With so much action in the past few days happening around the game, off the court, on the internet and behind closed doors, Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters provided a sense of pickleball normalcy in Kansas City.
Because, from what we’ve seen for just about all of 2023, when these two step between the lines, they win.
That’s what happened at the Vulcan Kansas City Open as each took home another triple crown, including teaming up for a 10th victory this season together in mixed doubles.
“Even though there was, and is, so much going on in pickleball right now, I tried to stay focused during all of my matches at the task at hand,” Waters said. “There is only so much you can control, and matches are something you can control, so I focused on that.”
She definitely did. Meanwhile, despite dealing with, or trying to distance themselves from the drama of the day, both Johns and Waters were coming off of tournaments where they didn’t triple.
Both sat out last week’s Tournament of Champions in Utah and both were beaten at the Takeya Showcase the first week of August in California.
But that was then. So much has changed since. And Waters and Johns are back to winning.
“For me, what I enjoy most about this sport is playing against the other best players and striving to win,” Johns said. “I haven’t ever needed motivation for that, because it’s a continuous fight.”
Whatever Johns needed to get through Sunday, it was clearly there. He and Waters started the day with a wrecking of Riley Newman and Jessie Irvine in the final – 11-1, 11-1, 11-2. From there, Johns took the court alongside former partner Matt Wright, who he joined while his brother Collin Johns recovers from an injury. Ben and Wright beat Dylan Frazier and JW Johnson, arguably the second-best team in pickleball in four games 11-8, 9-11, 11-7, 11-3. After that, Johns went on to beat second-seeded Tyson McGuffin in the singles final, 11-2, 11-9.
He wasn’t distracted.
“As soon as I step on the court, my focus is entirely there,” Johns said. “Competing and winning is what I enjoy most about the sport, so I don’t really find it difficult to compete to my utmost while exterior things are happening.”
Waters was back to her normal self, too. After losing in the quarterfinals at the Takeya tourney, this was her first time back in the singles game. And she made it look easy. Waters beat Catherine Parenteau, 11-6, 11-9 for her 11th singles title of the season. Then, Waters teamed with Parenteau and beat Meghan Sheehan-Dizon and Anna Bright, 11-7, 7-11, 11-3, 11-4, earning the pair the women’s doubles title. It was their fifth title together this year.
“Triple crowns always feel special, but some stand out more than others,” Waters said. “As far as this one goes, I really tried to savor the moment. There is always more to achieve. New players are coming into the game and the game is evolving everyday. I feel, for the rest of the season, I want to expand my game by adding more shots and different patterns. I also want to grow the sport as much as possible and I feel I can do that through the PPA Tour.
Watch the Mixed Doubles Championship Match Here:
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