The Rate Las Vegas Open wrapped up Sunday at the Darling Tennis Center, with several surprising results highlighting Championship Sunday.
Hunter Johnson dismantled Ben Johns in men's singles, Christian Alshon and Andrei Daescu avenged their heartbreaking loss in last year's men's doubles final, and Anna Bright and Hayden Patriquin defeated the world's top mixed doubles partnership.
Meanwhile, Kaitlyn Christian captured the women's singles championship over 18-year-old Kiora Kunimoto, and Anna Leigh Waters moved one title closer to a significant career milestone.
Here are six major storylines and five additional developments from the PPA Tour's latest stop.
Six Biggest Storylines
1. Hunter Johnson Dominates Ben Johns in Men's Singles Final
It wasn't necessarily surprising that Hunter Johnson defeated Ben Johns for the men's singles title. The way he did it, however, was unexpected.
Johnson needed just two games to dispatch the former world No. 1, winning 11-1, 11-3 in one of the most lopsided championship matches of the weekend.
Johns, the tournament's No. 19 seed, had put together an impressive run to reach Championship Sunday, including a comeback victory over fourth-seeded Christian Alshon in the quarterfinals and a semifinal win over John Lucian Goins.
But Johnson, the No. 3 seed, was simply too much.
Johnson had already defeated Roscoe Bellamy and Federico Staksrud on his way to the final, and his dominant performance against Johns reinforced his position among the best men's singles players in the game.
For Johns, the silver medal was still an encouraging result given his recent singles performances, but the championship match showed just how much work remains if he hopes to return to the top of the singles throne.
2. Alshon and Daescu Get Their Revenge Against Johns and Tardio
One year after losing an unforgettable five-game championship match to Ben Johns and Gabe Tardio in Las Vegas, Christian Alshon and Andrei Daescu got their revenge.
The No. 2 seeds defeated Johns and Tardio 11-6, 11-8 to capture the men's doubles championship.
The victory was particularly meaningful considering what happened at the same venue in 2025.
Last year's final lasted two hours and 28 minutes, with Johns and Tardio eventually prevailing 12-10 in the fifth game in what was, at the time, the longest match in PPA Tour history.
This time, Alshon and Daescu didn't need nearly as long.
They entered Championship Sunday following an impressive semifinal victory over Hayden Patriquin and Federico Staksrud and carried that momentum into the final.
More importantly, the victory marked their second consecutive men's doubles title to open the new PPA season.
At the Arizona Open two weeks ago, Alshon and Daescu survived six championship points against Nico Acevedo and Yuta Funemizu before claiming the title.
Now, after defeating Johns and Tardio, it's becoming increasingly difficult to argue that Alshon and Daescu aren't the hottest men's doubles team on tour.
3. Bright and Patriquin Hand Johns and Waters a Rare Mixed Doubles Defeat
Anna Bright and Hayden Patriquin entered the Las Vegas Open as the No. 2 mixed doubles seeds, but defeating Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters remains one of the toughest assignments in professional pickleball.
On Sunday, they accomplished exactly that.
Bright and Patriquin defeated the top seeds 11-9, 11-7 to capture the mixed doubles championship.
It was an impressive result for a partnership that continues to establish itself as one of the most legitimate threats to Johns and Waters.
Their path to the championship wasn't without difficulty. In Saturday's semifinal, Bright and Patriquin dropped the opening game against Christian Alshon and Tina Pisnik before recovering to win 7-11, 11-5, 11-8.
But against Johns and Waters, they didn't need a deciding game.
The result also prevented Waters from reaching 200 career PPA Tour titles in Las Vegas.
Beyond the immediate championship, the victory raises an important question heading into the remainder of the season: Just how close are Bright and Patriquin to consistently challenging Johns and Waters for the top spot in mixed doubles?
One victory doesn't settle that debate, but their performance in Las Vegas certainly makes it more interesting.
4. Kaitlyn Christian Ends Kiora Kunimoto's Breakthrough Week
Kiora Kunimoto was one of the biggest stories of the tournament, but Kaitlyn Christian made sure the 18-year-old didn't leave Las Vegas with her first main-tour PPA singles title.
Christian defeated Kunimoto 11-8, 2-11, 11-4 to claim the women's singles championship.
The No. 2 seed had been impressive throughout the tournament, including a dominant quarterfinal victory over Milan Rane and a semifinal win against Lea Jansen.
Kunimoto, meanwhile, delivered one of the biggest upsets of the week when she knocked out top-seeded Kate Fahey 11-8, 2-11, 11-5 in Friday's quarterfinals.
She followed that performance by defeating fellow teenager Cailyn Campbell to advance to Championship Sunday.
Christian's experience ultimately prevailed in the final, but Kunimoto's run deserves plenty of recognition.
Just over a year after beginning her professional pickleball journey, Kunimoto is already demonstrating that she can compete with the best women's singles players on the PPA Tour.
And with Kunimoto, Campbell, and several other young players making increasingly deep tournament runs, the future of women's singles looks particularly promising.
5. Anna Leigh Waters Reaches 199 Career PPA Titles, but 200 Will Have to Wait
Anna Leigh Waters entered Las Vegas just two championships away from becoming the first player to reach 200 career PPA Tour titles.
She'll have to wait at least one more tournament to reach the milestone.
Waters and Anna Bright captured the women's doubles title Sunday, defeating Catherine Parenteau and Tyra Hurricane Black 11-8, 10-12, 11-5.
It was a considerably more competitive match than their earlier rounds.
Waters and Bright had cruised through the tournament without dropping a game, including an 11-1, 11-2 semifinal victory over Jamie Wei and Meghan Dizon.
Black and Parenteau managed to push the top seeds to a deciding game, but Waters and Bright ultimately secured another championship.
The victory brought Waters' career PPA Tour title total to 199.
She had an opportunity to reach 200 later in the mixed doubles championship, but her loss alongside Ben Johns to Anna Bright and Hayden Patriquin ended those hopes.
With Waters returning to women's singles at the upcoming Chicago Cup, she will have three opportunities to reach the milestone at the next tournament.
6. Anna Bright Leaves Las Vegas as the Only Double-Gold Winner
Five championship matches produced several compelling individual performances, but nobody had a better Sunday than Anna Bright.
Bright was the only player to win two gold medals in Las Vegas, claiming the women's doubles championship alongside Anna Leigh Waters and the mixed doubles title with Hayden Patriquin.
Both victories came against strong competition.
In women's doubles, Bright and Waters survived a three-game challenge from Catherine Parenteau and Tyra Hurricane Black.
In mixed doubles, Bright and Patriquin knocked off the top-ranked partnership of Johns and Waters in straight games.
Bright's versatility continues to make her one of the most valuable doubles players on the PPA Tour.
She is firmly established alongside Waters in women's doubles while simultaneously competing against her for championships in mixed doubles.
Winning both disciplines at the same tournament is difficult enough.
Five Additional Storylines Worth Watching
Nico Acevedo and Jaume Martinez Vich Reach the Semifinals
Nico Acevedo continued his strong start to the season, this time partnering with Jaume Martinez Vich.
The No. 10 seeds advanced to the men's doubles semifinals before losing to eventual silver medalists Ben Johns and Gabe Tardio 11-5, 11-6.
It marked another deep tournament run for Acevedo, who reached the Arizona Open final alongside Yuta Funemizu just two weeks earlier.
Two strong results with different partners are encouraging signs for Acevedo as he continues climbing the World Pickleball Rankings.
Luc Pham Eliminates the Top Seed in Men's Singles
Luc Pham delivered one of the biggest upsets of the tournament when he knocked off top-seeded Christopher Haworth in the Round of 16.
Pham, seeded No. 14, advanced to the quarterfinals before running into John Lucian Goins.
That match went decisively in Goins' favor, 11-1, 11-0.
Despite the disappointing quarterfinal result, defeating Haworth was a significant accomplishment for Pham and one of the more unexpected results of the week.
Kiora Kunimoto and Elliott Schupp Continue to Play Well
I know I already mentioned Kunimoto's exceptional singles run, but her doubles game is coming along nicely.
While they didn't make it past the Round of 32 together this week in mixed, both Kunimoto and Elliott Schupp have had some great results in the past two weeks.
Elliott played men's doubles with John Lucian Goins and the youngsters were able to take down No. 6 seed Roscoe Bellamy and Connor Garnett in the Round of 32. They made to the quarterfinals losing 4-11, 6-11 to Fed Staksrud and Hayden Patriquin - a respectable scoreline against a top three seed.
In women's doubles, Kiora partnered with Judit Castillo and they made a very good quarterfinal run. First, they beat Walczak and DiMuzio 11-6, 11-3. Then they beat Lea Jansen and Jessie Irvine 11-0, 11-8. In the quarters, they faced Kate Fahey and Lacy Schneeman, losing 11-9, 2-11, 9-11.
Genie Bouchard Continues Her Singles Development
Former professional tennis star Genie Bouchard returned to Las Vegas hoping to build on her previous success at the venue.
Bouchard, seeded seventh, defeated Mary Brascia 11-9, 11-5 in the Round of 16 to advance to the quarterfinals.
Her tournament ended against third-seeded Lea Jansen, who won 11-3, 12-10.
Although Bouchard couldn't replicate her appearance in the 2025 Las Vegas singles final, another quarterfinal finish provided a respectable result against a competitive field.
Tyra Hurricane Black and Catherine Parenteau Push Waters and Bright
Despite falling short in the women's doubles final, Tyra Hurricane Black and Catherine Parenteau deserve recognition for their performance.
The No. 2 seeds advanced to Championship Sunday by defeating Lacy Schneemann and Kate Fahey 11-7, 11-4 in the semifinals.
Against Waters and Bright, they became the first team all week to take a game off the top seeds.
Ultimately, the deciding game went to Waters and Bright, but Black and Parenteau demonstrated they can compete with the top partnership in women's doubles.
The next challenge is translating that competitiveness into a championship victory.
What's Next for the PPA Tour?
The PPA Tour heads to the Chicago area for the Veolia Chicago Cup, October 5-11.
The tournament carries 1,500 ranking points for its champions, compared with the 1,000 available in Las Vegas, adding importance to the results as players position themselves for the remainder of the season.
Among the biggest questions: Can Alshon and Daescu make it three consecutive men's doubles titles? Can Hunter Johnson build on his dominant singles championship? Will Bright and Patriquin continue challenging Johns and Waters?
And perhaps most importantly, will Anna Leigh Waters finally secure career title No. 200?
After an eventful week in Las Vegas, there will be no shortage of storylines heading into Chicago.
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