Anna Leigh Waters/Ben Johns are into the mixed doubles final in Cape Coral after an 11-2, 11-5 thrashing of No. 4 seeds Jorja Johnson/Hayden Patriquin.

The top seeds actually dropped a game in their first match of the day against Jalina Ingram/James Kaoma, but they won the rest of their matches in straight games.

Their efforts culminated with their best performance of the day in the semifinals against a team that won a title in Daytona back in December.

Waters’ backhand speedup off the bounce from the right side played a key role in the triumph.

The 18-year-old discussed the tactical value of the shot.

“On the right, if you only have a forehand speedup, there are only a couple spots you can go, so if you run around to your backhand, it adds a new element and a new angle,” she explained. “The guy has to cover his line, and then it opens up other places to attack. There’s a lot more that goes into it, but I love hitting that shot.”

Waters/Johns are looking to get back to their title-winning ways after falling to Anna Bright/Dekel Bar in the semifinals in Mesa.

On Sunday, they’ll face the winner of the second semifinal matchup pitting Bright/JW Johnson against Catherine Parenteau/Christian Alshon.