PickleballSkill Levels
Sign up
← All posts

Bellamy upsets Haworth as Waters claims her 45th Triple Crown in Chicago

By Pickleball Skill Levels · November 6, 2026 · 3 min read · Last updated November 6, 2026

Roscoe Bellamy beat Christopher Haworth for his first singles title of 2026, while Anna Leigh Waters added two more golds for Triple Crown No. 45 in Chicago.

A women's doubles team celebrating a point at the net on a sunny court

Roscoe Bellamy is a singles champion again. The No. 4 seed beat Christopher Haworth on Sunday in Chicago to win his first singles gold since the 2025 Lakeland Open, as reported by pickleball.com — and he was the first to admit the day broke his way.

"I got lucky today. Chris didn't play his best, and fortunately I was able to come up with some really clutch shots," Bellamy said afterwards. "Chris is one of my best friends on tour, and the guy's an absolute beast, so to even get a win against him is huge. I hope to play him a lot more." Next up, Bellamy heads to next week's tournament in Virginia Beach as the top seed.

Waters does it again

The bigger story of the weekend was Anna Leigh Waters. Fresh off earning her 200th career PPA Tour title, she won two more golds — women's doubles and women's singles — to claim her 45th career Triple Crown and close out the PPA Tour's first trip to the Windy City.

In women's doubles, Waters and Anna Bright were pushed to three games for the second straight tournament by No. 2 seeds Hurricane Tyra Black and Catherine Parenteau. Waters and Bright dropped the first game before coming back to win 2-11, 11-3, 11-4.

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

In the final match of the day, Waters beat No. 2 seed Kate Fahey 11-1, 11-7 in the women's singles final to complete the sweep of all three of her events.

What it means for your game

Two lessons travel well from Chicago to your local courts. First, Bellamy's honesty matters: at every level, some wins come because you stayed steady while an opponent had an off day — take the win and move on. Second, Waters and Bright losing a first game 2-11 and still winning shows why the best doubles teams change one thing at a time instead of panicking. Our guide to playing pickleball singles covers the footwork and shot choices that decide one-on-one matches. Want to know where your own game stands? Take the free skill check.

Source: pickleball.com, "Bellamy powers past Haworth for first 2026 title as Waters earns Triple Crown." Scores and quotes as reported there.

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.

Keep reading

A packed championship pickleball court during a quarterfinal matchWorld Championships hit quarterfinal Friday in Farmers BranchNovember 6, 2026 · 3 min readA women's pro player raising her paddle in celebration on a championship courtAnna Leigh Waters passes 200 career PPA titles in ChicagoNovember 5, 2026 · 3 min readA singles player stretched wide for a passing shot, covering the whole court aloneHow to play pickleball singles (and how it differs from doubles)October 28, 2026 · 4 min read

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.