Anna Leigh Waters playing pickleball.
Anna Leigh Waters at the North Carolina Cup. PPA Tour

Don’t poke the bear: Waters advances to Championship Sunday in singles

CARY, NC – World No. 1 Anna Leigh Waters is well on to her way to officially reaching the century mark in gold medals on the PPA Tour this weekend at the Fanatics Sportsbook North Carolina Cup.

On Saturday, she went up against fourth-seeded Lea Jansen in women’s singles.

Waters and Jansen have been battling for six years in singles, so their head-to-head matchups are always competitive and entertaining.

This one ended with Waters securing an 11-9, 11-9 victory.

“Lea is great. She’s super long, tall, and hard to pass. I always know it’s going to be tough when I’m playing her,” said Waters. 

Ahead of the match, Waters explained that she plays her best pickleball when she’s angry. And it’s safe to say that Jansen poked the bear.

“I started out with a little too close of a score for my liking. She came up in the second game and it was a brawl out there,” shared Waters.

In the end, the 17-year-old phenom is another step closer to a special milestone.