← All posts

Johns and Waters face the Johnson siblings in the Worlds mixed doubles final

A mixed doubles rally on an outdoor court at golden hour

By Pickleball Skill Levels · November 8, 2026 · 3 min read · Last updated November 8, 2026

Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters beat Rohrabacher and Alshon 11-8, 11-5, and Jorja and JW Johnson swept Bright and Patriquin to set the Worlds mixed doubles final.

At a glance

Published · November 8, 2026

Read time · 3 min

Mixed doubles went to form on Semifinal Saturday at the Opendoor Pickleball World Championships — the two teams left standing are the two that have run this event all week.

Johns and Waters handle a tricky semifinal

Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters beat Rachel Rohrabacher and Christian Alshon 11-8, 11-5. Rohrabacher and Alshon kept the first game close, but the top team pulled away in the second to reach another Championship Sunday. It was their closest match of the week: in the quarterfinals they beat Sahra Dennehy and Tama Shimabukuro 11-5, 11-0.

Rohrabacher and Alshon had reached the last four by beating Tyra Black and Gabriel Tardio 11-4, 11-7 on Friday. They now play for bronze on Sunday.

The Johnsons roll through the other side

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

Jorja Johnson and JW Johnson beat Anna Bright and Hayden Patriquin 11-2, 11-4 in the second semifinal — the most one-sided result of the mixed doubles weekend. The siblings had been nearly as sharp in the quarterfinals, beating Catherine Parenteau and Eric Oncins 11-5, 11-2.

Bright and Patriquin, who beat Parris Todd and Andrei Daescu 11-2, 11-3 in their quarterfinal, will face Rohrabacher and Alshon in the bronze match.

That leaves Sunday with the final most fans would have picked before a ball was hit: Johns and Waters against JW and Jorja Johnson. It is also a busy day for the players involved — Waters is in the women's singles and women's doubles finals too, and JW Johnson is in the men's doubles final with Tama Shimabukuro. Mixed doubles tactics, like stacking, decide a lot of these matches before the first rally even starts. Want to see how your own game measures up? Try the free skill check.

Source: ThePickleHub, "PPA World Championships Results 2026" (updated Nov. 8, 2026), publishing the official PPA scores feed for the Opendoor Pickleball World Championships, Nov. 2–8, 2026, at Brookhaven Country Club, Farmers Branch, Texas. Mixed doubles scores as listed 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 GOING

Keep reading

A women's doubles team in a fast hands battle at the netSewing and Parenteau stun Fahey and Pisnik to set a Worlds women's doubles final with Bright and WatersNovember 8, 2026 · 3 min readA championship pickleball stadium court at sunrise with a ball and paddle on the courtWorlds Championship Sunday: all five finals set for the last day in Farmers BranchNovember 8, 2026 · 3 min readA doubles pair positioned on the same side of the court right after a serveWhat is stacking in pickleball?October 6, 2026 · 5 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.