World No.1 pickleball star Anna Leigh Waters is set to make her international debut next month at the PPA Tour Asia’s Hanoi Cup in Vietnam. The 19-year-old sensation, widely regarded as one of the sport’s most dominant players, will compete at the April 1–5 tournament as pickleball continues expanding into global markets.
Who is Anna Leigh Waters?
Anna Leigh Waters is widely considered pickleball’s biggest star and one of the most talented players the sport has ever produced. At just 19 years old, she holds the world No.1 ranking in women’s singles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles. Born on January 26, 2007, in Allentown, Pennsylvania, Waters later moved with her family to Clinton, North Carolina, before settling in Delray Beach, Florida in 2015. Her parents both have strong sporting backgrounds. Her mother Leigh Waters is a former college tennis player, while her father Stephen Waters played college golf. Both competed at the University of South Carolina. Before discovering pickleball, Waters played competitive soccer. Her introduction to pickleball came in 2017, when her family evacuated Florida during Hurricane Irma and stayed with her grandparents in Pennsylvania. There, she was introduced to the sport by her father and grandfather. Waters has built one of the most remarkable records in professional pickleball. She has collected 181 gold medals and 39 triple crowns, the highest number achieved by any professional player in the sport. She regularly dominates tournaments across both the PPA Tour and Major League Pickleball (MLP). Her fast-paced, aggressive playing style has changed how the modern game is played. Her rise began very early. At 10 years old, she won her first gold medal in pickleball. By 2019, at the age of 12, she became the youngest professional player and national champion in the sport’s history.
Partnership with her mother
A unique part of Waters’ journey is her partnership with her mother Leigh Waters, who also serves as her coach and manager. The two have competed together as the sport’s only professional mother–daughter duo. Their partnership helped introduce a more aggressive style of play that quickly attracted attention on the professional circuit. In Major League Pickleball, Waters was selected as the top draft pick for the New Jersey 5s, further strengthening her reputation as one of the sport’s most valuable players.
International debut in Vietnam
Waters will now make her first international appearance at the PPA Tour Asia’s Hanoi Cup, scheduled from April 1 to April 5 in Vietnam. The tournament will take place at the My Dinh Indoor Athletics Arena in Hanoi and is part of the Professional Pickleball Association’s global ranking system. Champions at the event will receive 1,000 ranking points. Waters is expected to compete in women’s doubles alongside Anna Bright and in mixed doubles with Ben Johns.
