SXY Newport Beach Open Draws Amateur Interest as Pro Tour Returns

The SXY Newport Beach Open presented by JOOLA has the pro tour back in Newport Beach March 2-8, 2026, and the draw dynamics are already reshaping opportunities for amateurs chasing qualifier spots. PPA published a storylines preview by Dave Fleming on February 26 that "highlights the draw, seedings and broadcast plans leading into the SoCal stop," and the PPA Draw Reveal Show on YouTube — "In the SXY Newport Beach Open Draw Reveal Show Presented by Ensure Max Protein, Dave shares his storylines, reveals the draws, and goes over" — has become required viewing for players tracking who will occupy main-draw seeds and who might open a path through qualifying.

Men’s singles storylines are the clearest immediate reason amateurs are watching. TheDink reports that "Chris Haworth has now moved up to the #3 seed behind Hunter Johnson and Federico Staksrud after winning in Mesa." TheDink’s Men’s Singles prediction lists semifinalists as (1) Hunter Johnson, (3) Chris Haworth, (2) Federico Staksrud, and (4) Christian Alshon, and predicts "Haworth takes down Fed in the finals." Return and injury notes increase volatility: (24) Alex Crum is "making his return debut after a minor arthroscopic knee surgery and is looking to make a run, having just been drafted by the Columbus Sliders in MLP," and "(7) Jack Sock is making his singles debut after injuring his hamstring last month in the finals at The Masters in Rancho Mirage." TheDink also flags (8) Gabe Joseph as a player to watch near his hometown.

Mixed and women’s doubles shifts are another traffic driver for local entrants. TheDink records that "Anna Leigh Waters and Ben Johns lost for the first time in the finals against Hayden Patriquin and Anna Bright in Mesa - they usually come out firing the next event." That upset, plus a "race for the 2 seed" between JW Johnson/Jorja Johnson and Patriquin/Bright, tightens the mixed-doubles picture and can change who needs to play qualifiers. TheDink lists new pairings that could alter the draw: "(4) Alix Truong and Christian Alshon," "(6) Hurricane Tyra Black and Noe Khlif," "(7) Rachel Rohrabacher and Gabe Tardio (Catherine skipping this one)," and "(11) Meghan Dizon and Jonathan Truong." A predictions block included two-woman pairings as semifinalists — "Semifinalists: (1) Anna Bright/Anna Leigh Waters, (4) Lacy Schneeman/Tina Pisnik, (2) Jorja Johnson/Tyra Black, and (3) Parris Todd/Rachel Rohrabacher" — and projects "AB and ALW beat Jorja and Tyra in four."

Men’s doubles storylines add more movement for hopeful qualifiers. TheDink says plainly that "Ben and Gabe have not lost yet this year and should be the prohibitive favorite moving forward," and highlights pairings such as Tama Shimabukuro and Greg Dow potentially facing Navratil and Bhatia, plus "(6) Jaume Martinez Vich and Jay Devilliers are paired up and are new teammates on the Atlanta Bouncers in MLP." Those seeded teams change where doubles hopefuls might slot into qualifiers or alternates lists.

PPA’s preview page structure includes OVERALL TOP 5, VENUE/TOURNEY/TV and the event-specific sections for singles and doubles, and PPA also posted related story links to prior tour stops. With the tour running through March 8, expect seed movement, comeback entries and fresh partnerships to decide which amateurs get their shot in Newport Beach main draws as the week unfolds.