Top 6 Best Doubles Pickleball Partners of All Time
Pickleball is one of the fastest-growing sports in America, with nearly five million players. It is known as somewhat of a combination between tennis, badminton, and ping-pong. And just like badminton, it is more popularly played in doubles rather than singles. Despite the sport still being quite young, there are doubles teams in pickleball who have risen to the top among the competition. Read on to find out who they are.
Who Are the Best Doubles Pickleball Partners in the World?
- Ben and Collin Johns
- Jennifer Dawson and Cammy MacGregor
- Simone Jardim and Lucy Kovalova
- Riley Newman and Tyson McGuffin
- Anna-Leigh and Leigh Waters
- Kris Anderson and Kevin Booth
1. Ben and Collin Johns
- 27 professional doubles titles
- Won US Open twice
- Currently ranked #1 in doubles
Ben and Collin Johns are brothers in a family of seven children, with Collin being the older of the two. Like most others on this list, both brothers were led to the sport of pickleball through playing tennis. Collin even played at the professional level for five years, with Ben being his training partner. Ben began his professional pickleball career in 2016 at the age of just 17, while Collin began in 2018. Ben has won many doubles tournaments with other partners throughout his career, but none have been as successful as his current tandem with Collin. The two brothers began to team up consistently again starting in 2021 and have already made a name as the most decorated doubles pickleball team of all time.
2. Jennifer Dawson and Cammy MacGregor
- Won seven major senior doubles championships
- Part of Dawson’s first-ever pickleball “triple crown”
- Pioneers of the sport for older women
At the ages of 56 and 54, respectively, Jennifer Dawson and Cammy MacGregor compete at the senior level competition for pickleball and are the faces of pickleball for older individuals. Both were former professional tennis players, with MacGregor even being ranked as one of the top 75 in the world back in 1986. Nowadays, the two friends enjoy teaching the sport as much as competing in it, and they have obtained brand deals with Selkirk to help promote pickleball and its products.
Sponsorships like these are often quite rare for sports competitors at the senior level, and it speaks to how much of an impact the duo has had on the sport. The team won 7 major doubles tournaments from 2016-19, with their 2017 victory being part of Jennifer’s historic “triple crown,” where she was the first pickleball player to ever win the singles, doubles, and mixed doubles in the same US Open championship.
3. Simone Jardim and Lucy Kovalova
- Won 13 PPA Tour competitions from 2020-21
- Finished second in 2021 US Open
- Both tied for #1 rank in women’s doubles in 2021
Jardim and Kovalova are two women with similar backgrounds who have combined their talents to form a dominant team. Both are foreign country natives who came to the United States to play tennis in college, Simone being native to Brazil and Lucy native to Slovakia. Both were also highly-ranked doubles players in college, which has translated well to their success in doubles on the pickleball court. As a team, Jardim and Kovalova have been known for one of the most historically dominant runs in 2020-21, where they won 13 PPA tournaments (11 of those in a row). The team isn’t currently active, as Kovalova now partners with Callie Smith, but the two have already made their mark as one of the best doubles teams of all time.
4. Riley Newman and Tyson McGuffin
- Finished third in the 2021 US Open
- Both players have finished in top 10 doubles rankings for nearly four years
- Last tournament win came in 2021 at the Atlanta Georgia Open
Newman and McGuffin are two veterans of pickleball that have teamed up to form one of the most successful teams of all time. They have played doubles on the national stage since 2019 and have consistently been ranked among the best in the world. McGuffin is known as an ambassador of pickleball, as he runs clinics all over the US teaching others the sport he loves. He even owns a YouTube channel where he posts instructional videos and tips online for those who want to learn to play. Newman also teaches pickleball in his free time and competes in mixed doubles competition with his sister Lindsey.
5. Anna-Leigh and Leigh Waters
- Won eight PPA tournaments from 2021-22
- Only mother-daughter partnership in professional pickleball doubles
- Anna-Leigh is youngest doubles champ in history
Currently the top-ranked women’s player in both singles and doubles pickleball at just the age of 16, Anna-Leigh Waters is a true pickleball prodigy. She has her mother Leigh to thank for her achievements, a former college tennis player who has been teaching her daughter the sport since she was just ten years old. And it just so happens that the two of them have their own doubles team that ranks among the greatest of all time, with over ten tournament victories so far. With mother Leigh being 43 years of age, she has maintained a career of top-ranked pro pickleball play while also being a lawyer by trade. And with Anna-Leigh only being 16 and already taking the sport of pickleball to new heights, it is impossible to project just where her future lies in pickleball going forward.
6. Kris Anderson and Kevin Booth
- Won 2019 US Open Senior Mixed Doubles
- Four Senior Mixed Doubles championships in major tournaments
- Last win was at the Tournament of Champions in 2019
Anderson and Booth were one of the first well-known senior teams in pickleball mixed doubles history and certainly one of the most successful as well. In 2018, they won every doubles tournament that they played in and gained some fame as the faces of senior pickleball for a while. Anderson is one of the biggest names in pickleball and has had one of the longest active careers as well, as she discovered the sport in 2014 after an outdoor tennis match got rained out. The team isn’t currently active, as Booth has since retired from pro pickleball while Anderson has partnered up with others. Kevin still enjoys teaching pickleball to young players in his free time.
Honorable Mentions
- Ben Johns and Matt Wright
- Callie Smith and Lucy Kovalova
- Catherine Parenteau and Jessie Irvine
- Ben Johns and Simone Jardim
- Ben Johns and Anna-Leigh Waters
- Bonnie Williams and Kris Anderson
- Matt Wright and Steve Deakin
- Dekel Bar and Kyle Yates
- Riley Newman and Catherine Parenteau
- Jay Devilliers and Jessie Irvine
FAQ
Who are the best men’s doubles pickleball players in the world?
Currently, the best men’s doubles players in the world are brothers Ben and Collin Johns. The two of them have just recently won the Desert Ridge Open in Arizona for the third year in a row, and more and more fans have been turning up to watch them play as their success has grown.
Who are the best women’s doubles pickleball players in the world?
For women’s doubles, Anna-Leigh Waters and Anna Bright have looked like the best team for 2023. Waters still plays with different partners from tournament to tournament, but she has recently won two tournaments with Bright and does not seem to be slowing anytime soon.
Who has won the most doubles pickleball matches?
Ben Johns has won the most doubles pickleball matches in history, with over 40 total tournament titles to his name in men’s and mixed doubles tournaments combined. He has partnered with several different teammates, including the likes of Matt Wright, Simone Jardim, Anna-Leigh Waters, Dekel Bar, and especially his brother Collin Johns.