San Francisco, CA – Giants Enterprises and Pickleball4America announced today the #1 Professional Pickleball Association tour player, Anna Leigh Waters, will be joined by top PPA Tour players Lea Jansen, Anna Bright, Meghan Dizon and 2023 US Open Women’s Doubles Champions Simone Jardim and Parris Todd to headline a star-studded, all-female professional exhibition during the Pickle4 Ballpark Series later this month at Oracle Park.
During two sessions, which is the only time fans in San Francisco can watch professional pickleball players in an event in 2023 – singles play on Friday, July 21 and doubles on Sunday, July 23 – players will showcase their elite pickleball skills and dedication to the sport.
- Anna Leigh Waters: Upon going pro at only twelve years of age, Waters became the youngest professional pickleball player in history. She is currently ranked #1 in Women’s Doubles, Women’s Mixed Doubles and Women’s Singles and boasts an unmatched total record of 112-2.
- Simone Jardim: Brazilian-American Jardim was ranked the #1 woman player in the world from 2016 to 2020. She won the US Open Women’s Singles four consecutive times (2016-2019) and is a two-time triple crown winner of the US Open Pickleball championships, 2017 & 2018. As of 2021, she holds the record for most women’s Pro Pickleball Association titles with 32.
- Parris Todd: A Newport Beach, CA native, Todd won all three events during the 2023 US Open, including Women’s Double with Simone Jardin, making her a triple-crown winner of the event.
- Anna Bright: A former tennis player from UC Berkeley, Bright found her love of pickleball in 2021 and is currently ranked #2 in both Women’s Doubles and Women’s Mixed Doubles.
- Lea Jansen: The 2022 US Open Women’s Doubles Champion, Jansen is currently ranked #3 in Women’s Singles and #4 in Women’s Doubles.
- Meghan Sheehan-Dizon: A highly decorated tennis player in high school and college, Dizon is currently ranked #8 in Women’s Doubles and #16 in Mixed Doubles.
In addition to the professional exhibition, the inaugural pickleball festival will also feature an amateur tournament for women, men and mixed-doubles. The winners for each category will receive an automatic invitation to play in the 2024 US Open Pickleball Championships that takes place in Naples, FL April 13-20, 2024. A limited number of spots are still available for the amateur tournament and registration will close soon.
For more casual pickleballers, there is an opportunity to reserve private courts for up to ten players and 80 minutes of gameplay on courts placed directly on the field at Oracle Park. All players who reserve courts will receive a SF Giants-branded Franklin Sports Signature Series Paddle (a $100 value).
More information, including spectator opportunities, private court reservations and amateur tournament entry, can be found at sfgiants.com/pickleball.
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ABOUT GIANTS ENTERPRISES
Giants Enterprises, the entrepreneurial arm of the San Francisco Giants dedicated to developing new ventures beyond the Major League Baseball franchise, hosts one-of-a-kind experiences at Oracle Park, throughout San Francisco, on San Francisco Bay and beyond. At the intersection of Sports, Entertainment, Hospitality, Events, Service and Tourism, Giants Enterprises has produced thousands of events over the last 20 years, including the 34th America’s Cup, delivering the Official Spectator Experiences and successfully commercializing the event for the first time in its 160-year history. In addition, Giants Enterprises has executed major concerts, international soccer matches, Rugby World Cup Sevens 2018, professional and college football games, The Ballpark Back 9 and The Giant Race series. One of the top hospitality, event, entertainment and sports consultancy teams in the world, Giants Enterprises operates more than 15 venues in and around Oracle Park including two luxury maritime vessels. For more information, visit https://giantsenterprises.com.
ABOUT PICKLEBALL4AMERICA
Pickleball4America, founded in 2022, is focused on developing an ecosystem around America’s fastest growing sport, including events and digital content, commerce and community. In 2023, Pickleball4America closed its initial round of funding, merged with the US Open Pickleball Championships® and launched the Ballpark Series, which is bringing more playing opportunities to amateurs and professionals in iconic venues across the U.S. Join the Movement™