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Welcome to Open Play PB, your go-to source for: ๐Ÿ“Œ latest news & insights ๐ŸŽฏ trends ๐ŸŽ™๏ธ exclusive interviews hosted by thepicklekat

Joined March 2026
Photo by Open Play Pickleball (@OpenPlayX)Photo by Open Play Pickleball (@OpenPlayX)Photo by Open Play Pickleball (@OpenPlayX)Photo by Open Play Pickleball (@OpenPlayX)Photo by Open Play Pickleball (@OpenPlayX)Photo by Open Play Pickleball (@OpenPlayX)Photo by Open Play Pickleball (@OpenPlayX)Photo by Open Play Pickleball (@OpenPlayX)Photo by Open Play Pickleball (@OpenPlayX)Photo by Open Play Pickleball (@OpenPlayX)
Noรฉ Khlif won the ENTIRE MLP season...and took home just $6K?! ๐Ÿ˜ณ Our FULL interview episode with Noรฉ is LIVE NOW! ๐ŸŽ™๏ธ Noรฉ gets real about the money behind a Major League Pickleball title ๐Ÿ‘€ and what it was like carrying sky-high expectations (and the fan pressure that comes with it) playing on the New Jersey 5s ๐Ÿคก๐Ÿ–๏ธ Watch the full episode at the link in bio! ๐Ÿ”— Was Noรฉ robbed last season? Let us know your thoughts below ๐Ÿ‘‡ #pickleball #propickleball #pickleballpodcast #pickleballaddict #pickleballers
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The guest is REVEALEDโ€”Noรฉ Khlif is joining the pod! ๐ŸŽ™๏ธ Tomorrow, Katrina and James sit down with Noรฉ to get into all of it: winning the MLP championship with the New Jersey 5s, his new paddle sponsor, what itโ€™s like playing with ALW, and so much more ๐Ÿ†๐ŸŒ From Marseille to the top of American pro pickleball, you donโ€™t want to miss this one! Dropping this FRIDAY at 6PM EST! Link in bio to subscribe & watch. ๐Ÿ”— #pickleball #pickleballpodcast #podcast #pickleballaddict #propickleball
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New Open Play episode drops this FRIDAY at 6PM EST! ๐ŸŽ™๏ธ Katrina and James welcome a newly crowned MLP champion to the pod this week ๐Ÿ† There's NO WAY you'll guess who it is ๐Ÿ˜‰ Think you know? ๐Ÿค” GUESS THE GUEST BELOW ๐Ÿ‘‡ Link in bio to subscribe & turn post notifications on! ๐Ÿ”— #pickleball #pickleballpodcast #podcast #youtubepodcast #pickleballaddict #propickleball
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RPM may be "new"... but James has BEEN in this game ๐Ÿ’ช James Ignatowich sets the record straight ๐Ÿ˜ค RPM wasnโ€™t pulled out of thin air. Itโ€™s been a long time coming, built on years of his experience as a pro in the industry. He says thatโ€™s why itโ€™s taken off the way it has ๐Ÿš€๐Ÿ“ Has RPM Pickleball earned a spot in your bag? Let us know below ๐Ÿ‘‡ In case you missed Jamesโ€™s episodeโ€”link in bio, and don't forget to subscribe! ๐Ÿ”— #pickleball #propickleball #pickleballpodcast #pickleballaddict #pickleballers
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RPM's most durable paddle ever?! ๐Ÿคฏ RPM Pickleball boasts the Jade as their most durable paddle yet, featuring tier 1 durable grit with a full foam construction that emphasizes MPP foam at its core ๐Ÿ‰ James Ignatowich says his Jade has lasted HIM 5 months, and he plays a LOT of pickleball ๐Ÿ˜… The full episode with James where we talk all things Jade is live at the link in bio! ๐Ÿ‘‰ How long has your paddle ever lasted you? Let us know in the comments ๐Ÿ‘‡ #pickleball #propickleball #pickleballpodcast #pickleballaddict #pickleballpaddle
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WHO did James make the RPM Jade for?! ๐Ÿ˜ฒ Our full episode with James Ignatowich is live NOW! ๐ŸŽ™๏ธ When jamesignagowich was designing RPMโ€™s newest full foam paddle with durable grit, he had one guy in mind: his co-founder Marwan ๐Ÿ˜… He says if rpmarwan can control the Jade, ANYONE can ๐Ÿ˜‚ Watch the full episode at the link in bio! Have you heard about the Jade? Tell us your thoughts on it below ๐Ÿ‘‡ #pickleball #propickleball #pickleballpodcast #pickleballaddict #pickleballers
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The TWIST is REVEALEDโ€”James Ignatowich is in the guest chair! ๐Ÿ”„๐ŸŽ™๏ธ This Friday, Katrina flips the script to interview her co-host James for a deep dive into RPMโ€™s newest paddle: the JADE ๐Ÿ“๐Ÿ‰ Youโ€™re getting paddle knowledge straight from the sourceโ€”pro, RPM CEO, co-founder, and the designer-engineer-tester behind it all ๐Ÿง  We're getting into everything that went into building the Jade, and what makes it different ๐Ÿ‘€ Dropping this FRIDAY at 6PM EST! Link in bio to subscribe & watch ๐Ÿ”— #pickleball #pickleballpodcast #pickleballpaddle #pickleballaddict #propickleball
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New Open Play episode drops this FRIDAY at 6PM ESTโ€”with a TWIST! ๐Ÿ”„ We are flipping the script this week ๐Ÿ‘€ Katrina is hosting this one by herself, so who's in the GUEST chair this time?๐ŸŽ™๏ธ If you know him (which you do), you know thereโ€™s one thing he could talk about forever... paddles ๐Ÿ“๐Ÿ˜ Any guesses whatโ€™s going on? ๐Ÿค” Let us know below!๐Ÿ‘‡ Link in bio to subscribe to get notified when the episode drops! ๐Ÿ”— #pickleball #pickleballpodcast #podcast #youtubepodcast #pickleballaddict #propickleball
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โ€ผ๏ธ UPSET ALERT Jaume Martinez Vich & Nico Acevedo (14) defeat Tama Shimabukuro & JW Johnson (4) in a sweep to advance to the Quarterfinals!
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โ€ผ๏ธUPSET ALERT Kiora Kunimoto and CJ Klinger (19) take down Rachel Rohrabacher and Andrei Daescu (4) to advance to the Quarterfinals!
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Max Freeman is the LAST man standing from the 2025 Chicago Slice ๐Ÿ’€๐Ÿ˜‚ James Ignatowich jokes that Max's FIRST MLP team ended up being everyone else's LAST ๐Ÿชฆ No more James, Vivian Glozman, Vivienne David, or Carlos Di Laura. The roster rode off into other directions, and Max just... kept going. Was it something he said? ๐Ÿ‘€๐Ÿ˜‚ In case you missed Max's episodeโ€”watch it and subscribe to the channel at the link in bio! ๐Ÿ”— #pickleball #propickleball #pickleballpodcast #pickleballaddict #pickleballers
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Who are the TOP 3 lefties in pickleball?! ๐Ÿค” James Ignatowich puts Max Freeman on the spot to rank the best lefties (excluding himself, of course ๐Ÿ˜)โ€”but Katrina couldn't help but notice ONE big name missing from his list ๐Ÿ˜œ Who do you think got snubbed? Drop who YOU think belongs in the top 3 below ๐Ÿ‘‡ In case you missed Max's episodeโ€”link in bio and don't forget to subscribe! ๐Ÿ”— #pickleball #propickleball #pickleballpodcast #pickleballaddict #pickleballers
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This might be the CRAZIEST story we've heard on the pod ๐Ÿ˜ณ Our FULL episode with Max Freeman is LIVE NOW! ๐ŸŽ™๏ธ James Ignatowich tells his ALL-TIME favorite Max story from their Vanderbilt daysโ€”a fun night out, an early tennis practice the next morning, and one questionable plan to skip it that ended with Max being loaded into an AMBULANCE! ๐Ÿ˜ญ๐Ÿš‘ Watch the full episode at the link in bio! ๐Ÿ”— What's the wildest thing YOU'VE done to get out of practice? Drop it below ๐Ÿ‘‡ #pickleball #propickleball #pickleballpodcast #pickleballaddict #pickleballers
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The guest is REVEALEDโ€”Max Freeman is joining the pod! ๐ŸŽ™๏ธ This Friday, The Pickle Kat and James Ignatowich sit down with Max to get into all of it: his journey from tennis to pickleball, his lefty strategy, what it's like playing alongside Ben Johns, and so much more ๐Ÿ‘€ Plus the untold stories from his and James's college daysโ€”you don't want to miss this one ๐Ÿคฃ Dropping TONIGHT at 6PM EST! Link in bio to subscribe & watch ๐Ÿ”— #pickleball #pickleballpodcast #podcast #pickleballaddict #propickleball
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New Open Play episode drops this FRIDAY at 6PM EST! ๐ŸŽ™๏ธ The Pickle Kat and James Ignatowich have a guest bringing MAXIMUM heat this week ๐Ÿ”ฅ Here's your hint: a southpaw former college tennis star who once took down Ben Shelton, who was then convinced by James himself to go all in on pro pickleball ๐Ÿ‘€ Let's just say the name kinda gives it away... ๐Ÿ˜‰ Think you know who it is? ๐Ÿค” GUESS THE GUEST BELOW ๐Ÿ‘‡ Link in bio to subscribe & watch! ๐Ÿ”— #pickleball #pickleballpodcast #podcast #youtubepodcast #pickleballaddict #propickleball
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Is Blaine Hovenier literally Mr. Steal Your Girl?! ๐Ÿ˜ณ James Ignatowich takes us back to Shenzhen for a story he'll NEVER let Blaine live down ๐Ÿ˜‚ Turns out our guy Blaine has some serious MOVES off the court too ๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ”ฅ Who's calling itโ€”smooth operator or lucky guy? Drop it below ๐Ÿ‘‡ In case you missed Blaine's podcast episode, watch it at the link in bio to hear some of the funniest stories! ๐Ÿ”— #pickleball #propickleball #pickleballpodcast #pickleballaddict #pickleballers
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New to tournaments? Master these 4 shots FIRST ๐ŸŽฏ That Pickleball Guy aka Kyle Koszuta keeps it simple: serve, return, third, and fourthโ€”the first four shots that start every single point ๐Ÿง  Nail these and you'll consistently get to neutral at the kitchen. Fumble them, and there's no point drilling anything fancy. You can't win a rally you can't even start! ๐Ÿ‘€ What was YOUR first tournament like? Tell us below and drop your own advice ๐Ÿ‘‡ Watch our full episode with Kyle at the link in bio! ๐Ÿ”— #pickleball #propickleball #pickleballpodcast #pickleballaddict #pickleballers
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IMITATE, THEN INNOVATE ๐Ÿ’ญ Being a "robot" is actually a GOOD thing, according to Kyle Kozuta aka That Pickleball Guy ๐Ÿค– Copying the pros first is how you learn the game the right way, build consistency, and get better before you ever add your own flair. Master the fundamentals, then make it yours. ๐Ÿ‘€ Are you a robot or a freestyler on the court? Drop it below ๐Ÿ‘‡ Watch our full episode with Kyle at the link in bio! ๐Ÿ”— #pickleball #propickleball #pickleballpodcast #pickleballaddict #pickleballers
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Here's why Ben Johns' game is SO clean ๐Ÿงผ Kyle Kozsuta aka ThatPickleballGuy breaks down the patience of giving up GOOD for GREAT ๐Ÿง  Kyle says you can gamble on the risky shot that goes either way, or you can WORK the rally for the ball you can actually put away. It's the mindset that separates the pros ๐Ÿ‘€ Which player are youโ€”the gambler or the grinder? Drop it below ๐Ÿ‘‡ Watch our full episode with Kyle at the link in bio for more valuable pickleball strategy talk! ๐Ÿ”— #pickleball #propickleball #pickleballpodcast #pickleballaddict #pickleballers
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FEEL ๐Ÿ˜ค FIX ๐Ÿ”ง FORWARD โžก๏ธ Our FULL episode with Kyle Koszuta aka ThatPickleballGuy is LIVE NOW! ๐ŸŽ™๏ธ Lost the last rally? Kyle breaks down his 3-step mental reset to bounce back INSTANTLY ๐Ÿง  This is the same framework he teaches to level up players at every level. The kind of advice that actually sticks and improves your mental toughness ๐Ÿ‘€ Watch the full episode at the link in bio! ๐Ÿ”— What do YOU tell yourself after losing a point? Drop it below ๐Ÿ‘‡ #pickleball #pickleballpodcast #podcast #pickleballaddict #propickleball
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