Triple Crown Win at Black Desert Resort Creates New World No. 1

Against a backdrop of Pine Valley mountains and Southern Utah's red cliffs, the Greater Zion Cup delivered one of the most headline-rich Championship Sundays of the 2026 Carvana PPA Tour season. Nineteen-year-old Anna Leigh Waters locked up her 43rd career triple crown at Black Desert Resort in Ivins, while Chris Haworth displaced Hunter Johnson to claim the No. 1 ranking in men's singles, all in the same afternoon on March 29.

Haworth earned that top spot the hard way, defeating Argentine Federico Staksrud in a men's singles final that settled one of the season's most watched ranking battles. "I feel super blessed to be able to play this sport and play in front of incredible fans," Haworth said afterward. "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."

Waters, meanwhile, navigated 26 games across 13 matches over the course of the week to reach all three Championship Sunday finals. The mixed doubles title alongside Ben Johns over Anna Bright and Hayden Patriquin (11-5, 11-0, 15-13) produced the match of the tournament: after Bright and Patriquin clawed back into a 15-13 third game, the rally-filled finish became the most-clipped sequence from the week on social media. In women's doubles, Waters and Bright dismantled Parris Todd and Kate Fahey 11-3, 11-3, 11-0, a scoreline that continued a run in which the pair double-pickled two opponents across the draw. The singles final against Fahey was the closest call of Waters' Sunday: Fahey stormed to a 10-0 lead in game one and nearly handed Waters the first pickle of her PPA career before Waters responded with a 22-5 run across games two and three to close 11-3, 11-2.

The Greater Zion Cup also marked the first time Black Desert Resort hosted a PPA Tour stop, and the venue made a strong first impression. The 21-court complex, anchored by a championship court with stadium seating for up to 1,500 spectators, gave the event the kind of infrastructure that distinguishes a tour destination from a tour stop. As a Cup-level event, the Greater Zion Cup carries 1,500 PPA ranking points, 1.5 times the value of a standard Open, which is exactly what made Haworth's title decisive enough to flip the No. 1 standing.

For pickleball travelers eyeing St. George, the timing is worth noting. The region's peak outdoor season runs from late February through April and again in the fall, when temperatures stay court-friendly and Black Desert's red rock setting is at its most photogenic. Events of this profile tend to spike local demand for court time in the weeks that follow, making the post-tournament window both the most exciting moment to visit and the most competitive for booking. Retreat itineraries built around a PPA Cup weekend in Ivins, pairing fan attendance with on-site clinics and the resort's hospitality offerings, now have a proven blueprint: Championship Sunday at Black Desert is worth planning a trip around.