At last month’s Veolia Atlanta Pickleball Championships, Kate Fahey won the first ever match between her and Catherine Parenteau by an 11-2, 11-6 score line.

When the two faced off on Friday in San Clemente, it looked like fans would see more of the same after Fahey took the opening game 11-1 in just under ten minutes by overpowering Parenteau in baseline rallies.

That’s when Parenteau changed things up.

Instead of letting Fahey power her way into the net, Parenteau used shorter, dipping shots to bring Fahey up to the kitchen line on her own terms. Doing this gave the No. 7 seed enough time to go for spin heavy, angled shots to get Fahey out of position and set herself up for passing shot opportunities.

Changing to that counterpunching game style helped Parenteau comfortably take the second game and overcome a 3-6 deficit in the third to come away with a 1-11, 11-2, 11-7 victory.

Film study and preparation made the difference for the PPA Tour veteran.

“I’ve been watching a lot of film on [Kate] and learning her patterns,” she explained. “I felt like I played smart and stayed on the plan for most of the time.”

Now into the semifinals in Southern California, Parenteau is one win away from making her first singles final since doing so at this very tournament in 2024.

“It’s been a struggle for the past year with a lot of ups and downs in singles,” she shared in a post-match press conference. “I sort of quit at times and then would skip two or three tournaments in a row when I needed a break mentally. I would get back and not be satisfied, but now I feel like I’m back in the groove and feeling really good right now in singles. That meant a lot to beat Kate, especially with the way she’s been playing.”

Elsewhere, No. 10 seed Judit Castillo defeated No. 3 seed Kaitlyn Christian 11-9, 12-10 to also advance to Semifinal Saturday.