
Waters, Bright sweep Rohrabacher, Johnson for women’s doubles gold
Anna Leigh Waters/Anna Bright kicked off Championship Sunday action in Bristol with a dominant 11-6, 11-3, 11-1 victory over No. 2 seeds Jorja Johnson/Rachel Rohrabacher to claim the women’s doubles crown.
Both teams made the final after relatively comfortable semifinal victories on Saturday, but Water/Bright proved to be too much on Sunday with their ability to turn defensive scrambles into offensive opportunities.
Bright gave credit to Leigh Waters for practicing with the team and helping them team get off to a strong start.
“We definitely put an emphasis on coming out here with a lot of intensity. I’m very thankful that we have Anna Leigh’s mom, Leigh, to help us get some reps in,” she mentioned. “It’s very nice of her to do that for us. It may not be the best for her confidence, but I think that helps us get out here ready to go on Sunday when you don’t have a match to warm up before.”
Capturing gold in Bristol is especially meaningful for Bright, whose father Kris was born in Tennessee and played college tennis at Tennessee Tech.
“My dad is from Knoxville. I have a couple grandparents here and some in Knoxville, so it’s super amazing to be able to play in front of them,” she mentioned. “My dad got me started in tennis, and without the tennis I wouldn’t be here playing pickleball, so it’s super fun to be here in Tennessee.”
This result gives Waters/Bright their tenth PPA title as a partnership, and their third since rejoining forces earlier this year. They have yet to drop a game through three tournaments since rekindling their partnership in May.
No. 3 seeds Catherine Parenteau/Jackie Kawamoto will face off against No. 4 seeds Tyra Black/Parris Todd later on Sunday in the bronze medal match.
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