Tammy Emmrich and Ewa Radzikowska competing in women's doubles at the Punta Gorda PPA Challenger.
Tammy Emmrich and Ewa Radzikowska claimed the women's doubles title at the Punta Gorda PPA Challenger. PPA Challenger Series

Punta Gorda PPA Challenger Recap: Radzikowska kicks off final year with women’s doubles gold alongside Emmrich

The PPA Challenger Series put on its first event of the 2026 season over the weekend, hosting 396 players at PicklePlex in Punta Gorda, FL.

No player earned more than one title at the year’s opening event, a stat that signifies the growing competition between the sport’s rising stars and tour veterans.

One of the players who did earn a gold was 46-year-old Ewa Radzikowska, who won the women’s doubles title alongside Tammy Emmrich with an 11-4, 11-9 victory over Christa Gecheva/Mehvish Safdar in the final.

 

After that match, Radzikowska revealed that 2026 will be her final year competing professionally in pickleball.

“2026 is officially my last year of playing pickleball, so I want to finish strong. I want to enjoy it. I have amazing partners for this year, so I just want to go all out with no regrets, work hard, and see what happens,” she said.

Elsewhere, Juan Benitez and 14-year-old Camden Chaffin captured the men’s doubles title with a comeback victory over Anouar Braham/Luca Mack in the final.

Benitez/Chaffin trailed 4-9 in the deciding game and saved four match points before eventually coming away with a 6-11, 11-0, 13-11 triumph.

 

Even after a busy weekend in the Sunshine State, there’s no rest for several of the athletes on the PPA Challenger grind; many of the weekend’s competitors are already en route to Palm Springs, CA for this week’s Carvana PPA Masters powered by Invited, the first PPA Tour event of the season.

Here's a full rundown of the medalists from Punta Gorda:

Women’s Singles

Men’s Singles

Mixed Doubles

Women’s Doubles

Men’s Doubles

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