A key storyline at the Select Medical Orange County Cup is Anna Leigh Waters and Anna Bright partnering up for a second straight tournament since joining forces again.

Waters and Bright hadn't played together for 16 months prior to the Veolia Atlanta Pickleball Championships in mid-May where they claimed gold. 

“We played one tournament together and one win so far this season, so things are going well. We’re also getting to practice together a lot,” said Bright at MLP Daytona Beach.

Waters and Bright both live in South Florida, so they take advantage of the close proximity to train whenever possible.

Bright has learned a lot from Waters in recent weeks.

“Honestly, a lot of it is learning by osmosis. I think one of the good things about my game is that I’m good at seeing what other people can do and copying it,” she explained. “I’ve always watched her and looked to her as someone to copy, so it doesn’t feel too different. We’re just on the same side of the court now.”  

Back in Atlanta, Bright shared some additional insight into her game now that she’s playing alongside Waters. 

“It’s a balancing act. Anna Leigh is the standard for our sport and she’s this pedestal that I’ve been chasing, chasing, chasing,” she mentoned. “I’m still going to do the things I’m good at, but it’s an adjustment. It’s been a while since we played together, but there’s a high level of familiarity because we’ve had so many battles against each other.”

So what was it about Bright’s game that made her the right partner for Waters? 

Waters spoke about that in Georgia.

“Anna is a severe competitor on the court. Anybody who’s played against Anna knows they’re going to get her best and they’re doing to get the fire. That was something I was excited for,” confirmed Waters. “She speeds up every ball and it works, and her aggression is amazing. I’m hoping that our aggression together is awesome.”

The partnership is off to a formidable start, which isn't surprising at all.

But after a few weeks off from PPA tournaments, there are plenty of tandems in the bracket hungry to defeat the No. 1 seeds. 

Waters recently went on the Pickleballers Podcast where hosts Roscoe Bellamy and Jared Paul inquired more about her decision to partner with Bright.

With players like Jorja Johnson, Tyra Hurricane Black and Parris Todd out there, why Bright?

For Waters, it came down to comfort. 

“Anna and I played together in the past and we did well, so I’m comfortable with her, and her game style is similar to Catherine [Parenteau]. Anna is more aggressive than Catherine, but she plays similar,” said Waters. “When I play against Tyra and Jorja, I don’t necessarily know what they’re going to do, so playing with them might have freaked me out a little bit more than Anna, who I’d played with before.”

While this partnership is undoubtedly tough to beat, every match is a new opportunity for a potential upset, so stay tuned. 

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