The PPA Tour heads to Northbrook, Illinois, for the inaugural Veolia Chicago Cup, taking place October 5-11 at Life Time North Shore Sport Racquet. As a "Cup" event, the tournament offers 1,500 ranking points to winners—a 50 percent increase over standard tour stops—and features a progressive draw format played entirely indoors.
Five Key Storylines to Watch
With the tour moving quickly from Las Vegas to Chicago, several major narratives are shaping the competition:
- Anna Leigh Waters’ Milestone Chase: After securing her 199th career PPA title in women's doubles last week, Waters is once again hunting for her 200th gold medal. She has three opportunities to reach this milestone in Chicago: women's singles, women's doubles with Anna Bright, and mixed doubles with Ben Johns.
- The Rise of Bright and Patriquin: Anna Bright and Hayden Patriquin have proven they are a legitimate threat to the sport's top duo. Having defeated Waters and Johns in both Mesa and Las Vegas, the pair enters Chicago as the No. 2 seed, looking to maintain their perfect 2-for-2 record against the top-seeded team this season.
- Men's Doubles Roster Shake-up: Due to Gabe Tardio and Christian Alshon competing overseas, the men's doubles field is significantly altered. Ben Johns will pair with Jack Sock as the No. 2 seed, while Andrei Daescu teams up with Will Howells. Consequently, Hayden Patriquin and Federico Staksrud have ascended to the No. 1 seed position.
- Return of the Johnsons: Siblings JW and Jorja Johnson are back on the tour after a two-tournament hiatus. They enter the mixed doubles bracket as the No. 3 seed, landing in the same half of the draw as Bright and Patriquin. Additionally, JW will partner with Tama Shimabukuro, and Jorja will team with Sofia Sewing.
- Momentum from Vegas Breakouts: The tournament will test whether recent breakout stars can repeat their success. This includes Hunter Johnson, who dominated men's singles in Las Vegas; Kiora Kunimoto, who reached her first career women's singles final; and the duo of Nico Acevedo and Jaume Martinez Vich, who made a deep run to the men's doubles semifinals.
The tournament will be broadcast extensively across PickleballTV, the Tennis Channel, and FS1/FS2, with coverage beginning on Tuesday, October 6, at 2:00 p.m. CT. Fans should note that the event features a progressive draw with no bronze medal matches, and all Championship Sunday finals will be contested as best two-out-of-three games.
