The PPA Atlanta Pickleball Championships took place this past weekend, and Life Time Peachtree Corners cemented itself as one of the premier venues on the PPA Tour. In past years, the large tennis court stadium housed both Championship and Grandstand Courts. This year, it was just Championship Court, with more seating and better visibility for spectators, and it looked sold out the entire weekend.
Additionally, the two mixed doubles semifinals were live on CBS for a two-hour window on Saturday, marking another major milestone for pickleball's growing broadcast presence.
Perhaps the biggest pickleball news from this weekend didn't occur on the court at all, but in the boardroom. With nearly a quarter billion dollar investment in UPA, the Apollo Sports Capital infusion was huge news. The sport's financial landscape just changed.
Let's get into the action on the court.
Tama Town: How the PPA Atlanta Pickleball Championships Made a New Star
Tama Shimabukuro earned his first medal on the PPA Tour. That's right, I am leading the headlines with someone who didn't even win gold. That's how big of a weekend Tama had at this PPA pickleball tournament.
He won the hearts of the Atlanta crowd, going deep in both singles and men's doubles this weekend. His run was the story of the event.
Tama had a historic run in singles, making it all the way to Championship Sunday as the #22 seed:
- Rd 64 - #48 Syed Uzair Sufi - W - 11-2, 11-9
- Rd 32 - #13 Jaume Martinez Vich - W - 11-5, 11-9
- Rd 16 - #2 Federico Staksrud - W - 6-11, 11-8, 11-9
- Quarterfinals - #11 Noe Khlif - W - 11-8, 11-4
- Semifinals - #3 Hunter Johnson - W 11-7, 8-11, 11-1
In the Finals, #1 Chris Haworth brought too much power, taking the entire tournament with an 11-5, 11-1 win over Tama. Chris Haworth has spoken before about what it takes to reach this level, and this performance backed up every word.
Looking at that run, though, Tama took out the #2 and #3 overall seeds in a single tournament. His extremely unique singles play style seems to be clicking in a big way at the Atlanta Pickleball Championship.
In doubles, Tama and Yuta Funemizu teamed up and pulled off what I consider the upset of the tournament, beating #2 seed, Christian Alshon and Hayden Patriquin, in the Round of 16, 4-11, 11-5, 11-8. They ended up losing their semifinal against Roscoe Bellamy and Connor Garnett, despite pickling them in game two.
In the bronze, they lost 4 & 4 To Fed and Andrei. It was still a run no one saw coming.
After their big win over Christian and Hayden, Tama and Yuta were at the desk being interviewed, and on the last question, Yuta had a quote that will be remembered for a long time:
“I want to be a CHAMPION” - Yuta Funemizu
Congrats to Roscoe and Connor are in order, as they both earned their first silver medal in men’s doubles in their careers. Connor Garnett is a legitimate force at the net, and this run proved it beyond doubt.
Anna Leigh Waters Earns Her 44th Triple Crown at the Atlanta Pickleball Championships
The GOAT continues to do GOAT things. Anna Leigh only dropped one game all week long, and that was to Kiora Kunimoto in singles in the semifinals. That’s right - in 16 matches with a total of 35 games, Waters lost one game.
That's not a misprint.
Waters got pushed by Kate Fahey in the finals of singles, but managed to come back in both games to secure the triple crown, despite being down early. If Waters can go undefeated in singles in the Finals, she will officially go undefeated in singles for over two straight years.
Mixed Doubles: Ben and Anna Leigh Stay Untouchable
In mixed, Anna Leigh and Ben continue to dominate. The team that is closest is Hayden and Anna Bright, but they didn’t have their best stuff on Sunday, so Ben and Anna Leigh won 11-4, 11-5, 11-4.
Women's Doubles: The Annas Keep Rolling
In women’s, Anna Bright and Anna Leigh continue to dominate. The last team to beat them was the Kawamoto twins in September. They beat the Kawamotos 3 & 2 in the quarters in Atlanta. In the finals, the Annas dominated from start to finish over Jorja and Tyra, winning 11-3, 11-4, 11-0.
Anna Leigh continues to set the standard on the women's side, and whenever she takes a loss in any division at a PPA pickleball tournament, it is a genuine shock. For a behind-the-scenes look at how she operates on tour, this feature on Anna Leigh Waters at the Mesa Cup is required reading.
Gabe Tardio and Ben Johns Continue Their Dominance at the PPA Tour Atlanta Stop
Gabe and Ben are 100-4 in their matches in their career. This was the eighth straight win in 2026 for them in the states (they also won the PPA Asia Hanoi Cup).
They had a stumble in their opening round matchup against Chris Crouch and Connor Mogle, losing game two 6-11, but won game three, 11-5. They also lost a game to Fed and Andrei in the semis. The finals was smooth sailing for the duo, as they faced off against first time partners, Roscoe Bellamy and Connor Garnett, winning 11-5, 11-7, 11-2.
Is Anyone Actually Going to Challenge Johns and Tardio?
There doesn’t seem to be a team that is consistently pushing the top seed, so they will continue to dominate after the MLP season. They will continue to dominate after the MLP season.
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Medals by MLP Team
The PPA Atlanta Pickleball Championships shook up the team medal standings in a big way. The 2026 MLP season is stacking up to be a wild one.
St. Louis Shock - 🥇🥇🥈🥈🥈 (Anna, Gabe, Kate, & Hayden)
New Jersey 5s - 🥇🥇🥇🥈 (ALW & Jorja)
LA Mad Drops - 🥇🥇🥉 (Ben & Catherine)
Brooklyn Pickleball Team - 🥇🥉🥉🥉 (Chris, Christian, & Rachel)
Utah Black Diamonds - 🥈🥈🥉 (Connor & Tama)
Dallas Flash - 🥈 (Tyra)
Las Vegas Night Owls - 🥈 (Roscoe)Columbus Sliders - 🥉 (Andrei)
Orlando Squeeze - 🥉 (Fed)
Atlanta Bouncers - 🥉 (Kaitlyn)
All Medalists
Women’s Singles
🥇 Anna Leigh Waters
🥈 Kate Fahey
🥉 Kaitlyn Christian
Men’s Singles
🥇 Chris Haworth
🥈 Tama Shimabukuro
🥉 Connor Garnett
Mixed Doubles
🥇 Anna Leigh Waters/Ben Johns
🥈 Anna Bright/Hayden Patriquin
🥉 Rachel Rohrabacher/Christian Alshon
Women’s Doubles
🥇 Anna Bright/Anna Leigh Waters
🥈 Jorja Johnson/Tyra Black
🥉 Rachel Rohrabacher/Catherine Parenteau
Men’s Doubles
🥇 Gabe Tardio/Ben Johns
🥈 Roscoe Bellamy/Connor Garnett
🥉 Federico Staksrud/Andrei Daescu
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the PPA Atlanta Pickleball Championships in 2026?
Chris Haworth won men's singles, beating Tama Shimabukuro 11-5, 11-1 in the finals. Anna Leigh Waters swept all three gold medals, earning her 44th career triple crown at the Atlanta Pickleball Championships.
What was Tama Shimabukuro's path to the finals at the PPA Atlanta Pickleball Championships?
As the #22 seed, Tama defeated the #2 and #3 seeds, Federico Staksrud and Hunter Johnson, on his way to Championship Sunday. It was one of the most memorable underdog runs in recent PPA Tour history.
How many career wins do Ben Johns and Gabe Tardio have as a men's doubles team?
Ben Johns and Gabe Tardio are 100-4 in their career matches together. Their Atlanta win marked their eighth straight title in 2026 on the PPA Tour, extending one of the most dominant partnerships the sport has ever seen.
What was the biggest off-court news at the 2026 PPA Tour Atlanta stop?
The Apollo Sports Capital investment of nearly a quarter billion dollars into UPA was the headline off the court. That kind of financial backing signals a major shift in the business of professional pickleball.
Was the PPA Atlanta Pickleball Championships on TV?
Yes. The two mixed doubles semifinals were broadcast live on CBS during a two-hour window on Saturday. The event's national TV presence continues to grow as the PPA pickleball tournament circuit expands its mainstream reach.
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