Waters Wins Triple Crown, Haworth New No.1 at PPA Zion Cup

The PPA Greater Zion Cup delivered a dramatic Championship Sunday in the red-rock landscape of Ivins, Utah, where the courts at Black Desert Resort became the stage for one of the most memorable weekends of the 2026 professional pickleball season. The event was headlined by Pickleball superstar Anna Leigh Waters picking up her 43rd career Triple Crown, and the rise of Chris Haworth to the top of the men’s singles rankings after securing gold in men’s singles.

The Queen’s Gambit: Waters Secures 43rd Triple Crown

The tournament underlined Waters as the most dominant player of modern women’s pickleball. The 19-year-old Anna Leigh Waters has made it a routine to win the Triple Crown: winning gold in Singles, Doubles, and Mixed Doubles at the same event. Her victory at the Greater Zion Cup extended her extraordinary record to 43 career Triple Crowns.

Her toughest test of the weekend came against rising star Kate Fahey in the singles final. The match opened with a stunning performance from Fahey, who raced to a 10-0 lead and eventually claimed the first game 11-8. Waters demonstrated her trademark resilience, pivoting her strategy to sweep the next two games 11-3 and 11-2 to claim the gold.

During the post-match interview, Waters shared, “This week I was battling some things, but I honestly kept telling myself, ‘If I have to die on this court, I will. Kate was playing absolutely insane, and I was just trying to battle for every point.”

Haworth Rises to the Top

While Waters continued her reign, the men’s singles division saw a historic shift at the top of the leaderboard. After winning a dominant match in the PPA Greater Zion Cup, Chris Haworth has claimed the World No. 1 spot in the PPA Men’s Singles rankings. Haworth secured an 11-9, 11-5 victory against Federico Staksrud. 

The victory carried extra significance as it served as a rematch of the Texas Open final earlier in the season, where Haworth had previously suffered an 11-2, 5-11, 5-11 defeat. Following this remarkable win at Utah, Haworth, who has only begun competing full-time on the PPA Tour in August, has overtaken Hunter Johnson for the top spot. 

Haworth shared his excitement during the post-match interview: “I feel super blessed to be able to play this sport and play in front of incredible fans. It’s just amazing. I came in with not a ton of expectations. I knew I could play at a great level, but everyone out here is really good. I just tried to put my head down, work hard every day, and here I am.”

Doubles Dominance

Anna Leigh Waters carried her dominance into women’s doubles, where she teamed with Anna Bright. The duo delivered a commanding performance against Parris Todd and Kate Fahey, winning 11-3, 11-3, 11-0 in the final.

Waters partnered with Ben Johns for the mixed doubles. The duo, who are widely considered the faces of modern Pickleball, stifled the competition in the first two games with an 11-5, 11-0 lead. Opponents Anna Bright and Hayden Patriquin mounted a fierce comeback in the third game, pushing the score to a dramatic 15-13 finish before Waters and Johns sealed the gold.

Ben Johns also found success in the men’s doubles with Gabriel Tardio. In an intense five-game thriller against Hayden Patriquin and Christian Alshon, Johns and Tardio secured the gold with a 13-11, 3-11, 3-11, 11-2, 11-7 victory. This hard-fought win marks the duo’s 15th partnership title.

After a week-long tournament at Utah’s Black Desert Resort, many of these top talents are preparing for the PPA Tour Asia’s MB Hanoi Cup in Vietnam, which starts this Wednesday, April 1.