The milestone accomplishments keep coming for Anna Leigh Waters, and the Veolia Chicago Cup was another steppingstone along the way.

 

In addition to yet another triple crown, this time the three victories in Chicago raised Waters’ career total of gold medals to 200. It was another dominating week for Waters, but at the same time it is becoming almost routine for her.

 

Waters was the big story of Chicago, but there were other notable performances as well.

 

 

Before we get to the other players, the breadth of Waters’ domination can further be seen in the statistics. Waters played 31 games in Chicago; she won 30 of them. In singles, Waters only gave up an average of 3.1 points per game. In mixed doubles, Waters and Ben Johns only had one game where the opponents scored over six points. In women’s doubles, Waters and Anna Bright lost a game in the gold medal final; but before the final, they only gave up 2.5 points per game (in eight games).

 

Waters does not just win matches; she does not just win games; she completely dominates her opponents and makes winning seem routine. She is at 200 wins, but 300 will soon follow at this rate.

 

 

 

Nico Acevedo made another final in Chicago, the third semifinal or better in the last three PPA tournaments. This time, as a #14 seed, Acevedo and Jaume Martinez Vich made the men’s doubles final. Along the way, they defeated #4 JW Johnson/Tama Shimabukuro and #6 Dylan Frazier/Armaan Bhatia. Acevedo/Martinez Vich then won an epic semifinal over #27 Bruno Faletto/Anouar Braham, 11-9, 12-10. Acevedo and Martinez Vich lost the final to Federico Staksrud and Hayden Patriquin, but it was another great run for Acevedo.

 

At this point, it is time to see Acevedo as a top 10 player, if not higher. He had breakout performances in MLP, and has continued his rise in the 2026-27 PPA season. How far up the ladder can Acevedo go?

 

 

 

Kate Fahey has been the #2 women’s singles player for a while, but until this year, her doubles game had lagged her singles game. But 2026 is the year Fahey is showing her doubles game is catching up to her singles prowess. In Chicago, Fahey played her usual solid singles, taking second to Waters. In mixed doubles, Fahey and Staksrud made the quarterfinals, losing to Waters and Johns. 

 

in women’s doubles, Fahey had a notable run with partner Milan Rane. Seeded eighth, they knocked off #9 Zoey Wang/Lea Jansen in the Round of 16 and then #4 Sofia Sewing/Jorja Johnson in the quarterfinals. Fahey/Rane dropped their semifinal match, but it was a good run for the #8 seed.

 

Fahey’s doubles performance in Chicago went beyond just the results. Fahey played right side in mixed and left side in women’s doubles, showing growth in her skill set. Indeed, opponents recognized how well Fahey was playing, generally staying away from her in women’s doubles. Fahey used to be seen as just a right side player who had success in MLP playing next to a dominant Anna Bright. Chicago shows Fahey can play a dominant left side in women’s doubles. There are relatively few dominant left side players on the women’s side, and Fahey may well emerge as a force on that side.

 

 

 

Every tournament we seem to see a couple of new faces on the PPA Tour making a good run in one of the events. Chicago was no different. In men’s singles, Emilien Burnel started with a shocking upset in the opening round of #3 Hunter Johnson. Burnel did not stop there, but ran all the way to the semifinals, where his Cinderella streak finally ended at the hands of Chris Haworth.

 

 

In men’s doubles, #27 seed Bruno Faletto/Anuoar Braham made big news with their Round of 32 upset of #2 Ben Johns/Jack Sock. But, they showed it was no fluke, making a run all the way to the semifinals. Their semifinal match was one of the best of the tournament, with Acevedo and Martinez Vich prevailing 11-9, 12-10.

 

Braham has been showing for a while that he is an emerging talent; this week, he helped Faletto make a deep run. We will have to see if Burnel and Faletto can follow up on their Chicago performances with good play in the next event.

 

The PPA Tour moves next to the Mojo Energy Pouches Virginia Beach Open, beginning Monday. All the action will be on Pickleballtv.

 

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