The Upset in Cary: How Patriquin and Bright Dethroned Johns/Waters — and the Name Behind the Gold
Cary, North Carolina — The Carvana PPA Tour's first slam of the 2026-27 season, newly renamed the Veolia Pickleball National Championships, delivered one storyline that dominated the entire circuit: the No. 1 mixed doubles team, Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters, fell in the semifinals.
They were beaten by JW and Jorja Johnson, siblings who arrived in Cary looking for redemption after a spring season that fell below their own standard. The scoreline — 4-11, 11-9, 11-6 — confirmed that Johns/Waters are no longer untouchable: it was only their second loss since February, when they fell to Hayden Patriquin and Anna Bright at the PPA Mesa Cup.
And it was precisely Patriquin/Bright who capitalized on the opening. With Johns and Waters out of the draw, the duo cruised to Sunday's final, where they defeated the Johnson siblings 11-9, 11-3, 11-7 to claim their second title together as a partnership.
"This one means a ton," Bright said after the match.
The Name Behind the Trophy: Juan Benítez
But if one thing became clear on social media after the podium ceremony, it's that Patriquin/Bright's title wasn't only about what happened on the court. In the official celebration photo, posted by the PPA Tour itself, a third figure appears alongside the champions: Juan Benítez, a Colombian coach known on the circuit through his Instagram account @zero_zero_juan — the man who has been shaping the pair's game.
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The recognition didn't come only from the PPA Tour. Other accounts within the pickleball community were direct about it: one post called him flatly "the best coach in pickleball," highlighting his transition from competitive player to trainer of some of the best athletes in the world — a leap that lines up exactly with the moment Patriquin/Bright are having right now.
Benítez himself, based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and affiliated with the Diadem Pickleball Complex, has been consistent about his coaching philosophy: high-quality repetitions with proper technique and solid fundamentals are the key — not purposeless drilling sessions or casual "rec games." That methodical approach appears to be paying off at exactly the right moment: a 2,000-point slam, the first major stop of the season.
The topic also came up on PickleballTV broadcasts, where the name @zero_zero_juan kept surfacing as part of the conversation around Patriquin/Bright's new level.
The Rest of the Weekend in Cary
Men's Doubles: Johns/Tardio, Untouchable Once Again. Ben Johns and Gabe Tardio remained undefeated in 2026. Their only real scare came in the quarterfinals against Will Howells and CJ Klinger, where they had to rally back from a dropped game to close it out 11-3, 9-11, 11-5. In Sunday's final, they faced Christian Alshon and Andrei Daescu — a pairing that had won three golds, six silvers and three bronzes together for much of 2025 — and pulled out an 11-8, 11-8, 5-11, 11-4 win. The result cements Johns/Tardio as the standard to beat in the category for the rest of the season.
Men's Singles: Hunter Johnson's Return. After several months without a singles title, Hunter Johnson climbed back to the top of the podium — his ninth career title, and his first since March. His tally of nine titles puts him third all-time in the discipline, behind only Ben Johns and Federico Staksrud. The path wasn't easy: in Saturday's semifinals he ousted No. 1 seed Chris Haworth with a commanding 11-9, 11-1, and in Sunday's final he came back against Staksrud himself, dropping the first game 7-11 before answering with 11-3 and 11-0. "This is what you work for," Johnson said after the win. "I played well all week and I'm just gonna keep my head down and work for that No. 1 spot."
Women's Doubles and Singles: The Usual Weight of Anna Leigh Waters. After facing off as rivals the week before in the MLP final, Anna Leigh Waters and Anna Bright were back on the same side of the net in Cary — a sight that alone intimidated the rest of the field. In singles, Waters was a steamroller: she pickled her opponent in four of her first six matches of the tournament, beat Kaitlyn Christian 11-5, 11-1 in the semifinals, and closed with a win over Kate Fahey 11-1, 11-9 in Sunday's final. With that result, she extended her unbeaten streak in singles to more than 830 days — a number that, at this point, feels less like a streak and more like an era.
A Tournament With a New Face
Beyond what happened on court, Cary also marked the official debut of two structural changes that will define the 2026-27 season: the new World Pickleball Rankings system, which for the first time combines results from gender doubles, mixed doubles and singles into a single leaderboard; and the rollout of the UPA's automated line-calling system with Owl AI, which operated on eight courts during the tournament — the largest deployment of this technology on tour to date.
With more than 1,400 players in the draw, Cary Tennis Park was, for one full week, the center of the professional pickleball universe.
The Fans Delivered
And in the stands, the response was clear. Those who made their way to Cary Tennis Park this week left satisfied after witnessing a true feast of great pickleball: upsets in mixed doubles, a champion reaffirming his name in singles, a historic streak still very much alive, and an ecosystem — players, coaches, technology — that keeps raising the level of the fastest-growing sport in the country.
See you at the next tournament.
Cary, North Carolina — The Carvana PPA Tour's first slam of the 2026-27 season, newly renamed the Veolia Pickleball National Championships, delivered one storyline that dominated the entire circuit: the No. 1 mixed doubles team, Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters, fell in the semifinals.
They were beaten by JW and Jorja Johnson, siblings who arrived in Cary looking for redemption after a spring season that fell below their own standard. The scoreline — 4-11, 11-9, 11-6 — confirmed that Johns/Waters are no longer untouchable: it was only their second loss since February, when they fell to Hayden Patriquin and Anna Bright at the PPA Mesa Cup.
And it was precisely Patriquin/Bright who capitalized on the opening. With Johns and Waters out of the draw, the duo cruised to Sunday's final, where they defeated the Johnson siblings 11-9, 11-3, 11-7 to claim their second title together as a partnership.
"This one means a ton," Bright said after the match.
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The Name Behind the Trophy: Juan Benítez
But if one thing became clear on social media after the podium ceremony, it's that Patriquin/Bright's title wasn't only about what happened on the court. In the official celebration photo, posted by the PPA Tour itself, a third figure appears alongside the champions: Juan Benítez, a Colombian coach known on the circuit through his Instagram account @zero_zero_juan — the man who has been shaping the pair's game.
LOVE PICKLEBALL?
Get Dink Authority Magazine updates, new editions, pro stories and event alerts.
We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe anytime.
The recognition didn't come only from the PPA Tour. Other accounts within the pickleball community were direct about it: one post called him flatly "the best coach in pickleball," highlighting his transition from competitive player to trainer of some of the best athletes in the world — a leap that lines up exactly with the moment Patriquin/Bright are having right now.
Benítez himself, based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and affiliated with the Diadem Pickleball Complex, has been consistent about his coaching philosophy: high-quality repetitions with proper technique and solid fundamentals are the key — not purposeless drilling sessions or casual "rec games." That methodical approach appears to be paying off at exactly the right moment: a 2,000-point slam, the first major stop of the season.
The topic also came up on PickleballTV broadcasts, where the name @zero_zero_juan kept surfacing as part of the conversation around Patriquin/Bright's new level.
The Rest of the Weekend in Cary
Men's Doubles: Johns/Tardio, Untouchable Once Again. Ben Johns and Gabe Tardio remained undefeated in 2026. Their only real scare came in the quarterfinals against Will Howells and CJ Klinger, where they had to rally back from a dropped game to close it out 11-3, 9-11, 11-5. In Sunday's final, they faced Christian Alshon and Andrei Daescu — a pairing that had won three golds, six silvers and three bronzes together for much of 2025 — and pulled out an 11-8, 11-8, 5-11, 11-4 win. The result cements Johns/Tardio as the standard to beat in the category for the rest of the season.
Men's Singles: Hunter Johnson's Return. After several months without a singles title, Hunter Johnson climbed back to the top of the podium — his ninth career title, and his first since March. His tally of nine titles puts him third all-time in the discipline, behind only Ben Johns and Federico Staksrud. The path wasn't easy: in Saturday's semifinals he ousted No. 1 seed Chris Haworth with a commanding 11-9, 11-1, and in Sunday's final he came back against Staksrud himself, dropping the first game 7-11 before answering with 11-3 and 11-0. "This is what you work for," Johnson said after the win. "I played well all week and I'm just gonna keep my head down and work for that No. 1 spot."
Women's Doubles and Singles: The Usual Weight of Anna Leigh Waters. After facing off as rivals the week before in the MLP final, Anna Leigh Waters and Anna Bright were back on the same side of the net in Cary — a sight that alone intimidated the rest of the field. In singles, Waters was a steamroller: she pickled her opponent in four of her first six matches of the tournament, beat Kaitlyn Christian 11-5, 11-1 in the semifinals, and closed with a win over Kate Fahey 11-1, 11-9 in Sunday's final. With that result, she extended her unbeaten streak in singles to more than 830 days — a number that, at this point, feels less like a streak and more like an era.
A Tournament With a New Face
Beyond what happened on court, Cary also marked the official debut of two structural changes that will define the 2026-27 season: the new World Pickleball Rankings system, which for the first time combines results from gender doubles, mixed doubles and singles into a single leaderboard; and the rollout of the UPA's automated line-calling system with Owl AI, which operated on eight courts during the tournament — the largest deployment of this technology on tour to date.
With more than 1,400 players in the draw, Cary Tennis Park was, for one full week, the center of the professional pickleball universe.
The Fans Delivered
And in the stands, the response was clear. Those who made their way to Cary Tennis Park this week left satisfied after witnessing a true feast of great pickleball: upsets in mixed doubles, a champion reaffirming his name in singles, a historic streak still very much alive, and an ecosystem — players, coaches, technology — that keeps raising the level of the fastest-growing sport in the country.
See you at the next tournament.
