Waters, Johns dominate Bright, Alshon for mixed doubles crown
BRISTOL, TN - Anna Leigh Waters and Ben Johns closed out Sunday’s action at Bristol Sportsplex with an 11-3, 11-1, 11-4 victory over No. 2 seeds Anna Bright and Christian Alshon in the mixed doubles final.
It was an impressive performance for the top seeds, who seemed to be riding the high of their earlier victories in the women’s doubles and men’s singles finals.
Johns—who dictated the match with aggressive-yet-controlled attacks—gave all the credit to his partner.
“[Anna Leigh] is super easy to play with, so I just get to go with the flow and try and play good points,” he said.
If only playing pickleball at the highest level was truly that simple.
With ten mixed doubles titles together in 2024, Waters and Johns will now turn their attention towards their next tournament: the Las Vegas Pickleball Cup, set to run Aug. 26-Sept. 1.
In the bronze medal match, No. 14 seeds Jackie Kawamoto and Jaume Martinez Vich concluded their impressive run with an 11-5, 11-7 victory over No. 4 seeds Tina Pisnik and Dekel Bar, marking a podium finish for the first-time pairing.
Related articles
A final look at the Zimmer Biomet Masters powered by Invited
Many spectators said it had the highest level of play ever seen at a pickleball tournament.
10 minutes ago
-Jim Kloss
Best dressed at the Zimmer Biomet Masters powered by Invited
The all-white dress code didn't stop the pros from looking fabulous.
4 hours ago
-Victoria Radnothy
Waters' advice to youngsters seeking direction: 'Do what you love... it’s the right path for you'
Words of wisdom from Anna Leigh Waters, who knows a thing or two about making professional dreams come true.
8 hours ago
-Victoria Radnothy
Waters secures Triple Crown No. 31 with women’s singles win over Christian
Even after playing eight games of doubles, Anna Leigh Waters looked as fresh as ever in the women's singles final.
20 hours ago
-Will Daughton