Waters, Johnson Double Winners at US Pickleball Open

Seventeen-year-old Anna Leigh Waters and 21-year-old JW Johnson both won two gold medals at the eighth US Open Pickleball Championships on Saturday night, April 20, at East Naples Community Park.

Waters won the Women’s Doubles with her mother, Leigh Waters, 44, and the Mixed Doubles with Johnson. Johnson also won Men’s Doubles with Dylan Frazier, 23, as youth left its mark on the championships. 

Waters, Number One in the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) rankings, was thrilled to win gold for the first time at the US Open. She turned pro at the tender age of 12.

"I'm a stranger to winning the US Open,” Waters said. “I played my first tournament at this facility. I played with my grandfather. Just a lot of memories coming back here, and it was super special to get to play on this championship court and come out with a double (gold medal win) along with JW.”

Johnson, ranked Number Four in the PPA, and Frazier, ranked Number Three, gave the crowd the most competitive match of the evening, topping Andrei Daescu and Gabriel Tardio 9-11, 12-10, 11-1.

Daescu-Tardio had three chances to close out the match in the second game.

“We just tried to buckle down,” said Frazier, “not make any mistakes. Live in the moment. Try to trust to process.”

"I was trying to push the issue way too much,” Johnson said, “so I decided to show a little more patience. It’s always a battle against those guys." 

Anna Leigh Waters was beyond thrilled to win the gold medal with her mother. The Waters team downed Simone Jardim and Allison Harris, 11-5, 11-5. 

“We've never made a final here at the US Open,” Waters said, "so that's special in itself. Whether we win or lose, we were going to have a great time. And it's definitely a night I'll never forget. Winning with my mom is just something we didn't know if we'd ever get to do. So, just being here on this court, getting to feel what this feels like. She's coached me a lot the past year and a half, and she’s made me into the person I am today. So thank you, mom."

It was also a thrill for Waters to win against Simone Jardim, a pickleball legend who Waters has always looked up to. 

“I just wanted to be like her,” Waters said of Jardim, “and here I am today, winning against a two-time Triple Crown winner. Thank you, Simone, for all the guidance and advice you give me. I appreciate it.”

Jardim, a former Number One, won the Triple Crown at the US Open in 2017 and 2018. She had some words of wisdom for her young protege.

"I hope that mama continues to guide her through this,” Jardim said, "because I know it's not easy to talk about this, but when you're at the top, everybody wants you to lose. So don't have fears. And you just keep going. The sky's the limit."

In mixed doubles, the Waters-Johnson team took an easy 11-5, 11-4 win over Jorja Johnson and Gabriel Tardio. JW and Jorja Johnson are sister and brother.

“It's awesome,” JW Johnson said about playing against his sister, "especially since we travel together all the time. It's an amazing experience for sure."