Chasing 200 titles: Anna Leigh Waters moves closer to milestone at Veolia Pickleball National Championships
Championship Sunday certinaly delivered at the Veolia Pickleball National Championships in North Carolina.
The key storyline was top-ranked Anna Leigh Waters capturing her 195th and 196th career titles, moving her within four of the 200 mark on the PPA Tour.
Here’s a breakdown of every matchup on Humana Championship Court:
Women's Doubles
(1) Anna Bright / Anna Leigh Waters def. (2) Jorja Johnson / Hurricane Tyra Black
11-5, 11-6, 11-3
Anna Bright and Anna Leigh Waters made easy work of Jorja Johnson and Tyra Hurricane Black with a dominant straight-games performance.
It was Bright and Waters’ 24th career title together.
Following a hard-fought MLP campaign that saw Bright and her St. Louis Shock teammates ultimately come up short versus Waters and the New Jersey 5s in the MLP Finals, Bright was thrilled to reign supreme alongside her regular partner again.
“We obviously played against each other a lot this season. I think our teams played each other five times, which was kind of tough,” explained Bright. “I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s my girl on the other side of the net all the time.’ I’m just really proud of how we were able to come together and kind of work out some of the kinks that we were having after not playing together for a few months. We played a lot of good teams here. I’m just really proud of us for being able to get the win.”
Men's Doubles
(1) Ben Johns / Gabe Tardio def. (2) Andrei Daescu / Christian Alshon
11-8, 11-8, 5-11, 11-5
The dynamic duo of Ben Johns and Gabe Tardio remain undefeated in the 2026 calendar year (54-0) after besting Andrei Daescu and Christian Alshon in four games.
It marked Johns and Tadio’s 19th career title together.
Tardio was especially pleased with the victory that came shortly before heading to the airport to board a flight to Asia where he’ll compete in the upcoming Leapmotor Kuala Lumpur Cup with Noe Khlif.
“I was pretty excited [about competing for the title with Ben]. It was the first time since MLP. Winning is going to give us a little momentum, so I was super excited to get it done,” said Tardio. “It’s been some chaotic weeks, especially after MLP, and now I’m going to Asia. I’ve been playing a lot of pickleball, and I’m just looking forward to the next tournaments and more tournaments with Ben.”
Mixed Doubles
(2) Anna Bright / Hayden Patriquin def. (3) Jorja Johnson / JW Johnson
11-9, 11-3, 11-7
St. Louis Shock teammates Anna Bright and Hayden Patriquin swept Jorja Johnson and JW Johnson in convincing fashion in the last doubles match of the day.
It marked Bright and Patriquin’s second career title together.
“This one means a ton,” insisted Bright. “We just came from a pretty painful loss in New York City [in the MLP Finals], so I’m really proud of us for coming back and bouncing back and bringing some of our best stuff all week.”
“It feels amazing,” added Patriquin. “I think losing in New York lit a fire under my butt.”
Despite coming up short in the championship match, the Johnsons were still satisfied with their showing in the Tar Heel State, especially after defeating Anna Leigh Waters and Ben Johns in a notable semifinal upset on Saturday.
“I’m just proud of battling through it,” said Jorja. “Everyone in these finals has come straight from New York, and I’m sure we’re all really tired. I was telling myself, ‘Last day, so give it your all.’ And I think we did that.”
Women's Singles
(1) Anna Leigh Waters def. (2) Kate Fahey
11-1, 11-9
After Anna Leigh Waters dominated the opening game, Kate Fahey made things interesting in the second, but it wasn’t enough to beat the most accomplished player on the planet.
The 19-year-old superstar hasn’t lost a singles match since May 30, 2024 (830 days).
It was Waters' 64th career singles title.
“It definitely stacks up there,” said Waters, when asked about the significance of her latest triumph. “But I really couldn’t do what I do without my mom [Leigh]. She’s my rock. Yesterday, she really picked me up when I needed it most, and today she just told me to go out there and do what I do best. I couldn’t do it without you, mom. I love you so much.”
As far as reaching 200 career titles is concerned, Waters is staying grounded in the moment.
“I try not to look at it too much, honestly. I feel like when I do, sometimes I feel the pressure of having to continue to do it, so I just really focus on competing and training,” she mentioned. “But every day I’m very grateful and thankful that I get to play professional pickleball as my job.”
Men's Singles
(3) Hunter Johnson def. (2) Federico Staksrud
7-11, 11-3, 11-0
After dropping the opening game to Federico Staksrud, Hunter Johnson stormed back to complete an emphatic victory.
Johnson, who ousted top seed Chris Haworth in the semis on Saturday, earned the ninth singles title of his career and secured his first singles crown since March.
"I just focused on what I was doing all week, which was just going through the ball and hitting it. I was stuck back again, just like against Haworth, and I just kind of told myself, 'Hey, get back in it! Keep swinging!' I'm trying to penetrate and hit as much spin as I can to have them make the small errors, and luckily I was able to land a lot more balls in the second and third," explained Johnson. "Unfortunately, he gassed out. He had a long night last night. He's a great champion as well. We're going to meet many more times, so we'll see each other in another final."
Admittedly, Staksrud was dealing with illness and fatigue.
"I've been feeling a little cold all week. I've been battling. Honestly, after the first game, I ran out of energy. I didn't have anything left in the tank," he admitted. "But also Hunter was hitting balls to the lines, and even if I was feeling good, I probably wouldn't be getting those anyways, so kudos to him. He's a great champ."
The PPA Tour schedule resumes with the Veolia Arizona Open from September 14-20 at the Arizona Athletic Grounds in Mesa, AZ.
Click here for ticket information.
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