Mari Humberg hitting a pickleball forehand.
Mari Humberg competing at the PPA Masters in Rancho Mirage, CA. PPA Tour

3 things to watch for on Thursday at PPA Mesa

The Carvana Mesa Cup continues Thursday with Round of 16 action in all five pro events.

Here is the order of play:

 

Now, let’s get into what to watch for.

  • Mari Humberg is into the Round of 16 in women’s singles after an 11-9, 2-11, 11-8 upset victory over No. 3 seed and recent Cape Coral champion Kaitlyn Christian on Wednesday. The No. 25 seed will look to continue her run in the windy conditions when she faces No. 19 seed Jamie Wei on Thursday in the first match on Showcase Court 1.

 

  • In men’s singles, Ben Johns and Connor Garnett will face off for the third consecutive year at Arizona Athletic Grounds, with their 2024 and 2025 meetings having come in the semifinals. Johns won both of those meetings as the two-time defending champion at this event, but Garnett has the higher seed this year at No. 5. Garnett will be looking to improve on his 2-8 all-time record in this matchup, while Johns will continue his pursuit of gold in his first singles tournament of 2026. This will be the fourth match of the day on Humana Championship Court.

 

  • And in mixed doubles, No. 7 seeds Kate Fahey/Federico Staksrud will take on No. 9 seeds Tina Pisnik/Noe Khlif in what should be one of the day’s most competitive contests. Pisnik/Khlif won the only prior meeting between these two teams in the bronze medal match of the PPA Masters in January, a result that speaks to the quality of Thursday’s clash coming in the Round of 16. Staksrud and Khlif, of course, will also square off in singles earlier in the day.

 

Live broadcast coverage from the Arizona Athletic Grounds will begin at 11am CT on Pickleballtv and the PPA Streamed Courts YouTube.