Top 6 Best Women's Pickleball Players of All Time

Pickleball is a racquet sport that is quickly growing in the United States. Pickleball is played as both a recreational and competitive sport. The USA Pickleball Association estimates that 40% of pickleball players are women. Read more to learn about the best female pickleball players in the sport’s history.

Who Are the Best Women’s Pickleball Players of All Time?

1. Simone Jardim
2. Lea Jansen
3. Irina Tereschenko
4. Catherine Parenteau
5. Lauren Stratman
6. Callie Smith

1. Simone Jardim

• 36 PPA Titles (most in PPA history)
• Over 70 Professional Gold Medals
• Twice Won All Three Events in US Open Pickleball Championships

Simone Jardim is the greatest women’s pickleball player and has over 90 medals from professional competitions. She is also a famous Brazilian pickleball player who has been playing professionally since 2015. Her nickname, “Queen of Pickleball,” is well-deserved due to the massive amount of recognition she has garnered in the sport, earning so far a grand total of 36 PPA titles. She currently holds the record for the female player with the most PPA titles. Jardim is also the founder of the Peak Performance Pickleball Academy and collaborates with Nike Sports to run clinics at their camps. Jardim retired from professional singles competition at the end of 2022; however she still competes in doubles and mixed doubles.

2. Lea Jansen

• Two PPA Titles
• Medaled in All Three Pickleball Events in Tournaments
• Top-Ranked Pickleball Player in Pacific Northwest

Lea Jansen is a famous American pickleball player who began competing professionally in 2021 and has already won two Professional Pickleball Association titles. Jansen is known for her fiery attitude on the court, and she quickly garnered attention for her skill when she started playing professionally. Her athletic career began when she started playing tennis at eight years old and competed in Division I tennis in college. She did not begin playing pickleball until 2019, when she was 25 years old. Since she began playing professionally, Jansen has medaled in all three events (women’s singles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles) in large pickleball tournaments.

3. Irina Tereschenko

• One PPA Title
• Two USA Pickleball Association Titles
• Five-time Major Champion at US Pickleball Open
• Played #1 in Singles and Doubles at Texas Tech University

Irena Tereschrenko has been a highly skilled professional singles pickleball athlete since 2016. However, she has been actively participating and coaching in various racquet sports for over 20 years. She has won five championship titles at the US Open in Women’s Pro Singles and Doubles. She has also won a Pro Pickleball Association title and two USA Pickleball Association titles. Before entering her professional career, she played tennis at Texas Tech University. Pickleball professional Chris Miller flew her out to play at the Pickleball Tournament of Champions, and once Tereschenko won, she became immersed in the sport.

4. Catherine Parenteau

• 29 PPA Medals
• Gold Medal at USAPA Nationals
• 2021 US Open Doubles Champion
• 2021 Tournament of Champions Doubles Champion

Catherine Parenteau is yet another young powerhouse pickleball player that is already making a name for herself. She won gold at the 2018 USA Pickleball Association Nationals and has continued to win titles in pickleball ever since. In fact, she has been ranked in the top three for both women’s singles and doubles in the world. Before she began playing pickleball, she also ranked as one of the top five tennis players in Canada and was on the Michigan State University tennis team. She currently partners with PaddleTek and hosts her own clinics to teach pickleball.

5. Lauren Stratman

• Three APP Gold Medals in Women’s Doubles
• One PPA Bronze Medal in Women’s Doubles
• World Pickleball Championships Bronze Medal in Mixed Doubles

Lauren Stratman is a skilled pickleball player who transitioned from amateur to professional in 2019. Although she competed in tennis from a young age, she only started playing pickleball fairly recently. She is highly regarded for her offensive skills in the transitional zone and utilizes both spin and power techniques.

Throughout her career, Stratman has placed well in a variety of tournaments, including three gold medals in the Association of Pickleball Professionals tour and a silver medal in the Association of Pickleball Professionals Beer City tournament. When she is not competing, she works at Electrum Pickleball, a racquet and merchandise company.

6. Callie Smith

• Two PPA Titles
• Gold Medalist in the US Open Women’s Doubles
• Over 22 Professional Medals

Callie Smith is a professional pickleball player and coach who also had her career start in tennis. Smith played tennis on the University of Utah’s Division I team and was ranked the number-one best tennis player in Utah in high school. Smith began playing pickleball professionally in 2020 and quickly became one of the top players in the sport.

Smith has medaled in 22 out of the 25 tournaments she has competed in and is also an instructor at her own Pickleball Academy, Paddle Up. She is known for her drive to win on the court and her passion for the sport. As one of the top-ranked women’s pickleball players, she should continue to see success.

Honorable Mentions

Michelle Esquivel

• 2018 USA Pickleball Association (USAPA) Margaritaville Nationals Champion
• Six Gold Medals in Women’s Doubles
• Two Silver Medals in Women’s and Mixed Doubles
• Two Bronze Medals in Women’s and Mixed Doubles

After being introduced to the sport by a friend in 2015, Michelle Esquivel has made a name for herself on the pickleball court and is a rising star in the PPA. Currently, she is an IPTPA Certified Pickleball Instructor, no doubt due to her medals in both singles and doubles at various pickleball tournaments, among them the US Open and US Nationals. Esquivel’s medal count includes a gold at the 2018 USA Pickleball Association (USAPA) Margaritaville Nationals, as well as six gold medals in women’s doubles and two silver and two bronze medals in women’s and mixed doubles. Esquivel’s style puts a huge focus on strength and accuracy.

Jennifer Dawson

• First-ever Triple Crown Winner at Minto US Open Pickleball Championships
• Four Gold Medals from US Open Pickleball Championships
• Gold Medals from Pickleball Tournament of Champions
• Silver Medals in Women’s Doubles 19+, Women’s Senior Open Doubles, and Women’s Senior Open Singles

Playing both pickleball and tennis, Jennifer Dawson has made great strides in both sports and is currently a Senior Pro in both sports. Among her many accomplishments in pickleball, Dawson was the first-ever winner of the Triple Crown at the 2017 Minto US Open Pickleball Championships. In order to win the event, she won gold medals in senior pro singles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles.

Dawson continued her dominance at the 2018 Minto US Open Pickleball Championships, winning a gold medal in women’s senior pro doubles. In addition to these accomplishments, Dawson has earned a silver medal in women’s doubles 19+ (2015), a gold medal in women’s doubles 35+ (2016), and a silver medal in both women’s senior open doubles and singles (both in 2017). In 2018, Dawson captured a silver in women’s senior open singles, and also earned gold in women’s senior open doubles, winning both medals at the USAPA National Pickleball Championships. She also has several gold medals in senior pro doubles and singles at the Pickleball Tournament of Champions.

Lucy Kovalova

• 19 PPA Titles
• Nine-time Medalist at the U.S. Open Championship
• 2018 Women’s Triple Crown Winner

Lucy Kovalova is a force in the pickleball world, best known for her performances in mixed doubles alongside her partner Matt Wright. She is originally from Slovakia but now  lives in the United States. Like many other pickleball players, she is a former college tennis player. Kovalova has accomplished a good deal in the pickleball scene, winning 19 total PPA titles. Most notably, she won the 2018 Women’s Triple Crown at the USA Pickleball National Championships.

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