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| Anna Leigh Waters, 14, and JW Johnson, 18, Pro Pickleball Singles Champions (Photo Credit: Leigh Waters/Julie Johnson) |
Pro Pickleball Teens Anna Leigh Waters and JW Johnson In Inaugural Orlando Cup
ORLANDO, FL (September 8, 2021) -- Delray Beach based teens Anna Leigh Waters, 14, and JW Johnson, 18, are top contenders for Singles Gold Medals this week at the inaugural Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) Orlando Cup, September 9-12, that will be held at the largest tennis facility in the U.S., The USTA National Campus.
Live coverage of three days, September 9-11, will be available on the PPA Facebook page and YouTube channel. On Championship Sunday, September 12, from 12:00pm ET – 6:30pm, the Tennis Channel will broadcast live coverage from 12:00pm ET – 6:30pm ET, from all five divisions finals of professional play: Men’s Singles, Women’s Singles, Men’s Doubles, Women’s Doubles, and Mixed Doubles. (Video, 30 seconds)
Last month, Anna Leigh won Pro Women’s Single Titles at the PPA Takeya Showcase in Newport Beach, CA and the Tournaments Of Champions in Brigham City, UT.
Anna Leigh is the youngest to win a Professional Pickleball Singles title.
Anna Leigh and her mother Leigh Waters, “the mother/daughter duo” (#TeamWaters) won the 2019 Margaritaville USA Pickleball National Championships Pro Women’s Doubles title in Indian Wells, CA. At 12 years 10 months, Anna Leigh became the youngest athlete to win a professional championship.
Also last month at the Tournament Of Champions, JW Johnson beat Ben Johns, 22, the #1 Singles/Doubles/Mixed Doubles Pickleball player in the world in the Men’s Singles Open
bracket : 11-9,9-11,11-3. (Highlight Reel 5+ mins)
Johns had not lost a singles match since the summer of 2020. JW broke Ben’s winning streak of over 170 matches.
The teen then faced Tyson McGuffin, the #2 singles pickleball player in the world, twice.
Winning their first match: 11-8,6-11,11-7 and then the Gold Medal Final: 11-0,9-11,11-3 (Highlight Reel 5+ mins)
JW, Jorja (JW’s 15 year old sister) and Julie (mother), APP/DUPR #1 Senior Women’s Pro Pickleball Player, travel coast-to-coast together playing in pro pickleball tournaments.
Follow JW Johnson’s Pro Pickleball journey on Facebook at JW Johnson Pickleball
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.” - Chierstin Susel, Channel 12 KPNX-TV, NBC Phoenix
Mother-daughter pickleball duo are transcending the sport (February 2021)
The inspiring mother/daughter journey can be followed on Facebook and Instagram.
Team Waters Digital Press Kit (Interviews, Tournament Videos, Highlights, Photos, Schedules)
Lynn Cherry, Pickleball Podcast: “Actually, the media kit was really helpful. It really made it very fast to prep and the timestamps on the (interview) videos were great because I could get to exactly what I wanted to see or hear. I think that is really key!”
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