It took only three days of main draw competition in 2026 for the PPA Tour to deliver an early candidate for match of the year.

That title belongs to the mixed doubles Round of 16 clash between No. 8 seeds Kate Fahey/Federico Staksrud and No. 18 seeds Rachel Rohrabacher/Will Howells.

There was no shortage of storylines coming into the contest, especially with this being Howells’ first tournament since signing with the PPA tour, and the bout certainly lived up to the hype.

After nearly an hour and a half of high-octane action, Fahey/Staksrud triumphed by a 4-11, 12-10, 14-12 score line after overcoming a 7-10 deficit in Game 3 and saving five match points.

Staksrud, who also beat Howells in singles earlier in the week, spoke afterwards about just how valuable wins like Thursday’s are for his and Fahey’s partnership moving forward.

“We’re playing together all year, so we’re just trying to get better and better. That’s the main goal, and to be able to play these kinds of matches with full pressure on Center Court, it’s just really good for our experience together,” he told Pickleballtv’s Kamryn Blackwood and Matt Manasse. “You can practice all you want, but this is where you get better in the big moments.”

Both Staksrud and Fahey will be back in action on Thursday in gender doubles, with Fahey competing alongside Tina Pisnik and Staksrud partnering up with Andrei Daescu for the very first time.

Keep up with all the action on Pickleballtv.