Meet Team Latin America: The Latin Heart Beats in Dallas!
Meet Team Latin America: The Latin Heart Beats in Dallas!
A Colombian captain who coaches the best in the world, the son of a Brazilian tennis legend in the world top 10, the man who beat Ben Johns, Brazil’s best female player, the PPA Challenger’s No. 1 and our July cover star. Latin America arrives at the MLP Nations Cup presented by DoorDash with fiery blood, pride and a huge hunger to make history.
Turn up the salsa, the samba and the mariachi, because Latin America has arrived!
For us, this isn’t just another team. It’s our team. It belongs to everyone who grew up playing on concrete courts, with borrowed racquets and enormous dreams. To those who crossed borders, learned a new language and made their way through talent and sacrifice in a sport most of us barely knew a few years ago.
Colombia, Brazil, Chile, Mexico and Puerto Rico under one flag. Six players and a captain carrying the pride of an entire continent on their backs.
And when Latin America plays with heart, no opponent is impossible.
The Roster
Captain: Juan Manuel Benítez (Colombia)
Eric Oncins (Brazil)
Mari Humberg (Brazil)
Rafa Lenhard (Brazil)
Nico Acevedo (Chile)
Charlie Treviño (Mexico)
Alexa Schull (Puerto Rico)
Juan Manuel Benítez: The Mastermind Behind Champions
For the DINK Authority family, Juan is one of our own: he was our cover in April 2025. Today he’s much more than a player: he’s one of the most respected coaches on tour.
He’s the man whispering in the ears of Federico Staksrud and Hayden Patriquin in doubles, and Patriquin and Anna Bright in mixed. His pupils sit at the top of the world, and his name is being mentioned as a Coach of the Year candidate.
Now the Colombian takes on a new role: he’s no longer preparing one team, he’s leading an entire continent. Choosing the pairings, reading every match and deciding who carries the weight of the DreamBreaker. If anyone knows how to build a champion, it’s him.
And here’s a delicious detail: two of his players already know what it’s like to face his pupils. You’ll see.
Eric Oncins: The Heir
Eric has tennis royalty in his blood. His father is Jaime Oncins, a Brazilian tennis legend who reached No. 34 in the ATP rankings and was a key member of the Brazil team that reached the 1992 Davis Cup semifinals. He was an idol before Guga Kuerten came along.
Father and son discovered pickleball together on a public court in Orlando. What started as a family game became an elite career.
Today Eric is 24, played college tennis at Florida Gulf Coast and ranks among the top 10 in the men’s world rankings on the PPA Tour. He has two PPA Tour mixed doubles titles, and just weeks ago in Virginia Beach, alongside Kate Fahey, he dispatched Andrei Daescu and Meghan Dizon 11-4, 11-6 in the semifinals.
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Guess what? Daescu plays for Europe – East, in our group. The rematch is set, but Eric already knows how to beat him.
Rafa Lenhard: The Giant Slayer
If there’s a player who fears no one, it’s the man from Porto Alegre.
In June 2025, at the Orange County Cup, Rafa was the No. 61 seed. Across the net stood the No. 4 seed: Ben Johns. In the second game, Rafa trailed 2-9. Anyone else would have given up. Rafa came back and won 11-6, 14-12. He beat Ben Johns!
And he didn’t stop there. In December, in Daytona Beach, he faced top seed Federico Staksrud in the men’s singles quarterfinals. Staksrud had match point, up 10-7 in the third. Rafa saved it, won five straight points and closed it out 12-10. Five days earlier, he had won singles gold at the Raleigh Challenger.
The twist? Staksrud is coached by Rafa’s own captain, Juan Manuel Benítez. Now they’re on the same side. What a story!
A former college tennis player at Cal Poly, Rafa sees pickleball as his second chance to become a professional athlete. And he’s making the most of it.
Mari Humberg: The Queen Of Brazil
She is, quite simply, Brazil’s best female player.
Her slice backhand, a gift from her tennis days, is a nightmare for opponents, and her backhand flick has become her signature shot. In Major League Pickleball she was taken in the Premier round of the draft to play on Anna Leigh Waters’ team. She won bronze in Mesa with Jorja Johnson and signed with adidas in 2025.
But what makes her great goes beyond the court: she runs clinics in Brazil and trains coaches to help the sport grow in her country. Mari doesn’t just play for Brazil. She’s building the future of Brazilian pickleball.
Nico Acevedo: The Chilean Who Reached The Final
Born in Arica, Chile, he was playing college tennis at Florida Atlantic when he discovered pickleball in 2022. He later became an assistant men’s tennis coach at the University of New Mexico, where he helped the Lobos win the 2025 Mountain West title, the program’s first since 2009.
“I’m a very explosive player with fast hands, and I think all of that comes from tennis,” he says.
He proved it just weeks ago at the Veolia Chicago Cup: alongside Jaume Martinez Vich, he reached his first PPA Tour final. Against whom? Federico Staksrud and Hayden Patriquin… his captain’s pupils. They won that day. Now Nico will have Juan Benítez in his corner.
Charlie Treviño: Mexico’s Number One!
From Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, comes a warrior.
Carlota “Charlie” Treviño is 34, a player and coach who turned pro in 2024. In 2026 she did something huge: she reached No. 1 in the PPA Challenger rankings in all three disciplines: singles, doubles and mixed. All three! That performance earned her a professional contract with the PPA Tour.
Now she carries Mexico’s flag to the Nations Cup. ¡Arriba México!
Alexa Schull: Our Cover, Her Island
For our readers, Alexa is family: she was our July cover, with a motto that defines her: “Focus. Discipline. Relentless.”
She’s 18 years old and already plays in Major League Pickleball for the Phoenix Flames. Now she wears the jersey of Puerto Rico, representing an island that lives sports with unique passion. She’s the youngest on the team, and she plays with the mindset of a veteran.
¡Wepa, Alexa!
Group B: The Group Of Cover Stars
Latin America landed in a group we know very well at DINK Authority:
Australia, with Danni-Elle Townsend, our August cover
Europe – East, with Lina Padegimaite, our June cover, and Andrei Daescu
Asia International, with Rika Fujiwara and captain Madeleine Lim
Three DINK Authority cover stars in one group! Every Group B match will be special for us. But when Latin America takes the court, you know who we’re cheering for.
The Details
Dates: October 30 – November 1
Venue: Brookhaven Country Club, Farmers Branch (Dallas), Texas
Format: group play Friday and Saturday; single elimination Sunday
The MLP Nations Cup presented by DoorDash kicks off the Opendoor Pickleball World Championships, running through November 8
A captain who coaches the best in the world. The heir to a legend. The man who beat Ben Johns. The queen of Brazil. The Chilean finalist. Mexico’s number one. And our Puerto Rican cover star.
Latin America is coming to Dallas to prove that pickleball is played with heart… and with Latin flavor!
¡vamos, Latinoamérica!
Meet Team Latin America: The Latin Heart Beats in Dallas!
A Colombian captain who coaches the best in the world, the son of a Brazilian tennis legend in the world top 10, the man who beat Ben Johns, Brazil’s best female player, the PPA Challenger’s No. 1 and our July cover star. Latin America arrives at the MLP Nations Cup presented by DoorDash with fiery blood, pride and a huge hunger to make history.
Turn up the salsa, the samba and the mariachi, because Latin America has arrived!
For us, this isn’t just another team. It’s our team. It belongs to everyone who grew up playing on concrete courts, with borrowed racquets and enormous dreams. To those who crossed borders, learned a new language and made their way through talent and sacrifice in a sport most of us barely knew a few years ago.
Colombia, Brazil, Chile, Mexico and Puerto Rico under one flag. Six players and a captain carrying the pride of an entire continent on their backs.
And when Latin America plays with heart, no opponent is impossible.
The Roster
Captain: Juan Manuel Benítez (Colombia)
Eric Oncins (Brazil)
Mari Humberg (Brazil)
Rafa Lenhard (Brazil)
Nico Acevedo (Chile)
Charlie Treviño (Mexico)
Alexa Schull (Puerto Rico)
Juan Manuel Benítez: The Mastermind Behind Champions
For the DINK Authority family, Juan is one of our own: he was our cover in April 2025. Today he’s much more than a player: he’s one of the most respected coaches on tour.
He’s the man whispering in the ears of Federico Staksrud and Hayden Patriquin in doubles, and Patriquin and Anna Bright in mixed. His pupils sit at the top of the world, and his name is being mentioned as a Coach of the Year candidate.
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Now the Colombian takes on a new role: he’s no longer preparing one team, he’s leading an entire continent. Choosing the pairings, reading every match and deciding who carries the weight of the DreamBreaker. If anyone knows how to build a champion, it’s him.
And here’s a delicious detail: two of his players already know what it’s like to face his pupils. You’ll see.
Eric Oncins: The Heir
Eric has tennis royalty in his blood. His father is Jaime Oncins, a Brazilian tennis legend who reached No. 34 in the ATP rankings and was a key member of the Brazil team that reached the 1992 Davis Cup semifinals. He was an idol before Guga Kuerten came along.
Father and son discovered pickleball together on a public court in Orlando. What started as a family game became an elite career.
Today Eric is 24, played college tennis at Florida Gulf Coast and ranks among the top 10 in the men’s world rankings on the PPA Tour. He has two PPA Tour mixed doubles titles, and just weeks ago in Virginia Beach, alongside Kate Fahey, he dispatched Andrei Daescu and Meghan Dizon 11-4, 11-6 in the semifinals.
LOVE PICKLEBALL?
Get Dink Authority Magazine updates, new editions, pro stories and event alerts.
We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe anytime.
Guess what? Daescu plays for Europe – East, in our group. The rematch is set, but Eric already knows how to beat him.
Rafa Lenhard: The Giant Slayer
If there’s a player who fears no one, it’s the man from Porto Alegre.
In June 2025, at the Orange County Cup, Rafa was the No. 61 seed. Across the net stood the No. 4 seed: Ben Johns. In the second game, Rafa trailed 2-9. Anyone else would have given up. Rafa came back and won 11-6, 14-12. He beat Ben Johns!
And he didn’t stop there. In December, in Daytona Beach, he faced top seed Federico Staksrud in the men’s singles quarterfinals. Staksrud had match point, up 10-7 in the third. Rafa saved it, won five straight points and closed it out 12-10. Five days earlier, he had won singles gold at the Raleigh Challenger.
The twist? Staksrud is coached by Rafa’s own captain, Juan Manuel Benítez. Now they’re on the same side. What a story!
A former college tennis player at Cal Poly, Rafa sees pickleball as his second chance to become a professional athlete. And he’s making the most of it.
Mari Humberg: The Queen Of Brazil
She is, quite simply, Brazil’s best female player.
Her slice backhand, a gift from her tennis days, is a nightmare for opponents, and her backhand flick has become her signature shot. In Major League Pickleball she was taken in the Premier round of the draft to play on Anna Leigh Waters’ team. She won bronze in Mesa with Jorja Johnson and signed with adidas in 2025.
But what makes her great goes beyond the court: she runs clinics in Brazil and trains coaches to help the sport grow in her country. Mari doesn’t just play for Brazil. She’s building the future of Brazilian pickleball.
Nico Acevedo: The Chilean Who Reached The Final
Born in Arica, Chile, he was playing college tennis at Florida Atlantic when he discovered pickleball in 2022. He later became an assistant men’s tennis coach at the University of New Mexico, where he helped the Lobos win the 2025 Mountain West title, the program’s first since 2009.
“I’m a very explosive player with fast hands, and I think all of that comes from tennis,” he says.
He proved it just weeks ago at the Veolia Chicago Cup: alongside Jaume Martinez Vich, he reached his first PPA Tour final. Against whom? Federico Staksrud and Hayden Patriquin… his captain’s pupils. They won that day. Now Nico will have Juan Benítez in his corner.
Charlie Treviño: Mexico’s Number One!
From Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, comes a warrior.
Carlota “Charlie” Treviño is 34, a player and coach who turned pro in 2024. In 2026 she did something huge: she reached No. 1 in the PPA Challenger rankings in all three disciplines: singles, doubles and mixed. All three! That performance earned her a professional contract with the PPA Tour.
Now she carries Mexico’s flag to the Nations Cup. ¡Arriba México!
Alexa Schull: Our Cover, Her Island
For our readers, Alexa is family: she was our July cover, with a motto that defines her: “Focus. Discipline. Relentless.”
She’s 18 years old and already plays in Major League Pickleball for the Phoenix Flames. Now she wears the jersey of Puerto Rico, representing an island that lives sports with unique passion. She’s the youngest on the team, and she plays with the mindset of a veteran.
¡Wepa, Alexa!
Group B: The Group Of Cover Stars
Latin America landed in a group we know very well at DINK Authority:
Australia, with Danni-Elle Townsend, our August cover
Europe – East, with Lina Padegimaite, our June cover, and Andrei Daescu
Asia International, with Rika Fujiwara and captain Madeleine Lim
Three DINK Authority cover stars in one group! Every Group B match will be special for us. But when Latin America takes the court, you know who we’re cheering for.
The Details
Dates: October 30 – November 1
Venue: Brookhaven Country Club, Farmers Branch (Dallas), Texas
Format: group play Friday and Saturday; single elimination Sunday
The MLP Nations Cup presented by DoorDash kicks off the Opendoor Pickleball World Championships, running through November 8
A captain who coaches the best in the world. The heir to a legend. The man who beat Ben Johns. The queen of Brazil. The Chilean finalist. Mexico’s number one. And our Puerto Rican cover star.
Latin America is coming to Dallas to prove that pickleball is played with heart… and with Latin flavor!
