Anna Leigh Waters has had a lot of great weeks on the PPA Tour over the years, but this one will go down as arguably her best -- both on the court and off.

She signed a long-term paddle contract with Franklin (rumored to be worth well in the millions), then followed that up with an apparel and shoe deal with Nike.

With the paperwork out of the way, she hit the court at at Mission Hills Country Club in Palm Springs, California, to defend her titles in all three divisions at one of the biggest tournaments on the pickleball calendar -- the PPA Masters.

It involved some tense moments along the way, but in the end she walked away with her fourth straight Triple Crown at this event and 40th overall. Here's how she did it:

WOMEN'S DOUBLES

Jackie and Jade Kawamoto were one of just two teams to beat Waters/Anna Bright in 2025, so many fans and pundits had this match circled on Sunday as one to watch. Game 1 lived up to the hype, with the score tied 10-10 late. A close out call and subsequent challenge by the Kawamotos went in favor of Bright/Waters and they were able to close out the game after that.

In Games 2 and 3, Waters almost exclusively played the left (in Game 1 they were switching more) and Waters/Bright dominated in part because of that shift, cruising to the 12-10, 11-3, 11-2 win. Afterward, Bright said the two are still getting better at making in-game adjustments and finding different ways to win matches. Sunday's win marks their 15th title together and Waters' 61st women's doubles title overall.

"It's really impressive the level of dominance that she's maintained," Bright said of Waters. "And she's also an amazing person, which is something that I've gotten to know in the last few months, which I'm really thankful for, too. She's really a star and we're really lucky to have her."

MIXED DOUBLES

In what was a contender for match of the tournament -- and an early nominee for match of the year -- Waters and Ben Johns outlasted Bright/Hayden Patriquin 11-7, 7-11, 9-11, 11-7, 11-4. The match lasted more than 2 hours, and after winning Game 3, Bright/Patriquin looked to be in control of the match.

They won Games 2 and 3 in large part thanks to some creative lobs that kept Waters and Johns off balance. But after some adjustments, the lobs weren't as effective in Games 4 and 5, and they were less frequent.

"I think strategy was a big part of that match," Waters said, crediting her mom and coach Leigh Waters with helpful insights that propelled them to the win. "I think sometimes one team would figure something out, and then the other team would combat that with something else. It was just a constant back and forth. ... Hayden was just playing insane for a couple of those games, so we really had to start going behind him more."

WOMEN'S SINGLES

After several hours on court, Waters knew her singles match against Kate Fahey (a fresh opponent) was going to be a challenge as the last match of the day. But she powered through any fatigue and won relatively easily -- 11-1, 11-4 -- to put the finishing touches on what will surely be a memorable week.

"I knew I was playing Kate, and it was gonna be really tough, but I think, honestly, a little bit of relief came over me when I got out on the court," Waters said. "I was just so excited to have the opportunity to go for the Triple Crown."

Chris Haworth wins first Slam with win over Jack Sock

Chris Haworth continues to face some of the toughest draws in men's singles (because he joined the tour in the middle of 2025, he still doesn't have as many points as some of the other top players), but he continues to show that he's a No. 6 seed on paper only. In reality, he's starting to look like the best men's singles player in the world.

This week he took down No. 3 Christian Alshon in the quarterfinals, beat No. 1 Hunter Johnson in the semifinals and swept No. 7 Jack Sock in Sunday's final.

It's Haworth's third gold medal and Sock's third silver medal on the PPA Tour.

"I think the biggest thing for me is consistency," Haworth said afterward. "Obviously, winning titles is amazing, but week in and week out, I want to be fighting for those Championship Sunday spots. So I feel really happy that I did it this week. First tournament of the year, you can't really ask for much better."

Sock appeared to suffer an injury to his leg on the final point of the match, but prior to that was having one of his best tournaments on tour. He made the quarterfinals in men's doubles and mixed doubles, in addition to taking down No. 2 Federico Staksrud in the quarterfinals this week.

"I want to give a huge shout out to Jack," Haworth said. "We were both fighting so hard every point out there, so I definitely wish him well. I see some big improvements in his game."

Ben Johns/Gabe Tardio start 2026 strong

After winning a tour-leading 9 men's doubles titles in 2025, Ben Johns and Gabe Tardio picked up where they left off on Sunday, sweeping Christian Alshon/Hayden Patriquin 11-9, 11-4, 11-5 to win their 10th gold medal together.

It was the first tournament together for Alshon and Patriquin since 2024, and they showed flashes of the potential that makes them one of the most exciting men's doubles teams heading into the year, but Johns and Tardio leaned on their experience together to get the win.

Game 1 presented the best opportunity for Alshon and Patriquin, as it was tied 9-9 late, but Tardio and Johns closed it out with back-to-back winners and cruised in Games 2 and 3.

"With it being the first tournament of the year, everyone's always pretty hyped to put up a good result, and I felt super locked in this tournament," Johns said. "I know Gabe certainly was, so we had a lot of good matches. I think we played a really good final here and a lot of good points."

Despite the loss in the final, Alshon and Patriquin said they were walking away optimistic about what their partnership can be going forward. They made it through each round leading up to Sunday without dropping a game, including a sweep of No. 2 seed Andrei Daescu/Federico Staksrud in the semifinals.

"I think I just came out a little bit slow today," Patriquin said. "There's some things to work on for Christian and I."

Quang Duong makes appearance at tournament venue

In an unexpected twist, former PPA Tour and Major League Pickleball player Quang Duong made an appearance at Mission Hills Country Club (the tournament venue) in Palm Springs on Saturday.

Duong and his father, Duc, were seen talking to PPA Tour Founder and CEO Connor Pardoe in the VIP tent during Saturday's semifinal matches.

Earlier this year Duong had his contract with the tour terminated after he participated in multiple events in Vietnam without prior approval from the league.

Speculation about a potential return to the tour picked up recently when Duong posted photos of himself practicing with the LT Pro 48 ball, which is currently the official ball of the PPA Tour. Because the PPA is the only tour currently using the LifeTime ball, there's no reason for Duong to practice with it unless he was planning to make a return to the tour.

Saturday's meeting with Pardoe offers further evidence that a return could be in the works. It's worth noting that the Major League Pickleball free-agency draft is scheduled for late February, so if Duong is planning to make a return, he would need to sign a new contract in the next month or so in order to be eligible for the draft.

Stay tuned -- we will be monitoring Duong's contract situation closely in the coming weeks.