Illness, New Partnerships, and Surprise #1s: PPA Indoor National Championships Recap

The second tournament of the 2026 professional pickleball season brought unexpected drama, challenging conditions, and performances that will reshape how we view the competitive landscape. At the Life Time facility in Lakeville, Minnesota, players battled not just each other but brutal weather conditions that saw temperatures plummet to minus twenty degrees. While the competition took place indoors, the extreme cold still impacted players throughout the week, with illness spreading through the draw and forcing several competitors to push through physical adversity. What unfolded was a tournament that defied expectations, saw historic firsts, and raised questions about the direction several top players will take moving forward.

Parris Todd’s Medal Rainbow and Singles Future

Parris Todd entered the Indoor National Championships with something to prove. After serving a suspension that kept her out of The Masters—the result of a trip to Japan in late 2025 with other signed professionals that violated tour rules and cost her fifty thousand dollars—Todd returned to competition with intensity and purpose. What she accomplished over Championship Sunday stands as one of the most impressive multi-event performances in recent memory: gold in singles, silver in doubles, and bronze in mixed.

The path to gold in women’s singles was far from straightforward. In the quarterfinals, Catherine Parenteau pushed Todd to the absolute limit, with Parris barely escaping with an 11-9 victory in the deciding game. The semifinal against Kaitlyn Christian proved equally challenging, requiring another third game that went to 11-8 before Todd secured her spot in the finals. By the time she faced Lea Jansen for gold, Todd had found another gear, dominating with consecutive 11-5 games to claim the championship.

In women’s doubles alongside Tyra Black, Todd showed why this partnership has the potential to challenge any team on tour. They managed to take a game off Anna Bright and Anna Leigh Waters in the finals, something few teams have accomplished in recent months. While they ultimately fell in four games, the competitive showing demonstrated that when this duo is playing at their peak, they can threaten even the most dominant partnership in women’s pickleball.

The bronze medal in mixed doubles came under unusual circumstances. After Todd and Andrei Daescu lost to eventual champions Christian Alshon and Tyra Black in the semifinals, they were awarded bronze when Gabe Tardio and Catherine Parenteau withdrew from the bronze medal match due to Gabe’s illness that had plagued him throughout the tournament.

Despite the triple-medal performance and her number six ranking in singles, Todd made a surprising announcement after her semifinal victory. She indicated that this might be one of her last singles tournaments, suggesting a significant shift in her competitive focus. While she stopped short of a complete retirement from singles competition, the implication was clear: Parris Todd will be dramatically reducing her singles schedule moving forward, choosing instead to concentrate her energy on doubles and mixed doubles events where she can compete for championships without the physical toll that singles competition demands.

Historic First Gold for Alshon and Black in Mixed Doubles

One of the most compelling storylines from Lakeville centered on Christian Alshon and Tyra Black capturing their first mixed doubles gold medal together. What makes this achievement particularly noteworthy is that neither player had ever won a mixed doubles championship before, either together or with previous partners. As the number two seed, expectations were high, but the path to gold tested them in ways that prepared them for the finals.

The quarterfinal match against Eric Oncins and Meghan Dizon pushed them to the brink. After splitting the first two games, Alshon and Black found themselves in a tight third game that they eventually won 11-9. The semifinals against Parris Todd and Andrei Daescu went much smoother, with a comfortable two-game victory of 11-8 and 11-2 sending them to Championship Sunday with momentum.

In the finals, they faced Anna Bright and Hayden Patriquin, a partnership that had captured multiple gold medals and entered as favorites. What unfolded was a masterclass in aggressive play from Christian Alshon. Taking control of approximately three-quarters of the court—possibly even more—Alshon attacked nearly every ball within reach, putting constant pressure on Bright and Patriquin. The strategy proved overwhelming. After losing the first game 8-11, Alshon and Black won three consecutive games by scores of 11-9, 11-6, and 11-6 to claim their historic first gold medal in mixed doubles.

The aggressive court coverage from Alshon became the defining tactical element of the match. Bright and Patriquin, despite their experience and previous success, simply could not find an effective counter. Every time they tried to target Tyra Black, Alshon would step across and take the ball. When they went at Alshon directly, his power and placement proved too much to handle consistently across four games.

However, this golden moment also marked an ending. Throughout the broadcast, commentators noted that this tournament would be the last time Alshon and Black play together for the foreseeable future. The exact reasons for the partnership change were not specified, but the implications for both players’ seasons are significant. Alshon is expected to play several events with Rachel Rohrabacher while Will Howells recovers from an ankle injury suffered at this tournament, before ultimately settling with a more permanent mixed doubles partner. Black, meanwhile, may benefit from partnering with a left-handed player, with CJ Klinger emerging as a likely candidate to fill that role.

Hunter Johnson Silences the Doubters

Entering the Indoor National Championships, the narrative around Hunter Johnson had become increasingly skeptical. As the number one ranked men’s singles player, Johnson had not won a PPA Tour gold medal in over six months, with his last victory coming at the Select Medical Orange County Cup on June 22, 2025. Meanwhile, Chris Haworth had been steadily climbing the rankings and winning tournaments, leading many analysts to predict that Haworth would soon overtake Johnson for the top spot.

The circumstances made Johnson’s path to gold even more improbable. Just one week earlier at The Masters, Johnson had been forced to retire during the bronze medal match against Roscoe Bellamy due to obvious pain and mobility issues with his right knee. Watching that match, Johnson was visibly hobbling and unable to move with his typical quickness. The idea that he could recover in seven days and not only compete but win a national championship seemed far-fetched at best.

Yet that is exactly what happened. Johnson navigated through the draw and found himself facing Chris Haworth in the finals, with their head-to-head record tied at three wins apiece. What followed was one of the most dominant performances in a singles final this season. Johnson played exceptional pickleball from the opening point, while Haworth appeared to have fallen victim to the illness that had been spreading through the player field all week. The final score told the story: 11-6, 11-0, with Johnson taking the second game without allowing Haworth a single point.

The victory moved Johnson’s record against Haworth to 4-3 and sent a clear message to the rest of the tour: reports of his decline had been greatly exaggerated. More importantly, it demonstrated the mental fortitude required to compete at the highest level. To overcome a significant injury, recover in minimal time, and then deliver a commanding performance in the championship match speaks to Johnson’s championship mentality and physical resilience.

The Annas Continue Their Dominance in Women’s Doubles

If there was any doubt about who controls women’s doubles on the professional tour, Anna Bright and Anna Leigh Waters put those questions to rest in Minnesota. While Bright was competing for gold medals in three events, Waters had a comparatively light schedule with only women’s doubles on her docket. The reduced schedule for Waters may have contributed to their particularly dominant performance throughout the draw.

The statistics from their first three matches, including the semifinals, border on absurd. Bright and Waters won those matches with a combined score of 66-11, averaging just 1.9 points allowed per game. Against elite professional competition, maintaining that level of dominance requires technical excellence, strategic sophistication, and an almost telepathic understanding between partners.

The finals against Tyra Black and Parris Todd began with an 11-1 destruction in the opening game that suggested the match would follow the same pattern as their earlier rounds. However, Black and Todd regrouped and managed to win the second game 11-6, giving hope that they might extend the match. That hope proved fleeting. Bright and Waters immediately reasserted control in game three, winning 11-3, before closing out the championship with an 11-5 victory in game four.

The loss in game two represents one of only a handful of games that Bright and Waters have dropped in recent months. Despite suffering two defeats in August of 2025, they have not lost a match together in over five months. That level of sustained excellence has separated them from every other women’s doubles team on tour, establishing them as the clear number one seed regardless of tournament or conditions.

Gutsy Performance from Tardio and Daescu in Men’s Doubles

The men’s doubles championship match provided perhaps the most dramatic and compelling competition of the entire tournament. Gabe Tardio and Andrei Daescu entered the finals dealing with significant physical limitations—Tardio visibly ill throughout the week and Daescu nursing a sore knee that limited his movement. These are precisely the circumstances where lesser teams fold, unable to execute at the level required to win championships when not feeling their best.

Instead, Tardio and Daescu demonstrated exactly what separates good players from great champions: the ability to win when your game is not clicking and your body is not cooperating. Their semifinal against Federico Staksrud and CJ Klinger required them to dig deep, ultimately prevailing 11-7 in the third game after employing some controversial medical timeouts that drew criticism but were within the rules.

The finals proved even more challenging. Facing off against a strong opposing team, Tardio and Daescu looked completely overwhelmed in the opening game, losing 1-11 in what appeared to be the start of a quick and disappointing end to their tournament. But championship teams respond to adversity, and that is exactly what happened. They battled back to win game two in a marathon 14-12 that required them to save multiple game points and showed incredible mental toughness.

Game three went to their opponents 10-12 in another heartbreaker that could have broken their spirit. Instead, Tardio and Daescu won game four 11-8 to force a decisive fifth game. With everything on the line, both players dealing with physical issues that would have justified losing, they found a way to prevail 12-10 in one of the gutsiest performances of the season. The five-game finals will likely finish the year ranked among the top matches of 2026, regardless of what happens in the remaining tournaments.

Understanding the Tournament for Pickleball Newcomers

For those newer to following professional pickleball, this tournament highlighted several key aspects of what makes the sport compelling at its highest level. First, the format features players competing in up to three different events: singles, doubles, and mixed doubles. This creates unique challenges as players must adjust their strategies and playing styles depending on whether they are playing alone or with a partner, and whether that partner is the same gender or opposite gender.

The seeding system works similarly to tennis, with the highest-ranked players placed in the draw to avoid facing each other until later rounds. When an upset occurs—like when young players Cam Chaffin and Kiora Kunimoto defeated higher-seeded opponents—it creates bracket chaos that opens opportunities for other players to make deep runs.

The scoring system uses games to eleven points, win by two, with matches typically best two out of three games in early rounds and sometimes extending to best three out of five in championship matches. This format rewards both consistency and the ability to make mid-match adjustments, as a team can lose the first game badly but still come back to win the match if they figure out their opponents’ patterns.

Partnership changes in doubles and mixed doubles are common and strategic. Players are constantly evaluating whether their current partner gives them the best chance to win championships, leading to frequent roster changes throughout the season. When successful partnerships like Alshon and Black split up after winning gold, it reflects the intensely competitive nature of the sport where every player is seeking the optimal combination to maximize their potential.

Unprecedented Statistical Anomaly

The Indoor National Championships produced a statistical quirk that had not occurred in over a year on the professional tour. For the first time since the Daytona Beach Open on December 22, 2024, no player managed to win at least two gold medals at a single tournament. This “double crown” has become almost expected at professional events, where the top players typically dominate multiple disciplines.

The common factor between these two tournaments? Anna Leigh Waters only competed in one event—women’s doubles—at both. When Waters plays a full schedule across multiple events, she frequently wins multiple golds, establishing herself as the most dominant force in professional pickleball. Her decision to play a limited schedule at both Daytona and Lakeville opened opportunities for other players to claim gold medals they might not otherwise have won.

This pattern raises interesting questions about competitive balance on the tour. Does the dominance of certain players make the sport less competitive, or does it create compelling narratives when other players step up in their absence? The answer likely depends on perspective, but the statistical correlation between Waters’ limited schedule and increased parity in gold medal distribution is undeniable.

Illness and Injury Cast Long Shadow

While competition took place in a climate-controlled indoor facility, the brutal outdoor conditions in Lakeville—with temperatures reaching minus twenty degrees—appeared to contribute to a wave of illness that swept through the player field. Numerous top competitors showed visible signs of sickness during their matches, including Hayden Patriquin, Gabe Tardio, Chris Haworth, and Rachel Rohrabacher among others.

The impact of these illnesses on competitive outcomes cannot be overstated. When elite athletes are performing at the margins where split-second reactions and sustained physical effort determine winners and losers, even minor illness can prove decisive. Haworth’s surprisingly poor performance in the singles final against Johnson may well have been influenced by illness rather than representing his actual current form. Similarly, Tardio’s heroic performance in winning men’s doubles gold while visibly ill becomes even more impressive in context.

Injuries also played a significant role in shaping the tournament. The most dramatic injury occurred when Will Howells stepped on his own paddle during a singles match against Cason Campbell. Howells went down and could not walk off the court under his own power, requiring assistance from medical staff. Subsequent evaluation revealed a left ankle sprain that will keep him out of competition for an undetermined period, impacting not just his own season but also his partner Rachel Rohrabacher’s mixed doubles schedule.

Controversy Erupts Over Paddle Throw Incident

One of the most discussed and debated moments from the tournament had nothing to do with the quality of play and everything to do with sportsmanship and rule enforcement. During a round of 32 men’s doubles match, Julian Arnold threw his paddle down in frustration after losing the second game. The paddle took an unexpected bounce and flew into the stands, though fortunately it did not strike any spectators.

Tyler Loong, Arnold’s opponent in the match, immediately argued that the act should result in disqualification for dangerous and unsportsmanlike conduct. The referee made a controversial decision: they would complete the third game, and then review the incident for potential disqualification. Arnold and his partner Martin Emmrich went on to win that third game, seemingly advancing to the round of sixteen.

However, after the match concluded and the head referee had an opportunity to review video of the paddle throw, Arnold and Emmrich were disqualified from the tournament. But in a bizarre twist that satisfied no one, Loong and his partner Brandon French were not allowed to advance to the next round despite the disqualification, because they had lost the match that was played. Instead, Tyson McGuffin and Max Freeman received a walkover directly to the quarterfinals.

The handling of the situation drew criticism from multiple angles. Some argued that if the act warranted disqualification, the match should have been stopped immediately rather than playing out the third game. Others questioned why the losing team could not advance if their opponents were disqualified after the fact. The incident will likely prompt discussions about clearer protocols for handling similar situations in future tournaments.

Youth Movement Gains Momentum

Two young players made