The first tournament of 2026 starts Monday from Mission Hills Country Club with The Carvana Masters powered by Invited. This tournament has it all, with new partnerships, young guns, veteran players, and a great facility. What better way to start the new year? If you are not fired up for The Masters, well, then you just are not a pickleball fan. Lots to talk about with this one, so let’s get right to it.

 

 

Fans always like to see new doubles teams, and the new year brings out a lot of those new partnerships. We start at the top, where the top eight men’s players from 2025 have shuffled around a bit. Of the Big Four teams in men’s doubles, two stayed the same (Gabe Tardio/Ben Johns and CJ Klinger/JW Johnson), but the other two changed. Hayden Patriquin will play the left side next to Christian Alshon, while Federico Staksrud takes his new right side game and pairs with Andrei Daescu. Who will fare better, the two who stayed the same, or the two who switched? I think the Patriquin/Alshon pairing is the most interesting one. Patriquin’s ceiling is as high as it gets; could this be the year when he puts it all together and makes a run at the No. 1 ranking? Alshon is a veteran presence on the right, and if this team can keep their emotions in check, the sky is the limit.

 

Some other new partnerships to keep an eye on are (in men’s doubles) Jack Sock/Pablo Tellez, Jay Devilliers/Dekel Bar, Dylan Frazier/Eric Oncins and Augie Ge/Connor Garnett; in women’s doubles Jessie Irvine/Kaitlyn Christian, Lea Jansen/Callie Smith, and Meghan Dizon/Alix Truong; and, in mixed doubles CJ Klinger/Callie Smith, Blaine Hovenier/Jade Kawamoto, Jay Devilliers/Jessie Irvine, Jack Sock/Mari Humberg, Andrei Daescu/Lacy Schneemann, Dylan Frazier/Lea Jansen, and Gabe Tardio/Catherine Parenteau. All of these changes will make the draws more unpredictable and interesting. Which pairs will work the best?

 

 

 

One of the best and most exciting things about the PPA Tour is seeing new, young players trying to make their mark. They start young, and sometimes they break through quickly and become teenage stars of the sport (yeah, I am looking at you Anna Leigh Waters). At The Masters, we have a whole host of young players who will be regulars on the PPA Tour in 2026. In women’s doubles, the No. 24 seed is Zoeya Khan (21 years old) and Kiora Kunimoto (17). The No. 27 seed is Cailyn Campbell (15) and Giovanna Morelli (20). The No. 31 seed is Ella Yeh (15) and Jaeda Minniefield (16). Finally, the No. 34 seed is Elsie Hendershot (12) and Ella Cosma (16).

 

On the men’s side, we have the No. 40 seed Andre Mercado (16) and Tama Shimabukuro (14). The No. 43 seed is Wil Shaffer (16) and Jace Morris (17). Further up the seeding ladder at No. 11, 17-year-old Will MacKinnon is playing with familiar face Riley Newman.

 

It is hard to break through on the PPA Tour, and even harder when you are young and just starting your first full year. These kids have loads of talent, and it will be fun to watch their 2026 journey. It all begins at The Masters.

 

 

 

The 2026 Masters is the first PPA event for top 10 player Will Howells. After absolutely dominating the minor league APP Tour, Howells now steps up to play with the big boys. Howells has had a very good record at MLP the last two years, and we will see how he does in PPA events. Howells is the best new player to join PPA since Andrei Daescu. Can he have the same success and impact as Daescu? Lacking any ranking points, Howells will start off as a No. 71 seed in singles. Assuming he can win his first match in the Round of 64, he then will play No. 2 Federico Staksrud. Who doesn’t want to see that “welcome to the PPA” match?

 

In men’s doubles, Howells will pair with Noe Khlif and they get a No. 15 seed. They have a reasonable draw, starting off against a qualifier team, and then a likely Round of 32 match with No. 22 Tom Protzek/Martin Emmrich. If they can win that one, No. 4 CJ Klinger/JW Johnson probably await. 

 

In mixed doubles, Howells is playing with Rachel Rohrabacher and they drew a No. 18 seed. They start with a Round of 64 match against No. 43 seed Christa Gecheva/Yuta Funemizu. If they can win that one, their very likely Round of 32 match would be against No. 12 Meghan Dizon/Eric Oncins. Dizon had a good year in 2025, and Oncins was my pick as the most improved player of 2025. Talk about a must see Round of 32 match!

 

 

 

2025 gave us the Big Four teams in men’s doubles, who made it hard for anyone else to make the semifinals or win a medal. Could we see the same thing starting in women’s doubles in 2026? The top seed will be Anna Leigh Waters and Anna Bright. The second best women’s doubles team is Jorja Johnson and Tyra Black, but they are seeded No. 3 and are on the same side of the draw as Waters/Bright, so expect a fantastic semifinal, if no upsets. In the bottom half of the draw, the No. 2 seed is Catherine Parenteau/Rachel Rohrabacher. They played well together to end 2025. At No. 4 are the Kawamotos, Jade and Jackie. Both upped their game in 2025, and they are capable of winning it all. I think there is a very good chance we will see those top four seeds all make the semifinals and, if they play it smart, they will all stick together through 2026 and dominate.

 

 

 

My first prediction is that The Masters is going to be a great tournament. The players will be pumped up after a month-long layoff. The facility is top notch. The event always draws a large crowd of fans. The draws are filled with great players and exciting stories. The year just started, but I am very confident I am starting with a correct prediction.

 

For the events, let’s see if we can pick some winners:

 

In men’s doubles, for lower seeds who can make the Round of 16, I am looking at No. 17 Jonathan Truong/AJ Koller and No. 19 DJ Young/Roscoe Bellamy. I do like the top four seeds to make the semifinals and Tardio/Johns to win over Staksrud/Daescu. I think the semifinal between Staksrud/Daescu and Patriquin/Alshon will be the match of the tournament.

 

In men’s singles, make sure you watch a Round of 32 match between No. 26 Eric Oncins and No. 6 Chris Haworth. They have played each other the last two tournaments and both matches were crazy good. They are 1-1, so look for Haworth to break the tie. Men’s singles is just so tough to predict, but let’s go with Haworth over Jack Sock in the final.

 

In mixed doubles, No. 2 Jorja Johnson/JW Johnson have a very favorable draw, so I will go with them to win it all over No. 1 Waters/Johns.

 

For women’s doubles, I will go with the top four to all make the semifinals. I will take Waters/Bright over the Kawamotos in the final.

 

And in women’s singles, I will never bet against Anna Leigh Waters. I will give the silver to Brooke Buckner.

 

Watch it all on Pickleballtv, if you cannot be there in person. 

 

Follow me on X @pickleball_jim for daily updates on the tournament.