Anna Leigh Waters Set for International Debut at PPA Tour Asia's MB Hanoi Cup

Anna Leigh Waters, ranked No. 1 on the Carvana PPA Tour in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles, is headed to Hanoi for her first international competitive appearance. The 19-year-old will compete at the MB Hanoi Cup, a PPA Tour Asia 1000 event running April 1–5 at the My Dinh Indoor Athletics Club in Hanoi, Vietnam, where champions will collect 1,000 PPA ranking points.

Waters will enter two draws at the tournament: women's doubles alongside Anna Bright, and mixed doubles with Ben Johns. No singles entry has been announced. The MB Hanoi Cup is the first PPA Tour Asia event held in Hanoi, and PPA Tour Asia has billed it as one of the circuit's biggest stages.

"Making my international debut in Vietnam is one of the highlights of my career," Waters said in a PPA Tour Asia statement. "I've experienced the sport's growth in the U.S., and I am honored to be part of the first PPA Tour Asia event in Hanoi. To be able to compete and then share the sport I love through exhibitions and clinics in Ho Chi Minh City with Franklin Sports is an incredible opportunity to help grow the game on a world stage."

That post-tournament leg runs April 6–7, when Waters travels to Ho Chi Minh City to host clinics and a showcase in partnership with Franklin Sports. Jared Franklin, whose title at Franklin Sports is listed in PPA Tour Asia's release as Head of International, framed the trip as more than a promotional stop. "Seeing her compete on the international stage in Hanoi and participate in our Franklin showcase in Ho Chi Minh is a powerful step to engage fans and inspire new players as pickleball continues to expand across Asia and around the world," Franklin said.

Waters turned professional in 2019 at age 12, becoming the youngest pro in the sport's history. She first picked up a paddle in 2017 when her family evacuated their home in Delray Beach, Florida, during Hurricane Irma and stayed with her grandparents in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Within months of that introduction she was competing in tournaments; within two years she was a national champion. As of January 28, 2026, she had accumulated 181 gold medals and 39 triple crowns according to her Wikipedia entry, while PPA promotional material puts the gold medal total at over 190 and lists 41 clean sweeps at PPA Tour stops.

For the pickleball community watching the sport's push into Asia, the pairing of Waters' debut with a 1,000-point ranking event signals that PPA Tour Asia is not building its Hanoi showcase around exhibition appeal alone. With Ben Johns also confirmed in the field, the competitive weight behind the MB Hanoi Cup's inaugural Hanoi edition is substantial.