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| Anna Leigh Waters became the youngest professional pickleball player in history at age 12 and the youngest tournament champion the same year; last year, she won her first national championship, in women's doubles, playing alongside her mother, Leigh Waters. (Read More) |
The 2023 30 Under 30 list itself shows how representation is changing in the sports world: Of the nominees selected by the judges, 16 are women, and 17 identify as people of color. And the honorees are breaking new ground in other ways as well.
Anna Leigh Waters is the top-ranked player in the ascendant sport of pickleball—at just 15. (Read More)
Essentially Sports: Fast-Growing Racquet Sport Scripts History as 12-Year-Old American Player Easily Overtakes the Likes of Elite Tennis Stars
March: PPA Riverland Open
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| No one, however, had a better Nationals than the #1 seed, 15-year-old Anna Leigh Waters, who is continuously separating herself from the pack. (2022 Pro Medalists) |
Nationals started with the singles events for the pro players. Anna Leigh made quick work to get to Championship Sunday, and then to win the championship (which each gold medal match featured a best 3 out of 5 game format). In fact, Anna Leigh did not even lose a game throughout the bracket.
Turning to women’s doubles, Anna Leigh lost her usual partner—her mother, Leigh Waters—to injury during bracket play for mixed doubles. Although Anna Leigh seemed to be having knee pain in a previous recent tournament, it was Leigh that tweaked her knee when going for a backhanded poach on the courts with her partner Tyson McGuffin. This injury landed Leigh off the court and in a wheelchair to recover. As a result, Catherine Parenteau moved to fill the spot to play with Anna Leigh. This move required Parenteau to drop her partner Allyce Jones in order to play with Anna Leigh, leaving Jones without a partner to play with at Nationals, and resulting in quite a bit of controversy that was aired out and discussed over social media by pros and fans alike. (Read More)
