
Waters stops Fahey’s run, rolls ankle in process
The women’s singles final featured a matchup that the pickleball world has been looking forward to for the better part of a month: undisputed No. 1 Anna Leigh Waters against rising star Kate Fahey.
Waters has been nothing short of dominant on the singles court with only 12 career recorded losses in the event, but Fahey’s recent play—making the final in three out of four tournaments in August and earning her first title last week in Salt Lake City—prompted whispers about whether the top seed could be in trouble.
Waters quickly dispelled those whispers with an 11-0, 11-6 rout of the No. 17 seed.
She came out hot, playing about as cleanly as we’ve seen in recent events, and earned a pickle (11-0 game win) to start the contest.
“I think that first game is one of the more solid singles games that I’ve played,” she mentioned after the fact.
It looked like the smooth sailing would continue in Game 2, until the 17-year-old rolled her ankle chasing down a ball.
That gave Fahey a chance to gain some ground, and she turned a 1-5 deficit into a 6-5 advantage. It looked like the second game’s fate may hang in the balance, but Waters was again able to pull away.
She closed out the win a few moments later to capture her fortieth PPA singles title, officially passing Ben Johns (39) for most all-time.
During Game 2’s tense moments, Waters took inspiration from an unusual source: New Jersey 5s owner, Gary Vaynerchuk.
“When I started missing returns and rolled my ankle and was doing weird stuff, I began to think about this Gary Vee quote I saw yesterday: ‘don’t let fear hold you back.’ I noticed I was starting to get tight and was starting to let fear hold me back, so I told myself to stop. Remembering that quote definitely lifted me up in this match.”
Even though a rolled ankle didn’t stop Waters from coming away with the win, it will be worth monitoring her play in the mixed doubles final later Sunday afternoon, when she and Ben Johns take on Catherine Parenteau and Riley Newman.
In the bronze medal match, Salome Devidze earned her fourth medal of the year with an 11-5, 11-8 victory over Lacy Schneemann.
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