Tyra Black and Jorja Johnson celebrate their women's doubles title at the Veolia North Carolina Open.
Tyra Black and Jorja Johnson celebrate their women's doubles title at the Veolia North Carolina Open. PPA Tour

Flash on fire: Johnson, Black overcome slow start to stun Waters, Parenteau

After the top seeds fell in the men’s doubles final in North Carolina, so too did the top seeds in the women’s doubles final.

Jorja Johnson/Tyra Black put together a dazzling performance to earn a 1-11, 11-6, 11-4, 11-7 victory over top seeds Anna Leigh Waters/Catherine Parenteau in the second match of the day at Cary Tennis Park.

The Dallas Flash teammates looked to be in major trouble when they got down 1-4 in Game 2 after dropping the first game 1-11, but that was where the trouble ended.

They ended that second game on a 10-2 run and went on to comfortably take Games 3 and 4 to secure their first PPA title as a partnership.

 

Johnson/Black were especially impressive in hands battles at the kitchen line, winning a high percentage of fast-paced exchanges against their opponents.

“AL came out super aggressive, and I knew that’s what we needed to do ourselves: just be aggressive and attack everything we could,” Black said of the performance. “Having Jorja next to me definitely gives me confidence. She has amazing hands, so I know I can just kind of do whatever I want out there.”

This result gives Johnson her first career women’s doubles title on the PPA Tour; for Black, it’s her second women’s doubles gold in three weeks after also winning in Texas with Parris Todd.

Johnson will look to go two for two in the Tar Heel State when she and JW Johnson take on Anna Leigh Waters/Ben Johns for the mixed doubles title later on Sunday.

In the bronze medal match, No. 6 seeds Jackie Kawamoto/Jade Kawamoto defeated No. 4 seeds Lacy Schneemann/Parris Todd by an 11-7, 11-3 score line to secure their first podium finish of 2025.