Challenger · 250
Pathway to the Pro Tour
PPA Tour Challenger Series
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A PPA-run tournament at clubs across the country. Skill divisions 3.0 to 5.0 for amateurs, and a Pro Division that earns PPA ranking points, prize money and a wild card into a PPA Tour Open.
About
What Is the Challenger Series?
The PPA Tour runs the Challenger Series to grow the game from the ground up. Amateur players get a PPA-run event in their own region. Rising pros get a place to earn points, prize money and a shot at the Carvana PPA Tour.
Every stop brings the PPA Tour to a local club: professional play management, live streaming and the same registration system as the Tour. It is the avenue for players across America to break into professional pickleball.
- WhoSkill 3.0–5.0, plus a Pro Division
- Pro prize pool$10,000 per event
- Points125 or 250 to the champion
- Wild cardInto a PPA Tour Open main draw
Schedule
Upcoming Challenger Stops
Every U.S. Challenger, from the same live feed that runs the tour calendar. The points level is on each card. Register on pickleballtournaments.com.
Challenger · 1257 Days Out
Past Tournaments
| Dates | Event | City | Points | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 28–30, 2026 | Atlanta PPA Challenger | Atlanta, GA | 125 | Results ↗ |
| Aug 14–16, 2026 | Seattle PPA Challenger | Seattle, WA | 250 | Results ↗ |
| Jul 31–Aug 2, 2026 | Wisconsin PPA Challenger | Lake Hallie, WI | 500 | Results ↗ |
| Jul 17–19, 2026 | Macon PPA Challenger | Macon, GA | 500 | Results ↗ |
| Jun 26–28, 2026 | Portland PPA Challenger | Westbrook, ME | 500 | Results ↗ |
| Jun 12–14, 2026 | Boise PPA Challenger | Meridian, ID | 500 | Results ↗ |
| May 29–31, 2026 | Fracas in Fort Collins PPA Challenger | Fort Collins, CO | 500 | Results ↗ |
| May 22–24, 2026 | Wilson PPA Challenger | Wilson, NC | 500 | Results ↗ |
| May 1–3, 2026 | Black Desert PPA Challenger | Santa Clara, UT | 500 | Results ↗ |
| Apr 17–19, 2026 | Opelika PPA Challenger | Opelika, AL | 500 | Results ↗ |
| Apr 3–5, 2026 | Newport Beach PPA Challenger | Newport Beach, CA | 500 | Results ↗ |
| Mar 6–8, 2026 | AdventHealth Tampa Bay Challenger | Tampa, FL | 500 | Results ↗ |
| Feb 20–22, 2026 | Houston PPA Challenger | Atascocita, TX | 500 | Results ↗ |
| Jan 23–25, 2026 | Tucson PPA Challenger | Tucson, AZ | 500 | Results ↗ |
| Jan 9–11, 2026 | Punta Gorda PPA Challenger | Punta Gorda, FL | 500 | Results ↗ |
| Dec 12–14, 2025 | Raleigh PPA Challenger | Raleigh, NC | 500 | Results ↗ |
| Oct 10–12, 2025 | Rock City Rally PPA Challenger | Little Rock, AR | 500 | Results ↗ |
| Oct 3–5, 2025 | Charleston Metro PPA Challenger | North Charleston, SC | 500 | Results ↗ |
How It Works
Divisions, Prize Money and the Wild Card
01
Who Can Play
Every stop runs skill divisions 3.0 through 5.0 and a Pro Division. PPA Tour pros ranked inside the top 20 of a division are not eligible to enter that division at a Challenger.
02
What the Pros Play For
Each event carries a $10,000 prize pool, split among the Pro Division's podium finishers. Champions in men's and women's singles, men's and women's doubles and mixed doubles earn PPA ranking points.
03
The Wild Card
Win a Challenger pro event and you earn a wild-card entry into the main draw of a PPA Tour Open of your choosing. Each Open takes at most two wild-card winners.
Points
How Challenger Points Work
Each Challenger awards 125 or 250 points to the champion, and points go deeper into the draw at both levels. Every stop's level is on its card in the schedule above.
| Level | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Semifinal | Quarterfinal | Round of 16 | Round of 32 | Round of 64 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Challenger 125 | 125 | 100 | 75 | 50 | 40 | 25 | 12 | 6 | 3 |
| Challenger 250 | 250 | 200 | 150 | 100 | 80 | 50 | 24 | 12 | 6 |
Rankings window
The Challenger rankings update after every event. They count points from the past 52 weeks and from the current calendar year. A player's best 16 finishes count toward the leaderboard.
Five divisions
Points are awarded in men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles, women's doubles and mixed doubles. Each division keeps its own ranking.
Path to the Tour
How a Challenger Result Becomes a Tour Career
Challenger points do two things. They rank you against every other player on the series, and they get you into the room.
01
Win a stop
Every Challenger pro champion holds a wild card into the main draw of a PPA Tour Open. That is a place in the same draw as the tour's contracted pros, earned on court.
02
Finish the season near the top
The highest-ranked players without a PPA contract are invited to the PPA Challenger Showdown, played during the Pickleball World Championships, where they compete for a spot on the PPA Tour.
Standings
Challenger Series Rankings
Points earned at PPA Challenger Series events, by division. Pick a division or search a player.
Top 25 of 168 players
| Rank | Player | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carlota Trevino | 675 |
| 2 | Jada Bui | 414 |
| 3 | Samantha Buyckx | 252 |
| 4 | Seone Mendez | 250 |
| 5 | Janet Liu | 236 |
| 6 | Amber Policare | 225 |
| 7 | Helena Jansen | 225 |
| 8 | Marianna Petrei | 225 |
| 9 | Naomi De Hart | 218 |
| 10 | Anne-Sophie Courteau | 215 |
| 11 | Masa Grgan | 208 |
| 12 | Chantal Mabie | 200 |
| 13 | Helen To | 187 |
| 14 | Shannon Pretorius | 187 |
| 15 | Kelsey Laurente | 162 |
| 16 | Eileen Wang | 143 |
| 17 | Audrey Banada | 139 |
| 18 | Chloe Diskin | 128 |
| 19 | Jessica Ho | 125 |
| 20 | Natalia Simson | 118 |
| 21 | Alexandra Valenstein | 112 |
| 22 | Jessica Warren | 100 |
| 23 | Morgan Downing | 93 |
| 24 | Alexis Almy | 87 |
| 25 | Courtenay Leonard | 84 |
Last updated July 27, 2026. Rankings update after each Challenger event.
Sponsors
Behind the Challenger Series
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The Challenger Series carries JOOLA's name at every stop.
Put Your Brand in Front of Players in 15 States
Challenger stops reach the players, families and clubs that make up the fastest-growing part of the sport. Tell us about your company and we will come back with what a Challenger Series partnership looks like.
For Clubs and Cities
Host a Challenger Stop
The PPA brings the registration system, an experienced event team, ticketing, professional play management, live streaming, balls, national marketing, signage and the prize money. You bring the courts, a championship court for 250 or more, WiFi that carries a stream, and the people to run the weekend.
What It Takes to Host →- CourtsAt least 16
- Championship courtSeats 250 or more
- Divisions3.0–5.0 plus Pro
- ApplyVenue application on the host page