A Brief History of Every PPA Tour #1 Men's Singles Player

In February of 2020, the PPA crowned its first ever No. 1 pro singles player: Ben Johns.

For the six years following, only two other players earned the title, until this week, when a new name rose to the top.

In 320 total weeks, only four players have basked in the glory of being the best men's singles player in the world. And although Ben Johns, the undisputed GOAT of pickleball, has held the honor for almost 70% of those weeks, times are changing.

So starting with our newest singles champ, Chris Haworth, let’s dive into the PPA’s young history of top male singles players. (For a more in-depth look at the subject, check out Todd Boss' article in Forbes.)

Chris Haworth: 3/30/26 - Present

This week, the greater pickleball community saw the changing of the guard, as 32-year-old Haworth earned the top spot following a win at the PPA Greater Zion Cup.

Haworth leapfrogged previous world No. 1 Hunter Johnson and Federico Staksrud, whom Haworth beat 11-9, 11-5 in the final.

“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," Haworth said after his triumph.

"I just tried to put my head down, work hard every day, and here I am."

Haworth was flawless, not dropping a single game across six matches en route to the title. He earned 1,500 points for his efforts, catapulting him to 13,600 total points in singles play.

Haworth’s victory in Utah completed a stunning ascent. Having only signed with the PPA tour in July of 2025, Haworth climbed the ranks in just nine months.

Hunter Johnson: 8/31/2025 - 3/30/2026

Prior to Haworth’s desert performance, Hunter had firmly held the No. 1 spot for seven months after earning silver at the Las Vegas Open late last summer.

But last week was one to forget for the former No. 1. Johnson who lost to now-No. 34 ranked JW Johnson in the Round of 32, 11-8, 11-8. Johnson didn’t just fall back one spot; he fell all the way to No. 3 as Haworth and former No. 1 Federico Staksrud capitalized.

But for Johnson, it is not time to panic yet. Only 700 points separate him from the No. 1 spot while Christian Alshon, the No. 4 singles player, is 3350 points off third place.

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Federico Staksrud: 6/9/2024 - 8/31/2025

In his second stint as No. 1, Staksrud held the No. 1 spot for more than a year. Although asterisked by the absence of Ben Johns for several months of his reign, Staksrud's dominance in 2024 is still hard to ignore.

The now 30-year-old Argentine medaled in 21 of the 24 events in 2024, including 9 Gold Medals.

Ben Johns: 5/19/2024 - 6/9/2024

After leading from the front for years, this stint at the top was short lived for Johns. After beating Staksrud at the 2024 Atlanta Slam, Johns returned to No. 1 for about three weeks.

Today, Johns’ singles ranking has fallen to No. 13, but sitting at No. 1 in men’s and mixed doubles, he surely won’t have too many quarrels.

Federico Staksrud: 4/18/2024 - 5/19/2024

After Ben Johns ran a one-horse race for years, Staksrud was the first to dethrone the king. This was a turning point for the sport, but also for Staksrud, who firmly established himself as one of pickleball’s best — and not just in doubles.

Although No. 2 in the world currently in singles, Staksrud is No. 7 in mixed doubles and No. 8 in men’s doubles.

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Ben Johns: 2/16/2020 - 4/18/2024

As the PPA’s first ever No. 1 pro singles player, Johns carried the torch for a miraculous 217 weeks after wins at the 2019 Margaritaville USA Pickleball National Championships and the PPA Mesa Grand Slam Qualifier in 2020, both over Tyson McGuffin.

Thereafter, Johns won the first 13 pro singles competitions on tour to easily separate himself from the pack for more than four years.