World No. 1 Waters Eyes PPA Asia Debut as Tour Announces Slate

Anna Leigh Waters, the world No. 1 in both women’s singles and doubles, has publicly signalled interest in making a PPA Tour Asia debut as the PPA Tour rolls out a more ambitious Asian calendar for 2026. The slate includes the MB Hanoi Cup in Hanoi, scheduled April 1 to April 5, 2026, with a $300,000 prize pool.

Waters’ standing on court underlines the commercial impact her appearance would carry. File captions state she “has become the first player ever to achieve triple 50 on the PPA Tour.” That competitive profile pairs with recent mainstream visibility: she walked the ESPYs red carpet earlier this year and is regularly courted for promotional work.

The tour-level push into Asia is backed by participation data that stakeholders are citing as justification. UPA Asia and YouGov figures cited by organizers put awareness at 1.9 billion people across the continent, 812 million who have tried pickleball at least once, and 282 million who play monthly, with participation growing roughly 60 percent year over year. Organizers frame a Waters appearance as a potential landmark to convert awareness into paid attendance and broadcast viewership.

Waters has explicitly tied competition to promotion as part of her strategy. On The Pat McAfee Show she said, “It is growing in Asia, it is getting huge. I am going out there later this year.” She has also told media she is focused on events that grow the sport, adding in another interview, “Doing those events kills two birds with one stone. It helps me and my brand to grow, but it also helps the sport grow. That’s something I’ve been really focused on is helping to grow the sport, because I love it so much and I feel like other people love it as soon as they try it, too.” Waters balances that work with a packed competitive calendar; she is slated to play at the weeklong UPA-organized Pickleball World Championships at Brookhaven Country Club in Farmers Branch, Texas, a tournament that drew 57,000 fans last year.

The push into Asia is part of a broader corporate consolidation and international growth phase. The United Pickleball Association, formed after the 2024 merger of the PPA Tour and Major League Pickleball, has raised $90 million from investors including SC Holdings, Al Tylis and Dundon Capital. Competing circuits are also expanding: the Association of Pickleball Players, majority-owned by Intersport, will host 24 events in 2025 and has joined with six international leagues and federations to form a global tour starting in December. The National Pickleball League remains a 12-team competition aimed at pros 50 and older and is eyeing expansion.

Not all reports line up on timing. Waters’ Pat McAfee Show remark that she is “going out there later this year” sits alongside reporting that connects her Asia interest to the PPA Tour Asia 2026 calendar; organizers and media have tied specific events to the 2026 season. An unnamed industry executive also said of commercial partners, “When we got talking with them about how we wanted to expand their pickleball footprint, it wasn’t a question for them. They wanted Anna Leigh to be the person that was doing their advertisements for them.” Confirmation of exact travel dates, accepted invitations and MB Hanoi Cup commitments remains outstanding.

If Waters elects to compete at an event such as the MB Hanoi Cup April 1-5, 2026, her dual role as top-ranked competitor and cross-platform promoter, including a planned YouTube cooking channel launch and conversations about long-term equity investments, would mark a defining commercial moment for PPA Tour Asia and the sport’s footprint in the region.