In the spring 2026 season of the PPA, America's pro tour, Anna Leigh Waters and Ben Johns posted a combined record of 136 wins and 1 loss across the three doubles events. The figure drew renewed attention around a June 24, 2026 pickleball.com feature on MLP's new arrivals: the loss column shows exactly one. On paper it looks like no contest, but break down that 1 loss and those 136 wins and you can see that top pros' strength rests not on talent alone but on the contribution of systems. With more competition-minded players emerging in Japan, knowing the level the world's best have reached is well worth your time.
What exactly does "136-1" count?
First, let's be clear about what the number means. This 136-1 is not just the record of the mixed doubles the two played as a pair. According to a tally by US outlet The Kitchen, it combines three events: the women's doubles Waters entered, the men's doubles Johns entered, and the mixed doubles they played together, across nine 2026 tournaments through the season-ending PPA Tour Finals (May 11). The only loss came in mixed doubles, to the pairing of Anna Bright and Hayden Patriquin at the Mesa Cup.
In other words, rather than an "invincible pair," this is a record of two players who, even while teaming with different partners, dropped almost nothing across the doubles events they entered. At the Finals, Johns won all nine of the qualifying 2026 tournaments in men's doubles (with partner Gabriel Tardio), Waters likewise went unbeaten in women's doubles (with partner Bright), and the two closed out the mixed with 7 gold medals and 1 silver at those events. What astonishes first is that they sustained this win rate not by leaning on one event but across multiple pairings.
The pair's track record, in numbers
This spring's record is no fluke. The two are in a race for the most wins in PPA Tour history, each with more than 160 career gold medals. Waters in particular was reported to have taken the all-time lead in career gold medals while still 18 (as of November 2025). The very picture of a teenager out-winning seasoned veterans speaks to how young this sport is and how much room it leaves for talent to bloom all at once.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Three doubles events combined (spring 2026, 9 tournaments) | 136 wins, 1 loss |
| The only loss | In mixed, to Bright/Patriquin (Mesa Cup) |
| Johns, men's doubles (qualifying events) | Undefeated |
| Waters, women's doubles (qualifying events) | Undefeated |
| Their mixed doubles (qualifying events) | 7 gold, 1 silver |
The real strength is being hard to break down
What the 136-1 record reveals is less explosive firepower than an unwillingness to crumble. In doubles pickleball, the main battleground is the soft exchange at the edge of the non-volley zone (known as the kitchen) in the middle of the court. The side that tightens up first and floats a ball loses the point. Top pairs drive their error rate down to almost nothing through the patience to keep a rally alive until the opponent misses and the judgment not to force winners. A single loss in a season is the product not of firepower but of a design that avoids accidents.
The other key is that they keep winning across events without a fixed partner. Winning even when the partner changes means each player's shot precision and positioning fundamentals are that strong. If you depend on the telepathy of one specific pairing, your win rate drops the moment the partner changes. Producing this record across three events is possible only because their fundamentals are exceptionally repeatable. For Japanese competitors aiming at the world standard, this individual foundation is the first thing worth studying.
What the single loss says about the sport's health
Don't overlook that one loss. The fact that Bright and Patriquin stopped the champions in mixed shows the summit isn't monolithic and the chasers have chances too. Indeed, young and new players keep rising on the US tour. A June 24, 2026 pickleball.com article describes players arriving from other tours and the junior ranks quickly producing results in MLP (the team league), even citing a 13-year-old winning a match. The sport keeps growing precisely because an all-conquering champion coexists with generations pushing up from below.
That structure is continuous with what makes the team league fun. Even with a pair dominating the individual tour, team play produces upsets through lineups and matchups.Why MLP's team format is so compellingand you can see the ingenuity of a design in which individual records and team outcomes don't necessarily match. The tension that gathering strong individuals doesn't guarantee victory is what gives the league its pull as a spectacle.
Takeaways for players and fans in Japan
For Japanese competitors, this record sharpens the picture of what to aim for. The world's best stand at the top on a foundation of unshakable basics more than finishing power. Before polishing flashy smashes, building up the precision of your dinks (soft shots) at the kitchen line and the judgment not to force things may look like a detour, but it's the fastest route. When watching pro matches, you'll learn more by focusing not only on the winners but on the rallies where players hold back and refuse to go for broke.
On the spectating side, chances to see top pros visit Japan are steadily increasing. Permanent regional courts have begun inviting pros too. Take, for example,the time a top-ranked American pro visited a court in Kobeand you can see that places to watch world-class play up close are emerging in Japan as well. Watch the real thing knowing what 136-1 means, and you should be able to see for yourself why they never crack.
Sources
The Kitchen: 2026 PPA Tour Finals: Ben Johns, Anna Leigh Waters dominate
The Dink Pickleball: Anna Leigh Waters Surpasses Ben Johns in Titles
