Anna Leigh Waters competing at the Lapiplasty Pickleball World Championships.
Anna Leigh Waters is one win away from defending her women's singles title. She'll have to get through Kate Fahey to do it. PPA Tour

Waters, Fahey set finals clash with straight-game victories

When Anna Leigh Waters and Catherine Parenteau faced off at Brookhaven Country Club in 2023, they gave us one of the matches of the year.

Their 2024 meeting was much more straightforward, with Waters taking the 11-2, 11-3 victory in just over twenty minutes.

Even though she was in complete control throughout the match, Waters knew she couldn’t relax until the job was complete.

“Catherine is the best at coming back and winning matches,” she said. “She does it at every tournament, and she’s done it against me before, so I knew I needed to close it out when I had the chance.”

Waters will face No. 9 seed Kate Fahey on Sunday.



In the second semifinal, Kate Fahey battled past Salome Devidze by a 12-10, 11-4 score line. 

She got down 5-9 in Game 1 but came back to take it 12-10, a comeback that gave her the confidence to comfortably take the second game.

 

Sunday will mark the second meeting between Waters and Fahey this year. Waters has won both of those matches in straight games, but Fahey is feeling confident after beating Parris Todd, Lea Jansen, and Devidze in consecutive rounds. 

"There's no reason to believe that I can't beat [Anna Leigh]," she mentioned. "The first two times I played her haven't gone well, but hopefully the third time's the charm."