The PPA Tour is back in Las Vegas this week for the Rate Vegas Cup, which started Monday with pro qualifying and will continue through Sunday.

If it seems like the pros were just there, that's because they were in late August -- but that tournament (the Walgreens Open) was indoors.

This week's event is being held at Darling Tennis Center, a massive outdoor facility in west Las Vegas that has been one of the tour's premier venues since 2022.

While the Virginia Beach Cup was impacted by rain and wind earlier this month, there will be no such concerns in Vegas -- it's expected to be sunny throughout the week with temps in the high 70s and almost no wind.

If you're in the area and looking to attend this week's tournament, you can purchase tickets here.

All of this week's matches can be viewed on Pickleballtv -- which is now available on YouTube TV -- in addition to the following broadcast windows on Tennis Channel and ESPN 2:

This week's tournament is a "Cup" -- meaning 1,500 points will go to the winners in each division.

Here's a look at the brackets for each division, as well as who is expected to be in the mix come Saturday and Sunday:

Women's doubles

The favorites

No. 1 Anna Leigh Waters/Anna Bright: They got back on the top of the podium in Virginia Beach after they were upset in back-to-back tournaments at the Walgreens Open and Cincinnati Showcase. And their win in Virginia was as dominant as ever -- they outscored their opponents 121-22 and were never seriously challenged. It's looking more like those two losses were a blip, rather than a trend.

The contenders

No. 2 Jorja Johnson/Rachel Rohrabacher: They made it to the final in Virginia Beach, but were beaten 11-3, 11-1, 11-3 by Waters/Bright. I wouldn't be surprised to see them in the final again, but they would need a big turnaround to take down the No. 1 seed (if they face them again).

No. 3 Parris Todd/Tyra Black: They made the semifinals in Virginia Beach, but withdrew before their match against Johnson/Rohrabacher because Todd injured her ankle in singles that day. Todd was back in action at this weekend's LT Open and finished second in women's singles, so it appears she's back to 100%, or at least close to it. If we get the same semifinal matchup this week, that could be one of the best matches of the tournament.

No. 4 Catherine Parenteau/Jade Kawamoto: This is another duo that was having a good tournament in Virginia Beach right up until the point where they played the No. 1 seed. They lost to Waters/Bright 11-1, 11-3 in the semifinals. If the seeding holds, we'll see that matchup in the semis again this week.

Men's doubles

The favorites

No. 1 Ben Johns/Gabe Tardio: I love watching greatness as much as the next guy, but at this point I'm looking for somebody -- anybody! -- to give this team a real push. They have won their past five tournaments together and have been just as dominant as Johns/Waters are in mixed during this current stretch, which is crazy to say given the depth of talent on the men's side in the modern game.

The contenders

No. 2 Andrei Daescu/Christian Alshon: For the first time this season (in an event where all the top players are in the field), this duo comes in as the No. 2 seed. They had been the No. 3 seed all year, but have now narrowly edged in front of Hayden Patriquin/Federico Staksrud on points. And rightfully so -- Daescu/Alshon have been far more consistent as of late and have been great against everybody not named Johns or Tardio. That's the good news. The bad news is they are now 1-5 against the No. 1 seed after losing to them (11-6, 11-7) in the semifinals in Virginia Beach.

No. 3 Hayden Patriquin/Federico Staksrud: They had three silver medals earlier this season, but the last time they made a final was in June. Since then here are their results together: Quarterfinal loss, 4th, 4th, quarterfinal loss. And they were very close to being upset in the first round in Virginia by No. 25 seed Greg Dow/Anderson Scarpa.

No. 4 JW Johnson/Dylan Frazier: Frazier has been a little bit in the wilderness this season, bouncing from partner to partner and dealing with injuries at various times in 2025. He has been playing pretty good as of late, though, and he and Johnson won the wooden paddle tournament in Sacramento last month. Can they carry over that momentum and turn the clock back to the spring of 2024 (when they were regularly making and winning finals) with all the best players in the field?

No. 5 CJ Klinger/Jay Devilliers: Devilliers has been playing some of his best pickleball in years the past few weeks -- he earned a bronze with Riley Newman at the Bristol Open in August and also made the semifinals with Matt Wright in Virginia (that Sunday's bronze medal matches were canceled because of weather). Klinger has also been consistently making deep runs in men's doubles over the past several months, and I'm very interested to see how these two play together. They could face Johns/Tardio in the quarterfinals. Could they be the team that gives the top seeds a run for their money in Las Vegas?

No. 6 Dekel Bar/Pablo Tellez: The last time these two played together was in December, finishing second at the Daytona Beach Open. They also made the final at last year's Pickleball World Championships in Dallas, so they have plenty of prior success to build on.

No. 7 Matt Wright/Eric Oncins: It has been a joy to watch Matt Wright continue to put up solid results this season at age 48. I haven't always loved his on-court antics, especially when he goes into bully mode and relies on psychological warfare to win matches, but I do respect the hell out of his game. And it is amazing to me that his play style still works in the modern game. Wright and Oncins played together at the last Las Vegas event in August and earned a bronze medal.

No. 8 Riley Newman/Noe Khlif: Newman is another OG who has had good results lately. He and Devilliers earned a bronze medal at the Bristol Open in August and then finished fourth at the wooden paddle tournament in Sacramento in September. Khlif seems to pair well with just about anybody, so this could be an under-the-radar team capable of making some noise this week. They could match up with Patriquin/Staksrud in the quarterfinals, and that certainly wouldn't be the world's biggest upset if Newman/Khlif were to win that, given the way the No. 3 seed is trending.

Mixed doubles

The favorites

No. 1 Ben Johns/Anna Leigh Waters: They claimed their sixth straight PPA Tour title in Virginia with an 11-7, 11-3, 11-6 win over JW Johnson and Jorja Johnson, a matchup that we have now seen five times in a final in 2025. Johns/Waters lead the season series 4-1, with their last loss coming to the Johnsons at the North Carolina Open in April.

The contenders

No. 2 JW Johnson/Jorja Johnson: They are by far the most consistent team outside of Johns/Waters, but they seemingly need two things to happen in order to win gold: The Johnsons need to play at their best, and Johns/Waters need to play a below-average match by their standards.

No. 3 Hayden Patriquin/Anna Bright: The last time they played together was in June at the Orange County Cup, where they earned a bronze medal. They gave Johns/Waters a good challenge in the semifinals of that tournament, ultimately losing 11-7, 5-11, 7-11. If seeding holds, we'll see that same semifinal matchup this week.

No. 4 Christian Alshon/Tyra Black: These two played together in three tournaments at the start of the season, earning a bronze and a silver. They played Johns/Waters in all three tournaments, with the first meeting being the closest (7-11, 11-5, 12-10 in favor of Johns/Waters at The Masters in January).

Men's singles

The favorite

I'm not sure there is a true favorite in this division right now. As the PPA Tour pointed out earlier this week, there have been seven different winners in men's singles in the past eight events. It's anybody's tournament to win, and that's not an exaggeration.

The contenders

No. 1 Hunter Johnson: His last gold came at the Orange County Cup in June, but he's medaled twice since then -- which is no easy task in these fields.

No. 2 Federico Staksrud: He has arguably the highest floor of anybody in men's singles right now, but only has one gold this season (in January at The Masters). In his last two tournaments -- the Virginia Beach Cup and the LT Open -- the only player to beat him has been Chris Haworth, who won both of those events.

No. 3 Christian Alshon: He has three gold medals this season, which ties him with Johnson for the most on tour in 2025. Ben Johns (2) and John Lucian Goins (2) are the other two players who have won multiple titles this season.

No. 4 Connor Garnett: He's always around on the weekend, but is still seeking his first gold medal of the season.

No. 5 Jaume Martinez Vich: Has two silvers and two bronze medals on the year, and is coming off a semifinal run in Virginia.

No. 6 Jack Sock: He's been trending lately, with two semifinal appearances in his last 4 events.

No. 7 Ben Johns: The last two times he's played singles, he's lost in the Round of 64 and the Round of 32. But he does have two gold medals in singles this season, so I don't think anybody is eager to play him.

No. 12 Chris Haworth: He has the title belt right now, with a win at the Virginia Beach Cup over Alshon -- which was Haworth's first gold since signing with the PPA Tour earlier this year. He also won this weekend's LT Open -- and the $50,000 that came with it. I have two questions for Haworth this week: Can he make it three straight, and how much of that $50,000 will get put into the slots this week?

Women's singles

The favorite

No. 1 Anna Leigh Waters: It's now been more than 500 days since she lost a singles match. It's to the point now where it will be a huge story the next time she loses, which is a lot of added pressure to carry. But it doesn't seem to be affecting her in the slightest.

The contenders

No. 2 Kate Fahey: Her status as the No. 2 seed is a bit tenuous -- she's only 600 points ahead of Kaitlyn Christian in the 52-week rolling points standings, which makes that an interesting battle to watch even if Waters is an extremely heavy favorite to win the tournament.

No. 3 Kaitlyn Christian: She won gold at the last Las Vegas event in late August (Waters didn't play singles in that tournament), but is coming off of back-to-back losses in the semifinals in Virginia and at the LT Open. She'll face Waters in the semifinals this week if seeding holds.

No. 4 Parris Todd: Made the final at the LT Open, ultimately losing to Lea Jansen in four games. That tournament was a best-of-five format starting in the Round of 64, and Todd and Jansen both played close five-game matches in the semifinals before Sunday's four-game final. It will be interesting to see if fatigue is a factor for either of them this week.

No. 5 Lea Jansen: She's coming off a big win this weekend at the LT Open. Will the momentum carry over to a PPA event with all the top players in the field?

No. 6 Brooke Buckner: She made the final in Virginia Beach, losing to Waters 12-10, 11-6 in a match that was pushed back a day because of weather. If seeding holds, she would face Fahey in the quarterfinals.