The Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) kicked off its 2026-27 season with the Veolia Pickleball National Championships held at Cary Tennis Park in North Carolina, under intense heat reaching the upper 90s. The extreme weather challenged both players and spectators, prompting the organizers to adjust the schedule to avoid the midday sun. Despite the tough conditions, standout performances emerged, notably Anna Leigh Waters and Anna Bright, who each secured two gold medals across singles and doubles brackets, showcasing their dominance on the court.

In men's singles, Hunter Johnson captured the top prize in a highly competitive field, with notable early upsets including former top seed Ben Johns suffering a rare 11-0 loss and other top seeds falling in the round of 64. The semi-finals featured the top four seeds, culminating in Johnson’s decisive 11-0 third game win over Federico Staksrud to claim gold. On the women’s side, Anna Leigh Waters powered through to the final, defeating top contenders including Kate Fahey in a final where Waters surrendered just 18 points over five matches.

The mixed doubles draw saw fewer surprises, but it was the team of Anna Bright and Zachary Patriquin who managed an upset over the dominant mixed pair Waters and Johns in the semifinals, eventually winning gold by beating JW and Jorja Johnson. In men’s doubles, the top seeds Ben Johns and Gabriel Tardio reaffirmed their status by overcoming Christian Alshon and Andrei Daescu in the final after intense matches that hinted at increasing parity on tour. Women’s doubles featured a strong showing by Waters and Bright again, who powered through to win gold over Tyra Black and Jorja Johnson.

Senior competition also crowned champions with Tyler Refling winning men’s senior singles and the veteran team of Altaf Merchant and Steve Deakin capturing yet another men’s senior doubles title. Julie Johnson and Steve Deakin took the mixed senior doubles crown. The PPA season remains highly dynamic as it grows internationally with the launch of a seven-stop Spain tour starting later in September, while the competitive landscape on U.S. soil intensifies with new ranking systems and altered match formats designed to enhance the sport’s professional appeal.