Anna Leigh Waters completed a highly successful weekend at the 2026 Arizona Open by winning titles in both women’s singles and mixed doubles. The PPA Tour event was held at the Arizona Athletic Grounds in Mesa, Arizona, from September 14 to September 20 and featured professional pickleball players competing for 1,000 ranking points in each division.
Waters entered the tournament competing in women’s singles and mixed doubles rather than all three professional divisions. The PPA Tour had previously confirmed that she would not participate in women’s doubles at the Arizona Open, meaning she was not competing for a triple crown at this particular event.
In women’s singles, Waters continued her strong run and reached the championship match against Kate Fahey. Tournament records show that Waters defeated Fahey in the final to secure the women’s singles title. Her performances throughout the event included straight game victories in the earlier rounds before she completed the championship run against one of the leading players in the draw.
Waters also partnered with Ben Johns in mixed doubles. The pair advanced through the draw and eventually defeated Christian Alshon and Rachel Rohrabacher in the championship match. Waters and Johns won the final in two games, completing another title for the partnership at the Arizona Open.
The mixed doubles result added another major achievement to Waters’ weekend. The combination of Waters and Johns has been one of the prominent partnerships on the PPA Tour, and their Arizona Open victory continued their successful record together. Earlier in 2026, the pair had also reached major championship matches, including the PPA Finals, where they won the mixed doubles title.
Christopher Haworth also emerged as one of the major winners at the Arizona Open. He entered the tournament as the top seed in men’s singles. The PPA Tour’s tournament preview listed Haworth as the number one seed in the men’s singles field, with Federico Staksrud, Hunter Johnson and Christian Alshon among the other leading contenders.
Haworth ultimately claimed the men’s singles championship, adding another important title to his PPA Tour record. His performance was part of a competitive men’s singles draw that featured several established players. Haworth had also won a men’s singles title at the Mesa Cup earlier in the year, making his success in Mesa another notable result.
The women’s doubles competition produced another notable result, with Rachel Rohrabacher and Parris Todd winning the title. The partnership entered the Arizona Open as the top seed in the women’s doubles draw after several leading players were absent from the division. Anna Bright and Jorja Johnson did not compete in women’s doubles, while Waters also sat out the division.
Rohrabacher and Todd took advantage of their opportunity and finished the tournament as champions. Tournament records list them as the gold medal winners, while Meghan Dizon and Tyra Black finished with the silver medal.
The Arizona Open was notable for several new or changed partnerships across the PPA Tour. The absence of some established players created different combinations and opened opportunities for other competitors. In men’s doubles, for example, Ben Johns and Federico Staksrud formed a new partnership for the event after the absence of Gabe Tardio. The women’s doubles field also featured several new combinations.
The tournament also marked an important stage in the new PPA Tour season. According to the PPA Tour, the Arizona Open was the first Open event of the new season and carried 1,000 ranking points. The tournament also used the World Pickleball Ranking system to determine which top seeds received direct entry into the round of 16.
The event attracted attention because of the depth of the professional field and the number of players competing across different disciplines. With singles, women’s doubles, men’s doubles and mixed doubles all taking place during the week, players had to manage multiple matches and different partnerships.
For Waters, the Arizona Open ended with two championship titles. Her women’s singles victory and mixed doubles success with Johns made her one of the central figures of the tournament. Haworth’s men’s singles title and Rohrabacher and Todd’s women’s doubles victory added further variety to the list of Arizona Open champions.
The tournament also contributed valuable ranking points to the players involved as the new PPA Tour season continues. The next events on the 2026 schedule include the Rate Las Vegas Open, followed by the Veolia Chicago Cup.
The Arizona Open therefore concluded with several established names adding to their title records while new partnerships and competitive draws provided opportunities for other professional pickleball players. Waters’ double-title performance was one of the key results from the tournament, while Haworth, Rohrabacher and Todd also finished the weekend as champions in their respective divisions.