Semifinal Saturday from the Veolia Bristol Open has sent us to a mixed doubles final true to seeding, with the #1 seeds Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters set to go up against #2 seeds JW Johnson and Jorja Johnson on Championship Sunday.

Both matches featured mainly uncontested scorelines, with Johns/Waters taking down #3 seeds Christian Alshon/Catherine Parenteau 11-3, 11-2 and Johnson/Johnson defeating #4 seeds Andrei Daescu/Anna Bright 11-2, 11-9.

“I don’t think the score really showed how hard Ben and I were trying to stick to a certain game plan and trying to really execute our shots,” Waters maintained after the match. “Ben was being super aggressive, and in pickleball, I think the aggressive team usually ends up winning.”

At 11-3, 9-2 with Johns/Waters leading, a ball was hit crosscourt by Parenteau, skimming by Johns and into the hands of Waters, who smashed the ball down the line for a winner. Alshon challenged the ball, alleging that there may have been a double hit – off Johns’ paddle and then off Waters’. While evidence of this was not found and Alshon/Parenteau ended up losing their challenge, the decision was a strategic move to slow the pace of the match down that showcases how the use of timeouts and challenges has become a shrewd science at the top of the sport.

Fans and spectators packed the stands for both mixed doubles semifinals, with some more vocal than others – something Jorja Johnson addressed in her post-match interview with a little well-placed dig at her naysayers.

“There were some people talking to me in the crowd, so I had to let them know what’s up,” Jorja said, laughing a bit. “Getting fired up – I think definitely the way we closed that one out – was thanks to him, so appreciate that.”

Finalists Johns/Waters and Johnson/Johnson have played each other 21 times, with Johns/Waters taking 19 of the matches and losing 2. Their two losses to Johnson/Johnson came at the Carvana Arizona Grand Slam in 2023 and the Veolia North Carolina Open earlier this year.

Watch these teams face off on Championship Sunday on Pickleballtv.