Anna Leigh Waters, Ben Johns Top Seeds for MB Hanoi Cup in April

Anna Leigh Waters and Ben Johns headline the official seeding and player field for the MB Hanoi Cup, released by PPA Tour Asia on March 18, with the PPA Asia 1000 event scheduled for April 1–5 at the My Dinh Indoor Athletics Arena in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Waters, 19, arrives in Vietnam ranked No. 1 in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles. According to The Dink Pickleball, she has accumulated 191 gold medals and 41 triple crowns. PPA Tour Asia's own feature described her resume as "over 190 gold medals" with clean sweeps at 41 PPA Tour stops. She will compete in women's doubles alongside Anna Bright and, per The Dink Pickleball's reporting, will pair with Ben Johns in mixed doubles.

For Waters, the trip carries personal weight beyond the seedings. "Making my international debut in Vietnam is one of the highlights of my career," she said. "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."

Johns, meanwhile, is described in PPA Tour Asia promotional material as heading back to Vietnam, suggesting prior familiarity with the market, though no direct quote from him appears in available materials.

The MB Hanoi Cup represents the first PPA Tour Asia event held in Hanoi, and Waters' appearance gives it a profile that extends well beyond the pickleball circuit. PPA Tour Asia noted in a March 11 feature that her cultural footprint in the United States already includes a Times Square appearance, a shoutout from Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show, a live dink rally against Pat McAfee on ESPN, and a Nike signing in 2026 that made her the first pickleball player to ink a deal with the brand.

After the tournament concludes, Waters will travel south for Franklin Sports clinics and a showcase in Ho Chi Minh City on April 6 and 7, giving Vietnamese players direct access to the sport's top-ranked competitor. The full seeding list and complete player draw are available through PPA Tour Asia following the March 18 release.