The Veolia Texas Open grappled with very windy conditions, but Anna Leigh Waters was a tornado all to herself, as she took yet another triple crown. Meanwhile, Ben Johns grabbed another double gold, so between Waters and Johns, that was four of the five event winners. The fifth was Federico Staksrud, who put up his claim to being the #1 singles player.

1. With Anna Leigh Waters, the more things change, the more they stay the same

It is getting redundant in 2026 to recap a PPA tournament by stating that Waters won a triple crown. It is getting to the point where it would be an upset if she did not win a triple crown. In singles, Waters cruised as usual, not losing a single game. Kaitlyn Christian won eleven points in her two game semifinal loss, which relatively speaking was one of the best performances against Waters in 2026.

In women’s doubles, Waters (teaming with Anna Bright) did not drop a single game. Waters and Bright rolled through the draw. Losing only an average of three points per game. It looks like Waters and Bright have found their full potential and at this point, they appear likely to win every tournament in 2026.

Finally, in mixed doubles, Waters and Ben Johns won gold, but did drop one game in the final, to Anna Bright and Hayden Patriquin. Up until the final against their rivals, Waters and Johns were unstoppable, winning matches more easily the further they got in the draw.

2. Federico Staksrud stakes his claim to #1 in singles

Men’s singles remains hotly competitive. In Newport Beach, Hunter Johnson defeated Chris Haworth to claim the #1 ranking. This week, Johnson sat out, and Haworth made the final again, this time meeting up in the gold medal match with Staksrud. Unlike some of the other events, the men’s singles final was a tight match. Haworth won game one 11-2. But Staksrud regrouped to take games two and three by identical 11-5 scores. Expect Staksrud, Haworth, and Johnson to battle all year for the top spot in men’s singles.

3. Some new names make the Sunday medal matches

It is always nice to see some new players make it to Sunday, or at least players who rarely get a chance to play on Sunday. In Texas, Zane Ford snagged a bronze medal as a longshot #10 seed. In men’s doubles, #7 seeds Jaume Martinez Vich and Jay Devilliers also grabbed a bronze medal, defeating JW Johnson and CJ Klinger in the bronze medal match. Finally, in women’s doubles, #9 seeds Mari Humberg and Milan Rane fell just short of a medal, losing 11-9 in game three in the bronze medal women’s doubles match, to #3 Rachel Rohrabacher and Catherine Parenteau. Humberg and Rane appeared to like tough, three game matches, as their quarterfinal, semifinal and medal matches all went the full three games.

4. Teenager watch

This week’s up and comer performance went to 14 year old Tama Shimabukuro. In men’s singles, Shimabukuro was a #27 seed, but made it to the quarterfinals. His wins included one over #4 seed Connor Garnett, which definitely qualifies as a signature win. Shimabukuro, like the other teenagers who are starting to make their mark on the PPA tour, is having more success early on in singles. It is only a matter of time before Shimabukuro and Kiora Kunimoto (among others) get breakthrough wins in doubles. For now, it is fun to see their progress in singles.

Next up on the PPA tour is the Greater Zion Cup at the Black Desert Resort. It is a new venue for the PPA tour and is by reputation a beautiful location. I know I am looking forward to seeing the venue and enjoying the action in person. Hope to see you there. If not, as usual, catch the action on PickleballTV.

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