What’s the Score?
The PPA Tour returns to the Sunshine State next week for the Zimmer Biomet Cape Coral Open, and the headlines are already dominating the conversation. The event, held at The Courts at Cape Coral, will feature the world’s best talent, but with one glaring omission: undisputed world number one Anna Leigh Waters is sitting out the Women’s Singles bracket. While she remains the heavy favourite in doubles alongside partners Anna Bright and Ben Johns, her absence in the singles draw guarantees a new gold medalist and has thrown the division into chaos.
Hit it deeper!
The Women’s Singles bracket is the primary narrative of the week. Without Waters, the field is wide open. Kate Fahey has secured the top seed, but her path to the podium is treacherous. The top half of the draw is stacked with elite talent, including #3 Brooke Buckner and #5 Catherine Parenteau, meaning whoever survives to the finals will have run a gauntlet of Grand Slam-quality opponents. In the bottom half, #2 seed Kaitlyn Christian faces potential upsets from power players like Lea Jansen and the rising 17-year-old star, Kiora Kunimoto.
In the doubles categories, the narrative shifts from “who will win?” to “can they be stopped?” Anna Leigh Waters and Anna Bright are currently undefeated in 2026. Their dominance has been absolute, though the third-seeded pairing of Tyra Black and Jorja Johnson looms as the only team with a historical precedent of upsetting them. Similarly, in Mixed Doubles, Waters and Ben Johns are the top seed. However, the bottom half of that draw features a potential blockbuster semi-final between the sibling duo of Jorja and JW Johnson and the fiery combination of Anna Bright and Hayden Patriquin.
Men’s Singles remains the “Wild West” of the PPA Tour. The disparity between the top seed and the 30th seed is smaller than in any other division. Hunter Johnson and Federico Staksrud hold the top two spots, but with veterans like Tyson McGuffin seeded as low as #40 due to rankings volatility, no early-round match is safe. The article notes that there are “literally 25 to 30 players” capable of winning gold, making prediction nearly impossible.
A final, heartwarming trend to watch in Cape Coral is the inter-generational partnerships. The tour is seeing a surge of veterans teaming up with teenage prodigies to provide mentorship. Notable pairings include Tyler Loong playing with Elsie Hendershot and Mo Alhouni partnering with Cam Chaffin.
The World Pickleball Verdict
The Cape Coral Open serves as a perfect microcosm of the current state of professional pickleball. On one hand, you have the “inevitability” of the top stars in doubles—Waters, Johns, and Bright are playing at a level that seems untouchable. On the other hand, the singles brackets reveal the sport’s volatility and depth.
The decision for Waters to skip singles is also a strategic evolution; at the peak of the sport, load management is becoming real. For the rest of the women’s field, this is more than just a tournament; it’s an audition for the role of “next best.” Whoever claims gold in Cape Coral will carry an asterisk of “Waters wasn’t there,” but they will also carry the confidence that they can close out a Sunday.
If you enjoyed this article, check out the February World Pickleball Magazine here.
Chris Beaumont is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of World Pickleball Magazine. Chris follows the global game closely, reporting on the latest news, developments, stories and tournaments from all five continents. He also hosts the World Pickleball Podcast, interviewing people at all levels of pickleball. Chris is also an avid player, currently struggling to make the breakthrough from 4.0 to 4.5.