The Kellner Cup once again delivered as the premier event of the SDA Pro Tour, with the 2025/26 edition marking the largest in recent history. Hosted across The Racquet and Tennis Club, The Union Club, and The University Club of New York, the event featured an expanded $65,000 prize purse and a packed gallery for the final, reinforcing its status as the tour’s flagship tournament.
At the center of the event was the continued dominance of the World No. 1 team, Sam Khalifa and Chris Callis. Entering the tournament undefeated for the season, the top seeds were tested early in the semifinals by Josh Hughes and Cameron Pilley. Hughes and Pilley came out firing, taking a 1–0 lead and surging to an 8–0 advantage in the second, putting the top seeds firmly on the back foot. However, a combination of unforced errors from Hughes and Pilley and a noticeable shift in control from Khalifa and Callis saw the score pulled back to 10–10. From there, the top seeds reasserted their authority, taking control of both the game and the match to advance to the final, leaving Hughes and Pilley to reflect on a missed opportunity.
The second semifinal provided one of the most dramatic matches of the tournament. James Stout and Scott Arnold, the second seeds, faced the fast-rising pairing of Daelum Mawji and Charles Culhane. Mawji and Culhane had already delivered one of the stories of the event in the round of 16, saving nine match balls to come back from 14–6 down against Sergio Martin and Khamal Cumberbatch to win 15–14 in the fifth. They carried that resilience into the semifinal, taking advantage of a typically slow start from Stout and Arnold to claim the opening game and push the pace throughout. Stout and Arnold had opportunities to close the match in four games, including at 13–13, but were forced into a deciding fifth. In the final game, the experience of the second seeds showed as they controlled both the tempo and positioning, pulling away to secure their place in the final.
The final set up a rematch of the 2024 Kellner Cup and marked the first final-round rematch in more than two decades. This time, Khalifa and Callis left little doubt. After a tight opening phase, they broke the first game open with a decisive run from 6–7 to 13–7, taking it 15–9. The second game proved pivotal, with the top seeds recovering from 10–11 down to win 15–12, highlighted by their ability to control extended rallies and dictate the structure of the points. By the third, momentum was firmly in their favor, and they raced through the game with runs of 7–0 and 6–1 to close out the match 15–7 in front of a packed house.
With the victory, Khalifa and Callis not only successfully defended their Kellner Cup title (the first team to do so since 2013/2015) but also completed a historic undefeated season on the SDA Pro Tour. Their run included seven consecutive titles at the RC Pro Series, Big Apple Open, Jim Bentley Cup, MFS Boston Pro-Am, North American Open, David Johnson Memorial, and now the Kellner Cup. Chris Callis also added an eighth win earlier in the season alongside Zac Alexander in Wilmington, further underscoring the dominance of the pairing. Stout and Arnold, who have been one of the most consistent partnerships on tour for the past five years, once again demonstrated their quality throughout the event. Having won nearly every major SDA title, the Kellner Cup remains the one missing piece, with Arnold previously lifting the trophy alongside John Russell, while Stout continues his pursuit of a first Kellner title.
The event also carried strong historical significance, with ten-time Kellner Cup champion Damien Mudge in attendance, alongside Manek Mathur, the last player to complete an undefeated SDA season prior to Khalifa and Callis.
With increased prize money, elite competition, dramatic matches throughout the draw, and a defining performance from the top team in the game, the 2026 Kellner Cup further cemented its place as the pinnacle of professional squash doubles