PPA Tour Worlds Recap: Teenage Sensation Wins Gold, Waters Claims Triple Crown, and Goins Dominates

The biggest tournament of the year delivered one of the biggest comebacks of the year.

The 2026 Opendoor Pickleball World Championships wrapped up Sunday at Brookhaven Country Club in Farmers Branch, Texas, and the week had just about everything: dominant champions, emerging stars, massive upsets, and a men's doubles final that won't soon be forgotten.

Fifteen-year-old Tama Shimabukuro and JW Johnson stole the show, Anna Leigh Waters added three more gold medals to her historic resume, and John Lucian Goins continued his remarkable rise in men's singles.

Meanwhile, the inaugural MLP Nations Cup, collegiate championships, and PPA Challenger Showdown provided plenty of additional excitement throughout the week.

Here are the biggest takeaways from an unforgettable week at Brookhaven.

Top Storylines

1. From Junior MLP to World Champion: Tama Shimabukuro's Incredible Rise

One year ago, Tama Shimabukuro was competing at Brookhaven Country Club as a member of an all-junior Major League Pickleball team.

On Sunday, the 15-year-old stood atop the podium as a PPA World Champion.

Let that sink in.

Shimabukuro and JW Johnson captured the men's doubles title in spectacular fashion, rallying from a two-game deficit to defeat Christian Alshon and Andrei Daescu 5-11, 5-11, 11-4, 11-8, 11-4.

For the first two games, Alshon and Daescu looked unstoppable. The powerful duo dominated play and appeared headed toward another impressive championship victory.

Then everything changed.

Johnson and Shimabukuro found their rhythm, the crowd rallied behind them, and the momentum completely shifted.

What followed was one of the most entertaining championship comebacks of the season, culminating in the pair's first title together and Shimabukuro's first PPA Tour men's doubles gold medal.

The victory was also particularly meaningful for Johnson, who hadn't won a PPA Tour title in nearly a year.

But perhaps the most remarkable storyline was Shimabukuro's rapid ascent.

At the inaugural MLP Cup in November 2025, he competed alongside fellow junior standouts Camden Chaffin, Ella Yeh, and Elsie Hendershot. The youngsters impressed against established professional teams, demonstrating that the next generation of pickleball talent was arriving faster than anyone anticipated.

Just 12 months later, Shimabukuro is a World Champion.

And judging by what we've seen over the past year, this probably won't be his last major title.

2. Anna Leigh Waters Does What Anna Leigh Waters Does: Another Triple Crown

At this point, what else can you say about Anna Leigh Waters?

The 19-year-old entered the biggest tournament of the year as the overwhelming favorite in all three disciplines and left with three more gold medals, her 46th career Triple Crown, and another reminder of just how far ahead of the field she remains.

But Championship Sunday wasn't entirely smooth sailing.

Waters and Ben Johns needed five games and more than two hours to defeat siblings JW and Jorja Johnson in mixed doubles, 9-11, 11-6, 11-9, 3-11, 11-4.

In women's doubles, Waters and Anna Bright continued their historic run, defeating Sofia Sewing and Catherine Parenteau 11-4, 11-9, 11-5.

That victory marked their 18th consecutive tournament title together, establishing a new PPA Tour record.

Then came women's singles.

Despite already playing eight games of doubles earlier in the day, Waters made quick work of Kate Fahey 11-3, 11-2 to finish the tournament with another Triple Crown.

The singles victory was also the 300th of her PPA Tour career.

Perhaps the most remarkable part of Waters' dominance is that she's still only 19 years old. At a tournament featuring the deepest fields and highest stakes of the season, she once again looked virtually unbeatable.

3. John Lucian Goins Is Officially a Major Force in Men's Singles

Remember when John Lucian Goins was considered a promising young player who might eventually challenge the sport's elite?

That time is over.

The 18-year-old captured his first career Slam title at Worlds, defeating former professional tennis star Jack Sock 11-5, 12-10 in Sunday's men's singles final.

And he didn't exactly take the easy road.

Goins defeated No. 1 seed Chris Haworth in the quarterfinals, knocked off Christian Alshon in the semifinals, and then dispatched Sock to secure the biggest victory of his young career.

Perhaps even more impressive? Goins didn't drop a single game throughout the tournament.

This wasn't an isolated performance, either.

Goins entered Worlds fresh off a dominant title run at the Virginia Beach Open, where he also went through the entire singles draw without dropping a game.

That's two consecutive PPA Tour titles without losing a game.

His victory also spoiled what would have been a historic moment for Sock, who was seeking his first PPA Tour singles gold medal after defeating Federico Staksrud, Roscoe Bellamy, and Hunter Johnson on his way to Championship Sunday.

But the day belonged to Goins.

With his fourth career PPA Tour gold medal and first Slam championship, Goins has firmly established himself as one of the most dangerous men's singles players in the world.

The question is no longer whether Goins can compete with the best.

It's whether anyone can slow him down?

Other Storylines

Ben Johns Wins Twice at Brookhaven, but Men's Doubles Questions Remain

Ben Johns left Brookhaven with two championships in eight days, but an increasingly unusual men's doubles drought has become one of the sport's most interesting storylines.

Johns helped lead Team USA to an undefeated championship run at the inaugural MLP Nations Cup before teaming with Anna Leigh Waters to capture the mixed doubles title at Worlds.

However, Johns and Gabe Tardio fell to Christian Alshon and Andrei Daescu 11-9, 11-6 in the men's doubles semifinals.

The loss marked the fifth consecutive PPA Tour tournament Johns has entered without winning men's doubles gold, dating back to September's Arizona Open.

Three of those losses have come alongside Tardio, while the other two occurred with Federico Staksrud and Jack Sock.

It's an almost unthinkable stretch for the most decorated men's doubles player in PPA Tour history, particularly considering Johns and Tardio had previously won nine consecutive tournaments together.

Now, with speculation swirling online about potential men's doubles partnership changes heading into 2027, the question becomes impossible to ignore.

Could a shakeup be coming?

Nothing has been confirmed, and Johns and Tardio remain one of the most formidable partnerships in the sport. But with the emergence of Alshon and Daescu, the resurgence of Staksrud and Hayden Patriquin, and the rapid rise of Johnson and Shimabukuro, men's doubles suddenly looks more competitive than it has in years.

Team USA Captures the Inaugural MLP Nations Cup

Before the professional main draws got underway, the inaugural MLP Nations Cup brought together eight regional teams for three days of international competition.

And Team USA was simply too good.

Featuring Ben Johns, CJ Klinger, Will Howells, Anna Bright, Tyra Black, and Kate Fahey, the Americans finished undefeated at 5-0 and capped their championship run with a convincing 3-0 victory over Team Latin America.

But the biggest winner might have been international pickleball itself.

Players representing regions across Asia, Europe, Australia, and the Americas experienced the MLP format, in many cases for the first time, while enthusiastic crowds embraced the international competition.

Team Asia Domestic nearly pulled off the tournament's biggest upset, pushing the Americans to a DreamBreaker before falling 21-18.

The atmosphere, competitive moments, and enthusiastic response from players made a compelling case for bringing the event back.

Read my full MLP Nations Cup recap on The Dink.

A Pair of Standout Performances: Alexa Schull and Shannon Pretorius

While the established stars captured most of the headlines, two players particularly caught my attention throughout the festivities at Brookhaven.

Alexa Schull was one of the most impressive performers at the inaugural MLP Nations Cup, representing Puerto Rico and Team Latin America, compiling a record of 6-2 in individual games.

She carried that momentum into the PPA World Championships, winning two mixed doubles qualifying matches alongside DJ Young before narrowly falling to Catherine Parenteau and Eric Oncins in the Round of 64, 11-5, 5-11, 12-14. While her main-draw run was brief, Schull's performances throughout the week showed she can compete against the sport's established professionals.

Shannon Pretorius, meanwhile, delivered one of the biggest surprises of the PPA World Championships women's singles draw.

The No. 61 seed stunned fifth-seeded Chao Yi Wang in the Round of 64, winning 11-2, 0-11, 11-7.

Pretorius followed that result with another victory to reach the Round of 16, where her Cinderella run finally ended against Rika Fujiwara in three games.

Pretorius also advanced to the semifinals of the women's singles Challenger Showdown, further demonstrating that her impressive week was no fluke.

For players outside the sport's established elite, performances like these can represent important breakthroughs.

Both Schull and Pretorius left Texas with plenty of reasons to be optimistic about what's ahead.

Utah Tech Pulls Off an Unbelievable Comeback to Win Collegiate Worlds

The professional players weren't the only ones delivering unforgettable moments at Brookhaven.

Utah Tech captured its second consecutive College World Championship with a comeback that almost defies belief.

Facing Florida Atlantic University in the championship match, Utah Tech dropped both gender doubles games and trailed 2-0.

The Trailblazers rallied to win both mixed doubles games, forcing a deciding DreamBreaker.

But the real drama was still to come.

Trailing 20-11 in the DreamBreaker, Utah Tech faced nine consecutive championship points.

They saved every single one.

Utah Tech completed the comeback with a stunning 22-20 DreamBreaker victory, defeating FAU 3-2 to secure back-to-back collegiate world titles.

I was there live for the entire thing on the PickleballU podcast, and the atmosphere was electric.

It was the largest comeback in College Pickleball Tour history and one of the most remarkable finishes of the entire week.

Eight Players Earn PPA Tour Contract Offers Through the Challenger Showdown

The second annual PPA Challenger Showdown gave some of the sport's most promising unsigned players an opportunity to earn PPA Tour contracts for the 2027 season.

Eight players emerged victorious across five disciplines, earning contract offers and taking an important step forward in their professional careers.

2026 PPA Challenger Showdown Winners

RECAP OF THE PPA CHALLENGER SHOWDOWN Reminder: All gold medal winners are offered a PPA Tour Contract W Singles 🥇 Eileen Wang 🥈 Jessica Ho M Singles 🥇 Matt Burkhardt 🥈 Troy Akin Mixed 🥇 Anne-Sophie Courteau & Juan Varon 🥈 Madalina Grigoriu & Garrison Eabby W Doubles 🥇 Madalina Grigoriu & Allie Reichert 🥈 Marisa Ruiz & Kelsey Laurente M Doubles 🥇 Riley Inn & Alex Emery 🥈 Connor McCartney & Wade Heerboth

— Erik Tice (@azetice) November 8, 2026

Several championship matches featured dramatic finishes.

Eileen Wang rallied from a game down to defeat Jessica Ho 6-11, 11-5, 13-11 in women's singles, while Burkhardt dominated the opening game of his men's singles final against Troy Akin 11-0 before closing out the title 12-10.

Reichert and Grigoriu also overcame a one-game deficit in the women's doubles final, finishing with an emphatic 11-0 third game.

For these eight players, the Challenger Showdown represented much more than another tournament victory.

It was an opportunity to secure their place on the sport's biggest stage.

Championship Sunday Results

The 2026 World Championships had a little bit of everything.

The sport's biggest stars delivered, teenagers announced themselves as legitimate championship contenders, and a new group of professionals earned the opportunity to compete on the PPA Tour next season.

If this week was any indication, the future of professional pickleball is in pretty good hands.