BRIGHT AND PATRIQUIN SWEEP WATERS AND JOHNS 3-0 FOR TITLE

No. 3 seeds stun pickleball's most dominant duo in straight games, claiming mixed doubles gold at the Carvana Mesa Cup

Source: Pickleball.com

They came with redemption on their minds and a score to settle. And when the final point was struck on Championship Court at the Carvana Mesa Cup Presented by Cal-AM, Anna Bright and Hayden Patriquin had done something few in professional pickleball ever do. They didn't just beat Anna Leigh Waters and Ben Johns. They dominated them.

The No. 3 seeds stunned the No. 1 seeds in three straight games, sweeping the defending powerhouse 11-8, 11-9, 11-3 in the mixed doubles final, delivering one of the most emphatic results in the history of the Waters-Johns partnership. Coming into the final, Waters and Johns were 59-2 in finals together and were chasing their 60th mixed title as a pair.

For Bright and Patriquin, the victory was as cathartic as it was commanding. Just weeks ago in Cape Coral, the duo had match point within their grasp before watching it slip away in heartbreaking fashion. In Cape Coral, Bright and Patriquin had match point before Waters and Johns escaped in five games. This time, there would be no collapse.

A Match of Nerves, Grit, and Glass Adjustments

The road to glory was not without its bumps. The first two games were tightly contested, with Waters and Johns starting out Game 2 with a 5-0 lead. Adding to the intrigue, sunlight filtering through the stadium covering created visibility issues on court, leading Bright to switch out her glasses lens during Game 2 in an effort to adjust.

"Honestly, I was trying to be a little bit detached," Bright explained. "I think I wanted it a little too bad in Cape Coral. So I tried to come out and just enjoy playing with Hayden. I was in a great mood this morning and we both were and just really happy we were able to sustain that high level."

A moment of sportsmanship mid-match added another layer to the story. Early in the second game, Johns hit a ball that contacted paddle, then ground, then carried over the net and immediately called the fault on himself. It was the kind of honesty the sport is known for. But Bright and Patriquin showed no mercy from that point on.

In Game 3, there was no drama, only dominance. The challengers ran away with it, limiting the world's most decorated mixed doubles team to just three points in the deciding game.

"I felt a lot of nerves," Bright admitted post-match. "Even though it was 10-3, I was so nervous… I basically gave Ben an overhead with my third shot. I was literally smiling after the shot, but thankfully, it was better than an error."

History Made and a Rivalry Born

The magnitude of the moment was not lost on anyone inside the arena. It marks one of the most decisive victories ever over the Waters and Johns pairing.

Notably, Bright is now part of three separate teams to defeat Waters and Johns at Mesa 2025, Austin 2024, and the 2023 PPA Finals pool play. For Bright, the title adds to a résumé that already includes mixed titles with James Ignatowich, Riley Newman, Andrei Daescu, and Dylan Frazier.

For Patriquin, it marks just his second career mixed doubles gold and by far the most significant, since it included taking down the World No. 1's. The emotions poured out immediately after championship point, a release of everything that had been built up since Cape Coral.

The sweep signals something larger than one tournament result. It points to a shifting landscape in professional mixed doubles, one where the stranglehold Waters and Johns have long enjoyed is no longer assumed.

"I think matches against that team are only going to get better and better," Bright said. "Just excited for the rest of the season."

The Bigger Picture

Waters and Johns remain the gold standard of the sport, a team with 59 final victories, a partnership forged over years of calculated brilliance. But Sunday in Mesa, they ran into a version of Bright and Patriquin that was locked in, loose, and hungry.

The 2026 season continues at the SXY Newport Beach Open on March 2 through 8, giving the pros time to reset. But for mixed doubles fans, the question now isn't whether Bright and Patriquin can compete with Waters and Johns. It's whether anyone can stop them.