The PPA Tour will head to Ohio this week for the tour's third "slam" of the season -- the Cincinnati Showcase.

The event takes place at the Lindner Family Tennis Center, which recently underwent a $260 million, campus-wide renovation designed to enhance the fan and player experience. The venue got rave reviews from those who attended the Cincinnati Open tennis tournament earlier this summer.

Cincy venue is beyond epic 💯@PPAtour

— Connor Pardoe (@connorpardoe_pb) September 8, 2025

Pickleball courts were also installed in the renovation, so it's sure to be one of the best venues that the PPA Tour will go to this year.

The Cincinnati Showcase runs from Sept. 8-14. Buy tickets here.

As a slam, the tournament offers 2,000 ranking points to the winners of each division, so almost all of the best players and teams are in the field this week.

Below we'll take a look at the top contenders and main storylines in each division. Let's cook!

Women's doubles

Do we have another rivalry brewing in women's doubles right now? When Anna Leigh Waters and Anna Bright teamed up earlier this year, it looked like they were going to cruise to title after title for the remainder of the season.

They won easily in their first three tournaments together -- the Atlanta Pickleball Championships, the Orange County Cup and the Bristol Open. They were 15-0 this year and hadn't even dropped a game through those events.

But at the PPA Tour Walgreens Open in Las Vegas two weeks ago, they were upset in the semifinals by Jorja Johnson and Tyra Black. Those two teams are on the opposite side of the bracket this week, so if we do get a rematch in Cincinnati, it will be in the final. I don't think any fans would complain about seeing a best-of-five series on Championship Sunday.

Both teams will have to get through some tough competition to get there, though.

THE FAVORITES

No. 1 Anna Leigh Waters/Anna Bright -- Looking to rebound after their only loss together in 2025.

No. 4 Jorja Johnson/Tyra Black -- They showed in Vegas that they are capable of taking down the top team. Now the challenge is sustaining that level. If they can go back-to-back and beat Waters/Bright in the final in the process, we'll have a very interesting discussion on our hands.

THE CHALLENGERS

No. 2 Catherine Parenteau/Parris Todd -- They made the final two weeks ago in Las Vegas, but lost to Johnson/Black in four games. I'd expect them to make another deep run this week, but they would have to play Johnson/Black again in the semifinals if both teams make it that far.

No. 3 Lea Jansen/Rachel Rohrabacher -- This is a first-time partnership, so it's hard to evaluate their chances. I think if they made the semifinals they would probably call that a success for their first try together. But they are on the same side of the bracket as Waters/Bright, so they would likely have to pull off a big upset to make the final.

Men's doubles

After a stretch of unprecedented parity earlier this season on the men's side, things have started to normalize again. Ben Johns and Gabe Tardio have really hit their stride this summer and solidified themselves as the team to beat -- they've won the past three PPA Tour events.

But there are still a handful of teams close behind who are plenty capable of winning gold if they have a good week.

THE FAVORITES

No. 1 Ben Johns/Gabe Tardio -- Are we in the midst of another run of dominance in men's doubles from Johns after some ups and downs earlier this season?

THE CHALLENGERS

No. 2 Federico Staksrud/Hayden Patriquin -- This team has consistently made deep runs and collected medals at almost every tournament this season. But they are still searching for their first gold in 2025. The floor is incredibly high, but the ceiling appears to be lower than some of the other top teams.

No. 3 Christian Alshon/Andrei Daescu -- After his dominant performance in the Major League Pickleball playoffs, Daescu settled for silver with Alshon in Las Vegas. This duo has three gold medals on the PPA Tour this season, but the last one came at the Red Rock Open in March.

No. 4 JW Johnson/CJ Klinger -- They showed that they are capable of winning gold at the Atlanta Pickleball Championships, but were beaten by Staksrud/Patriquin in the following tournament -- the Orange County Cup. That was the last time we saw them play together, as Johnson played with Daescu at the Bristol Open (losing in the quarterfinals to Tyson McGuffin/Max Freeman) and then Johnson skipped the Las Vegas tournament. 

UNDER THE RADAR

No. 5 Dylan Frazier/Jaume Martinez Vich -- This is an intriguing first-time partnership. Frazier has played with several different partners this season and has also dealt with injuries, so it's been a bit of a down year for him. Meanwhile, Vich has shown an ability to catch fire and is playing well since switching to an Adidas prototype paddle. If both players are playing well, this is a dangerous duo.

No. 7 Jay Devilliers/Riley Newman -- They've played the past two events together, with good results. At the Bristol Open they earned a bronze medal, then made the quarterfinals in Las Vegas before losing to Staksrud/Patriquin. 

No. 9 Matt Wright/Eric Oncins -- Wright has had a resurgence the past two events, making the final at the Bristol Open with Martinez Vich and then making the semifinals in Las Vegas with Oncins.

Mixed doubles

It's hard to believe now, but there was a time earlier this season when it looked like mixed doubles might be trending toward a period of more parity similar to what we've seen with men's doubles. Johns and Waters were beaten twice in a four-tournament stretch from late February to early April, but have won four straight tournaments since then.

THE FAVORITES

No. 1 Ben Johns/Anna Leigh Waters -- They are looking to make it five straight.

THE CHALLENGERS

No. 2 JW Johnson/Jorja Johnson -- They are the most consistent and dangerous mixed team outside of Waters/Johns. They took down the top seed at the North Carolina Open in April, but Waters/Johns have won the past two meetings since.

No. 3 Christian Alshon/Catherine Parenteau -- They lost a close semifinal match to Patriquin/Black in Las Vegas, then lost in the bronze medal match to Staksrud/Bright in a finish that has since been dubbed "phone gate" ... They are a good team and will likely be in the mixed toward the end of the tournament, but they have been a cut below the top two seeds this season. 

No. 4 Andrei Daescu/Anna Bright -- They have played one tournament together this season, earning bronze at the Bristol Open. In that tournament, they lost in two games to Johnson/Johnson in the semifinals, then beat Alshon/Parenteau in a close bronze medal match.

No. 6 Hayden Patriquin/Tyra Black -- In their first tournament together this season, they made the final in Las Vegas before losing to Johns/Waters in four games. I'll be interested to see if they can continue to improve as a partnership this week and beyond.

Men's singles

As always, the men's singles field is incredibly deep. The number of players who have a real shot at winning this week is well in the double digits. Just as a fun exercise, I went through the whole field and played a game I'm calling, "How many players would I have to name in order to feel confident that I've named the winner." Here's the list of 16 players I came up with:

No. 1 Hunter Johnson
No. 2 Federico Staksrud
No. 3 Connor Garnett
No. 4 Jaume Martinez Vich
No. 5 Ben Johns
No. 6 Christian Alshon
No. 7 Michael Loyd
No. 8 John Lucian Goins
No. 9 Jack Sock
No. 12 Gabe Tardio
No. 13 Roscoe Bellamy
No. 14 Gabriel Joseph
No. 22 Grayson Goldin
No. 29 Max Freeman
No. 32 Alex Crum
No. 57 Chris Haworth

Several of those players will play each other early in the tournament. Here are a few potential early round matchups:

Round of 64: Johns vs. Haworth
Round of 32: Staksrud vs. Crum
Round of 32: Garnett vs. Freeman

Women's singles

Anna Leigh Waters has played singles in seven tournaments this season, and has won seven gold medals. She's a huge favorite to win, but there are several others who are in the next tier and are capable of making a big run. They are:

No. 2 Kate Fahey
No. 3 Kaitlyn Christian
No. 4 Parris Todd
No. 5 Brooke Buckner
No. 6 Lea Jansen
No. 7 Catherine Parenteau