With the Lapiplasty® 3D Bunion Correction® Pickleball World Championships officially in the rearview mirror, there’s only one more event where players can earn points to qualify for the CIBC PPA Tour Finals taking place in San Clemente, CA Dec. 4-8.

Only players with the most rankings points in each event in 2024 will make the finals, which makes this week’s Veolia Milwaukee Open presented by Miller Lite of paramount importance for players right on the edge of qualifying.

There are 1000 points up for grabs in each event this week, so let’s go over who needs to bring their ‘A’ game in Wisconsin.

Women’s Singles

The top eight women’s singles players will make it to San Clemente.

After her runner-up finish in Dallas, Kate Fahey is into the No. 7 slot with 6850 points. That shift brings Parris Todd down to the final qualifying spot with 6375 points. Mary Brascia (6050 points) is the only player who could potentially catch Todd this week.

Fahey, Todd, and Brascia will play in Milwaukee, where there’s a chance that Brascia and Todd could face off in the semifinals.

If that intriguing matchup happens, Brascia would need to win and then go on to win the entire tournament to leapfrog Todd and steal the final qualifying spot.

Women’s Doubles

The 16 players with the most rankings points will qualify in women’s doubles.

Vivienne David currently holds the final qualifying spot with 5450 points, but the Kawamoto sisters (Jackie and Jade) are within striking distance with 4800 and 4750 points, respectively.

They are playing together this week and will need to make the final to pass David. Both sisters have made Championship Sunday appearances this year, but they haven’t done so together since 2023.

If they make the final, then only Jk. Kawamoto would qualify because she has 50 more points than Jade. Talk about a tense family affair.

Mixed Doubles (Women)

The top eight women will make it in mixed doubles.

Rachel Rohrabacher now holds the 8^th and final spot with 5550 points after taking bronze with Federico Staksrud this weekend. In Milwaukee, she’ll join forces with her MLP teammate James Ignatowich.

The only player who could potentially overtake Rohrabacher is Jessie Irvine, who has 4800 points. She’ll need to make the final and hope for an early exit from Rohrabacher to make it to San Clemente.

Irvine is partnering with Gabe Tardio—who she has a gold medal with in 2024—so it wouldn’t be surprising to see her go far. The bigger question is whether Rohrabacher will do enough with Ignatowich to hold her off.

Mixed Doubles (Men)

Riley Newman (playing with the aforementioned Jackie Kawamoto this week) currently occupies the 8^th spot in the men’s mixed doubles rankings with 4250 points, but Tyson McGuffin and Hayden Patriquin are right behind him.

McGuffin is not playing this week, so Patriquin (4050 points) has the best shot at catching Newman.

He’s playing with Hurricane Tyra Black and will need to make at least the semifinals—and hope for an early exit from Newman/Kawamoto—to have a chance. Those two teams could potentially face off in the quarterfinals in a contest that would have massive implications for who makes it to San Clemente.

The aforementioned Gabe Tardio, Patriquin’s teammate on the St. Louis Shock, could also potentially sneak into that final spot if he takes gold with Jessie Irvine.

Men’s Doubles

James Ignatowich (5100 points) is currently on the outside looking in according to the current standings, but he’s in the de facto No. 16 slot with Thomas Wilson not expected to compete in San Clemente. Ignatowich will look to further solidify his positioning when he partners up with CJ Klinger this week.

Connor Garnett trails Ignatowich by just 100 points, but he is not slated to compete in Milwaukee. That leaves Zane Navratil and Tyler Loong as the only two players that could catch him.

Navratil (4675 points) is playing with John Cincola, while Loong (4550 points) will join forces with Noe Khlif. Both would have to make at least the semifinals and hope for an early exit from Ignatowich to steal the final spot.

Men’s Singles

Men’s singles is the only event where the field for the finals is already set.

Both Christian Alshon and Jack Sock could threaten to steal the final spot from Tyson McGuffin with a deep run, but neither one is set to compete in Milwaukee.