Waters and Parenteau forge ahead to the semis

Veolia Austin Open PPA Women’s Quarterfinals

ALW & CP 2024 (Picture Kerry Pittenger)

• Interviews
• Match Summary

It’s St. Patrick’s Day, and Jorja Johnson stood out as the greenest on the court for sure. The match saw ATP (Around The Post) shots and Catherine Parenteau at the kitchen line doing what she does best, both of which I never get tired of watching.

Anna Leigh Waters and Catherine Parenteau have really hit their stride as a doubles team. They captured the women’s doubles crown at the Professional Pickleball Association’s (PPA) first event of 2024, which kept their remarkable undefeated streak going, a streak that started when they decided to team up full-time in 2023.

For this match, Catherine and ALW focused on targeting the middle of the court to create openings. Johnson, in particular, was making use of her rolling shots, aggressively taking on any dink that ventured into the middle.

There were moments where it seemed things could swing in favor of Johnson and Piznik, but ALW and CP came out as winners.

Interviews

1. Reflecting on the strategy and performance:
   • Anna Leigh: “Our plan in the beginning was to target her, but then in the end we were like, ‘No, we can’t be going to Tina so much. She’s playing so well.’ So yeah, props to her for doing that. I mean, this match was crazy, windy, rainy. I mean, it was cold. It was just everything.”
2. On the challenges faced during the match:
   • Anna Leigh: “And we get nervous before matches, like pretty nervous, both of us. And we were saying when it was cut and we had to wait, and like I was waiting inside, she was waiting inside, and we were like, we thought we were going to throw up. There were so many different emotions going on. We were like, ‘Oh, we had to separate from each other because we were just making each other so nervous.’ So yeah, I mean, we came out. I think we’re all still shaky, but it was a great match. I think the crowd loved it.”
3. Discussing the impact of interruptions and maintaining focus:
   • Catherine: “Yeah, I mean, it’s for sure. You know, it’s tough mentally. You have to think about it for about — I think it was a two-hour delay, so we were thinking about it a little too much. But at the same time, you know, our opponents have to deal with it as well. So I think we did a good job of just — we came out with just a lot of energy, and I’m just super happy to get a W against a really tough team.”
4. On the necessity talking to each other:
   • Anna Leigh: “Yeah, I mean, I think Catherine and I aren’t usually too loud, but when we have to be, we definitely bring the fire. So it was funny because we weren’t being loud, and Athena and my mom were on the bench saying, ‘You guys have to, like, yell after the point.’ After you win a point, you have to put, like, some energy on the court. So we were like, ‘Alright, so I think right before the — or at 1-0 in the third game before we had to cut it, we were like, “Come on!” We were like, “You’re so intense!” And I started laughing before I was going to hit my serve because I was like, ‘That’s just not us.’ But I think it ended up working in this match, just bringing the energy. So maybe you’ll see us yelling some more in the future.”

Match Summary

Game 1

The game starts with early exchanges and was a competitive outset. Anna Leigh Waters and Catherine Parenteau initially take the lead, but there are several ties and lead changes.

Tina Pisnik and her partner manage a series of points to narrow the gap several times. Anna Leigh Waters and Catherine Parenteau pulled ahead significantly towards the end of the game and winning 11-5.

Game 2

Anna Leigh Waters and Catherine Parenteau, quickly got the lead. Tina Pisnik and Jorja Johnson faced challenges in mounting a comeback, with the score widening at several points.

The game ends with a more decisive 11-4 win for Waters and Parenteau.

Game 3

The scores are closer at the beginning, with back-and-forth points. Several lead changes and ties through the mid-game point.

Despite the competitive play, Parenteau and Waters manage to extend their lead towards the game’s end, ultimately winning 11-8.