There’s a lesson we can all learn from what is so far the biggest upset of 2026 on the PPA Tour.

Last month at the PPA Tour Mesa Cup, Anna Bright/Hayden Patriquin stunned Ben Johns/Anna Leigh Waters by rolling to a three-game sweep in the gold-medal match.

On match point, Bright sent a third-shot drop high over the net to Johns, who hit an aggressive attack. At this point in the rally, Johns/Waters would have been heavy favorites to win the point, but Patriquin bailed his partner out with a very good dig and won them the point with a speedup down the middle a few shots later.

That sequence was in sharp contrast to what happened the previous week at the Cape Coral Open. Bright/Patriquin had a match point on Johns/Waters in Game 4 of the final at that tournament, but Bright missed a third-shot drop into the net.

Johns/Waters went on to win that match.

Coach Tony Roig breaks down the two sequences here:

Two match points. Two third shots. Two very different results.

In the first rally, the attempt at a perfect third shot drop goes into the net and ends the match.

In the second, the third floats a little high, gets attacked … and they still win the rally and take the championship.

The takeaway for amateur players: It’s better to hit a third-shot drop that gets attacked than a third that never makes it over.

If you’re looking for more insights into high-level pickleball, the Better Pickleball Academy has you covered. You’ll also gain access to their easy to use “BP Play Guides” including middle dinking patterns and more. Use code “KITCHEN26” at checkout for a special offer just for Kitchen community members (3 months for the price of 2).

Tony Roig is a nationally-recognized coach, Sr. Pro Player, developer of “Respect the X” on the In2Pickle YouTube channel, and the voice behind the Pickleball Therapy podcast. Visit BetterPickleball.com for information on coaching from Tony and the BP team through their Camps, Academy, and No. 1 online training program: The Pickleball System.