Waters Earns 40th Triple Crown in First Event Representing Nike and Franklin – The PPA Masters Recap
The Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California, provided the backdrop for one of the most anticipated tournament starts to a professional pickleball season in recent memory. The Masters, powered by Invited, kicked off the 2026 PPA Tour season with perfect weather conditions that seemed almost too good to be true for desert pickleball. With temperatures ranging from comfortable lows in the 50s to pleasant highs in the 70s, and mostly clear skies throughout the week, players and fans alike were treated to ideal conditions for championship-level play.
What unfolded over the course of this first tournament of the year was a masterclass in competitive pickleball. While familiar names ultimately claimed gold medals across all five events, the journey to those victories was filled with compelling storylines, dramatic matches, and unfortunately, some concerning injuries that cast a shadow over the otherwise celebratory weekend. From historic sponsorship debuts to dominant performances and unexpected setbacks, the Masters delivered everything fans could hope for in a season-opening event.
Anna Leigh Waters Makes History With New Sponsors
The biggest story coming into this tournament wasn’t just about who would win—it was about what Anna Leigh Waters would be wearing and what paddle she would be swinging. After leaving Paddletek at the conclusion of 2025, the pickleball world spent weeks speculating about where the sport’s most dominant player would land. The answers came in dramatic fashion just days before the tournament began.
On January 8th, Waters announced she had signed a long-term deal with Franklin for her paddle sponsorship. Then, on the very first day of tournament play, an even bigger bombshell dropped—Waters had signed with Nike for apparel and footwear, making her the first pickleball professional to represent the global athletic giant. These weren’t just sponsorship deals; they represented a seismic shift in how major brands view pickleball and its star players.
The pressure on Waters to perform with all eyes watching her debut with these new partnerships would have been immense for most athletes. For Waters, it seemed to fuel her competitive fire. She proceeded to dominate the tournament across all three of her events, losing just five games total—two in mixed doubles, two in women’s doubles, and one in singles. This wasn’t just winning; this was making a statement that no amount of off-court changes would affect her on-court excellence.
In women’s doubles, partnering with Anna Bright, Waters faced her toughest challenges. Kaitlyn Christian and Jessie Irvine managed to take the first game of their quarterfinal match before Waters and Bright responded emphatically with consecutive 11-4 and 11-0 victories. The semifinal against Jorja Johnson and Hurricane Tyra Black proved equally challenging, with the underdogs taking the second game to push the match to three sets. Waters and Bright ultimately prevailed 11-7, 7-11, 11-5, showing their ability to respond under pressure.
The women’s doubles final against the Kawamoto twins—Jade and Jackie—showcased the competitive depth of women’s doubles. The twins pushed Waters and Bright to the brink in the first game, narrowly losing 10-12 in a contest that could have gone either way. However, Waters and Bright’s championship experience shone through as they dominated the next two games 11-3 and 11-2, capturing another gold medal together.
Mixed doubles provided the weekend’s most thrilling match. Waters and Ben Johns had cruised through their first five matches with a combined scoreline of 110-36, averaging just 3.6 points allowed per game. Their opponents in the final, Anna Bright and Hayden Patriquin, had other plans. What followed was an epic battle that stretched beyond two hours and went the full five games. Waters and Johns won the first game 11-7, but Bright and Patriquin fought back to take the next two games 11-7 and 11-9, putting themselves in position to claim gold.
Waters and Johns showed why they’re considered the best mixed doubles team in the world by grinding out the fourth game 11-7 to force a decisive fifth. In that final game, their experience and composure proved decisive as they pulled away for an 11-4 victory. The match had everything—momentum swings, spectacular shot-making, strategic adjustments, and the kind of high-level play that showcases pickleball at its finest.
Singles play saw Waters face a determined Kaitlyn Christian in the semifinals. After taking the first game 11-4, Waters found herself in a battle in game two, ultimately falling 9-11. Christian’s ability to extend rallies and keep balls deep had Waters momentarily off-balance. But champions adjust, and Waters did exactly that in game three, dominating 11-3 to advance to the finals.
The final against Kate Fahey, the tournament’s second seed, turned into a showcase of Waters at her absolute best. Despite Fahey playing solid pickleball, Waters was simply operating on another level. The 11-1, 11-4 scoreline doesn’t fully capture Fahey’s effort—it better illustrates just how locked in Waters was during that match. Every shot seemed to land exactly where she intended, every decision was correct, and every defensive ball came back with interest.
Following her 40th career triple crown achievement, Waters reflected on the significance of winning when you’re not feeling your absolute best. “I honestly feel like it’s the matches you don’t play your best, and you win, that are the most important ones, because you’re not always going to feel your best,” she told interviewer Matt Manasse. This mature perspective from the young champion reveals why she continues to dominate—she understands that consistency and mental toughness matter as much as physical talent.
Chris Haworth’s Perfect Run to Gold
While Waters’ triple crown grabbed headlines, Chris Haworth’s performance in men’s singles was equally impressive in its own right. The sixth-seeded player made a powerful statement about his intentions for 2026 by not dropping a single game on his way to winning gold at a PPA Slam event—a remarkable feat in what is widely considered the most unpredictable division in professional pickleball.
Haworth has been vocal about his goals this season. He wants the number one ranking in men’s singles, and he’s not shy about saying it in press conferences and interviews. This kind of bold declaration could backfire if the player can’t back it up with results. Haworth is backing it up.
His path to gold demonstrated both dominance and clutch performance. The early rounds saw Haworth dispatch opponents with relative ease—Rio Newcombe fell 11-2, 11-2 in the round of 64, while Eric Oncins managed just five total points in a 11-2, 11-3 loss in the round of 32. These matches allowed Haworth to find his rhythm and build confidence without expending excessive energy.
The round of 16 against Noe Khlif provided slightly more resistance with an 11-6, 11-9 victory, but the quarterfinals were where Haworth truly proved his championship mettle. Facing third-seeded Christian Alshon, Haworth found himself in two tightly contested games that each went to extras. He prevailed 12-10, 12-10, winning crucial points at the most pressure-packed moments of the match. These are the kinds of wins that define champions—not blowouts against overmatched opponents, but nail-biters where mental toughness determines the outcome.
The semifinal against top-seeded Hunter Johnson looked like it might be competitive on paper, but Haworth came out with such intensity and precision that Johnson never found his footing. The 11-1, 11-6 scoreline was stunning considering Johnson’s credentials and seeding. Whether Johnson was already dealing with the knee issues that would later force him to retire from the bronze medal match remains unclear, but Haworth gave him no opportunities regardless.
The final against seventh-seeded Jack Sock provided the competitive match that neutrals hoped for. Sock, a former professional tennis player with a decorated career, has brought his athleticism and competitive fire to pickleball with great success. Both games were contested, with Haworth ultimately winning 11-8, 11-8. These weren’t comfortable victories—they required Haworth to maintain focus and execute under pressure against an opponent capable of taking over the match at any moment.
Haworth’s path to the number one ranking is particularly interesting because of when he started earning PPA points. Having only begun accumulating points in August 2025, he’s still adding to his total while many competitors are simply replacing points from tournaments played twelve months ago. Every strong performance accelerates his climb up the rankings, and this gold medal was a significant boost.
His goal of being the top seed for the PPA Finals in May looks increasingly achievable. The consistency he’s shown, combined with his continued point accumulation while others maintain or lose points, creates a realistic pathway to that number one spot. If he continues performing at this level, the prediction that Haworth would be top-seeded for the Finals—one of 26 predictions made for 2026—seems well on track to come true.
Tardio and Johns Continue Their Dominance
In men’s doubles, the question wasn’t whether Gabe Tardio and Ben Johns would win—it was whether anyone would take a game off them. The answer, ultimately, was no. The top-seeded duo picked up in 2026 exactly where they left off in 2025: winning convincingly and making it look easy.
The men’s doubles draw featured an intriguing storyline with a major partnership shuffle at the top of the field. Christian Alshon and Federico Staksrud, who had played together with great success in 2025, decided to swap partners for the early part of 2026. Hayden Patriquin joined Alshon while Andrei Daescu partnered with Staksrud. These moves created fresh matchups and raised questions about whether new chemistry could challenge the established dominance of Tardio and Johns.
The answer came swiftly and decisively. Tardio and Johns didn’t just win their first five matches of the tournament—they won them without dropping a game. Their round of 32 match against Tam Trinh and Juan Benitez ended 11-7, 11-1. The round of 16 saw them defeat Zane Navratil and Blaine Hovenier 11-5, 11-6. In the quarterfinals, Dylan Frazier and Eric Oncins fell 11-2, 11-7. The semifinals against CJ Klinger and JW Johnson went 11-7, 11-4.
By the time the finals rolled around, Tardio and Johns had been utterly dominant, and their opponents—the newly formed team of Alshon and Patriquin, seeded third—knew they needed something special. The final did prove more competitive than the earlier rounds, extending to three games, but Tardio and Johns were never truly threatened. They won 11-9, 11-4, 11-5, capturing their first gold medal of 2026 and reinforcing their status as the team to beat in men’s doubles.
What makes Tardio and Johns so difficult to beat is their combination of offensive firepower and defensive consistency. Johns brings court sense and anticipation that seems almost supernatural at times, while Tardio provides power and aggressive net play that keeps opponents from getting comfortable. Together, they complement each other perfectly, covering weaknesses and amplifying strengths in a way that makes them greater than the sum of their already considerable individual talents.
The joking narrative that Tardio claims he doesn’t learn anything from playing with Johns has become a running theme in their partnership. The reality, of course, is that their communication and understanding of each other’s games continues to deepen with every tournament they play together. This latest gold medal was just another chapter in what’s becoming one of the most dominant partnerships in professional pickleball history.
Injury Concerns Overshadow Sunday’s Success
While Championship Sunday should have been purely celebratory, the reality was tempered by concerning injuries to three top players. Hunter Johnson, Federico Staksrud, and Jack Sock all suffered physical setbacks that raised questions about their availability for upcoming tournaments and highlighted the physical demands of professional pickleball.
Hunter Johnson’s knee problems were the most dramatic and worrying. In his press conference following the semifinal loss to Haworth, Johnson spoke candidly about his inability to move the way he wanted and his frustration with persistent knee soreness. By Sunday’s bronze medal match against Roscoe Bellamy, both of Johnson’s knees were heavily taped—always a concerning visual for any athlete in any sport.
As the match progressed, Johnson’s mobility clearly deteriorated. He eventually called for a medical timeout in the second game, bringing a physiotherapist onto the court for treatment. After receiving attention, Johnson gamely attempted to continue, playing two more points before making the difficult decision to retire from the match. For a competitor of Johnson’s caliber to retire from a bronze medal match at a major tournament speaks to the severity of his discomfort.
The immediate question became whether Johnson would compete in the Indoor National Championships scheduled for the following week. Given his visible struggles and the need for proper recovery, it seemed unlikely he would—or should—push through to play so soon after this setback. Knee issues can be tricky and unpredictable, requiring rest and proper medical evaluation before returning to competition.
Federico Staksrud’s injury occurred during the men’s doubles bronze medal match on the Grandstand Court. Playing with Andrei Daescu against CJ Klinger and JW Johnson, Staksrud attempted consecutive flamingo volleys—an advanced shot that requires significant shoulder and arm stability. On the second attempt, he visibly grimaced and pulled up, immediately heading to the bench to call for medical attention.
As a JOOLA-sponsored professional, Staksrud had access to the company’s physiotherapist, who examined his right triceps and shoulder area before applying tape and rubbing cream on the affected region. Despite the treatment, it was clear Staksrud wasn’t operating at full capacity. He finished the men’s doubles bronze medal match but required multiple additional applications of ointment during the subsequent mixed doubles bronze medal match.
The nature of Staksrud’s injury—affecting his hitting arm’s triceps and shoulder—is particularly concerning for a professional pickleball player. These areas are fundamental to nearly every shot in the sport, from serves to overheads to volleys. Like Johnson, Staksrud’s participation in the Indoor National Championships seemed doubtful given the timing and nature of his injury.
Jack Sock’s injury was perhaps the most sudden and dramatic. On the very last rally of the men’s singles final against Haworth, Sock extended deeply into what was nearly a full split position. He immediately grabbed his right hamstring in obvious pain, and his post-match exit from Championship Court featured a pronounced limp that left no doubt about the severity of his discomfort.
Hamstring injuries are notoriously tricky for athletes. They can range from mild strains that heal quickly to more serious tears that require extended rehabilitation. The explosive nature of the injury—occurring during maximum exertion in a full extension—raised concerns about a more significant strain. While Sock wasn’t scheduled for the Indoor National Championships, speculation immediately turned to whether he’d be ready for the Carvana Mesa Cup, scheduled for a month later.
These three injuries in a single day, all to high-profile male players, sparked broader conversations about player health, tournament scheduling, and the physical demands of professional pickleball. While injuries are an unfortunate reality in all sports, having three top competitors go down during Championship Sunday was an unusually concentrated cluster of setbacks.
The pickleball community expressed support for all three players, hoping for speedy recoveries and complete healing before their returns to competition. The incidents served as a reminder that behind the excitement and entertainment of professional pickleball are athletes pushing their
