Chris Haworth competing at the PPA Orange County Cup in 2024.
Chris Haworth competing at the PPA Orange County Cup in 2024. PPA Tour

3 things to watch for on Thursday at the Walgreens Open at the Las Vegas Strip

Main draw action at the Walgreens Open at the Las Vegas Strip begins Thursday with men’s and women’s singles.

Both draws will be played through the semifinal rounds.

Click here to see the draws, and find this week’s broadcast schedule below:

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

  • Chris Haworth is back in a PPA singles draw for the first time in over a year after signing with the tour earlier this month. He had a strong showing during the summer of 2024, notably beating Ben Johns and Federico Staksrud in back-to-back matches to capture gold at the Orange County Cup. Haworth returns this week as the No. 52 seed, but he is expected to rapidly rise up the rankings. He will face No. 14 seed Adam Harvey in the first round.

 

  • In women’s singles, Kate Fahey is back in the draw after not playing in Bristol. With Anna Leigh Waters only playing the doubles events this week, Fahey is the top seed in Las Vegas. She could face off against No. 4 seed and new Major League Pickleball champion Lea Jansen in the semifinals if both players make it that far, which would be their third meeting of 2025. Fahey has won both matchups this year.

 

  • 17-year-old John Lucian Goins is fresh off his first career PPA title in Bristol and will look to replicate that success this week out west as the No. 11 seed. He will face No. 51 seed Stephen Madonia in the first round and has a somewhat favorable road to the semifinals, with Gabe Tardio and Dylan Frazier likely his greatest competition in his quarter of the draw. We could very well see another run from Goins in Sin City.

 

Live broadcast coverage from Las Vegas Convention Center begins at 11am PDT on Pickleballtv.