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Black and Oncins stun the Johnson siblings in a five-game Sacramento final

By Pickleball Skill Levels · November 5, 2026 · 3 min read · Last updated November 5, 2026

Tyra Black, playing hurt, and Eric Oncins beat the top-seeded Johnson siblings in five games to win the Sacramento mixed doubles title in their first tournament together.

A mixed doubles team celebrating at the net after winning a point

The last match of the weekend in Sacramento was the best one. Tyra Black and Eric Oncins — playing together for the first time — beat top seeds Jorja Johnson and JW Johnson in five games, 11-7, 6-11, 3-11, 11-8, 11-8, to win the mixed doubles title, as reported by pickleball.com's championship coverage.

Black's half of the win is the remarkable part. Earlier the same day she had taken a medical timeout for a right leg injury during the women's doubles final and played with heavy tape around her quad and hamstring. "I'm in a little bit of pain, so I was just trying my best to push through," she said afterwards. "Eric is an absolutely insane player, so I just let him do his thing."

For Oncins, the title is a career first — his first PPA Tour title — and he fought off tears in the post-match interview before landing on the simplest summary of the weekend: "I love pickleball. Tyra is a beast. The Johnsons are amazing on and off the court, and I just love pickleball."

The rest of Sacramento's finals

Ben Johns and Gabe Tardio kept their undefeated 2026 season alive in men's doubles, beating No. 2 seeds JW Johnson and CJ Klinger 11-8, 7-11, 11-6, 11-2. The match turned at 6-6 in the third game, when the top seeds closed on a 15-2 run. The win was Johns' 181st PPA Tour title.

A ball dropping just over the net tape into the kitchen, close-up

In women's singles, top seed Kate Fahey produced the most one-sided final of the day, dismantling No. 2 seed Kaitlyn Christian 11-3, 11-0 for her first title of 2026. Fahey delivered three 11-0 game wins across her five matches and has now won the Sacramento singles title two years in a row.

What to watch in your own game

Black's day is a reminder that mixed doubles at the top level is won on fight as much as form — and that a brand-new partnership can beat the best team in the draw when both players commit to their roles. If you play mixed, our guide to what a speed-up is explains the shot that decides so many of these kitchen-line exchanges.

Source: pickleball.com, "Black, Oncins outlast Johnson siblings in five-game thriller for mixed doubles crown" (Sacramento championship coverage). Scores and quotes as reported there. Want to know where your own game stands? Take the free skill check.

Now find out where YOU stand

Reading about levels is step one. The free skill check scores your six shots and names your level — and your weakest shot — in about two minutes.

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Pickleball words, in plain English

Players throw these words around like everyone knows them. Here is what each one actually means.

Kitchen
The 7-foot zone right at the net. You can stand in it, but you can't hit the ball out of the air while you're there.
Dink
A soft, gentle shot that just clears the net and lands in the kitchen. It forces the other side to hit up, not down.
Third-shot drop
Your team's first shot after the serve and return. Hit it soft so it drops into the kitchen — that lets you walk up to the net.
Reset
When a hard shot comes at you, you block it softly into the kitchen instead of swinging back. It slows the point down and saves you.
Drive
A hard, fast shot hit low over the net. The opposite of a dink.
Pop-up
A ball you hit too high by accident. It hangs in the air, and the other side gets to smash it. Most points at low levels end this way.
Speed up
To suddenly hit the ball hard and fast on purpose, to rush the other side before they're ready.
Volley
Hitting the ball out of the air before it bounces.