With the biggest names overseas, Virginia Beach proved there's plenty of great pickleball left on this side of the Pacific. Ben, Anna Leigh, Anna Bright, and the Johnsons all skipped, with the tour split by the swing through Asia and Brisbane. The depth chart took over.
Kate Fahey took double gold. She won singles over No. 21 seed Helena Jansen 11-1, 11-9, then mixed with Eric Oncins over Catherine Parenteau and Riley Newman 11-13, 11-4, 11-9. John Lucian Goins, 18, took men's singles 11-5, 11-3. Parenteau and Sofia Sewing won women's doubles.
Parenteau's win carries a quiet streak worth noticing. She has now won at least one PPA gold every year since 2021, a club that otherwise holds only Anna Leigh and Ben.
Why it matters: A stars out week is the tour's depth on full display. When the headliners rest, you find out whether anyone else can carry a broadcast. This week the answer was yes.