With pickleball maintaining its position as one of the fastest growing sports around the globe, new players are finding their way to the courts each and every day.

If that’s you, then consider this your guide to the players currently at the top of the professional pickleball landscape.

Ahead of the 2026-2027 season, the PPA Tour launched the World Pickleball Rankings (WPR), a unified ranking system that tracks every player’s performance at PPA Tour events across the globe.

The WPR takes into account player performance across all three events, weighing gender doubles at 50%, mixed doubles at 35%, and singles at 15%.

The men’s list has already been published, but here are the best female pickleball players according to the World Pickleball Rankings.

Anna Leigh Waters

Waters is the most dominant athlete in professional pickleball, and it isn’t particularly close. The 19-year-old has been competing professionally since she was 12 years and is the undisputed number one player across all three disciplines. After winning the 2026 Major League Pickleball championship with the New Jersey 5s, Waters has earned virtually every accolade in the sport with 198 total PPA titles at the time of this writing. Off the court, she became the first pro pickleball player to sign a long-term apparel deal with Nike and was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 Sports List in 2026.

 

Anna Bright

Anna Bright goes by many nicknames, perhaps most notably the ‘Million-Dollar Woman’ after the St. Louis Shock spent $1.23 million to select her first overall in the 2026 Major League Pickleball draft. A former college tennis standout at the University of California—Berkely, Bright has firmly established herself as the second-best female behind Waters. She brings abundant energy and grit and an incredibly high pickleball IQ, a combination that has helped her amass 39 career PPA Tour titles.

 

Jorja Johnson

One of the only top pros without a tennis background, Johnson brings a unique technique and no shortage of power to her pickleball game. Her ability to create offense out of the air with her forehand is unmatched, and her mixed doubles partnership with her brother JW Johnson is among the best in the sport. The 20-year-old is one of the most decorated players in the sport with 9 PPA Tour titles and a 2024 Major League Pickleball championship with the Dallas Flash.

 

Hurricane Tyra Black

A former junior tennis standout, Black is often cited as the most athletic female pickleball player for her speed, anticipation, and ability to extend rallies on the doubles court—even at the expense of her body. The 25-year-old has a long, successful history of partnering with the aforementioned Jorja Johnson on the PPA Tour and in Major League Pickleball. Black is one of the most entertaining players to watch and has six career PPA Tour titles.

 

Parris Todd

Once a top 5 ranked singles player, Todd stopped competing in the event back in February to more fully focus on her doubles game. It’s a move that has paid off, as the 26-year-old has become one of the best doubles players in the game, consistently making deep runs in both women’s and mixed doubles. Known for her attacks off the bounce—specifically with her two-handed backhand—Todd’s stock continues to rise with each passing tournament. She has won 9 PPA Tour titles and a 2025 Major League Pickleball championship with the Columbus Sliders.

 

Rachel Rohrabacher

Rohrabacher first hit the mainstream in professional pickleball in 2023 after being picked up by the Orlando Squeeze in MLP at Anna Bright’s recommendation. A highly decorated college tennis player at the University of South Carolina, Rohrabacher has become one of the top players in the sport who is known for heavy, aggressive third shots and well-placed speedups off the bounce. Rohrabacher has 10 PPA tour titles to her name, all coming in women’s doubles.

 

Catherine Parenteau

Parenteau is the second-most decorated female in professional pickleball, with 54 PPA Tour titles and over 150 medals to her name. She is one of the most well-rounded players in the sport, possessing both a left-side and right-side skill set that has helped her compete at the sport’s highest levels since first picking up a paddle in 2016. Ten years later, the 32-year-old shows no signs of slowing down any time soon.

 

Kate Fahey

Fahey burst onto the scene in 2024 and has since established herself as a top talent in all three disciplines. A three-time All-American tennis player at the University of Michigan, Fahey found singles success first but has developed into a strong right-side player in both women’s doubles and mixed doubles. Known as one of the fiercest competitors in the sport, Fahey has seven career PPA titles and is expected to add to that total many more times throughout her career.