NML’s 2026 UPA Player Power Rankings v. 2.0 – Women

It’s the end of the first half of the 2026 season. As we head into MLP and people complain about one set of player rankings, we figured it was time to update our power rankings for the year. Lots has happened in the past 5 months that has changed the landscape of the pro game, and it is clear that not everything is staying the same even as the parity at the top remains as solidified as ever.

A reminder that these are doubles power rankings not player rankings. They reflect where we view things right now from a combined gender and mixed standpoint. It is intended to be a snapshot that takes into account recency bias. Feel free to get mad at the list, but please try to get mad for the right reasons, if you’re going to be mad.

(1) Anna Leigh Waters – The most impressive aspect of this first calendar year has been ALW and Ben’s adjustment to fix what Hayden and Anna exploited in Mesa. You open a door and the best in the world find a way to close it real fast. 

(2) Anna Bright –While playing with ALW was initially viewed by some as the Kevin Durant way out for AB, the partnership has forced her to adapt, adjust and expand her game in ways she might never have if she was still competing against Anna Leigh. The focus of improving her right side offence has upped her level in both women’s and mixed, and she is firmly the #2 female in the sport.   

(3) Parris Todd – The rise in Todd’s game is a testament to what hard work can do. She continues to get better in all facets of the game, and it is showing with her results on the court, including her improved left-side play. Getting quality results with different partners is a great sign and she has done that in 2026.

(4) Rachel Rohrabacher – It was a tough start to the year for Rohrabacher as the Catherine Parenteau partnership did not start off strong, but her partnerships with Parris Todd and Christian Alshon have allowed her to right he ship. She is playing at a very high level and Todd/Rohrbacher have been a better team than Tyra/Jorja. 

(5) Tyra Black – It has been a pretty strong year overall for Tyra with improvement in her mixed game, but her recent women’s losses with Jorja has led to some doubt starting to creep in as to whether the lack of evolution in her game is allowing the field to catch up.  

(6) Jorja Johnson –The combined women’s and mixed results are still better than most of the other women. Unfortunately, you can’t ignore that there has been a dip in results in both doubles disciplines.  

(7) Jackie Kawamoto – The Kawamoto’s have only played three events, and they have made the finals of in two of them (the other one they faced ALW and AB in the quarters). The mixed results are not as strong for the twins, but they somehow remain ahead of most of the field despite barely qualifying as part-time players, at this point. 

(8) Jade Kawamoto – Jade’s game complements Jackie’s so well and vice versa. They are identical twins, but are different stylistic players. Of course, the righty/lefty combo is such a benefit for them in terms of middle coverage. We very much considered slotting them in ahead of Tyra and Jorja, but we didn’t do it because of their part time play and success being limited to women’s doubles. 

(9) Catherine Parenteau – The results have been disappointing in women’s and fine enough in mixed. You could argue having CP lower in the power rankings than #9. 

(10) Lacy Schneemann – The bouts of inconsistency are still there, but they are less pronounced than they have been in the past. The ceiling has always been there and now the floor is much higher, which includes some frisky 2026 mixed results. 

(11) Tina Pisnik – Another testament to hard work and grit. Pisnik will always make you work for the win. The ceiling remains limited, but you can imagine what Pisnik would have been capable of 20 years ago considering the high level she is currently playing at. 

(12) Kate Fahey – We have not seen a big jump in Kate Fahey’s game over the past two years, but we continue to see gradual improvement, which is encouraging overall. The results are slowly getting better in doubles. 

(13) Meghan Dizon – She is one of the best pure right sider in the women’s game right now, and has had some quality results in 2026. 

(14) Mari Humberg – Her mixed results have ticked up again, and she has found her way to some better women’s results. She may be close to her ceiling, but she is one of the better women in the game.

(15) Dani-Elle Townsend – The 2026 PPA results confirm what we thought going into the MLP Draft, which is that Townsend is a legit player. We’ll be curious how she looks when MLP rolls around and she starts getting full-time reps against the best in the world. She has Lacy Schneemann-esque qualities, but she doesn’t get to slot in near or above Lacy until she proves herself on a consistent basis.

(16) Sofia Sewing – We cannot forget about (partial?) UPA signed player, Sofia Sewing. She has been winning on the APP Tour, for the most part, and she will one of the players to watch as we head into the MLP season. She has looked good, but not world beating by any stretch in 2026. 

(17) Etta Tuionetoa – Is this too high given her lack of play in 2026? The talent is always there, but she has taken a step back so she isn’t in the mix as much. 

(18) Jamie Wei – Big power is the calling card for Jamie Wei and she has found some nice results with Allyce Jones. We really question whether she has the soft hands necessary to become an elite women’s player. 

(19) Alix Truong – The variance in her results are about as big as anyone in this top 30. From Championship Sunday with Parris Todd to a round of 64 loss in Hanoi with brother Jonathan to a mixed doubles title with Tama in Malaysia. She almost lost with Tama in PPA Malaysia before having a good run. It is hard to know what you’re going to get from Truong these days. 

(20) Milan Rane – The ceiling is only going to be so high, but she has seen improved results yet again in 2026, including a Sunday appearance with Mari Humberg.

(21) Lea Jansen – She doesn’t really take bad losses, and she doesn’t really get unexpected wins. She is who she is. 

(22) Kaitlyn Christian – She had a big PPA Hanoi performance, where Christian surely benefitted from the significantly slower conditions. Outside of that, we really haven’t seen much to write home about. 

(23) Callie Smith – She has played the entire women’s year with Lea Jansen to okay results, and mixed is her weaker discipline. Another she is what she is situation. 

(24) Allyce Jones – She deserves major credit for her wins with Jamie Wei. Jones is the perfect fit for a hard hitting, inconsistent newcomer on the scene and she can still hang with a lot of the better players in the field. 

(25) Cailyn Campbell – The teenagers have a different trajectory, so we have to be cautious on players like Campbell when there isn’t a clear breakout stretch. It hasn’t been a meteoric rise, but she did get a bronze with Tina Pisnik in Sacramento. 

(26) Jessie Irvine – Jessie needs a true alpha in men’s and mixed to help her find results. Kaitlyn Christian isn’t it in women’s and the loss of Gabe Tardio in mixed has led to a big dip in her 2026 results. 

(27) Chao Yi Wang – Can she be considered the most overrated player in the women’s game? Or is that conversation past its prime?

(28) Zoey Weil – It’s not the most conventional looking game in the world, but the flashes she showed in 2025 are proving to be real to a certain degree. 

(29) Isabella Dunlap – She has gotten a lot more attention for her singles, but we have to stop ignoring the doubles stuff. The results are coming. 

(30) Genie Erokhina/Lingwei Kong – The results have been much better than we ever would have expected for both players, particularly for Lingwei Kong, in 2026, and that deserves acknowledgement.

Notable Omissions 

Brooke Buckner – The mixed has not been good, and the women’s has been so so. 

Sahra Dennehey – The singles is already there. The doubles is decent, but we are not sold yet on her having anything close to elite doubles capability. 

Elsie Hendershot – We continue to believe that patience is key for a player starting out her pro career at 12-years-old. Nevertheless, the results do not warrant top 30 consideration right now. 

Kiora Kunimoto – We still think that fundamental changes need to happen for Kunimoto to be more than a singles specialist. 

Jalina Ingram – The lack of development has been more apparent for the other starting female for the 2025 SoCal Hard Eights. 

Nicole Conard – A slow and steady wins the race type of improvement has been happening for the PPA Challenger alum. 

Agree or disagree? Let us know in the comments or email us at nmlpickleball@gmail.com! You can also follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook @nmlpickleball