Nov 15

Nov 15 USA Pickleball National Championships- Controversy, Records & Results

The USA Pickleball National Championships is arguably the most famous event of the year in the pickleball world. Players and fans from all over the world travel to Indian Wells, California to compete for a National Championship. The record for numbers of spectators was broken on Championship Sunday with 5,522 fans!

This year there was a bit of controversy. For those who don’t keep up with Professional Pickleball, here is the back story… Anna Leigh Waters (#1 player in the world) was planning to play with her usual partner, Leigh Waters. The night before competition, Leigh Waters got injured which left Anna Leigh with no partner. The Waters contacted Catherine Parenteau to take Leigh Waters spot.

Catherine was already signed up and committed to play with Allyce Jones. The night before womens doubles, Catherine accepted the offer to play with Anna Leigh and had her manager tell Allyce Jones that they would no longer be playing together.

Dayne Gingrich, top pro player, was the first to take the drama to social media. Hundreds of pickleball fans and many of the top pros commented in their opinions. Check out some of the responses below from top players- Lucy Kovalova, Anna Bright, Rob Nunnery, and more. If you want to read more into the drama, there are over 600 comments on Dayne’s posts on IG and FB.

Oh well, not the first time or the last time that happened. Let's just remember- loyalty and integrity are more important than some medals. I know who I'm cheering for tomorrow 😉 - Lucy Kovalova
I have been the beneficiary of the Catherine / Jessie split, but the way it was done was anything but right and is something you remember when someone asks you to be their partner. This is only surprising in that it was allowed to happen - sorry to @allycejones.pickleball who is a gem! - Anna Bright
This is not right at all!!!! I’ve just lost a lot of respect towards Cathrine and AL. - Vivienne David
Absolutely wild. There is no accountability. If this were any other sport the press would be all over it. It’s CPs fault but it’s also the USA Pickleball for allowing it. - Maggie Remynse
No bias, it’s such garbage. @usapickleball should be ashamed. Allyce deserves way better. - Rob Nunnery

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As you can see, every pro said Catherine was in the wrong. However, there were a few other opinions and perspectives if you look through the comments.

Some say that Anna Leigh and Leigh Waters were at fault because they knew Catherine already had a partner.
Some say that it was USA Pickleball’s fault for not having a rule in place.
Some say it’s professional pickleball and a business decision, therefore Catherine choose to partner with the #1 player in the world who gave her the best chance to win.
- “The reality is Anna Leigh‘s mom could be out for months if not permanently and this might be the opportunity for CP (Catherine Parenteau) to step in for a big career move. Big $ is on the line now for Pro’s and they need to do what’s best for their careers. They take it seriously and if it’s within the rules and wasn’t malicious then perhaps we can not hate on these women please.”

What do you think? Who, if anyone, is at fault here? We are looking forward to hearing your opinion.

USA Pickleball National Championships Results

Enough with the drama, here are the results from the 2022 National Championships:

Mens Pro Doubles

Gold: Ben Johns - Collin Johns

Silver: Dekel Bar - Jw Johnson

Bronze: Matt Wright - Riley Newman

The Johns Brothers lost in the quarterfinals to #7 seed, Tyson McGuffin and Jay Devilliers. They dropped down to the consolation bracket and worked their way back to the finals with wins over:

Callan Dawson / Spencer Smith
Tyler Loong / DJ Young
Dylan Frazier / Rafa Hewett
Tyson McGuffin / Jay Devilliers
Matt Wright / Riley Newman

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Mixed Pro Doubles

Gold: Anna Leigh Waters - Riley Newman

Silver: Catherine Parenteau - Ben Johns

Bronze: Parris Todd - Jw Johnson

The story of the weekend was the mixed doubles final. Ben Johns has been playing and winning just about every tournament with Anna Leigh this year. He didn’t think he was able to play in Nationals so he told Anna Leigh to find a different partner. Last minute, Ben was able to play so he teamed up with Catherine. People were curious to see how Ben and Anna Leigh played with different partners. They both made it to the finals but that’s where it got interesting.

Anna Leigh Waters and Riley Newman beat Catherine Parenteau and Ben Johns 11-3, 11-0, 11-3 in one of the most dominating performances we have ever seen. Will we see more of the Anna Leigh/Riley partnership or was that the beginning and the end? Only time will tell.