The short answer: The Kitchen’s November 2025 top 20 men’s rankings, based on doubles, keep Ben Johns at No.1 after a summer that included six straight men’s doubles titles with Gabe Tardio. Hayden Patriquin rose three places to No.2 after winning World Championships gold with Federico Staksrud. Andrei Daescu stayed third, and JW Johnson and Tardio moved up.
What’s the score?
The Kitchen released its updated Top 20 Men’s Pickleball Players rankings for November 2025, focusing exclusively on doubles ability. Ben Johns (No. 1) maintained his benchmark status, but the major move was Hayden Patriquin (up 3 spots to No. 2), who secured the second position after winning his first men’s doubles gold of the season at the Pickleball World Championships.
Hit it deeper!
The rankings were compiled with input from an anonymous men’s professional player and were based on guidelines that weighted gender doubles results (70%) higher than mixed doubles results (30%). PPA Tour results also carried more weight (70%) than Major League Pickleball (MLP) results (30%) due to the smaller sample size and game length in MLP. The rankings also incorporated a “vibes” factor: who the anonymous pro would least like to see on their side of the draw.
Ben Johns (↔️ 1) solidified his dominance during a “vintage summer,” which included winning six consecutive men’s doubles titles with Gabe Tardio, alongside an active eight-tournament mixed doubles winning streak with Anna Leigh Waters.
Hayden Patriquin (⬆️ 2) made the biggest leap in the elite group. His partnership with Federico Staksrud saw success after they switched, positioning Patriquin on the left side, which helped them secure the World Championships men’s doubles gold. Patriquin also earned a mixed doubles silver and bronze since the last ranking update in July.
Other top movements include:
- Andrei Daescu (↔️ 3): Held his position, partly due to his “Superman” performance that led the Columbus Sliders to the MLP Finals title in August. He maintains solid PPA men’s doubles results with Christian Alshon.
- JW Johnson (⬆️ 4): Moved up, having secured his second men’s doubles gold of the season (with Dylan Frazier at the wooden paddle tournament) and boasting the best mixed results of any man outside of Ben Johns.
- Gabe Tardio (⬆️ 5): Rose, backed by Johns’ personal assertion that Tardio is the best right-side men’s player in the game. Tardio also secured multiple mixed doubles medals recently.
Federico Staksrud (⬇️ 6) dropped four spots despite his high consistency, noted as arguably the most reliable men’s player outside of Johns. However, he lacked the peak winning weeks achieved by those ranked above him. Christian Alshon (⬇️ 7) also dropped slightly, as his gold medals and mixed doubles success all came in the first half of the season.
New entries to the Top 20 included Noe Khlif (⬆️ 17), Matt Wright (⬆️ 18), and Connor Garnett (⬆️ 19).
The World Pickleball verdict
This ranking update underscores a shift in the men’s pro pickleball scene: while Ben Johns remains the untouchable benchmark, the field immediately below him is fluid and highly competitive. Hayden Patriquin’s climb demonstrates the immediate impact that strategic partnership adjustments can have on peak performance, suggesting that chemistry and positionality are critical factors in challenging the top echelon. The ranking methodology, which prioritises performance consistency (PPA) and championship moments over league play (MLP), provides a professional assessment of true doubles dominance.
