Anna Leigh Waters and Ben Johns battled through a five-game epic to secure the mixed doubles championship at the Lake Kennedy Racquet Center on Championship Sunday of 2025 Veolia Cape Coral Open, defeating Anna Bright and JW Johnson in a 4-11, 13-11, 11-7, 7-11, 11-5 victory.
View this post on Instagram
A Hard-Fought Battle
Bright and Johnson, the No. 2 seeds, started strong, effectively countering Waters’ speedups and creating confusion with Johnson’s precise slice dinks through the middle. They took the first game comfortably and had two game points at 11-10 in the second, but Waters and Johns fought back to even the match at one game apiece.
The teams split the next two games, setting up a decisive Game 5. With the score tied at 5-5, Waters and Johns found their top form, winning the final six points to secure the championship.
Acknowledging the Competition
Johns praised the impressive performance of the first-time pairing of Bright and Johnson.
“All due credit to JW and Anna. It’s a first-time partnership that clearly works very well. That was an incredible match with really great points, so congrats to them.” – (johns)
More Matches to Come
The action isn’t over for either champion, as both Waters and Johns return to the court later in the day.
- Ben Johns will play in the men’s doubles final with Andrei Daescu.
- Anna Leigh Waters will compete for a Triple Crown, aiming for gold in women’s doubles with Catherine Parenteau and in women’s singles against Lea Jansen.
Meanwhile, Catherine Parenteau/Christian Alshon (No. 3 seeds) will face Jorja Johnson/Hayden Patriquin (No. 4 seeds) for mixed doubles bronze.
News in Brief: Anna Leigh Waters and Ben Johns
Anna Leigh Waters and Ben Johns reclaimed the mixed doubles title at the Lake Kennedy Racquet Center, defeating Anna Bright and JW Johnson in a five-game battle (4-11, 13-11, 11-7, 7-11, 11-5). Both champions will compete in additional finals later in the day.
