Pickleball continues to attract newcomers who arrive at tournaments with a unique set of skills that make them serious competitors.

Enter Ben Cawston from the United Kingdom, the current World No. 1 in rackets and reigning world champion.

A cross between racquetball and squash, rackets is an extremely quick sport played in an enclosed court with a strung racket and hard ball.

According to Cawston, hitting a ball is rackets similar to striking a golf ball that travels between 180 and 200 miles per hour. 

Needless to say, Cawston has an edge that pro pickleball has yet to see. 

“Rackets is a very fast-paced sport, as is pickleball, but pickleball is a lot more touch-based and more top spin where we can chip and slice the ball around,” he said. “It’s definitely a different kind of sport for me, especially in singles, but I quite like running about which is where rackets helps me.”

Armed with an Engage paddle, Cawston played in the men’s singles pro qualifier at the Veolia Milwaukee Open and earned a spot in the main draw.

He also played in the mixed and men’s doubles qualifiers, too. 

Even with the eight-hour flight from London to Chicago and the dramatic shift in time zones, Cawston still performed rather well despite the fatigue. 

“Every day this week I’ve gone to bed at 7 p.m. and woken up at about 2 a.m. I’m a little tired, but the morning matches help because it feels like the middle of the day for me,” he explained. 

While Cawston has quite the racket sports background, he only started playing pickleball about a year ago. 

“In England, we have several good pickleball players and we train three to four times a week. We don’t have the same facilities that you have over in the States, but we find any excuse to get out there and play,” he concluded. “It was fun to get out there and have a good run and qualifying.”

Going in as the No. 42 seed in singles, Cawston faced Mohaned Alhouni, who ended his notable run.

Given his talent and competitive spirit, though, I don’t think this is the last time we’ll be seeing him at a pro tournament.