Kate Fahey vs Lea Jansen at the SXY Newport Beach Open

So I have a huge advantage there. There we go. That's great. Jansen will serve to start us off at the bottom of your screen. What a spot from Jansen. What a high-quality first point. Unreal. Ladies came to play. I'm just excited, Wilfer, also. These are two of our most vocal competitors out there, especially Kate Fahey, who has been known to scream a lot. And Lea, also known to be vocal, so no shortage of personality on the court. I'm very excited for it. I am cheering for some sort of spat or some exchange of screams, which I'm sure we'll see. And Fahey on the board with the missed return. Lea Jansen, the fourth overall pick in the MLP draft, drafted by the Texas Ranchers. 1-1. Nice combination there from Fahey, a slice approach opening up the court. 2-1. And it's interesting, Greg, you mentioned Lea Jansen has to control the kitchen line. We haven't really seen her come up that often. Yeah, surprised she's chosen to stay back more than I thought. 3-1. Side out. 1-3. Nice find. What a backhand from Kate Fahey. And I don't hate that decision for Lea to come in there. It's just Kate, it's such a tough shot here. On the run, deep backhand to pass Lea from that position, so impressive. And there's Jansen defending her kitchen line. Yeah, great first volley there on a tough kind of outstretched backhand. Got it down really well. 1-3. Point. Grindy baseline rally goes the way of Lea Jansen. Pulls within one. 2-3. Point. 3-3. Point. And a few baseline errors for Fahey. Now Jansen with the one point advantage. Yeah, kind of surprising. All three were just sort of routine balls. Yeah, you just don't really see that much from Kate. 4-3. Nice sequence there from Fahey. Stops the bleeding. Kate Fahey's made two singles finals so far in 2026 in Palm Springs for the Masters. And the last tournament in Mesa, looking to follow up with another deep run, potentially the championship Sunday. And off the net, not exactly sure how that one scraped over. The double, a double bouncer. It's just devastating for Jansen. 4-4. Point. You catch that? I did not hear exactly what Jansen said. I didn't either. 5-4. What a spot, Lea Jansen. Backhand angle on the back foot. Look at that one. It's just such a nice shot. So tough. That's the recipe right there for Lea. Deep approach shot. Gives it to the kitchen. Makes some volleys. Now tied at 5. 5-5. Oh. And could get a challenge here. You have time out to review. The result of the rally is overturned. The ball was in. Loss of challenge. No free challenge remaining. One free challenge remaining. We'll resume play at side out 5-5. So we saw Kate Fahey talking with Ryan DeWidgeon, one of the great minds in pickleball. Great coach. Excellent player as well. AKA pickleballed on social media. He's the man. What a pretty spot from Jansen. Cut volley right on the baseline. Side out. 5-5. Side out. Jansen a little frustrated with herself after that one. Had a good look at the volley. And we're going to keep coming back to what you said. That's going to really be the x-factor, Jansen's effectiveness with those volleys. 5-5. And again, what a find from Jansen. Bit of a stalemate here at 5-all. 5-5. What a get. Fahey on the full extension. Able to find the angle. The crowd loves it. What a good play by Lea there. It's a good drop. Volley just came too good. 5-5. And the stalemate is broken as Fahey inches ahead. 6-5. Jansen talking about hesitating on her forehand. 6-5. From Kate Fahey, chaotic rally. I mean, it looked like he had the overhead, but decides to let it bounce. Works her way back into it, Greg. And finished with a flare. Incredible point. Yeah, this little. 7-5. Point. Can't give her those, though. 8-5. Strong put away from Lea Jansen. Exactly the type of point she needed to end the run. 5-8. Ooh. And the return. The result of the outfall. After a review, the result of the rally stands. The ball was out. Loss of challenge. No free challenge remaining. We'll resume play at 6-8. So Jansen pulls within two. Time in. 6-8. What a spout from Fahey. Kind of saw the arm half go up to call it out from Jansen, but clearly in. 8-6. Side out. And here's the pumping yourself up. The scream battle. Yes. That's what I like. 6-8. Here it is. Took a little bit to get fully into it. You knew it was going to happen. 8-6. Off the net for Jansen. And you can really just tell in these rallies it feels like there's just a little something extra on the ground strokes now. The grunting volume's gone up, too. But Jansen's still trailing by 6, or excuse me, by 2. Looking to move off of that 6 mark. 6-8. Side out. And another stalemate. Points not easily come by. And Jansen's in the latter stages of game one. Missed some balls like well deep. 8-6. During this game that I think that's the difference right now. Nice put away there from Fahey. Great deep approach shot that set her up well. 9-6. Points. And now game point on the paddle of Kate Fahey. Jansen a little frustrated with herself. Had a good look at a forehand. 10-6. Game one goes the way of the number two seed. Serve at the bottom of your screen to start us off with game two. Game two, time in. 0-0. Point. 1-0. Strong start here for Fahey. Really getting some good depth on her serve these first few rallies. 2-0. Wow. Too much Fahey. Kate cools off a little bit. What a battle. What a find from Jansen. From defense to offense, that's the type of point that could really turn the tide. Absolutely. Yeah, great scramble there from Leia. 0-3. Side out. Again, Fahey just painting lines. 3-0. And Jansen kind of tried to dictate, tried to be the aggressor there, but still doesn't pay off. Yeah, I don't hate the move there to get to the kitchen. Had a play on that volley, just missed it. 4-0. Side out. And a sick serve, and an even better return from Leia. So how low she stayed through that shot. 0-4. No point. Just long there from Fahey. Jansen on the board in game two. Kate asking if Leia's good. She's got a little cut on her knee. Did not even. Referee timeout. 1-4. Side out. 4-1. Side out. We actually just got confirmation. The Band-Aid for Leia actually came from Kate. Wow. So love to see that display of sportsmanship. I think they're pretty good buddies, too. Woo! Nice find from Jansen on the run in the forehand. You can. Referee timeout. We have a challenge of the end ruling. The result of the rally. And here's the final call. After review, the rally stands. The ball wasn't. Loss of challenge. No free challenge remaining. One free challenge remaining. We'll resume play at 2-4. And clear as day. That one right on the line from Jansen. So it was an early deficit. Time in. 2-4. Clawing her way back. Side out. 4-2. Side out. Fahey been stuck on four for a few side outs. Jansen looking to take advantage. Yeah, Kate's made a couple mistakes. His last string of points here. Point. And Jansen now within one. Felt like the first three or four rallies of this second game, she was staying back. Now Jansen's really being the aggressor. And that's been working for her. Yeah, no doubt. Making it really tough for Kate to hit a passing shot. 3-4. And another angled forehand crosscourt. Jansen catching fire. Yeah, that's the shot right now for Fahey. That crosscourt forehand. Kate's got to look to approach the backhand maybe next time she comes in. That forehand maybe wasn't as accurate as she would have liked in game one. No trouble here in game two. 4-4. ATP. Sealed with the backhand. 4-4. Side out. 4-4. A grind of a point goes the way of Kate Fahey. You see how much that one means to her. Out dueling from the baseline. Yeah, it feels like a momentum changing point right there. Longest rally of the match. See if Kate can capitalize on her serve. 4-4. Side out. What a deep return there from Jansen. High over the net. Lots of topspin. Kate just played some loose points on her serve. Last few side outs. Played really well in Leia's serving, but unable to get all four. Off the net, and Jansen was going to have a clean look at the volley. But you've got to think the net cords, I feel like, have been somewhat even, at least in this one. Yeah, everyone's gotten a couple. It wasn't like yesterday, where Jack Sock was like one for seven. It felt like. Brutal. Still pulling it out, though. 4-4. Point. And the lid is off. Fahey gets off of four. Pulls ahead by one. 5-4. Just right on the line. Point. Yes. Time out. Time in. 6-4. Side out. Kate has just, she could be up like 8-4 here. She's made a few mistakes on her serve that I'm a little bit surprised that she could have really taken control of the second game. But Leia is hanging around. That was out. And just long on the return. Fahey unable to pull away. And tied at 6. What a forehand. That has really been the biggest change for Jansen, at least in my eyes, in this second game. Yeah, she definitely floated a few long in the first. Was not confident with it. That one landing right on the baseline. Perfect placement. 6-6. Good serve. Point. 7-6. Side out. And there is the, I knew it was coming. There's the excited, is one word, emotional outcall. Yes. A three-point swing for Jansen. 6-7. Point. Jansen frustrated with herself off the approach shot. Disgusting miss. That's what she said. Those are her words. 7-7. And the forehand, when she needed it most, she finds it. Big point there from Leia. 7-7. Big point there from Jansen. Got established. 8-7. The net, and it goes. Fahey's way somehow stays in. It's like you do everything right in a rally. Yeah. 7-8. Kind of a half overhead from Jansen. Tough to execute. She was on her back foot. Was smart not to put 100% power on that. 8-7. Expert two-shot pass from Fahey. Jansen gets right, though. Just unable to keep the second volley in. Fahey hits herself after that. And a lot of people may think it's because you're displeased with yourself. In her case, it's to motivate herself. Maybe not pleased with how the second game has gone, but she won the point. Oh, and so deep was that shot. It looks like Jansen may have wanted to call it out. It looked very close. Yeah. But you've got to think about the ramifications. She does not have a free challenge remaining. That was very tight. 8-8. The spot again, the foot of Jansen becoming a fear hand. Leia is just battling the lob to keep herself in the point. And then this cross-court forehand, man, it's been money this game. 8-8. Oh, my gosh. What an angle. Fahey loving it. And it looked like the rally was a bit of a figure 8 drill from tennis. Yes. Almost. Just moving each other side to side. And Kate lets out a scream at the end there. Full body scream. No timeouts remaining on either side. Confirmed no timeouts remaining on either side. It is competitor versus competitor in the tightest moments of this one so far. No. Leia Jansen net court, no problem. And we are still tied at 8. What a scramble. Tell Leia really wants this one. Putting everything she has into this. 8-8. Nice deep, spinny volley pays off for Jansen. Pulls ahead by one. 9-8. And now game point on the paddle of Leia Jansen. Has really dug deep, found her best stuff late in this second game. 10-8. And we are sure that our players do not get distracted. It's a great thing to have all the fans, but you've got to be able to make sure it's not impacting the player's ability to compete at the highest level. 8-3. Now we are good to go. Let's roll. 0-0. Point. 1-0. Oh, it's on Jansen. Try to switch it up. Go with the slice approach. Always tough when you're trying to hit it over the highest part of the net on that side. It's a little bit lower in the middle. 0-1. Oh, Jansen extending the point. But Fahy, too much in full control. And now we get a brief shoe tying timeout. 1-1. Wow. I mean, almost a recreation of the previous point. Fahy dictating with the backhand. And Jansen making her hit one extra ball. So impressive at this stage of the match. It's almost been, feels like it's almost been an hour out here. The placement from Fahy there. Just moving Lea side to side. So good. And almost an instant challenge for Lea. We have a confirmation on the call. Let's hear it. After review, the result of the rally stands. The ball was out. Loss of challenge. No free challenges remaining. One free challenge remaining. We'll resume play at 3-1. Very tight call, but not really surprising. Yeah, it's been so difficult to overturn that one. And gives Fahy a 3-1 advantage. Time in. 3-1. From Jansen, goes back behind Fahy. That's exactly what she needed. 1-3. Expert angle off of that backhand. Jansen loves to use that slice backhand volley. Serve her well there. 2-3. Bit of a mishit there, but Jansen won't complain. Ties it up at 3. 3-3. Oh my goodness. Blistering backhand. 3-3. Wow. What a sequence from Jansen. And she's fired up. Turns the corner on the forehand. One fell swoop makes it up to the kitchen lot. 3-3. And the drop volley gets it done. Yeah, Jansen's kitchen game right now is money. Going back to pre-match, Greg, you said that was a key to victory for her. It's how she hung in and took game two. It's how she's gone on this 3-point run in the decider. And Fahy, a scream directed at Jansen. Jansen didn't like that. Jansen looked back. Got to let them know. 3-4. 4-4. Exquisite placement from Fahy up the line. On the backhand, a chance to get to the end switch. Jansen frustrated at the challenge rule. Has already had one missed challenge in this game three. And here's a look at Brooke Buckner and Victoria D'Amuzio. Buckner closing it out in three games, 11-8, in the third and ninth. One game, two, if that's any consolation. Point. 7-4. Point. Now five in a row for Kate Fahy. For a non-receiver eight-week challenge. Jansen. Time in. Trying to figure out where she's going to end with timeouts. Does not have any remaining. Side out. Just deep on the serve. Now it's time to go to work for the number five seed. Yeah, she's got to get a few on the board here. 4-8. 2. 2 on the board. There's 1. And there's 1 right there. 5-8. Finds a deep approach shot. Does Jansen. There's the 2 you said she needed. And the lead cut in half. Timeout receiver. 6-8. Timeout here from Fahy. Still with the 2. 6-8. Side out. Timeout works. Yeah, timeout did work. 8-6. Side out. Uh-oh. That one's very close. We have the out ball. The result of the rally puts us out. Yeah, I saw her walked over to the complete other side of the court. After review, the rally stands. The ball was out. Loss of challenge. No free challenge remaining. We'll resume play at side out. 6-8. So now no free challenges. No timeouts remaining for any player after that missed challenge from Fahy. 6-8. 8-6. Side out. And serve called long. Another challenge. After review, the result of the rally is overturned. The ball was in. Wow. With no free challenge, technical warning is issued. No free challenge remaining. We'll resume play at 9-6. Time in. 9-6. Oh, right off the net, maybe kind of messed up. Fahy did not make clean contact with that forehand. 6-9. Blunts find from Jansen on the backhand. Another look at that one. Just when you think she might be out of it, she comes up with a shot like that. 7-9. Now in one. Nerves are certainly starting to come into play here. The tension is palpable. 8-9. Takes away from the great shot it was. Oh, no. And after all that match point on the paddle of Kate Fahy. 10-8. Oh, oh, oh. And that one called long. Here's the call. After review, the rally is overturned. The ball was in. Loss of challenge, but no free challenge remaining. No free challenge remaining. We'll resume play at side out 8-10. Technical warnings issued to both sides now. Lea Jansen stays alive. The crowd loves it. We'll see what she can do with the extra life. Time in. 8-10. Wow. Finds the forehand. Match point number two. 10-8. Here's Jansen on the full extension. Somehow salvages the rally. I feel like that should be worth two points, but it's worth none. All that just to get the serve back. 8-10. Wow. Finds the angle. Jansen within one. 9-10. It's going to take more than 11, Greg. What more could you ask for? Crazy match, man. It is a race to two in a row. 10-10. Oh, by now. Oh. And just by Jansen taking a long look at that sideline. See, now that you're not down match point, you really have to think long and hard about using the challenges. Because if you're wrong, you give Kate Fahey match point. Right. Lea had a good look at that. Oh, that was in. Oh, no. Very, very close. There's a look at the call from the last point. I think that's in, right? It's close. It's very close. Very close. Darn. Match point back to the side of Kate Fahey. Match point number three. 11-10. And Jansen is not done yet. She will not go well. Three match points have come and gone. 10-11. And Jansen ties it up again. Really finding that backhand folly, controlling the point with that shot. 11-11. Time out. That one just wide from Jansen. Potentially thinking about challenging this one as well. But like we mentioned, the implications of a challenge of an incorrect challenge are certainly heavy. That one did look wide to me. 11-11. 40. And Fahey lets out a shriek as she earns match point number four. 12-11. Lea Jansen and the crowd loves it. Unbelievable back and forth here. Come on. We talked about her being gritty, her being a competitor. That's on full display right now, man. Four match points saved. 11-12. Painting lines. Tied again, 12-all. You've got to be kidding me with this match. And this is tactics out the door. This is me versus you, my pick-a-ball game versus yours. Who's going to stay in it? Who's going to fight? 12-12. Time out. Gosh, and I feel like the alcohols have reached a fever pitch here, Greg. Jansen jokingly asking, should I challenge it? We would implore her not to. It was about a foot and a half out. Out. This one long for Fahey. For as many times as Jansen has been pushed to match point, she has not had a match point herself on her paddle. Looking to change that right here. Out from the baseline. Oh. Your new play. 12-12. Wow. Jansen, match point. 13-12. And she's done it. Four match point saves later. So many challenges. As well as anyone, a well-deserved victory for Leah Jansen. And she is standing courtside back here at the SXY Newport Beach Open, presented by YOLA. Leah Jansen, 6'11", 11'8", 14'12", over Kate Fahey. What a performance. Match of the week so far here in Newport Beach. And Leah standing by. Leah, what a performance from you. Great playing. Congratulations. And I mean, that game three, you were down early. Really down pretty much the whole time. You saved four match points. How were you able to keep a level head and find your best stuff? It felt like you hit three winners off the forehand facing match point. Yeah, I don't know. Honestly, it's all a blur. It's really tough for Kate and I to play each other. And I think that definitely played in today. And honestly, I felt like Kate kind of gave me some at the end. I don't think she was at her best today. But I'm just really thrilled to come away with this. I almost don't even believe this is real right now. And Leah, you and Kate are both vocal competitors. Talk about that. You're playing someone who's screaming at you. They're screaming at themselves. How do you deal with that? How do you stay in your own game? I mean, I love it. Actually, I think this is like, I think Kate especially, and I don't care. You guys can give me hate. But we get too much hate. And we're entertaining to watch. A match like this is entertaining to watch. And Kate's a great athlete, and I think she's great for the game. And I don't know. I love matches like this. I feel like that's the reason why you play sports. I just think people get a little too sensitive out there. Well said. I mean, it's no shortage of entertainment there. And you and Kate, obviously, great friends off the court. Just talk about kind of the challenges of playing against someone. I mean, we saw her give you a Band-Aid for kind of a bloody knee, it looked like, over there. Just talk about the challenges of competing against someone with whom you have so much respect, but you both are aspiring after the same goal. Yeah, it's really tough. I mean, Kate is one of my closest friends on tour. We share a lot of the same challenges, and people like to come after us of who we are. And that's honestly never fun. And like I said, I don't know. I feel like it probably, I mean, I play a little bit freer against Kate. She has more of the pressure. And I feel like it definitely wasn't her A game today all the way through. And she got tight at the end. And I think it's kind of because it was playing me. Well, Leia, it was quite a performance from you. Congratulations on the victory. And we'll see you in the semifinal Saturday.