The tournament, which takes place from April 1 to 5, marks Waters’s very first official appearance in a competition outside the U.S.
At only 19 years old, she has secured 181 PPA titles, including 41 impressive hat-tricks where she swept the singles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles events in a single tournament, earning her the nickname “queen of pickleball.”
Widely recognized as the greatest female player in pickleball history, she currently holds the world number one ranking across all three professional categories.
Waters’s dominance is built on her speed, reflexes and a relentless attacking style that makes it difficult for opponents to control the game’s pace. Because of these strengths, she has been virtually unrivaled in women’s singles for years. She has captured 22 consecutive PPA singles titles and emerged victorious in all 49 of her final appearances since 2022.
World number one female pickleball player Anna Leigh Waters. Photo by Instagram/@anna.leigh.waters |
At the highly anticipated Hanoi Cup, Waters will compete in the women’s doubles event alongside world number two Anna Bright. For the mixed doubles category, she will partner with Ben Johns, the world number one male player and a fellow pickleball legend. Following the competition in the capital, Waters will travel to Ho Chi Minh City on April 6 and 7 to host training clinics and exhibition events.
The opening event of the PPA Tour Asia 2026 season will feature a roster of renowned athletes. Joining Waters and Johns are international heavyweights like Gabriel Tardio, Hayden Patriquin, Tyson McGuffin, Federico Staksrud, Tyra Black and Dylan Frazier.
Prominent Vietnamese competitors, including Ly Hoang Nam, Trinh Linh Giang, Phuc Huynh, Ken Tam and Sophia Tran Phuong Anh, will also take the court.
With nearly 700 registered athletes, this is the largest turnout ever recorded for a PPA Tour Asia event.
The 2026 PPA Asia 1000 – Hanoi Cup marks the third PPA Tour Asia event hosted in Vietnam, following previous events in Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang. The five-day competition will take place at the My Dinh Indoor Arena in Hanoi, a venue capable of accommodating about 3,000 spectators daily.
The tournament boasts a total prize pool of US$300,000, with singles champions receiving $4,500. Athletes officially signed with PPA Pro can earn an additional 33 to 100% of their base prize money as a performance bonus.
This year is particularly significant as it marks the first time PPA Tour Asia will fully standardize its ranking points system with the global Carvana PPA Tour. Athletes competing in Hanoi will have their points directly applied to their official world rankings. Champions will earn 1,000 points, while runners-ups take home 800. Third and fourth-place finishers will receive 400 and 200 points. Those reaching the quarterfinals, round of 16, and round of 32 will also earn 100, 50 and 25 points. This unified ranking mechanism will open up opportunities for Vietnamese and Asian athletes.
The arrival of the world’s top male and female players is expected to provide a massive boost to the pickleball movement in Vietnam, a sport that has seen significant growth over the last two years.
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