The Cincinnati Showcase has been highly entertaining thus far - upsets, water bottles being kicked, a pickleball was sent into a different universe, and more.

Paddle certification issues have been the talk of the town, since the UPA-A enforced its September 1st deadline (that was set in January). 

Alex E. Weaver put together a great article explaining the situation earlier in the week:

Dissecting All the Paddle Drama at PPA Cincinnati

Many top pros are left wondering whether they can play their own paddles. It all comes down to the UPA-A’s new certification standards, and how paddle brands chose to play the game.

The Dink Pickleball Alex E. Weaver

Fun facts about the Cincinnati Showcase  In my preview articles, I always give predictions for the four semifinalists, and this week I was correct in 13 of 20 semifinalists.

Anna Leigh Waters is the only player still alive for a possible triple crown. However, Christian Alshon, Catherine Parenteau, Jorja Johnson, JW Johnson, Ben Johns, Gabe Tardio, Anna Bright, and Andrei Daescu are all hunting for two medals.

Newly UPA signed Chris Haworth is the 57 seed in this event, but he is the only player or partnership seeded worse than seventh to make the semifinals this week.

All five number one seeds are still alive. The last time all five number one seeds won an entire event? The PPA Masters, in January 2025. Anna Leigh triple crowned with Ben and Catherine, Ben won men’s doubles with Collin, and Federico won singles. That wa... FULL ARTICLE FOUND ON: https://www.thedinkpickleball.com/semifinal-saturday-preview-ppa-cincinnati-showcase/