VIDEO: Anna Leigh Waters, Jay Devilliers secure mixed doubles title at US Open
Anna Leigh Waters and Jay Devilliers defeated Sofia Sewing and Casey Diamond in an epic final match to cap off the 10th anniversary at the tournament.
- Anna Leigh Waters and Jay Devilliers won the mixed doubles final at the US Open Pickleball Championships in Naples.
- The event, held at East Naples Community Park, marked the 10th anniversary of the championships.
It was only fitting that a thrilling mixed doubles final concluded the US Open Pickleball Championships in Naples to wrap its 10th anniversary.
Anna Leigh Waters and Frenchman Jay Devilliers held off a ferocious third-set comeback from Sofia Sewing and Casey Diamond, securing a hard-fought 10-12, 11-2, 11-9 victory at East Naples Community Park on Saturday, April 18.
“… It just shows the grit that they have on the other side,” Waters said. “I loved playing with Jay. It was great this week. I play against Jay a lot on the PPA. He’s a great guy on and off the court. His family was here supporting along with my family too, so I think we have a lot of the same values. It was great sharing the court with a really nice human being.”
Early on, Diamond and Sewing put the female No. 1 in the world and her partner on their heels, going on an 8-2 run, forcing a second timeout with Waters and Devilliers down 9-6.
Waters and Devilliers responded with two quick points to get back within one at 9-8, exploiting low forehands on Sewing, who seemed to struggle getting those looks over net early on. Up 10-9, Sewing and Diamond could not close the door on Waters and Devilliers, burning their second timeout before closing the match on a 3-0 run.
“I think we’ve been really excited to play a different team,” Sewing said. “We’ve been looking forward to it for a really long time… A comment was made to me that kind of got to me a little bit. I’m only a human being, so that made me a little bit emotional. But I think I needed to just regroup after that and go out. I’m really happy to have been in a final with Casey.”
The second set was all Waters and Devilliers, wasting minimal time to score an 11-2 win. Waters and Devilliers got off to an identical 4-1 start, with the former playing with a lot more aggression and command on the south side of the pavilion.
In the third, Waters and Devilliers led 10-4 on Sewing and Diamond, who kept chipping away after trailing 6-2 and 7-4 earlier on. Trailing 10-4, Sewing and Diamond staved off 15 consecutive championship points with solid defense and miscues from Waters and Devilliers.
From there, Sewing and Diamond got within 10-9, forcing a second timeout from the opposing side with both males looking visibly fatigued.
“I like setting records,” Waters said of needing 16 chances to close. “That’s a new one. Fifteen is definitely a new one. It was giving flashbacks of when I was playing with Ben (Johns) in the last tournament, and we had 10. We won 13-11 in the fourth. I need to stop doing this.”
Then, Waters decided to close the door for good.
A backhand from Waters got by Diamond, ending a match that was just shy of an hour and 15 minutes.
“I’m not gonna lie, this never happened to me,” Devilliers said. “Playing with Anna Leigh on top of that made me feel a bit worse. But we got it done. They played some incredible points on match point, at the beginning. Great battle, and just happy to win this one.”
Other results
Women’s Singles: Kat Stewart def. Seone Mendez 11-4, 11-1
Men’s Singles: Dustin Boyer def. Jay Devilliers 11-4, 11-2
Women’s Doubles: Anna Leigh Waters and Leigh Waters def. Bobbi Oshiro and Kat Stewart 11-5, 11-6
Men’s Doubles: Jack Munro and Richard Livornese def. Ryler DeHeart and Kyle Koszuta 11-5, 7-11, 11-6
Follow Sports Reporter Alex Martin on X at @NP_AlexMartin or via email: amartin@usatodayco.com. For the best sports coverage in Southwest Florida, follow @newspresssports and @ndnprepzone on Instagram.
