongside Tyra Hurricane Black.

But the top seeds nearly didn't make it to the championship match.

Earlier Sunday, Parenteau and Sewing survived a dramatic semifinal against Mari Humberg and Zoey Weil, saving three match points before completing the comeback.

The close call didn't appear to affect them in the final.

They defeated Truong and Sleeth in straight games, ending an impressive tournament for the No. 5 seeds.

Sewing's championship is particularly notable given the expectations surrounding her transition into professional pickleball.

She has already demonstrated her singles potential, but winning a PPA Tour doubles title alongside one of the sport's most accomplished veterans is another important accomplishment.

5. Jaume Martinez Vich Comes Within One Match of Double Gold

Although Martinez Vich fell short in the men's singles championship, his overall performance deserves additional recognition.

The Spaniard was one of just two players to reach multiple championship matches in Virginia Beach, joining Kate Fahey and Catherine Parenteau among the players competing for more than one gold medal.

His singles run was particularly impressive.

After advancing through the early rounds, Martinez Vich defeated top-seeded Roscoe Bellamy 11-2, 11-7 in the quarterfinals.

Bellamy entered Virginia Beach fresh off his men's singles championship at the Chicago Cup, making the result one of the more significant upsets of the week.

Martinez Vich followed that performance with an 11-4, 11-6 semifinal victory over Adam Harvey.

That set up Sunday's meeting with Goins, who proved too difficult to overcome.

Still, one gold medal and one silver medal represents an outstanding tournament for Martinez Vich.

And perhaps most importantly, he finally has a PPA Tour championship to his name.

Other Notable Storylines

Helena Jansen Fink Reaches Her First PPA Tour Final

One of the biggest surprises of the tournament came from No. 21 seed Helena Jansen Fink, who battled her way into the women's singles championship.

Her run included a dramatic comeback victory over Sofia Sewing in Saturday's semifinals.

Although she fell to Fahey 11-1, 11-9 in the final, reaching Championship Sunday represented a major accomplishment.

Roscoe Bellamy's Bid for Back-to-Back Titles Falls Short

After winning men's singles gold at the Chicago Cup, Bellamy entered Virginia Beach as the top seed.

His attempt to capture consecutive championships ended in the quarterfinals, where Martinez Vich defeated him 11-2, 11-7.

Bellamy's Chicago victory remains an important breakthrough, but Virginia Beach served as another reminder of just how competitive men's singles has become.

Alix Truong and Layne Sleeth Make an Impressive Run

The No. 5 seeds reached the women's doubles final after defeating Kate Fahey and Lea Jansen 11-7, 11-6 in the semifinals.

Although they couldn't overcome Parenteau and Sewing on Championship Sunday, their silver medal was a strong result for a partnership competing in its first final together.

Zoey Weil and Mari Humberg Nearly Pull Off a Major Upset

The duo came within one point of knocking out the eventual women's doubles champions.

Weil and Humberg held three match points against Parenteau and Sewing in their semifinal before ultimately falling.

It was one of the most dramatic matches of the tournament and an encouraging performance from the No. 8 seeds.

Nico Acevedo and Layne Sleeth Make a Deep Mixed Doubles Run

Acevedo and Sleeth put together a noteworthy run in mixed doubles, advancing deep into a draw that featured several established partnerships.

Their performance provided another positive result for two players looking to establish themselves as consistent contenders on the PPA Tour.

Jack Sock Suffers an Early Singles Exit

Sock's Virginia Beach singles campaign ended in the Round of 16 when George Rangelov defeated him 11-5, 11-6.

Rangelov's impressive run ended one round later against eventual champion John Lucian Goins.

Championship Results

Final Thoughts

The Virginia Beach Open was an important reminder that there's plenty of talent on the PPA Tour beyond its biggest stars.

Without several familiar names in the draws, the tournament created opportunities for players to reach career milestones, experiment with new partnerships, and collect valuable ranking points.

Kate Fahey demonstrated that she can win in multiple disciplines. John Lucian Goins delivered one of the most dominant singles performances of the week, and Elliott Schupp and Jaume Martinez Vich broke through for their first career PPA Tour championships.

Sofia Sewing added her name to the list of first-time winners, while several lower-seeded players proved capable of competing deep into the tournament.

With the PPA World Championships approaching in Dallas, Virginia Beach may have given us a few names and partnerships worth watching very closely.

And for Schupp, Martinez Vich, and Sewing, it was a week they'll never forget.

Erik Tice

Erik Tice

Erik produces content for The Dink related to pro and collegiate pickleball. He is an avid watcher of pickleball and became passionate about the sport in early 2022.

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