February 2026 PPA Tour: Rivalries, Breakthroughs, and Big Changes

The February 2026 PPA Tour Roundup

February 2026 was a whirlwind month for the Carvana PPA Tour, featuring intense rivalries, historic business milestones, and deeply personal moments for our favourite pros. From the Zimmer Biomet Cape Coral Open in Florida to the Carvana Mesa Cup in Arizona, the landscape of professional pickleball is shifting faster than ever.

Here is everything you need to know for the March issue of World Pickleball Magazine.

Tournament Action: Rivalries Heat Up in Florida and Arizona

The Mixed Doubles Changing of the Guard?

The mixed doubles rivalry between Anna Leigh Waters / Ben Johns and Anna Bright / Hayden Patriquin delivered the biggest fireworks of the month.

At the Zimmer Biomet Cape Coral Open, Waters and Johns narrowly escaped with gold in a gruelling five-game thriller, saving a championship point to win 11-7, 9-11, 3-11, 12-10, 11-5.

Just weeks later at the Carvana Mesa Cup, Bright and Patriquin finally got their revenge. The duo stunned the world No. 1s with a sweeping 3-0 win (11-8, 11-9, 11-3), snapping a six-match losing streak to Waters and Johns. Patriquin was the difference-maker, aggressively taking the middle and piling on clean winners to break the defending champions’ rhythm.

Haworth Lays Claim to the Singles Crown

Chris Haworth continues to look unstoppable in men’s singles. After illness forced him to withdraw from Cape Coral, Haworth returned at Mesa to make a statement, defeating Ben Johns in the final 11-6, 11-6. Back-to-back tournament victories have made him the player to beat in 2026.

Milestones and Breakthroughs

• Gabe Tardio secured his 20th career PPA Tour title, tying him for fifth most all-time, after he and Ben Johns defeated JW Johnson / CJ Klinger in the Cape Coral men’s doubles final. The Johns / Tardio pairing also won men’s doubles in Mesa after an epic four-game battle against Christian Alshon / Hayden Patriquin.
• Anna Bright reached a landmark milestone in Cape Coral, winning women’s doubles gold alongside Waters. She joins Catherine Parenteau as one of only two players to earn 30+ gold, 30+ silver, and 30+ bronze medals on the PPA Tour.
• Kaitlyn Christian claimed her fourth career PPA Tour singles title, edging past Genie Bouchard in the Cape Coral final. Bouchard impressed throughout the week, including a comeback that featured overturning a 0-6 game-two deficit earlier in the tournament to beat top seed Kate Fahey.
• Federico Staksrud won his 18th career PPA singles title in Cape Coral, defeating Hunter Johnson 11-9, 11-7 with his trademark cat-and-mouse control.
• Matthew Barlow, a 31-year-old qualifier, shocked the Mesa singles bracket by defeating No. 1 seed Hunter Johnson to reach the semifinals.

Player News: Triumph, Adversity, and Rising Stars

Grayson Goldin’s Health Scare and Engagement

The pickleball world rallied around Grayson Goldin after he suffered two strokes following a training session prior to the Mesa Cup. Diagnosed with Reversible Cerebral Vasoconstriction Syndrome (RCVS), Goldin launched a GoFundMe to support medical and recovery expenses.

In a remarkable moment amid a terrifying month, Goldin proposed to his girlfriend and fellow pro, Hannah Blatt, in Palm Beach, Florida, announcing their engagement.

Waters Shapes Nike’s Pickleball Future

Anna Leigh Waters marked her historic signing with Nike by visiting the brand’s headquarters in Portland to help shape an emerging pickleball product line. Waters spent a full day in design meetings, pushing for shoes and apparel built specifically for pickleball rather than repurposed tennis gear. Her mother, Leigh Waters, later noted on the Pickleballers podcast that the Nike and Franklin deals have energised Anna Leigh to train harder and raise her ceiling even further.

Up-and-Comers to Watch

• Kiora Kunimoto: The 18-year-old former Hawaiian high school tennis champion is making waves after logging major singles wins over established pros. She has her sights set on getting drafted into Major League Pickleball.
• Sofia Sewing: The Palm Beach Royals athlete has signed to transition full-time to the PPA Tour starting January 1, 2027.

Tour Developments: New Rules, Standards, and Global Expansion

Equipment and Court Innovations

• New UPA-A paddle standards: Starting August 30, all junior and senior pro competitors must use paddles from the UPA-A Approved Paddle list. PPA Tour Australia will adopt the same standards starting in March 2026.
• Experimental singles courts: The PPA Challenger Series tested modified singles lines at the Houston PPA Challenger, bringing sidelines in 1.5 feet on each side and reducing court width from 20 feet to 17 feet. Reviews were mixed, but organisers have framed the Challenger Series as a laboratory for controlled experimentation.

Schedule Expansion and Sponsorships

The Carvana PPA Tour has announced a major 2026–2027 schedule featuring 20 tournaments across the US, plus international events in Kuala Lumpur, Brisbane, and Hong Kong.

Meanwhile, Powerball has signed on as the title sponsor of the PPA State Championship Series, a slate of 55 amateur tournaments across all 50 states.

Culture: Fashion and Family

11NIL Corsets Dominate the Courts

The corset-style athletic dress has become the month’s biggest visual trend in women’s pro matches. Los Angeles premium activewear brand 11NIL, popularised by athletes including Tyra Black and Jorja Johnson, has become a recurring presence on tour, blending corsetry-inspired design with performance wear.

The Gretzky Pickleball Club

The Gretzky family is entering the sport with the launch of the Gretzky Pickleball Club, co-founded by Glen Gretzky. The planned 25,000-square-foot facility in Hamilton, Ontario will serve as an official training venue for Special Olympics athletes, inspired by the inclusive philanthropy associated with Walter Gretzky.