After taking a year off from Cincinnati to allow for major renovations, the PPA Tour is back in action in “The Queen City” this week.
The Lindner Family Tennis Center, in Mason, Ohio, is hosting this year’s tournament. Mason is a northeastern suburb of Cincinnati. The facility recently hosted the ATP Masters 1,000 Cincinnati Open from August 5-18, and saw nearly 300,000 fans during the two-week event.
The Lindner Family Tennis Center went through a $260 million renovation in 2024 and 2025, with the PPA Tour skipping the event in 2024. Instead, the PPA Tour had two Slams in Atlanta, in 2024.
However, the Cincinnati Showcase is back in a big way - hosting one of the four pickleball Slams on the PPA Tour in 2025 (others include The Masters, the Atlanta Slam, and the World Championships in Dallas later this year).
Because this is a Slam, there are 2,000 PPA Points on the line for the winners of each of the five events, double an Open. Additionally, this event is a Progressive Draw, meaning each day is one round in each event (exact schedule below).
Third Annual “Pickleball for All” Accessibility Awareness Clinic
The Cincinnati Showcase is hosting one of the unique events at a pro pickleball tournament, with Carvana partnering with the PPA Tour. The third annual “Pickleball for All” clinic will bring together professional pickleball players, para-athletes, and community members of all ages and skill levels for an evening of hands-on play and connection.
“Pickleball for All is about more than learning a new game; it is about creating a space where everyone can participate and have fun. Our partnership with the PPA Tour has helped drive incredible growth and excitement for pickleball nationwide, and we’re proud to bring that same energy to the Cincinnati community and its athletes of all abilities.”
- Ryan Keeton, Carvana Co-Founder and Chief Brand Officer
The event will be held on Wednesday, September 10, from 4:30pm - 6:30pm ET. For more information on the “Pickleball for All” free event, click here.
Broadcast Schedule and How to Watch the Cincinnati Showcase
*All times are EASTERN*
Tuesday, September 9 - Round of 128 and Round of 64
- 10am–6pm - Championship Court - Pickleballtv
- 10am–6pm - Grandstand Court - Pickleballtv
Wednesday, September 10 - Round of 32
- 10am–6pm - Championship Court - Pickleballtv
- Noon–2pm - Championship Court - Tennis Channel (concurrently)
- 10am–6pm - Grandstand Court - Pickleballtv
Thursday, September 11 - Round of 16
- 10am–6pm - Championship Court - Pickleballtv
- Noon–2pm - Championship Court - Tennis Channel (concurrently)
- 10am–6pm - Grandstand Court - Pickleballtv
Friday, September 12 - Quarterfinals
- 10am–6pm - Championship Court - Pickleballtv
- 10am–6pm - Grandstand Court - Pickleballtv
Saturday, September 13 - Semifinals
- 10am–6pm - Championship Court - Pickleballtv
- 10am–6pm - Grandstand Court (Juniors) - Pickleballtv
Sunday, September 14 - Championship Sunday
- 10am–4pm - Championship Court - Pickleballtv
- 9am–2pm - Grandstand Court (Bronze matches) - Pickleballtv
Weather Outlook
The forecast looks for temperatures to be in the mid-to-upper 80s, with humidity levels near 50%. It is going to be a bit on the hot side, but as of publishing, there is no huge threat of precipitation. Hydration will be key for players, as the hot and humid conditions may wear on them, the longer they play. The ball will play a bit slower than normal in these conditions, but the weather shouldn’t play a huge factor.
Let’s get into the action.
Women’s Singles
Top Storylines
- The GOAT is back - Anna Leigh Waters is back in action in singles, and is the #1 seed. She skipped the past two events in singles, for load management purposes, but will be the heavy favorite in Cincinnati. If ALW wins on Sunday, it would be 83 days since her last gold medal in singles, which is the longest drought of her PPA Tour career, spanning all the way back to the 2021 Takeya Showcase (Thanks to Todd Boss at Forbes, for keeping a great medal tracker).
- (2) Fahey, (3) Christian, (4) Todd, (5) Buckner, and (6) Jansen are all in that “next tier” and looking to elevate their game to make it to Championship Sunday. Parris Todd will have the toughest go of it, because she will potentially have to face (7) Catherine Parenteau in the quarters, before possibly facing ALW in the semis. The other four women I mentioned are all on the opposite side of the bracket.
- One matchup I am looking forward to is the potential Round of 32 matchup between (16) Jorja Johnon and (17) Milly Rane, on Wednesday. They are good friends off the court and train together in South Florida.
- Another intriguing potential matchup in the Quarterfinals is (2) Kate Fahey against (5) Brooke Buckner. The best friends live in North Carolina and train together, and this would mark their fourth meeting. Fahey is 2-1 in the head-to-head matchup, winning the last two times they faced off (thanks to picklewave for keeping such great stats on matchups).
Predictions
- Semifinalists: (1) Anna Leigh Waters, (4) Parris Todd, (2) Kate Fahey, and (3) Kaitlyn Christian - Straight chalk
- Finals: Anna Leigh beats Kate Fahey in three games
Men’s Singles
Top Storylines
- Hunter Johnson has taken over the #1 seed from (2) Federico Staksrud and will have a big target on his back throughout the tournament
- (8) John Lucian Goins has won the past two events, can the 17-year-old make it three in a row?
- There are quite a few juicy matchups on Tuesday and Wednesday:
- Rd of 64 - Tuesday - (5) Ben Johns v (57) Chris Haworth - Haworth can’t play with his Babolat paddle, because it is not approved yet, according to the UPA-A website
- Rd of 64 - Tuesday - (25) Donald Young v (35) James Ignatowich - two of the top ten servers in the game will be battling - I don’t expect any cat and mouse in this one
- Rd of 32 - Wednesday - (2) Federico Staksrud v (32) Alex Crum - Crum took Fed down the last time they played each other in Vegas
Predictions
- Semifinalists: (22) Grayson Goldin (upsets Hunter), (6) Christian Alshon, (5) Ben Johns, and (8) John Lucian Goins - No top 4 seed makes it to the semis
- Finals: Ben Johns beats Grayson Goldin in the finals, for his first win in four months
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Mixed Doubles
Top Storylines
- (1) Anna Leigh Waters and Ben Johns have won the past four events - can they make it five?
- The last team they lost to was (2) Jorja and JW Johnson, who is back playing together and is the 2 seed
- (4) Anna Bright and Andrei Daescu is a fascinating pairing - they earned bronze in Bristol and nearly a year and a half ago, they won the Austin Open, beating ALW and Ben
- (6) Hurricane Tyra Black and Hayden Patriquin are playing together in their second straight event - they earned silver in Vegas two weeks ago and they could face off against Anna and Andrei in the quarters
Predictions
- Semifinalists: (1) Anna Leigh Waters/Ben Johns, (3) Catherine Parenteau/Christian Alshon, (2) Jorja/JW Johnson, and (6) Hurricane Tyra Black/Hayden Patriquin
- Finals: Anna Leigh and Ben beat the Johnson siblings in four games
Women’s Doubles
Top Storylines
- (1) Anna Bright and Anna Leigh Waters lost to (4) Jorja Johnson/Hurricane Tyra Black in Vegas two weeks ago in the semis - is another upset brewing in Cincinnati?
- (2) Parris Todd and Catherine Parenteau earned silver in Vegas two weeks ago, with Todd playing very well as of late - can they keep it up?
- (3) Lea Jansen and Rachel Rohrabacher are teaming up for the first time in their careers and I really like the potential for this team
- There are very few upsets in women’s doubles because the talent at the top is just so good, and I expect it to stay that way in Cincinnati - I would be surprised if more than one “not top 8” seed made the quarterfinals
Predictions
- Semifinalists: (1) Anna Bright/Anna Leigh Waters, (3) Lea Jansen/Rachel Rohrabacher, (2) Catherine Parenteau/Parris Todd, and (4) Jorja Johnson/Hurricane Tyra Black - Straight chalk again
- Finals: Anna Bright and Anna Leigh are able to avenge their loss in Vegas, beating Jorja and Tyra in four games
Men’s Doubles
Top Storylines
- (1) Gabe Tardio and Ben Johns have won the past three events and seem to be riding a wave of momentum - can they carry that over once more?
- The other “big four” members are all playing together:
- (2) Patriquin and Staksrud
- (3) Alshon and Daescu
- (4) Klinger and Johnson
- (9) Matt Wright and Eric Oncins made it to the bronze medal match two weeks ago in Vegas, and they are highly entertaining to watch
- (7) Riley Newman and Jay Devilliers won bronze a month ago in Bristol, and could face off against Oncins/Wright in the Round of 16 on Thursday
Predictions
- Semifinalists: (1) Gabe Tardio/Ben Johns, (4) CJ Klinger/JW Johnson, (2) Hayden Patriquin/Federico Staksrud, and (3) Christian Alshon/Andrei Daescu - straight chalk
- Finals: Gabe and Ben outlast Hayden and Fed, to win in four games
