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Championship Sunday at the Veolia PPA Texas Open in McKinney will be remembered as much for the meteorological disruptions as for the pickleball. With gusts exceeding 40mph sweeping across the courts, the final day of the tournament descended into a battle against the elements. Yet, amidst the severe weather delays and highly unpredictable playing conditions, the sport’s leading figures demonstrated remarkable composure. Anna Leigh Waters secured her 42nd career Triple Crown, whilst Federico Staksrud continued his formidable 2026 campaign with another men’s singles title.
The weekend belonged, once again, to Anna Leigh Waters. In a display of sheer dominance, the 19-year-old went undefeated across all three of her disciplines, winning 16 matches and boasting a 35-1 record in games played. Her only dropped game of the entire tournament occurred during the mixed doubles final. Partnering with Ben Johns, the pair exacted revenge on Anna Bright and Hayden Patriquin—who had handed them a surprising defeat in Mesa a month earlier—with an 11-4, 9-11, 11-5, 11-6 victory.
In the women’s doubles, Waters and Bright remained unbeaten for the year, successfully navigating the turbulent weather to defeat Parris Todd and Alix Truong 11-2, 11-6, 11-4. Waters then capped off her Triple Crown in the women’s singles final, comfortably dismissing Kate Fahey 11-1, 11-6.
In the men’s singles, Federico Staksrud claimed his second gold medal of the season, overcoming a difficult start against Chris Haworth. Haworth controlled the opening game, scoring eight points on his first service possession to take a commanding early lead, but Staksrud recovered brilliantly to win the match 2-11, 11-5, 11-5. This victory reinforces his status at the very top of the men’s game, where he, Haworth, and Hunter Johnson continue to separate themselves from the rest of the tour.
Meanwhile, Gabe Tardio and Ben Johns maintained their flawless men’s doubles record for 2026. The pair secured their sixth consecutive tournament victory by defeating Andrei Daescu and Staksrud 11-0, 12-10, 11-7 in the final. Since their defeat at the World Championships last November, Tardio and Johns have won 30 consecutive matches, presenting a significant challenge to the rest of the men’s doubles field. However, they did face minor resistance in Texas, dropping three games throughout the tournament, including one to the pairing of Max Freeman and Tyson McGuffin.
The narrative of the tournament, however, was inextricably linked to the severe wind. The conditions forced a ten-minute halt during the men’s doubles final and later caused a significant 40-minute delay before the women’s singles championship match could safely commence. Following his doubles victory, Ben Johns addressed the spectators who remained to brave the weather, describing the chaotic scenes as the most bizarre final he had ever contested and praising the crowd for their endurance.
Away from the weather disruptions, the Texas Open produced several notable storylines. Alix Truong enjoyed a breakthrough weekend, reaching her first Championship Sunday on American soil after previously finding success on the PPA Tour Asia. Partnering with her new Columbus Sliders teammate Parris Todd, Truong secured a well-deserved silver medal in the women’s doubles after a thrilling semi-final victory over Mari Humberg and Milan Rane.
In the men’s doubles draw, the Atlanta Bouncers pairing of Jay Devilliers and Jaume Martinez Vich put together an impressive run to claim bronze. They navigated a challenging route, eliminating Christian Alshon and Hayden Patriquin in the quarter-finals before defeating CJ Klinger and JW Johnson in the bronze medal match. Conversely, it was a surprisingly difficult weekend for Alshon, who missed out on a medal entirely after suffering quarter-final exits across all his entered disciplines.
The extreme weather forced players to heavily adjust their tactical approaches and rely on court craft over pure power. Staksrud noted that whilst the wind made clean striking nearly impossible, the conditions ultimately suited his style of play. He explained that his preference for moving forward and cutting angles proved far more effective in the gusts than Haworth’s baseline-heavy approach. Despite not using any timeouts during his opening game loss, Staksrud trusted his returns and volleys, eventually finding the rhythm needed to break Haworth down.
Waters similarly observed that success in the wind relied heavily on minimising unforced errors whilst retaining an aggressive mindset. She even suggested that her singles victory should be taken with a measure of perspective given the severity of the weather, acknowledging that singles in such conditions feels like playing an entirely different sport. The relentless travel schedule of the PPA Tour also remains a vital contextual factor for the athletes. When asked about maintaining a high level of performance, Johns attributed his consistent success to strict routines and discipline, viewing them as essential tools to combat the inevitable fatigue that accumulates over consecutive tournament weeks.
The professional circuit now takes a brief, and likely welcome, pause, allowing players to recover from a physically and mentally exhausting week in Texas. The PPA Tour will return to action in eight days for the Greater Zion Cup at the Black Desert Resort in Utah. As a Cup-level event, it carries significant importance for the rankings, and it will undoubtedly test whether the current champions can maintain their momentum in hopefully calmer conditions.
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Further Reading
- Latest global pickleball news
- Tournament calendar and results
- World rankings and player profiles
- USA pickleball developments
External references:
Official PPA Tour
Black Desert Resort venue
Chris Beaumont
Founder and Editor-in-ChiefChris 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…
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