Lea Jansen hitting a pickleball forehand.
Lea Jansen competing at the PPA Cape Coral Open in Cape Coral, FL. PPA Tour

3 things to watch for on Thursday at PPA Newport Beach

 

Now, let’s get into what to watch for.

  • Connor Mogle is having an excellent showing so far in Southern California, as he is into the final 16 in both singles and men’s doubles. He beat No. 5 seed Connor Garnett 12-10, 11-9 on Wednesday (for the second time in 2026) before he and Andre Mercado stunned No. 6 seeds Jay Devilliers/Jaume Martinez Vich in men’s doubles by an 11-4, 1-11, 11-5 score line. The 26-year-old will look to continue his stellar play on Thursday when he faces No. 19 seed Yates Johnson in singles before he and Mercado take on No. 9 seeds Noe Khlif/AJ Koller in doubles later on.

 

  • In women’s singles, No. 5 seed Lea Jansen will do battle against No. 10 seed Kiora Kunimoto in what projects to be a supremely high-quality clash. These two faced off earlier this year in the semifinals in Minnesota, a contest which Jansen won by an 11-6, 11-9 score line. Kunimoto, who is fresh off another deep run in Mesa that included a dominant win over Catherine Parenteau, will be out for revenge on Thursday in what will be the day’s third match on Grandstand Court.

 

  • And finally, the men’s doubles draw played host to several notable results on Wednesday. One of the biggest upsets came from Anderson Scarpa/Ivan Jakovljevic, who beat No. 7 seeds Tyson McGuffin/Max Freeman by a 2-11, 11-3, 13-11 score line. The No. 25 seeds will look to surge into the quarterfinals on Thursday when they take on No.18 seeds Len Yang/Collin Johns, who beat DJ Young/Blaine Hovenier to make the Round of 16. This will be the final contest of the day on Showcase Court 2.

 

Live broadcast coverage from the Tennis and Pickleball Club at Newport Beach will be available on Pickleballtv starting at 10am PT.