OVERLAND PARK, KS - Championship Sunday matches don’t often go to five games, but we shouldn’t be surprised that the five-setter in Kansas City featured Anna Leigh Waters and Ben Johns taking on siblings Jorja and JW Johnson.

Their most recent encounter in the semifinals of June’s Select Medical Orange County Cup saw Waters and Johns save five match points and en route to a thrilling comeback win.

Sunday’s bout was just as exciting, with the top seeds emerging with an 11-2, 10-12 12-10, 6-11, 11-2 triumph after nearly two and a half hours.

It looked the Johnsons were in prime position to take the control of the match when they earned leads of 6-0 and 9-2 in Game 3 after the teams split the first two games, but a furious rally allowed the No. 1 seeds to steal that game 12-10.

A collapse like that would usually spell a quick end for most teams, but the Johnsons responded strongly to take Game 4.

That swift ending came, however, in the deciding game, where Waters and Johns raised their level to its peak and raced to an 11-2 triumph in just nine minutes.

This is the ninth title of the year for the top-ranked tandem, but they have been pushed to the brink multiple times over the past few months by the Johnsons.

Expect the rivalry to keep growing throughout the rest of the 2024 season.