The Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) finished up one of the more grueling sections of its schedule in recent memory, having played four events in five weeks, with the 2026 Veolia Texas Open, played at the The Courts McKinney Pickleball & Tennis Center in McKinney, Texas, the rare community park host for a PPA pro event in the far northern Dallas metroplex suburbs.
The event struggled with wind issues all week, culminating with periods of play stoppage during the gold medal matches, a struggle typical of springtime in the wind-blown plains of central Texas. Observers point out the same issue happened in 2025 at the same venue, and that perhaps a mid-March event in Dallas isn’t the greatest idea (in the years before, this calendar slot was in Austin, a bit more temperate this time of year). However, by Sunday evening, for the second tournament in a row all five gold medals were taken by the No. 1 seeds, contining a run of dominance for the sport’s top players.
Men’s Pro Singles Recap
Long-time Men’s singles No. 1 Federico Staksrud took the top seed in Texas in the absence of tour No. 1 Johnson and laid down a statement, coming back from a game down in the final to top the tour’s hottest singles player No. 2 seed Christopher Haworth (2),5,5. Zane Ford fought to the bronze from the No. 10 seed spot to earn his first medal since December, 2024…