Favorites Advance At A Tense And Energetic Major League Pickleball Playoffs Round One In Dallas

Texas' Eric Oncins (R) powered his squad to a adjacent triumph alongside partner Nico Acevedo (L).

MLP

Major League Pickleball (MLP), presented by DoorDash, headed backmost to Dallas and the awesome Pickler Universe facility, for the first information of the 2026 playoffs.

Key links for search the arena this weekend, which characteristic livestreams from the superior courts astatine the installation connected MLP’s YouTube channel and connected PickleballTV.com. I besides person data-centric links astatine the bottommost of this recap.

• MLP Dallas Playoffs Week 1 Event location page
• League Standings and Team/Player Stats
• MLP 2026 Schedule on pinch Rosters for the 20 Premier League Teams

Power Rankings versus Season Finish

Just earlier the playoffs kicked off, I revisited opening of the play Power rankings and compared really teams ended up. It ended up being agelong capable to make its ain post: enjoy it here.

Round of 16 Opponent Draft Results

Ahead of the event, the 5th - 8th finishing teams “drafted” their first information playoff opponents. This is simply a captious step, and 1 which led famously to a massive upset successful the 2025 playoffs erstwhile Dallas picked Columbus alternatively of a lesser squad and was subsequently beat.

This year, the teams picked successful bid of their finish; the apical 4 teams had byes this round, and present is really the playoff matchups were picked:

• No. 5 Brooklyn picked No. 10 SoCal Hard Eights
• No. 6 Dallas picked the No 11 Las Vegas Night Owls
• No. 7 Palm Beach picked No. 12 Chicago Slice
• No 8 Texas was near pinch No. 9 Atlanta

So, immoderate absorbing selections here.

SoCal, contempt finishing tied pinch Las Vegas, was the first squad picked apt owed to their apical antheral Armaan Bhatia suffering a important knee wounded astatine their past event. They are reeling from a mediocre showing astatine their last regular play arena and will person to regroup. Brooklyn swept SoCal 4-0 successful their only gathering successful Week 3. Brooklyn has yet to play 100% afloat spot since the Rohrabacher-scoreboard incident, and they’re not superior title contenders unless they person each 4 starters playing.

Dallas past picked Las Vegas alternatively of the little classed Chicago, a gutsy play considering that the Night Owls conscionable went 3-2 successful Orlando pinch a triumph complete Brooklyn successful group play. Did Dallas conscionable overthink their playoff force erstwhile again? Dallas hit Las Vegas doubly successful the regular season, including a 4-0 expanse 2 weeks agone successful Chicago, but Las Vegas is simply a overmuch amended squad than Chicago, truthful look retired for different “They didn’t judge successful us” business to unfold.

Palm Beach opted for the Cinderella squad of Chicago arsenic opposed to the overmuch tougher action Atlanta, arsenic 1 mightiness expect. The 2 teams only met erstwhile this season, and it was conscionable a mates days agone successful Orlando, wherever Chicago had lucifer points successful the DreamBreaker earlier falling. This could beryllium person than 1 whitethorn expect.

That near the 8/9 matchup betwixt Texas and Atlanta arsenic the astir competitory of the weekend. Atlanta hit Texas 3-2 successful Austin Week 4 successful their only meeting.

Premier League Round of 16 Recaps

Matchup No. 1: No. 5 seed Brooklyn picked No. 10 SoCal Hard Eights

• Match 1: After weeks of their starters missing matches, Brooklyn was backmost astatine afloat strength, pinch Rohrabacher joining Kawamoto for Women’s doubles. SoCal didn’t care, pinch Dizon/Campbell grinding retired a 12-10 triumph to put Brooklyn amazingly down early. Rohrabacher decidedly looked rusty aft truthful overmuch clip away, and Brooklyn is successful a hole. Alshon & Newman made accelerated activity of SoCal’s undermanned men’s squad to moreover the lucifer and nonstop things to Mixed. After easy winning Mixed-1, Newman & Jackie had lucifer constituent connected their paddles but couldn’t finish, and amazingly SoCal’s youngsters Campbell and Mackinnon saved six lucifer points to came backmost to daze Brooklyn 12-10 and unit the DreamBreaker. In the DB, The first move of men was dormant even, arsenic was the first ladies turn, past Kawamoto gave Brooklyn a 2 constituent lead heading to the apical of the order. Rafa Lenhard dominated Alshon to necktie it astatine 10, past MacKinnon held Haworth for 12-12. The 16yr aged Campbell sewage a 3-1 rotation complete singles master Blatt to springiness SoCal the lead... past Kawamoto erstwhile again saves Brooklyn pinch her sneaky bully singles crippled to moreover it astatine 15-15. At the commencement of move 3 ... each even, 16-16. Alshon someway evens things up against the ascendant Lenard for 18-18, handing things to the #1 singles subordinate Haworth. Mackinnon wins the first constituent and had a wide unfastened tribunal for a chance astatine a lucifer constituent and blew it ... someway its a 2-2 rotation pinch aggregate errors. Here we are; 20-20. A net-cord victor from Blatt results successful a lucifer constituent for Brooklyn but its saved. Blatt hooks successful a forehand for different lucifer constituent opportunity, but Campbell wins an astonishing rally for 22-22. Crazy. Kawamoto wrong-foots Dizon for different lucifer point... past a agelong baseline rally ends pinch different Jackie passing changeable that wrong-foots Dizon for the triumph 24-22. Wow. What a commencement to this series.
• Match 2: Brooklyn has gone backmost to load guidance pinch Rohrabacher, and has Blatt inserted into doubles pinch Jackie Kawamoto to start; this will springiness SoCal a fighting chance to get deeper into this match. Unsurprisingly, Dizon & Campbell took advantage of this business to triumph Women’s 11-4 and springiness SoCal different fighting chance. It didn't past long: Brooklyn's men some cruised to 2 wins each, and Brooklyn moves connected pinch a comfortable 3-1 win.

Matchup No. 2: No. 6 seed Dallas picked the No 11 Las Vegas Night Owls

• Match 1: Townsend and Truong sewage disconnected to a hesitant start, showing immoderate nerves and going down 5-1 early earlier tying the opening crippled up. Then, aft a blatant double deed telephone was missed by the refs, Townsend mislaid attraction conscionable agelong capable to costs them the game. JW and Ge had to excavation very heavy to moreover the lucifer 13-11, but past Dallas’ spot took over, blasting Atlanta's 2 mixed teams to triumph the first lucifer 3-1.
• Match 2: After sleepwalking done overmuch of yesterday’s match, Dallas blew the doors disconnected of Las Vegas today, pinch JW giving up 3 points successful 2 games to unafraid the only expanse of the play and to nonstop Dallas into the adjacent round.

Matchup No. 3: No. 7 seed Palm Beach picked No. 12 Chicago Slice

• Match 1: the opening lucifer of the weekend, and was adjacent from the get-go. PBR’s Pisnik/Sewing, ascendant each year, were pressed by Hendershot/Wei earlier winning 12-10. Diamond is the starter this match, pinch Tyson McGuffin connected the chair arsenic PBR goes pinch the basking hand, and Diamond delivers, playing connected the near pinch Bar and dominating to a 11-5 triumph to get Palm Beach up 2-0. Goins stayed basking pinch Wei successful Mixed-1, leaving it to Mixed-2, wherever Chicago astir pushed it to a DB and made PBR prevention six lucifer points earlier clinching.
• Match 2: PBR started retired arsenic expected pinch a beardown Sewing/Pisnik win, but Navratil roared arsenic he and Goins evened the lucifer pinch emotion. That near it to mixed, wherever the PBR teams labored past Chicago’s youngsters successful 2 adjacent mixed matches to triumph 3-1 and move onto the adjacent round. There was decidedly nary emotion mislaid present betwixt the seasoned Navratil and the Palm Beach squad successful general, somewhat retired of characteristic for the caput of the player’s union.

Matchup No. 4: No 8 seed Texas was near pinch No. 9 Atlanta.

• Match 1: Atlanta's seasoned squad came retired firing and amazingly swept gender doubles against Texas. Jansen & Oncins crushed Mixed-1, while Christian and Acevedo squeaked retired Mixed-2 12-10 to unit a DB. There, Texas' superior DB squad cruised to the win, jumping retired to a 7-1 lead and ne'er looking back, winning 21-14 to unafraid the first lucifer successful the series.
• Match 2: Once again, Atlanta’s women’s squad of Irvine & Humberg dominated for the opening win. However, Oncins/Acevedo came roaring back, breaking a 2-game losing streak against the Atlanta Men’s brace pinch a coagulated 11-5 triumph to moreover the lucifer up and springiness the immense advantage to Texas going into Mixed. Oncins & Jansen dominated Mixed-1 11-4, putting Atlanta down to its past chance to support their 2026 play alive. Devilliers & Irvine came done pinch an 11-6 mixed-2 triumph to nonstop this bid to a 2nd DreamBreaker successful a row. In the DB, Atlanta’s underdog singles squad held patient someway done the full first rotation, but Atlanta's firepower came retired successful force, winning 10 consecutive points to rustle unfastened a 10-8 DB to 18-8, past vanished it disconnected 21-11 for the win.

Player Stats Analysis for the Weekend

Here’s a speedy look astatine the players who played champion (and worst) this weekend.

• Brooklyn’s Alshon was the prima of the weekend, going and starring the regulars pinch a 77.2% points won record. JW Johnson wasn’t acold down for 2nd.
• The champion DreamBreaker grounds for the weekend? Jackie Kawamoto, who went 8-2 to support her squad alive.
• Rafa Lenhard was the worst subordinate successful his 4 doubles matches … but impressed this perceiver greatly pinch his stellar play successful the DreamBreaker against Alshon.

What did we study this weekend?

What were our apical 3 Takeaways from the title this weekend?

1. Palm Beach’s two-match expanse wasn’t very convincing, and I person to deliberation they’ll beryllium New Jersey’s force successful the adjacent round.
2. Brooklyn is still not 100%, and that whitethorn person them getting picked a spot earlier successful the adjacent round’s force draft.
3. Unsurprisingly, Dallas looked the strongest of the 4 advancers and will astir apt get a lucifer against 4th seed Columbus for their troubles, which would beryllium fitting aft what happened successful the 2025 playoffs.

Media Pick’ Em Contest Update

We person a slew of influencers and members of the accepted pickleball media participating successful a season-long pick’em contest. Here’s the link to way the competition online, and I’ll beryllium tweeting retired the prime matrix and updates, truthful follow maine connected Twitter if interested.

MLP Media Pick’em Competition Weekly Summary:

My prop bets turned retired great: Palm Beach’s men hit Chicago’s men by precisely 1 point, and Texas’ men hit Atlanta’s men by two. The biggest miss connected the play was Texas sweeping Atlanta, which astir of america missed. Winners connected the play included Alex Lantz, Nico the Lefty, and yours truly, who tied astatine the top. Season leader Shields comes successful last, but still clings to the lead.

Next up connected the Pickleball Calendar? According to my Master Pickleball Schedule ...

Next up for the MLP is information 2 of the playoffs from Newport Beach. We besides had some an APP arena and a PPA Asia arena past week, which we’ll recap tomorrow. August is ace busy, pinch a ton of world events and the finishing of the MLP season.

MLP-specific stats mentioned herein travel from PickleKey.com, which has done a awesome occupation collecting elaborate MLP subordinate information for the convention and went done an off-season re-design that includes a slew of caller ways to portion and dice the data.

My workfellow Erik Tice astatine the Dink (who does double work arsenic the GM for the California Black Bears) is backmost to maintaining his Public MLP Data sheet, which has each sorts of awesome data.

Any Tour-level lucifer stats quoted successful this article are courtesy of PickleWave. Visit picklewave.com for the premier root of Pro Pickleball data, including lucifer replays, highlights, stats, and discussion. PickleWave has much than 31,000 matches successful its database crossed each the pro tours.