Bright and Patriquin vs. Johns and Waters: the rivalry that will decide mixed at Worlds

For most of the last two years, mixed doubles at the top of the PPA Tour had one answer: Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters. In 2026, Anna Bright and Hayden Patriquin turned it into a rivalry.

The breakthrough

Bright and Patriquin were 0-6 against Johns and Waters before February's Mesa Cup, The Kitchen reported, including a semifinal at last year's Worlds and finals at the January Masters and the Cape Coral Open. In Mesa they finally won, 11-8, 11-9, 11-3, their first gold together. Johns and Waters were 59-3 in finals as a pair going in.

The fall

At September's National Championships, Johns and Waters lost in the semifinals to JW and Jorja Johnson, their first loss since Mesa. Bright and Patriquin beat the Johnsons 11-9, 11-3, 11-7 for the title and took the No. 2 ranking.

Then the Las Vegas final, Oct. 4: Bright and Patriquin beat the top seeds 11-9, 11-7. "It's really exciting to see a lot of the things that you've been working on translate into a big match," Bright told Pickleball.com. "It feels amazing, especially to do it in Vegas," Patriquin said.

The answer

Johns and Waters responded the way champions do. They won Chicago on Oct. 11, beating the Johnsons 11-4, 11-4, and then won Hong Kong on Oct. 25, beating Bright and Patriquin 11-4, 11-3 in the final.

What to watch at Worlds

Johns and Waters remain the top seeds and the standard. Bright and Patriquin are the one team that has beaten them in a final this year, twice. The Johnsons are the third team in the conversation; they beat Johns and Waters in Cary and reached the Chicago final.

Our view: the Hong Kong result resets the edge to Johns and Waters, but a fourth final between these teams this year is the most likely ending on Championship Sunday.

Topics Mixed doublesPPA World ChampionshipsPPA Tour

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