The 30-second version
- Anna Leigh Waters took a double crown at the 2026 Veolia Arizona Open — women’s singles and mixed doubles.
- Christopher Haworth stunned Federico Staksrud for men’s singles gold — the headline upset of the weekend.
- Andrei Daescu & Christian Alshon won men’s doubles; Rachel Rohrabacher & Parris Todd took women’s doubles.
- The Mesa, AZ event (Sep 14–20) was a 1,000-point Open. Next up: the Las Vegas Open, Sep 28–Oct 4.
The PPA Tour’s Veolia Arizona Open wrapped up Championship Sunday at the Arizona Athletic Grounds in Mesa, and the marquee names mostly held serve — with one big exception in men’s singles. I’m Jason Regan, USA Pickleball Ambassador for New England, with the results and what they mean.
Who won the 2026 Veolia Arizona Open?
Here are the pro gold-medal results from the 1,000-point Open:
- Women’s singles: Anna Leigh Waters def. Kate Fahey
- Men’s singles: Christopher Haworth def. Federico Staksrud
- Men’s doubles: Andrei Daescu & Christian Alshon def. Yuta Funemizu & Nicolas Acevedo
- Women’s doubles: Rachel Rohrabacher & Parris Todd def. Tyra Black & Meghan Dizon
- Mixed doubles: Ben Johns & Anna Leigh Waters def. Rachel Rohrabacher & Christian Alshon
Anna Leigh Waters doubles up again
Waters extended her extraordinary run with a double crown — winning women’s singles over Kate Fahey and teaming with Ben Johns for mixed-doubles gold over Rohrabacher and Alshon. She sat out women’s doubles, so the “triple” wasn’t on the table this week, but two more titles is another ho-hum dominant weekend for the world No. 1. If you’ve wondered what paddle Anna Leigh Waters uses, that’s the engine behind the streak.
The upset: Christopher Haworth over Staksrud
The story of the weekend was men’s singles. Christopher Haworth got past Federico Staksrud for the gold — a statement result in a draw that ran wide open once the top seeds thinned out. Singles is where the tour’s depth shows up first, and this is exactly the kind of breakthrough that reshapes seedings heading into the fall swing.
Doubles: Daescu/Alshon and Rohrabacher/Todd deliver
On the doubles side, Andrei Daescu and Christian Alshon took men’s doubles, while Rachel Rohrabacher and Parris Todd won women’s doubles over the young pairing of Tyra Black and Meghan Dizon. Alshon had the busiest weekend of anyone — a men’s doubles title plus a mixed-doubles finals run.
What’s next on the PPA Tour?
The tour heads straight into its fall stretch: the Las Vegas Open (Sep 28–Oct 4), the Veolia Chicago Cup (Oct 5–11), and the Virginia Beach Open (Oct 12–18). We track who plays what across the tours in our full pro paddle guide, and if you want to understand how the pro circuits fit together, start with our PPA Tour vs. MLP explainer.
— Jason Regan, USA Pickleball Ambassador, North Central Massachusetts. Results via the PPA Tour’s official event page.
Frequently asked questions
Who won the 2026 Veolia Arizona Open?
Anna Leigh Waters won women’s singles and (with Ben Johns) mixed doubles; Christopher Haworth won men’s singles; Andrei Daescu and Christian Alshon won men’s doubles; Rachel Rohrabacher and Parris Todd won women’s doubles.
Did Anna Leigh Waters win a triple crown at the Arizona Open?
No — she won a double crown (singles and mixed). She did not enter women’s doubles at this event.
Who won men’s singles at the Arizona Open?
Christopher Haworth, who defeated Federico Staksrud in the final — the weekend’s biggest upset.
Where is the next PPA Tour event?
The Las Vegas Open, September 28 to October 4, 2026, followed by the Chicago Cup and the Virginia Beach Open.
