IN THE NEWS

AceiiLab’s A1 Robot Brings Moving Rallies to Solo Tennis Practice

The traditional ball machine has a problem: it stands still. AceiiLab is betting that solo practice gets far more useful when the machine on the other side of the net moves like an opponent. The sports technology company has introduced the A1 Smart AI Tennis Robot, a mobile hitting partner built to bring real rally movement to players practicing on their own.

Instead of firing balls from a fixed spot, the A1 uses AI vision and autonomous movement to follow the play. A 4K dual-lens vision system tracks the ball, the player and the court without any wearable sensors. After each shot, the robot predicts where the ball will land, moves into position and sends back the next ball. A differential-drive system lets it travel along the baseline at up to 4 meters per second, and its dual-stage launcher can fire balls up to 80 mph with intervals as short as half a second. 

IONSport Brings Live Scoring and Data to the 2026 Aruba Open Beach Tennis Championships

Racquet-sports technology company IONSport is taking its platform to the beach. The company has been named the official live scoring and data partner of the 2026 Aruba Open Beach Tennis Championships, which runs Nov. 8–15 at Bushiri Beach. The tournament is a stop on the World Tennis Beach Tennis World Tour Sand Series and carries a $125,000 prize pool.

IONSport will run live scoring for every match, along with the in-venue scoreboards fans see on site. It is also feeding that scoring data directly into the tournament’s livestream, so the score viewers see online matches the action on the court in real time. 

Dill Dinkers Hands Original Maryland Clubs to Local Franchise Owners

Indoor pickleball brand Dill Dinkers is handing the keys to where it all started. The company announced that John and Condit Lyon have acquired its Columbia, North Bethesda and Rockville, Maryland clubs, moving the brand’s original locations from corporate to local franchise ownership.

The deal goes beyond the three existing clubs. The Lyons also secured development rights for the remaining available Dill Dinkers territory in Maryland, an area with a population of more than one million, giving them the potential to open up to seven additional clubs over the next decade.

APPAREL

Ben Shelton Is Reportedly Moving to New Balance From On, Set to Receive Signature Shoe

Ben Shelton is expected to have a new sponsor at the beginning of next year. The American tennis player will switch from On to New Balance, as reported by "Hard Court." Footwear News has asked New Balance for their thoughts. Although Shelton's team hasn't said anything about the possible new deal, On has confirmed that they will part ways with Shelton, who is currently ranked fourth in the world.