The SXY Newport Beach Open presented by JOOLA finished as a tour de force for Anna Leigh Waters and Ben Johns. They won gold in every event entered, with Waters winning three golds and Johns two. Sunday’s championship round was all Waters and Johns as between them they lost only one game.

 

 

Lately, most tournaments have been concluding with a triple crown for Waters. About the only thing stopping her in 2026 is Waters herself, such as the tournaments where she takes a break from singles. This past week in Newport Beach, Waters won singles gold without losing a game, losing an average of less than four points per game over five matches. In women’s doubles, Waters and partner Anna Bright continued their uninterrupted streak of golds in 2026, winning without dropping a single game. Over the course of their five matches, they won all eleven games, holding the opponents to an average of less than three points per game. Finally, in mixed doubles, Waters and Ben Johns avenged their finals loss in Mesa to Bright and Hayden Patriquin, defeating longshots Tina Pisnik and Eric Oncins, who made a great run to get to the final. Waters and Johns did not lose a game, meaning that Waters went all week without losing any games. What more can you say?

 

 

 

Chris Haworth has been hot lately in the super competitive men’s singles arena. At Newport Beach, Haworth met Hunter Johnson in the semifinals in what was arguably a battle for the #1 ranking. Johnson prevailed 11-7, 11-9. Johnson then went on to defeat Federico Staksrud in the final, 12-10, 11-9. For now, Johnson lays claim to the top spot. But expect Haworth and Staksrud to continue to contest that top spot. It does appear now that these top three have established a little bit of daylight between themselves and the rest of the men’s singles field. Expect to see many more epic battles when any two of these three meet in future tournaments.

 

 

 

Tina Pisnik walked away with two medals in Newport Beach, her best finish ever. In mixed doubles, Pisnik and partner Eric Oncins were the #10 seed. They started with expected wins in the Round of 64 and Round of 32. In the Round of 16, they upset #8 Kate Fahey and Federico Staksrud. In the quarters, they took out #3 Bright and Patriquin in three games. Not satisfied with one big upset, Pisnik and Oncins then defeated #2 Jorja Johnson and JW Johnson in the semifinal. Pisnik and Oncins lost to Waters and Johns in the final and took home a well-earned silver medal.

 

 

Pisnik added a good run in women’s doubles with Lacy Schneemann. They were the #4 seed and made it to Sunday, defeating #2 seed Jorja Johnson and Tyra Black, to take home a bronze medal.

 

Pisnik’s forte is steadiness. She lacks the power of a Waters or a Bright, but instead focuses on making balls, playing good defense, and taking advantage of opponents’ errors. She is a very good right side partner for a player like Oncins, who can cover a lot of court and supply the offense, while Pisnik supplies the defense.

 

 

Next up is the Veolia Texas Open, which takes place this week. We will see if it results in another Waters’ triple; who will take advantage of Johnson’s absence to win men’s singles; and, whether the Pisnik/Oncins' second place finish was an aberration or a trend. I had picked Pisnik/Oncins as my upset special for Newport Beach, and I am staying on that train for Texas. Tune in to Pickleballtv for all the action.

 

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