Anna Leigh Waters and Ben Johns took the mixed doubles gold in Virginia Beach with an 11-7, 11-7, 10-12, 11-3 victory over No. 2 seeds Jorja and JW Johnson.

It looked like the top seeds would close out the victory in straight games when they had a 10-6 advantage in Game 3, but the Johnsons saved five match points to force a fourth game.

Waters and Johns regained their form after that lapse and comfortably took Game 4 to secure their fortieth mixed doubles title together (and thirteenth this year).

Getting back to basics was key for the top seeds to raise their level again.

“I started concentrating on playing solid points and making the drops,” Johns said. “If you’re lazy on your drops and try to come in, then you can give up some easy points.”

Even though Waters and Johns have yet to lose this matchup in 2024, the Johnson siblings have put them on the brink of defeat multiple times—perhaps most notably in the semifinals of the Orange County Cup in June.

Waters says that staying true to your game style is crucial when playing against such strong opponents.

“I think with the Johnsons, it’s about remembering to play your own game,” she explained. “They like to play super fast, and I think Ben and I would rather dink a couple more balls before speeding it up. We just have to remember to stay true to ourselves and know that they’re gonna hit some amazing shots.”

Both Waters and Johns will be back in action later Sunday afternoon when they compete for the women’s and men’s singles titles. Waters will take on Brooke Buckner, while Johns will face Hunter Johnson.

No. 11 seeds Jackie Kawamoto and Riley Newman captured the bronze medal with an 11-4, 9-11, 11-6 victory over No. 7 seeds Tina Pisnik and Dekel Bar.