Hayden and Anna Take Down the #1 Seed - PPA Mesa Cup Recap

The Carvana Mesa Cup proved to be another huge success on the PPA Tour. The crowds were standing room only starting Thursday and lasted throughout the weekend. Championship Sunday delivered in a big way, with a huge finals upset and drama throughout the day.

While the wind definitely played a factor throughout the week, the conditions were nearly perfect for pickleball. With temperatures in the upper sixties, warming up to the low eighties by Championship Sunday, this is the reason the tour stops in Arizona in February.

Let’s get into the action.

Anna Bright and Hayden Patriquin Win Gold

A crazy statistic - prior to playing against each other in the Mesa Cup, all six matches between Anna and Hayden against Anna Leigh and Ben went the full distance. All four semis went to three games and both finals went to five games. The end result? Ben and Anna Leigh won.

The Carvana Mesa Cup was VERY different:

• Anna Bright and Hayden beat Anna Leigh Waters and Ben Johns for the first time - ✅
• The match was done in three games - ✅
• This was the fourth time Anna Bright took down Anna Leigh and Ben (with her fourth partner) - ✅

From start to finish, Hayden and Anna both played amazing. At times, Anna Leigh and Ben looked a bit out of sorts, and Hayden and Anna were able to get their first victory together over Anna Leigh and Ben. The final scorelines was 11-8, 11-9, 11-3.

Notes:

• It had been 321 days since Ben and Anna Leigh last lost a match - April 6, 2025 - the 2025 PPA North Carolina Open to Jorja and JW Johnson
• I mentioned this was the fourth time Anna Bright beat Anna Leigh Waters and Ben Johns - here are the four times:
  • February 22, 2026 - 2026 Mesa Cup Finals - Hayden Patriquin - 11-8, 11-9, 11-3
  • February 22, 2025 - 2025 Mesa Cup Semis - Dekel Bar - 12-10, 7-11, 11-9
  • March 17, 2024 - 2024 Austin Open Finals - Andrei Daescu - 11-3, 11-9, 11-3
  • December 2, 2023 - PPA Tours Finals Group Stage - James Ignatowich - 11-8, 11-8

Anna Leigh Waters Earned Double Gold in Singles and Women’s Doubles

Despite losing her first match on Championship Sunday, Waters bounced back and won two gold medals in Mesa.

In her second match of the day, Anna Leigh played with Anna Bright, against Jorja Johnson and Hurricane Tyra Black for the women's doubles championship. Waters and Bright won 11-1, 13-11, 11-7 in the finals.

Bright and Waters were dominant throughout their time in Mesa, winning by a combined score of 101-27, or 11.2-2 per game. They even double pickled Tina Pisnik and Lacy Schneemann in the semifinals.

In singles, Anna Leigh was nearly as dominant as she was in doubles. In her five matches, the score was a combined 110-21, or an average of 11-2.1 per game. Both Kiora Kunimoto and Zoey Wang managed to score four points in one game, which tied for the largest amount of points given up in one game by ALW, when she was in Mesa.

In the finals, Anna Leigh faced Kate Fahey, and beat her 11-3, 11-1, to take the title.

Gabe and Ben Won Men’s Doubles 

Gabe Tardio and Ben Johns continue to earn gold medals in 2026. The duo lost Worlds to Hayden and Christian Alshon, but since then, they have not lost a match.

Lakeland - Gold

Masters - Gold

Cape Coral - Gold

Mesa - Gold

Of note, Jonathan Truong and Wyatt Stone scared Ben and Gabe a bit in the Round of 16. Ben and Gabe were able to gut out a 12-10, 11-9 victory.

In the finals, Ben and Gabe got off to a slow start against Hayden Patriquin and Christian Alshon, losing 8-11. However, they picked up their energy thereafter, winning the next three games, 11-6, 11-8, 13-11.

We continue talking about "the big four" in men's doubles, but is it really "Ben and Gabe" and then "the other three"? It is starting to feel like that.

Chris Haworth Earned His Second Gold in 2026 in Singles

Haworth has now moved up to the third ranked men's singles player on the PPA Tour, behind only Hunter Johnson and Federico Staksrud.

The former Oklahoma State Cowboy had to beat some good competition on the way to the finals. He beat Jace Morris, Spartak Rahachou, Jay Devilliers, John Lucian Goins, and Matt Barlow.

In the finals, Haworth faced off against Ben Johns, who hadn't played singles in quite a while. The last time Johns played singles was Worlds, where he lost to Alex Crum in the Round of 32.

Haworth was able to take home the victory, 11-6, 11-6 against Ben. In fact, Chris didn't lose a game all week in Mesa. His presence at the net, and his precise groundstrokes were too much for the competition this week.

Haworth is now chasing the #1 seed, and is only picking up PPA Points because he signed with the PPA in the second half of the 2025 year. Meanwhile, Federico and Hunter are just looking to maintain their points, and not drop any from event to event.

Matt Barlow Came out of Qualifiers To Make the Semis

The relatively unknown Matthew Barlow is not UPA signed, and had to make it through qualifiers to make the main draw. He made quick work of his qualifier opponents, winning three matches, pickling his opponent in two games.

In the main draw, Barlow beat the following players to make the semis:

• Rd128 - (57) Wil Shaffer - 11-2, 11-9
• Rd64 - (6) Roscoe Bellamy - 9-11, 11-9, 11-2
• Rd32 - (30) Mota Alhouni - 7-11, 11-9, 11-4
• Rd16 - (21) Matt Burkhardt (Lucky Loser) - 11-4, 11-1
• Quarterfinals - (1) Hunter Johnson - 11-9, 3-11, 11-5

In the semis, Barlow lost to (4) Chris Haworth and then lost the bronze match to (3) Christian Alshon. This was a great run for the Omahan, beating two top 10 players in the world.

Medal Results

Women’s Singles

🥇 Anna Leigh Waters

🥈 Kate Fahey

🥉 Brooke Buckner

Men’s Singles

🥇 Chris Haworth

🥈 Ben Johns

🥉 Christian Alshon

Mixed Doubles

🥇 Anna Bright/Hayden Patriquin

🥈 Anna Leigh Waters/Ben Johns

🥉 Hurricane Tyra Black/Andrei Daescu

Women’s Doubles

🥇 Anna Bright/Anna Leigh Waters

🥈 Jorja Johnson/Hurricane Tyra Black

🥉 Lacy Schneemann/Tina Pisnik

Men’s Doubles

🥇 Gabe Tardio/Ben Johns

🥈 Christian Alshon/Hayden Patriquin

🥉 Federico Staksrud/Andrei Daescu