What’s the Score?
The 2026 PPA Tour season kicked off with a bang at the PPA Masters in Palm Springs, California. The event at Mission Hills Country Club was defined by the relentless dominance of Anna Leigh Waters, who secured her 40th career Triple Crown, and a dramatic title defence by Chris Haworth in men’s singles. While familiar faces claimed gold, the tournament also saw the rise of new partnerships and a concerning injury to tennis-crossover star Jack Sock during the men’s singles final.
Hit it deeper!
Women’s Singles & Doubles: Anna Leigh Waters, at just 18 years old, continues to rewrite the history books. Her Sunday campaign was a marathon of endurance, requiring over three and a half hours of court time. Despite the fatigue, she crushed Kate Fahey 11-1, 11-4 in the singles final. Earlier, in women’s doubles, Waters and Anna Bright faced a scare in the first game against the Kawamoto sisters, saving two game points to win 12-10 before sweeping the next two games 11-3, 11-2. This victory marked their 15th title as a partnership.
Men’s Singles: Chris Haworth proved his breakout 2025 season was no fluke. Coming off a gold medal in Daytona Beach, Haworth defended his turf against Jack Sock, winning 11-8, 11-8. Haworth’s strategy was surgical; he targeted Sock’s backhand to neutralise the tennis star’s explosive forehand. The match ended on a sombre note, however, as Sock collapsed on the final point with an apparent hamstring injury, requiring assistance to leave the court. Despite the injury, it was a landmark week for Sock, who reached the quarterfinals in all three disciplines for the first time in his PPA career.
Mixed Doubles: The match of the tournament was undoubtedly the mixed doubles final. Waters and Ben Johns found themselves in unfamiliar territory, trailing 1-2 in games against Anna Bright and Hayden Patriquin. In a five-game classic that lasted over two hours, the top seeds rallied, using a 14-4 run in the final games to secure an 11-7, 7-11, 9-11, 11-7, 11-4 victory. Johns noted that the barrage of lobs from Bright and Patriquin tested their physical conditioning, but aggressive play in the fifth game sealed the win.
Men’s Doubles: Ben Johns also debuted a formidable new partnership with Gabe Tardio. The duo was clinical, cruising to gold without dropping a single game all tournament. They defeated Christian Alshon and Hayden Patriquin 11-9, 11-4, 11-5 in the final. Johns, who had won the previous three years at this venue with his brother Collin, seamlessly transitioned to winning with Tardio, citing their ability to counter aggression with well-placed drives as a key factor.
The World Pickleball Verdict
The PPA Masters served as a stark reminder of the tiered reality of professional pickleball. At the very top, Anna Leigh Waters and Ben Johns remain the gatekeepers of gold; their ability to adjust mid-match—seen vividly in the mixed doubles comeback—is what separates them from the chasing pack.
However, the gap is narrowing in specific disciplines. The fact that Bright and Patriquin pushed the mixed final to five games suggests that the invincibility of the Waters/Johns pairing is being tested more regularly. Furthermore, Chris Haworth’s repeat success in singles cements him as the standard-bearer for the specialist “pickleball-native” style of singles play, holding off the athletic onslaught of tennis converts like Sock. The injury to Sock is a tough blow for the tour’s narrative, as his multi-discipline breakthrough was shaping up to be the story of the early season.
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.