Will Anna Leigh Waters Win Third Triple Crown At Atlanta Open?

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Photo: TeamWaters Mother/Daughter Duo Leigh and Anna Leigh Waters At The 2021 PPA Atlanta Open

Will Anna Leigh Waters Win Third Triple Crown At Atlanta Open? 

 

ATLANTA, GA  (May 17, 2022 ) – Last month, the #1 Ranked Professional Pickleball Women’s Singles Player in the World Anna Leigh Waters, 15, won her second Triple Crown and 12th pro singles title at the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) Red Rock Open in St. George, UT. Tomorrow through Sunday March 22 at the PPA Atlanta Open, being held at the Lifetime Fitness Peachtree Corners in Peachtree Corners, the Delray Beach, FL, teenager has her sights set on capturing her 3rd Triple Crown and 13th pro singles title. NOTE: A Triple Crown in Pickleball is when a player wins in all brackets of a tournament: Singles, Mixed Doubles and Doubles.

 

“I'll be defending my triple crown,”  she told The Palm Beach Post for their article and companion video a couple of weeks ago.

Watch the Pickleball Phenom’s 1st Triple Crown Highlight/Interview Reel (11+ mins) at the March Riverland Open in Port St. Lucie, FL.

Red Rock Open Mixed Doubles

Anna Leigh and Ben Johns, 23, the #1 Men’s Pickleball Player in the World, continued their unbeaten partnership by beating Catherine Parenteau, 28, and Riley Newman, 29 (3 out of 5): 11-9,5-11,11-9,12-10 (Watch Match: 4:46:59) NOTE: Ben won a Triple Crown, too.

• Mixed Doubles/Singles Match Points/Interviews (9+ mins)

Singles

Anna Leigh’s 12th pro singles title was against Lea Jansen, 29: 11-8,11-1,11-3 (Watch Match: 4:06:38)

Doubles

Anna Leigh and her mom, Leigh Waters, (TeamWaters) won their third consecutive title against Callie Smith, 31, and Lucy Kovalova, 30, in a knock-down-dragout thriller:  11-8,11-8,12-14,11-5 Watch Highlight/Interview Reel (11+ mins), Match: 10:57 )

Photo: Leigh Waters

The TeamWaters Pickleball Story Began in 2017

“The mother/daughter duo picked up the sport back in 2017 when they evacuated their home in Florida due to Hurricane Irma and stayed with Leigh’s parents for a couple of weeks. Leigh’s dad introduced them to the sport and from there they were hooked. “I think we played like morning, noon and night for two weeks straight while we were up there and the rest is history,” said Leigh.”

The inspiring mother/daughter journey can be followed on Facebook,  Leigh's Instagram and Anna Leigh’s Instagram. 

TeamWaters Digital Press Kit (Interviews, Tournament Videos, Highlights, Photos, Schedules)

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'I'll be defending my triple crown.' No. 1 Pickleball champ in the world is 15-year-old from Florida

The Palm Beach Post

Her favorite thing about the sport is that the family can play together. That’s what drew her onto the pickleball court in the first place.

“Pickleball means a lot to me,” Anna Leigh said. “I’ve been able to travel to a lot of places and meet a lot of influential people I never would have met.”

Leigh Waters said pickleball has strengthened her bond with her daughter.
“It’s so amazing; it’s been such a ride,” she said. “It’s been a huge advantage being able to lean on one another. Speaking as her mom, she’s very kind and works hard to meet her goals.”

How hard? 

“The last thing I’ll say about it is that I think she played pickleball in another lifetime,” Leigh Waters said. “It’s insane.” Read More

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Anna Leigh Waters (@a.l.waters_a1)

 

South Carolina News: Florida’s Pickleball Champion Anna Leigh Waters Quickly Moves to No. 1

Naples Daily News May 4, 2022 11 Photos

Yahoo News: Florida teen Anna Leigh Waters ranks No. 1 in the world of Pickleball

2022 PPA Red Rock Open

 

Anna Leigh Wins Second Triple Crown

Mixed Doubles

1:50:17 Ben Johns/Anna Leigh Waters vs Anna Bright/Tyler Loong 4:11:20 Ben Johns/Anna Leigh Waters vs Tyson McGuffin/Lauren Stratman (Highlight)

4:46:59 Ben Johns/Anna Leigh Waters vs Riley Newman/Catherine Parenteau (Gold) (Highlights)

Mixed Doubles/Singles Match Points/Interviews

Singles

3:18:38 Paris Todd vs Anna Leigh Waters 4:20:24 Ben Johns vs Tyler Loong 5:57:56 Anna Leigh Waters vs Lauren Stratman

4:06:38 Lea Jansen vs Anna Leigh Waters (Gold)

TeamWaters Gold Medal Match Highlight Reel

Doubles

6:26:19 Anna Leigh Waters/Leigh Waters vs Catherine Parenteau/Lea Jansen

10:57 Lucy Kovolova/Callie Jo Smith vs Anna Leigh Waters/Leigh Waters (Gold)

Commentary/Interview/Reel 2:30:29 TeamWaters 2021 Tennis Channel Orlando Cup Reel 2:40:12 Dave Weinbach Interviews Anna Leigh Waters 2:46:22 Point interrupts Dave's Interview with AL

5:15:38 Lea Jansen vs Callie Smith Commentary: Leigh Waters

2022 PPA Red Rock Interview with ‘The Waters Sisters’

 

1. 0:35 Is AL on the top of the Pickleball World?
2. 0:41 What is it like being 15?
3. 1:01 What has changed for you personally and professionally?
4. 1:40 Tennis? College?
5. 2:08 Playing with world #1 Ben Johns?
6. 2:31 What is Ben like as a person?
7. 2:55 Did you drag Ben to Minnesota because you wanted to see snow?
8. 3:11 Now you are in the heat?
9. 3:27 Is there pressure playing with your daughter?
10. 4:04 Gary Vaynerchuk? Advice?

The top pickleball pro in the world is a 15-year-old who used to think the sport was for "old people"

 

Insider

This teen pickleball pro is going to need a bigger trophy room.

Indeed, the darling of the ever-expanding pickleball universe is a 15-year-old from Florida who inadvertently picked up the sport at age 10.

And as Anna Leigh Waters, the youngest pickleball champ in the country and current No. 1 women's singles player in the world, tells Insider, she's just getting warmed up. The teen spoke from her home in Delray Beach after a winning a stunning Professional Pickleball Association Tour title in Women's doubles in Austin, earning herself some more shiny hardware to add to her put-upon mantle. (Read More)

2022 PPA Austin Open

Singles

2:10:56 Anna Leigh Waters vs Yana Grechkina Commentary: Lea Jansen

1:20:43 Anna Leigh Waters vs Callie Smith

5:28:16 Catherine Parenteau vs Anna Leigh Waters (Gold) (Highlights)

0:01 Tyson McGuffin vs Julian Arnold (Game 1) Commentary: Leigh Waters

Mixed Doubles

27:05 Anna Leigh Waters/Dekel Bar vs Jay Devilliers/Jessie Irvine 1:46:19 Riley Newman/Catherine Parenteau vs Anna Leigh Waters/Dekel Bar

3:21:45 Anna Leigh Waters/Dekel Bar vs Jay Devilliers/Jessie Irvine (Bronze)

1:05:12 Tyson McGuffin/Leigh Waters vs Matt Wright/Lucy Kovalova

2:25:58 Tyson McGuffin/Leigh Waters vs Jay Devilliers/Jessie Irvine

4:43:14 Anna Leigh Waters/G. Rancic vs Ben Johns/B. Rancic 4:56:53 Leigh Waters/B. Rancic vs Tyler Loong/Q. Ewers

Doubles

1:19:44 Anna Leigh Waters/Leigh Waters vs Allyce Jones/Meghan Dizon

0:01 Catherine Parenteau/Jessie Irvine vs Anna Leigh Waters/Leigh Waters

1:30:18 Lucy Kovalova/Callie Jo Smith vs Anna Leigh Waters/Leigh Waters (Gold) (Highlights Analysis - TM Boiler Room Breakdown, Episode 16)  

News Reports

NML: PPA Tour Austin Open – 5 Takeaways – Opposite Directions

Anna Leigh Waters Claims First Triple Crown at PPA Riverland Open

The Pickler March 2022

 In her own words, Leigh Waters recaps her latest pro pickleball tournament - the PPA Riverland Open - with her daughter and pro women's doubles partner, Anna Leigh Waters...

To say it was windy is an understatement. The PPA Riverland Open in Port St. Lucie, Florida saw some of the highest sustained winds, not to mention gusts, that I personally have ever played in. The pro women’s doubles bracket was placed on a wind delay just after our first round match. Before that first match started, Anna Leigh and I discussed our strategy. Honestly, we felt like the wind was as much our opponent as the women standing across the net. We had a two-pronged plan: (1) keep our feet moving and (2) keep our eyes on the ball.  In the wind especially, these two steps were vital for survival.

After our first round win, and after the wind delay, we decided to have a nice lunch and go back to the hotel and relax. We actually tried to think about anything but pickleball. I took a nap, and AL looked at TikTok and did some stretching and recovery work. We knew we had a tough semifinal against Simone Jardim and Lucy Kovalova that evening, but we didn’t want to overthink the matchup. (Read More) 

Sun-Sentinel: Delray Beach teen sweeps three pro pickleball titles