PPA Cape Coral Open: What to Expect from This Weekend’s Tournament

The Professional Pickleball Association is returning to Southwest Florida this week for the Cape Coral Open, and the tournament promises to deliver compelling storylines across all five divisions. After a brief two-week break following the PPA National Indoor Championships, the tour resumes with its third stop of the 2026 season at “The Courts” in Cape Coral, running from February 9-15.

This Open-level event carries significant weight in the rankings race, with 1,000 PPA points on the line for each champion. What makes this year particularly interesting is that all tournaments now feature progressive draws regardless of level, a change that adds an extra layer of unpredictability to every match. Additionally, this tournament kicks off a challenging back-to-back schedule, with the PPA Mesa Cup beginning just one day after Cape Coral concludes.

How to Watch the Action Unfold

The PPA Tour is testing a new broadcast format for Open-level tournaments in 2026, splitting the week between streaming-only coverage and fully produced broadcasts with live commentary. For the first three days of competition, matches will be available exclusively on the PPA Streamed Courts YouTube channel Monday through Wednesday, giving fans raw access to early-round matches without commentary.

Starting Thursday, February 12, the broadcast shifts to pickleballtv with full commentary coverage on both Championship Court and Grandstand Court from 10am to 6pm ET. This format continues through the quarterfinals on Friday and semifinals on Saturday. Championship Sunday features slightly adjusted hours, with Championship Court running from 10am to 4pm ET while Grandstand Court extends until 6pm ET. This hybrid approach allows the tour to balance production costs while still providing comprehensive coverage of the most crucial matches.

Weather Could Play a Factor

Florida weather in mid-February tends to be pleasant, and forecasts show temperatures in the mid to upper 70s throughout the week with overnight lows dipping into the 50s. However, there are early indications that rain could potentially affect Championship Sunday. While it remains too early for precise predictions, tournament organizers and players alike will be keeping a close eye on weather patterns as the week progresses. Outdoor tournaments always carry this element of uncertainty, and weather delays or court condition issues could significantly impact the final day’s schedule.

Women’s Singles: A Wide-Open Field

The most significant storyline in women’s singles is the absence of Anna Leigh Waters, who has opted to skip singles competition at this event while still competing in mixed doubles. Her decision creates an unprecedented opportunity for the rest of the field, as Waters has been virtually untouchable in singles over the past year. When the sport’s most dominant player steps aside, even temporarily, it fundamentally changes the tournament dynamics.

Kate Fahey enters as the top seed, but she carries the weight of a 133-day drought without a tournament victory. Her last title came at the Sacramento Open on September 28, 2025, and while maintaining the number one seed demonstrates consistency, Fahey knows she needs to convert this favorable draw into hardware. The mental aspect of breaking a winless streak, even while playing well enough to remain highly seeded, can be challenging for any athlete.

Brooke Buckner represents another compelling narrative, as she searches for her first medal of 2026. After a strong 2025 campaign, Buckner has yet to find her rhythm this season, and Cape Coral offers a chance to change that trajectory. The progressive draw format means she’ll need to navigate through multiple rounds against increasingly difficult opponents, but her experience in pressure situations should serve her well.

Among dark horse candidates, Kiora Kunimoto stands out after her semifinal run at the Indoor National Championships two weeks ago. Seeded 17th, she has demonstrated the ability to string together wins against higher-seeded opponents when she finds her rhythm. Jamie Wei, seeded 18th, possesses the skills to make a deep run but faces a potentially brutal path that could include matches against Jalina Ingram and Kaitlyn Christian early in the draw.

Looking at the bracket positioning and recent form, expect to see Kate Fahey, Judit Castillo, Kaitlyn Christian, and Lea Jansen reach the semifinals. Fahey should find her winning form and defeat Jansen in the finals, finally breaking through for her first title since last September.

Men’s Singles: Momentum and Streaks

Hunter Johnson arrives in Cape Coral as the top seed and riding momentum from his recent victory over Chris Haworth in Minnesota. That win marked Johnson’s first tournament title in quite some time, and the psychological boost of breaking through cannot be understated. The question now becomes whether he can maintain that level of play during a compressed tournament schedule with another event immediately following this one.

Roscoe Bellamy has emerged as perhaps the hottest player in men’s singles over the past three months. His recent results tell the story: gold at the Lakeland Open in December, bronze at the Masters in January, and bronze at the Indoor Championships in January. This consistent medal-winning streak positions him as a legitimate threat to reach the finals despite being seeded sixth. Bellamy’s game has clearly elevated to a new level, and his confidence should be sky-high.

One of the more startling elements of this draw is seeing Tyson McGuffin seeded 40th. McGuffin was once a fixture in the top seeds and a regular medal contender, but the past year has been difficult from a results standpoint. While he remains a dangerous player capable of pulling off upsets, his seeding reflects the reality that he hasn’t been able to string together the consistent performances needed to maintain a higher ranking. It serves as a reminder of how quickly things can change in professional pickleball and how difficult it is to stay at the top.

Among players flying under the radar, Christopher Crouch, seeded 54th, brings solid all-around skills but faces a challenging first-round matchup against Marshall Brown, who holds the 16 seed. Cam Chaffin, seeded 46th, made an impressive deep run in Minnesota that included an upset over Federico Staksrud. The question is whether that performance was a breakthrough moment or an outlier.

Originally, the prediction pointed toward a semifinal lineup of Roscoe Bellamy, Christian Alshon, Federico Staksrud, and Chris Haworth, with Haworth defeating Alshon in straight games in the finals. However, after Haworth withdrew from the tournament, the forecast shifts. Expect Bellamy, Alshon, Staksrud, and Rafa Lenhard to reach the semifinals, with Christian Alshon ultimately claiming the title over Lenhard in the championship match.

Mixed Doubles: Chasing Perfection

Anna Leigh Waters and Ben Johns remain the center of the mixed doubles universe, and their decision to compete here despite Waters skipping singles speaks to their commitment to maintaining their extraordinary winning streak. They enter as the top seed and are now more than 300 days removed from their last match loss. This kind of sustained excellence is almost unprecedented in any racquet sport, and every tournament they enter becomes partly about whether anyone can finally solve their partnership.

The tournament also features some unexpected and intriguing partnerships. Hurricane Tyra Black teaming with Mo Alhouni as the 11 seed raised eyebrows throughout the pickleball community. Their games and playing styles don’t seem like an obvious fit on paper, making this one of the more head-scratching pairings in recent memory. Sometimes these unexpected combinations produce magic, but more often, there’s a reason certain players don’t regularly team up.

In a quirky twist of fate, the Truong siblings find themselves playing with different partners at this event, which creates the possibility of them facing each other in the second round if both teams advance. These family matchups always add an interesting dynamic, as the siblings obviously know each other’s games intimately but must balance competitive fire with familial bonds.

Christian Alshon and Rachel Rohrabacher team up as the fourth seed after Alshon ended his partnership with Tyra Black and Will Howells suffered an ankle injury in Minnesota. New partnerships at the highest level typically need time to develop chemistry and understanding, but both players bring enough individual skill and experience that they could quickly find a rhythm.

The semifinals should feature Waters and Johns, Catherine Parenteau and Gabe Tardio, Jorja Johnson and JW Johnson, and Anna Bright with Hayden Patriquin. The final will likely be an all-Anna affair, with Waters and Johns defeating Bright and Patriquin in four competitive games.

Women’s Doubles: Dominance and Experimentation

Anna Leigh Waters and Anna Bright continue their remarkable run as partners, entering as the top seed while approaching 150 consecutive days without a match loss. Their partnership has proven even more dominant than many expected, combining Waters’ all-court brilliance with Bright’s powerful offensive game. They’ve developed the kind of chemistry and communication that makes them nearly impossible to break down, even when facing the best teams in the world.

The fifth-seeded team of Parris Todd and Alix Truong presents a fascinating stylistic pairing that could prove problematic for opponents. Their potential quarterfinal matchup against the Kawamoto sisters would be must-watch pickleball, featuring two teams with contrasting approaches to the doubles game. Todd brings power and aggression, while Truong adds finesse and court coverage, creating a balanced attack.

Kate Fahey and Tina Pisnik, long considered one of the most fundamentally sound teams on tour, appear to be testing the waters with new partners. Fahey teams up with Lacy Schneemann as the sixth seed, while Pisnik partners with Millie Rane as the tenth seed. These partnership changes could be temporary experimentation or the beginning of more permanent shifts. In professional pickleball, partnerships constantly evolve as players search for the perfect combination of skills and personalities.

The semifinal prediction includes Waters and Bright, Jorja Johnson and Hurricane Tyra Black, Catherine Parenteau and Rachel Rohrabacher, and the Kawamoto sisters. However, in a potential upset, Johnson and Black could defeat Waters and Bright in the semifinals before beating the Kawamotos for the title. While the Annas remain favorites, their extended winning streak must end eventually, and Johnson and Black possess the firepower to make it happen.

Men’s Doubles: Established Hierarchy

Gabe Tardio and Ben Johns maintain their position as the top seed in men’s doubles, with Johns reclaiming the number one individual ranking after Tardio briefly held that spot for a few weeks. This rankings jockeying at the top illustrates just how close these elite partnerships have become. Small point differentials and individual tournament results can shift rankings, but the overall pecking order remains relatively stable among the top teams.

Collin Johns partnering with Jaume Martinez Vich as the 10 seed sets up an intriguing potential first-round clash against Julian Arnold and Martin Emmrich. The history between Johns and Arnold adds an extra layer of intensity to this matchup. Professional sports always involve some level of personal rivalry and competitive tension, and these two players have made no secret of their mutual dislike. When personal animosity intersects with high-level competition, it often produces memorable matches.

The top four seeds are all competing in Cape Coral, which should lead to a relatively predictable semifinal lineup barring major upsets. These established partnerships have proven their ability to navigate early rounds and reach the business end of tournaments with consistency. Any team outside the top four breaking through to the semifinals would represent a significant achievement.

Expect Tardio and Johns, Federico Staksrud and Andrei Daescu, Christian Alshon and Hayden Patriquin, and CJ Klinger with JW Johnson to reach the semifinals. The final should feature Tardio and Johns defeating Alshon and Patriquin in four games, reasserting their dominance at the top of the men’s doubles hierarchy.

Understanding the Tournament Structure for Casual Fans

If you’re relatively new to following professional pickleball or tournament formats in general, several aspects of this event might seem confusing at first. Let’s break down what makes this tournament significant and how it all works.

The PPA Tour operates on a points-based ranking system similar to tennis. Players accumulate points throughout the year based on their finishes at various tournaments. Not all tournaments carry equal weight—this Cape Coral event is classified as “Open” level, which awards 1,000 points to each division’s champion. Higher-level events like Grand Slams award more points, while smaller tournaments offer fewer. Your total points across recent tournaments determine your ranking, which then determines your seeding in future events.

Progressive draws represent an important change in tournament structure. Rather than having the bracket completely set from the beginning, players must win matches to advance to different stages, and new opponents are determined as the tournament progresses. This format creates more competitive balance and prevents situations where one quarter of the draw becomes significantly more difficult than others due to how players were initially placed.

The seeding system places the highest-ranked players in positions designed to keep them separated until later rounds. The number one and two seeds should theoretically only meet in the finals if they both win all their matches. Seeds three and four would meet the top two seeds in the semifinals. This structure rewards consistent performance over time by giving top players more favorable early-round matchups.

When discussing doubles partnerships, chemistry and complementary skills matter enormously. It’s not simply about putting two great singles players together. Successful doubles teams develop communication patterns, understand each other’s tendencies, and divide court responsibilities in ways that maximize their combined strengths while minimizing weaknesses. This is why established partnerships often outperform newly formed teams even when the new team might have more individual talent.

The back-to-back tournament scheduling creates unique challenges. Players must balance their desire to perform well at each event with the physical and mental demands of competing at the highest level for an extended period. Strategic thinking comes into play—should you push your body to the limit trying to win Cape Coral, potentially compromising your Mesa Cup performance? These decisions happen behind the scenes but significantly impact tournament dynamics.

Looking Ahead

The PPA Cape Coral Open arrives at an interesting moment in the 2026 season. We’re deep enough into the year that players have found their rhythm and partnerships have solidified, but early enough that ranking positions remain fluid and every tournament carries significant weight. The absence of Anna Leigh Waters from singles competition opens a rare window of opportunity, while her continued dominance in mixed doubles alongside Ben Johns maintains one of the sport’s most compelling ongoing narratives.

With pleasant February weather in Florida and strong fields across all five divisions, this tournament should provide the kind of competitive, high-level pickleball that fans have come to expect from the PPA Tour. Whether you’re watching via the streamed courts early in the week or tuning in for the broadcast coverage of elimination rounds, Cape Coral promises to deliver memorable moments and potentially shift the trajectory of the 2026 season for several players.

The progressive draw format adds an element of unpredictability that should keep fans engaged throughout the week. One unexpected result can cascade through the bracket, creating opportunities for dark horse candidates while potentially derailing favorites. That’s what makes tournament pickleball compelling—the combination of skill, strategy, mental toughness, and sometimes a bit of luck all converging to determine who leaves with the hardware.

As players take to the courts in Cape Coral, they’ll be competing not just for prize money and points, but for momentum heading into the Mesa Cup and beyond. The 2026 season is still young, and strong performances over these two weeks in Florida and Arizona could establish dominance that carries through the rest of the year. For the players at the top, it’s about maintaining their positions. For everyone else, it’s about breaking through and announcing themselves as legitimate contenders. That dynamic creates the perfect environment for outstanding competitive pickleball.