JW Johnson and Jorja Johnson competing at the Veolia North Carolina Open.
JW Johnson and Jorja Johnson competing at the Veolia North Carolina Open. PPA Tour

Johnson siblings outlast Waters, Johns in five-game thriller for second title of 2025

Gabe Tardio made headlines by earning two titles in North Carolina, but he’s not the only one to accomplish the feat.

Jorja Johnson joined the two-title club in the Tar Heel State when she and JW Johnson took down top seeds Anna Leigh Waters/Ben Johns 8-11, 11-7, 11-6, 3-11, 11-8 in the mixed doubles final.

The No. 2 seeds had the upper hand when they took Games 2 and 3, but Waters/Johns responded well to win Game 4 and earn a 6-3 advantage in the deciding game.

Not deterred by the deficit, the Johnson siblings ended the contest on an 8-2 run to secure their first-ever Championship Sunday victory over Waters/Johns in eight tries.

 

Jorja, still riding the momentum from her earlier triumph in women’s doubles, delivered an especially impressive performance that saw her both hang in crosscourt dink rallies with Waters and challenge Johns in hands battles up the line.

“We just played our hardest and didn’t let the previous losses get us down,” she said after the fact. “I’m just happy that we were able to come back and get it done in the fifth game.”

In the bronze medal match, first-time partners and No. 4 seeds Anna Bright/Federico Staksrud defeated No. 10 seeds Meghan Dizon/Andrei Daescu by an 11-7, 11-7 score line.