Top seeds Anna Leigh Waters and Ben Johns continued their reign of dominance in mixed doubles at the Rate Vegas Cup, defeating surprise finalists Jessie Irvine and Gabriel Tardio in straight games, 11-2, 12-10, 11-7, to claim yet another PPA Tour title.

The victory marks Waters and Johns’ 11th gold medal of the 2025 season, adding to their astonishing record of 55-2 in finals together. The duo has now captured mixed doubles golds this season at The Masters, Tucson, Cape Coral, Texas, Atlanta, Orange County, Bristol, Las Vegas (Open), Cincinnati, Virginia Beach, and today, the Vegas (Cup).

A Dominant Run Meets a Cinderella Story

While the result may have seemed familiar, the road to the championship featured plenty of surprises.

Fifth seeds Tardio and Irvine stunned the field with upset wins over the #2-seeded Johnson siblings (JW and Jorja) in the semifinals and #4 seeds Christian Alshon and Tyra Black in the quarters — both top-tier teams expected to contend for medals.

On the other side of the draw, Johns and Waters dispatched #6 seeds Rachel Rohrabacher and Andrei Daescu before defeating #3 seeds Hayden Patriquin and Anna Bright — who is also Waters’ women’s doubles partner — in the semifinals.

Chemistry Beyond Words

Following the match, sideline reporter Will Daughton revealed that Waters and Johns have now played a total of 300 matches together, winning an incredible 292 of them.

Waters credited their success to their excellent communication as athletes and friends:

“We have great chemistry on the court. I feel like we know what the other one is going to do,” Waters said. “We might not talk too much to each other, but I feel like we’ve got some kind of telepathy thing going on. We’ve kind of always meshed since the beginning — both on and off the court.”

Building on a Legendary Legacy

The win adds to an already historic tally for both players.

• Anna Leigh Waters now owns 163 career titles — 54 in singles, 52 in doubles (31 with Catherine Parenteau, 11 with Anna Bright), and 57 in mixed (55 with Johns). She has collected 36 career Triple Crowns, including five in 2025, and has medaled in 74 consecutive tournaments.

• Ben Johns sits at 165 career titles, including 42 singles, 53 doubles (35 with his brother Collin, 7 with Tardio), and 70 mixed. His current streaks include a PPA-record 45 consecutive tournaments with at least one gold medal and 85 consecutive with any medal.

Together, Waters and Johns have amassed 11 “Double Triples” — events where both claimed gold in singles, doubles, and mixed. Their only mixed finals losses have come to Anna Bright-led teams or the Johnsons, adding further intrigue to one of pickleball’s greatest modern rivalries.

As the PPA season continues, one thing remains clear: when Waters and Johns step onto the court together, history tends to follow.