Atlanta Slam Showdown: Can Anyone Stop the Johns-Waters Dynasty?
What's the Score?
The upcoming PPA Tour Atlanta Pickleball Championships, the second Slam of the 2025 season, is generating significant buzz, particularly around the mixed doubles dominance of Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters. Despite a few recent upsets, the Atlanta Slam presents an opportunity for them to reassert their position as the top team. This Slam offers a substantial 2,000 ranking points to the winners. Notably, Anna Leigh Waters will be playing her first tournament in 2025 without Catherine Parenteau, now partnering with Anna Bright. Ben Johns is also aiming to climb the men's doubles rankings.
Hit it deeper!
The mixed doubles pairing of Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters has been a dominant force in professional pickleball for an extended period. However, the early part of the 2025 season has seen some "shakeups to the normal order of things," with both Johns and Waters experiencing multiple defeats in mixed and gender doubles. The last time Anna Leigh Waters achieved a triple crown (winning singles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles) was at the Cape Coral Open in early March, a "long drought" of four tournaments for a player of her calibre.
The Atlanta Pickleball Championships, held at Life Time Peachtree Corners, a facility with 40 courts that has hosted the event for four consecutive years, provides a significant stage for Johns and Waters to reaffirm their supremacy. The 2,000 ranking points on offer underscore the importance of this Slam in the overall standings.
A key storyline heading into Atlanta is the new women's doubles partnership between Anna Leigh Waters and Anna Bright. This alliance comes after Waters and Catherine Parenteau "surprisingly split up" following their loss in the women's doubles final at the PPA Tour North Carolina Open. Waters and Bright have a successful history, having played together in seven tournaments in 2023 and winning all of them, making them the "clear favourites" in Atlanta. The performance of this reignited duo will be closely watched.
Meanwhile, Ben Johns is focused on regaining the top spot in the men's doubles rankings. He currently trails Federico Staksrud by 1,100 points in "The Rank" (the 52-week rolling point total) and Andrei Daescu by 500 points in "The Race" (the 2025 season-long point total). His performance in Atlanta will be crucial in closing this gap. Johns will be partnering with Gabe Tardio in men's doubles.
Despite the dominance of Johns and Waters in the past, several other strong teams will be vying for the Atlanta crown. In mixed doubles, Jorja Johnson and JW Johnson have emerged as a significant threat, having defeated Waters and Johns at the North Carolina Open and currently holding the No. 2 ranking. Other notable mixed doubles teams to watch include Tyra Black/James Ignatowich, Hayden Patriquin/Kate Fahey, Federico Staksrud/Catherine Parenteau, Andrei Daescu/Tina Pisnik, and Christian Alshon/Etta Tuionetoa.
The World Pickleball Verdict
The Atlanta Pickleball Championships represent a pivotal moment in the 2025 PPA Tour season, particularly for the established powerhouses of Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters. While their recent dominance has been challenged, Atlanta offers a high-stakes platform for them to reassert their status as the top players and partnerships in the game. The new pairing of Waters and Bright in women's doubles adds an intriguing dynamic, given their past success. Ben Johns' pursuit of the top spot in men's doubles will also be a key storyline. However, the increasing competitiveness of the field, as evidenced by recent upsets and the emergence of strong contenders in both mixed and gender doubles, suggests that the Atlanta Slam will be anything but a straightforward coronation for Johns and Waters. The pressure will be on them to perform and prove that their dynasty is still firmly intact. The outcome of this tournament will likely have significant implications for the rankings and the narrative of the 2025 professional pickleball season.