Anna Leigh Waters Rules Select Medical Orange County Cup, Secures 35th PPA Tour Triple Crown
Tournament after tournament, Anna Leigh Waters is proving that she is not only the best pickleball player in the women’s division, but also among the most dominant athletes in their sport.
Waters did so again at the Select Medical Orange County Cup Presented by Reign Storm held at Humana Championship Court, where she notched her 35th Triple Crown—gold in women’s singles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles—with seminal performances at every turn.
The 18-year-old pickler started off her golden run by teaming up with fellow pickleball great Ben Johns to secure the mixed doubles title with an emphatic 11-4, 11-9, 11-5 sweep of no. 2 seeds Jorja Johnson and JW Johnson. It is Waters and Johns’ 50th mixed doubles title since they first paired up in January 2022.
Next, Waters and Anna Bright continued their high-powered partnership with a 11-2, 11-8, 11-8 triumph over the pair of Catherine Parenteau and Rachel Rohrabacher. It was the ninth consecutive time Waters and Bright have ruled a tournament—all without losing even a single match.
Finally, Waters clinched her record-extending 35th Triple Crown with an 11-6, 11-1 victory over Parenteau. The no. 7 seed actually started off strong, roaring to an early 6-3 lead in the opening frame. But that was about it for Waters’ former partner, as the world’s top female pickler rattled off 19 of the final 20 points of the match to assert her mastery of the singles game and achieve the treble.
Of Waters’ 35 Triple Crowns, five have come at Life Time Rancho San Clemente, with Waters achieved the feat here twice each in 2023 and in 2024 (when the venue hosted both the Orange County Cup and the PPA Finals) and now once in 2025.
“I just love it here,” Waters said post-match. “It reminds me a lot of Delray Beach, where I’m from. I think the food’s amazing. This view is amazing, this facility is amazing, the fans and the crowd are always amazing. I just enjoy myself here, and I feel like that’s why I play my best here. I’m always excited to come back.”
For all that’s amazing at Life Time Rancho San Clemente, it’s safe to say Anna Leigh Waters is just as amazing. And that she’s only hitting her athletic prime is bad news for the rest of the women’s division moving forward.
