PPA Greater Zion Cup 2026 [Results, Stats, Upsets, Videos]

Chris Haworth defeated Federico Staksrud 11-9, 11-5 in the men's singles final at the Greater Zion Cup and became the new world No. 1 in men's singles. Two weeks ago at the Texas Open, Haworth built an 8-0 lead in that same matchup and lost. This time he closed it out. The PPA Greater Zion Cup 2026 results gave us a new No. 1 in men's singles, a rare crack in Anna Leigh Waters' singles armor, and the first real test of the Tardio/Johns men's doubles partnership all season.

Waters won her 43rd career PPA triple crown at the Black Desert Resort in Ivins, Utah, but the women's singles final was the story. Kate Fahey took the first game 11-8, the first game anyone has taken off Waters in singles since May. Waters won the next two 11-3 and 11-2, but Fahey's game plan is worth studying. More on that below.

In men's doubles, Gabe Tardio and Ben Johns needed five games to beat Hayden Patriquin and Christian Alshon 13-11, 3-11, 3-11, 11-2, 11-7. They dropped two straight games for the first time in 2026 before pulling it together in games four and five. As someone who plays three hours a day, I can tell you that kind of mid-match composure reset is one of the hardest things to execute in doubles. And 11 PICKLES, we are all here for all of it. Let's break it down.

PPA Greater Zion Cup 2026: Final Results

This was a 1,500-point Cup event, one of only four on the 2026 PPA Tour calendar, with a 1.5x point multiplier. Here is how every podium shook out:

Men's Singles

Gold: Chris Haworth def. Federico Staksrud (11-9, 11-5)

Silver: Federico Staksrud

Bronze: Jack Sock

Haworth kept rallies short and denied Staksrud the extended baseline exchanges where the Argentine is most comfortable. The first game was tight, but Haworth separated in game two by attacking early in rallies and taking time away. This win makes him the third different player to hold the No. 1 ranking in 2026, after Hunter Johnson and Staksrud. Ben Johns did not enter the singles draw.

"I feel super blessed to be able to play this sport and play in front of incredible fans," Haworth said.

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Women's Singles

Gold: Anna Leigh Waters def. Kate Fahey (8-11, 11-3, 11-2)

Silver: Kate Fahey

Fahey won the first game 11-8 by targeting Waters' forehand and changing pace on her dinks. That made her the first player to take a game off Waters in singles since May. Waters adjusted in games two and three by shortening rallies and increasing first-strike aggression, winning 11-3 and 11-2. Her winning streak now exceeds 664 consecutive days.

Men's Doubles

Gold: Gabe Tardio / Ben Johns def. Hayden Patriquin / Christian Alshon (13-11, 3-11, 3-11, 11-2, 11-7)

Silver: Hayden Patriquin / Christian Alshon

The match of the tournament. Patriquin and Alshon won games two and three by identical 11-3 scores after Johns and Tardio barely took game one 13-11. Johns and Tardio responded with 11-2 and 11-7 in games four and five. This was their 15th title together, and Tardio has now won every men's doubles gold in 2026, going 6-for-6 across five events with Johns and one with Andrei Daescu.

"I felt like we were all hitting our spots pretty well, and then it just kind of became a game of who was countering the best," Johns said.

Women's Doubles

Gold: Anna Leigh Waters / Anna Bright def. Parris Todd / Kate Fahey (11-3, 11-3, 11-0)

Silver: Parris Todd / Kate Fahey

Waters and Bright conceded 15 total points across five matches this week, averaging 3 points per game allowed. The final ended 11-0 in the third game. Worth noting: Lacy Schneemann and Meghan Dizon upset the No. 2 seeds earlier in the bracket to earn a medal, a result that matters for seeding down the line.

Mixed Doubles

Gold: Anna Leigh Waters / Ben Johns def. Anna Bright / Hayden Patriquin (11-5, 11-0, 15-13)

Silver: Anna Bright / Hayden Patriquin

At the Mesa Cup, Bright and Patriquin swept Waters and Johns 3-0. Since that loss, Waters and Johns have dropped only one game across twelve-plus matches. At Zion they controlled the first two games 11-5 and 11-0 before Bright and Patriquin pushed game three to 15-13. The third game showed Bright and Patriquin can compete with this team when they sustain aggressive play, but starting 0-2 in a final is too big a hole against Waters and Johns.

Biggest Upsets and Storylines

What Haworth Changed Between Texas and Zion

The men's singles final at the Texas Open and the one at the Greater Zion Cup featured the same two players with opposite results. Understanding what changed is useful for anyone following the men's singles race.

At Texas, Haworth built an 8-0 lead by attacking aggressively, then lost as Staksrud adapted to the wind and Haworth could not find a counter. At Zion, Haworth adjusted his approach. He kept rallies shorter, stayed more compact, and did not let Staksrud settle into the longer exchanges that favor his counterpunching style. The 11-5 second game was the result of Haworth forcing the pace consistently instead of sitting back after building a lead.

The bigger picture: Hunter Johnson, Staksrud, and Haworth have each won two singles titles in seven events this season. All three have traded the No. 1 ranking. For anyone tracking the men's singles race, there is no clear favorite heading into the second half of the season, and that is what makes every event worth watching.

Fahey's Game Plan Against Waters and Why It Matters

Kate Fahey's first-game win deserves specific attention because it revealed a tactical approach that other players will study.

Fahey targeted Waters' forehand side early and often, changing the pace of her dinks to disrupt Waters' timing. She refused to play the patient, defensive rallies that most players default to against Waters. At the Texas Open, Fahey showed a version of this by scoring eight straight points from 3-10 down. At Zion, she committed to it from the first point and won the opening game 11-8.

What Waters did in games two and three is equally instructive. She shortened her own rallies, increased her third-shot aggression, and took away the pace changes Fahey was using. The 11-3 and 11-2 scorelines were not about Fahey collapsing; they were about Waters removing the specific weapons that worked in game one.

"If I have to die on this court, I will," Waters said after the match.

Two back-to-back finals with improving results. Fahey is the closest challenger Waters has faced this season, and the first-game win gives her and other players real data on what approach can work, at least for stretches.

How Patriquin and Alshon Exposed Johns and Tardio (and How Johns and Tardio Fixed It)

Hayden Patriquin and Christian Alshon became the first team in 2026 to take two games off Johns and Tardio. Here is what worked and what Johns and Tardio did to counter it.

In games two and three, Patriquin and Alshon did three things well:

1. They won the dink battles by staying patient and forcing Johns and Tardio to speed up first, then countering those speed-ups cleanly.
2. Alshon's cross-court dinking forced Johns to stretch and created openings for Patriquin to finish at the net.
3. They dictated pace instead of reacting. Against most teams, Johns and Tardio control the tempo. Patriquin and Alshon took that away.

In games four and five, Johns and Tardio made specific adjustments:

1. Johns moved from a more conservative positioning to an aggressive net-rushing approach, cutting off Alshon's cross-court angles before they developed.
2. Tardio increased his speed-up frequency on the forehand side, giving Patriquin less reaction time to set up his finishing shots.
3. They talked between every point in games four and five. The communication was visibly more active than in the middle games.

The 11-2 and 11-7 scorelines in games four and five show how quickly Johns and Tardio can recalibrate. But the blueprint is on tape now. Other teams will study how Patriquin and Alshon won those two games.

Waters and Bright's Women's Doubles Efficiency

Anna Leigh Waters and Anna Bright conceded 15 total points in five women's doubles matches. To put that in context: most recreational doubles games see more points scored against one team in a single game. They averaged 3 points per game allowed across the entire bracket.

What makes this partnership effective is not just talent. It is how they cover the court. Bright takes the left side aggressively, cutting off balls early, while Waters controls the right with the best hands in women's pickleball. They rarely leave gaps between them, and they transition from defense to offense faster than any other women's team on Tour. At the Texas Open, they posted similar numbers against different opponents, which suggests this is a system, not a matchup advantage.

The 11-0 third game in the final against Parris Todd and Fahey will get the attention, but the real story is consistency. Five matches, 15 points allowed. That is the standard they are setting every week.

Jack Sock's Singles Run Shows His Transition Is Working

Former ATP tennis pro Jack Sock reached the projected men's singles semifinal at the Greater Zion Cup. For context, this was a 1,500-point Cup event, the highest stakes of any regular-season format on Tour.

Sock's tennis background gives him exceptional hand speed and the ability to end rallies with power. What he is developing on the pickleball side is the patience required at the kitchen line, where soft game and shot selection matter more than raw athleticism. Making a semifinal at a Cup event suggests that development is ahead of schedule. If he continues building the dinking and transition game, he could challenge for titles by mid-season.

Player of the Tournament: Anna Leigh Waters

Anna Leigh Waters won three gold medals and her 43rd career triple crown. What separates this one from the others is that she lost a game in singles and still won the match convincingly.

Most players who hold long winning streaks protect them by playing conservatively when challenged. Waters does the opposite. After Fahey took game one, Waters increased her aggression in games two and three instead of tightening up. That willingness to push harder under pressure, rather than retreat to safe play, is a big part of why the streak has lasted 664-plus days.

She also played three Championship Sunday finals in one day. The physical load of competing at a high level across women's singles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles in a single day is something that does not show up in the scorelines. At 19, she is managing that workload better than players with years more experience.

Rising Stars to Watch

Every PPA tournament shifts the rankings picture. Here are the players whose trajectories changed at the Greater Zion Cup and what it means going forward.

• Kate Fahey took a game off Anna Leigh Waters in singles and made the women's doubles final with Parris Todd. Why this matters: her forehand-targeting approach against Waters produced the best result anyone has managed since May. Other players now have a tactical reference point.
• Lacy Schneemann and Meghan Dizon upset the No. 2 seeds in women's doubles to earn a medal. Why this matters: the women's doubles bracket has more depth than the Waters/Bright scorelines suggest, and this result could affect seeding for upcoming events.
• Will Howells returned to doubles competition after an extended ankle injury. Why this matters: Howells was a rising force before the injury, and his trajectory for the rest of 2026 depends on how quickly he regains match fitness and rhythm.

Greater Zion Cup By The Numbers

• 43 career PPA triple crowns for Anna Leigh Waters
• 664+ consecutive days without a singles loss for Waters
• 15 total points conceded by Waters/Bright in five women's doubles matches (3 per game average)
• 5 games in the men's doubles final, the first time Johns/Tardio dropped two games in a match all season
• 15 men's doubles titles for the Johns/Tardio partnership
• 6 consecutive men's doubles golds for Gabe Tardio in 2026 (6-for-6)
• 3 different players who have held the men's singles No. 1 ranking in 2026 (Johnson, Staksrud, Haworth), each with 2 titles
• 1,500 PPA ranking points available (Cup event, 1.5x multiplier)
• 1,000+ players competing at the Greater Zion Cup
• 11-8 Fahey's first-game win over Waters in women's singles, the first game taken off Waters since May
• 11-0 the third game of the women's doubles final (Waters/Bright over Todd/Fahey)

What Is Next

Seven events into the 2026 season, the rankings picture is starting to take shape.

In men's singles, three players have two titles each and the No. 1 ranking keeps changing hands. In women's singles, Waters' streak continues but Fahey has shown it can be tested. In men's doubles, Johns and Tardio are still undefeated but Patriquin and Alshon proved they can be pushed. And in women's doubles, Waters and Bright are on pace for one of the most dominant partnership seasons in PPA history.

Here is the men's singles title race through seven events:

1. Hunter Johnson: 2 titles
2. Federico Staksrud: 2 titles
3. Chris Haworth: 2 titles (current No. 1)

The questions heading into the next event: can Haworth hold the No. 1 spot, or does the rotation continue? Will Fahey build on what she showed at Zion? And can any men's doubles team use the Patriquin/Alshon tape to actually beat Johns and Tardio?

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Frequently Asked Questions

Who Won the PPA Greater Zion Cup 2026?

Chris Haworth won men's singles, Anna Leigh Waters won women's singles, Gabe Tardio and Ben Johns won men's doubles, Anna Leigh Waters and Anna Bright won women's doubles, and Anna Leigh Waters and Ben Johns won mixed doubles. Waters earned her 43rd career triple crown by winning all three brackets she entered.

What Were the PPA Greater Zion Cup 2026 Men's Singles Results?

Chris Haworth won men's singles gold by defeating Federico Staksrud 11-9, 11-5 in the final. This victory made Haworth the new world No. 1 in men's singles, the third player to hold the top ranking in 2026. Jack Sock, a former ATP tennis professional, reached the projected semifinal.

Did Anyone Take a Game Off Anna Leigh Waters in Singles at the Zion Cup?

Yes. Kate Fahey won the first game of the women's singles final 11-8, the first game anyone had taken off Waters in singles since May. Waters responded by winning games two and three 11-3 and 11-2 to extend her winning streak past 664 consecutive days.

How Did Johns and Tardio Win Men's Doubles at the Greater Zion Cup?

Ben Johns and Gabe Tardio won a five-game match over Hayden Patriquin and Christian Alshon, 13-11, 3-11, 3-11, 11-2, 11-7. They trailed two games to one before adjusting their positioning and communication to dominate games four and five. This was their 15th title as a partnership.

Where Was the PPA Greater Zion Cup 2026 Held?

The PPA Greater Zion Cup 2026 was held at Black Desert Resort, 1500 East Black Desert Drive, Ivins, Utah, near St. George in southwest Utah. The tournament ran from March 23 through 29, 2026 and was broadcast on PickleballTV daily with primetime coverage on FS1 (Friday and Saturday) and FS2 (Finals Sunday).

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