Before Anna Leigh Waters: A Look at Pickleball’s Earlier Benchmarks

Have you ever wondered what some of the -old- records were before Anna Leigh Waters obliterated them?  Like in Baseball… Roger Connor finished his career with 138 home runs, then Babe Ruth blew by him and went up to 714. Here’s a quick look at the progression of some Women’s PPA historical records:

SINGLES: 

• Simone Jardim had six titles, all in 2020 and 2021.
• Waters earned her seventh at the National Indoor Championships in February 2022. Waters enters 2026 with 57 Singles titles.

DOUBLES:

• Simone Jardim had 14 titles through the Texas Open in September 2021.
• Lucy Kovalova passed Jardim with her 15^th title at the Arizona Slam in February 2022, and ran her total up to 21 at Newport Beach in April 2023. 
• Waters earned her record-breaking 22^nd title at the Takeya Showcase in August 2023. She enters 2026 with 56 Women’s Doubles titles.
  

MIXED DOUBLES:

• Simone Jardim earned her 12^th and final Mixed Doubles title at the Rocky Mountain Championships in August 2021.
• Waters passed Jardim with her 13^th title at the Hertz National Championships in December 2022. She enters 2026 with 59 Mixed Doubles titles.
  

The previous records were 6, 21 and 12 before Waters passed them and ran her totals into the 50s in all three categories, and of course, she’s not done yet. A “Ruthian” feat, for sure.

*** Ben Johns has been #1 in all three categories since Day One. However, in Men’s Doubles he was briefly tied at two and again at three before he stayed ahead for good with his fourth title at the Arizona Slam in February 2021.