MESA, AZ - The last time Anna Leigh Waters and Ben Johns played together on Humana Championship Court at the Arizona Athletic Grounds, they lost.

That match took place last year at this same tournament, where they lost to siblings Jorja and JW Johnson in the quarterfinals.

Friday, they faced a team that was new to them in the quarterfinals: No. 7 seeds Catherine Parenteau and Jack Sock, who were playing in their second tournament together.

It looked like the No. 1 seeds may be in danger of suffering their second consecutive defeat together on the enclosed court as the athleticism and quick hands of Parenteau and Sock helped them take Game 1.

Waters and Johns responded strongly in Game 2, though, and took it 11-2 to force a decider.

One of the challenges for the highly decorated pairing was identifying the patterns that would benefit them near the kitchen line against this new team.

Fortunately for Waters, that mental game is one of her partner’s favorite aspects of the sport.

“It’s interesting to see new players, and it’s always a little new puzzle to see what somebody’s good at and what somebody’s bad at,” Johns told PickleballTV’s Dave Fleming. “That’s one of the many things I enjoy in pickleball.”

As Game 3 went on and the patterns that were more favorable for Waters and Johns fell into place, a bit of a rivalry developed between Waters and Sock.

The two went at each other early and often, and they never failed to make sure the other heard whenever their side won a point.

But when Sock and Parenteau’s final shot fell into the net, Waters knew she had done enough talking.

“I tried to keep the talk to a minimum, but I think winning the match kind of stuck it to [Sock] that way,” she shared. “I didn’t have to say anything.

Fittingly, next up for Waters and Johns is a semifinal match against the Johnson siblings.

The 17-year-old is hoping for a different result from a year ago.

“We’re gonna go out there with a little more fire than last time, and hopefully we’ll be able to pull it out,” she said.