Waters Claims Triple Crown as Haworth Seizes No. 1 Ranking at Zion Cup

Nine months after entering his first PPA event as the No. 52 seed, Chris Haworth walked off Black Desert Resort's championship court in Ivins, Utah as the top-ranked men's singles player in pro pickleball. His 11-9, 11-5 gold-medal victory over Federico Staksrud on Sunday completed one of the faster ascents the tour has seen, and it happened at a brand-new venue that announced itself loudly to the sport.

Anna Leigh Waters gave the 1,000-seat championship court a proper introduction to what world-class play looks like against red rock and lava field. Her 43rd career triple crown, secured across women's singles, women's doubles (with Anna Bright), and mixed doubles (with Ben Johns), wasn't entirely clean. Kate Fahey took the first game of the women's singles final 11-8, the first game anyone had taken off Waters in singles since May. Waters responded by winning games two and three 11-3 and 11-2, then laid flat on the court gasping for air when it was over.

Haworth's path to the title cracked open when Hunter Johnson, the previous No. 1, fell to JW Johnson in the Round of 32. Haworth then beat Crum, Frazier, and Goins before lining up Staksrud in the final. Their stylistic contrast told a larger story about where men's singles is heading: Staksrud came to the kitchen line on 57 of 75 total points; Haworth came in just 9 times. "I knew I could play at a great level, but everyone out here is really good," Haworth said. "I just tried to put my head down and work hard every day and here we are." Staksrud was gracious: "Congrats to Chris getting to No. 1 in the world, that's a huge accomplishment. I'm gonna try to push him more."

Ben Johns and Gabe Tardio extended their undefeated 2026 men's doubles run to six straight golds, but they had to grind through a five-game match against Hayden Patriquin and Christian Alshon, 13-11, 3-11, 3-11, 11-2, 11-7. Alshon played much of the tournament fighting the flu. "I didn't think we were going to win after game three," Tardio said post-match.

The Greater Zion Cup was the first professional pickleball event staged at Black Desert Resort, a property that already hosted two PGA Tour golf events before debuting 21 dedicated pickleball courts this spring. Conditions ran warm, high 80s with light winds, a notable contrast to the wind-battered previous tour stop in Texas. Multiple recaps noted that the altitude required adjustment in early rounds, and The Dink specifically observed that Haworth's groundstrokes stayed precise and unaffected throughout. The facility includes shot-tracking and ball-flight analysis technology, heated and misted cabanas, and tiered seating that gave the weekend a stadium feel rare for a debut event.

Because this was a Cup event awarding 1,500 ranking points, 50 percent more than a standard Open, nearly every top player entered and every result carried outsized implications for seeding and standings. For Haworth, the math closes neatly: he started September 2025 ranked 52nd and closed March 2026 ranked first. That arc, more than any single score, is the number that will follow the rest of the 2026 season.