Singles action at the Lake Kennedy Racquet Center concluded with Lea Jansen’s 11-2, 11-2 triumph over No. 8 seed Chao Yi (Zoey) Wang in the second women’s singles semifinal.

Jansen put forth her best performance of the day, absorbing the pace of Wang’s well-struck balls, dialing in her own passing shots, and frequently finishing points at the net.

The No. 6 seed says that the day’s windy conditions actually benefitted her.

“I kind of knew today was going to be a good day for me because whenever you throw elements in, the pure ball-strikers struggle, and I am not a pure ball-striker” she explained. “I just kind of scramble and use my athleticism, so I knew the elements were really going to favor me and my game."

Now into her first singles final since June of 2024, Jansen took a moment to speak candidly about her recent health journey as she has dealt with several complications from having Type 1 diabetes.

“Over the past six months, I’ve been going down these doctor’s office rabbit holes. Right before Mesa, I finally got a diagnosis. There’s something neurologically wrong because I’ve been so mismanaged with my diabetes,” she revealed. “They recommended me to a new doctor to kind of fix my brain, and I feel like I’m not freezing out there anymore. I’ve put in a lot of work and hired a new singles coach, who is great and very knowledgeable. She’s helped me a ton with my forehand, so I’m just getting back on track now and it feels really good.”

Jansen will face a familiar opponent on Sunday in Anna Leigh Waters. Despite acknowledging the challenge ahead of her, Jansen says that Brooke Buckner’s memorable performance against Waters in the Mesa final a few weeks ago should give herself—and the rest of the field—more confidence going up against the 18-year-old.

“I’m just happy to be back in a final. She has all the pressure,” Jansen noted. “I think Brooke showed us that [Waters] can be vulnerable, and I think we should all use that as some confidence going into each match against her.”