Texas and Dallas come from behind to advance to Major League Pickleball Premier Playoffs

The first round/quarterfinals of the 2024 Major League Pickleball (MLP) Playoffs was held this past weekend at Brookhaven Country Club in Dallas.

Key links to track this weekend’s events. Livestreams from the facility’s two primary courts were featured on MLP’s YouTube channel and PickleballTV.com.

Premier League play-offs summary

#3 Dallas vs #6 New York

Quarterfinal Game 1: New York came in and shocked Dallas in Game 1. Sock & Jansen defeated the Johnson Brothers in a 1-on-1 mixed match, followed by a 21-17 DB victory. Quarterfinal Game 2: Johnson & Gee won 37-35 in one of the longest games in MLP history to take Game 1, then Dallas dominated 3-0 to force Game 3. Masu. Quarterfinal Game 3: Dallas dominates New York again, this time against New York’s No. 1 mixed team, and the No. 2 mixed team does its job and wins the game to advance.

Dallas will advance to the semifinals with a come-from-behind victory and will likely face second-seeded St. Louis.

#4 DC vs. #5 Texas

Quarterfinal Game 1: Dekel Baa came out big and DC built an early lead as they won the mixed game and the deciding mixed game 28-26. Quarterfinal Match 2: Texas sweeps the men’s and women’s doubles, suffering a 34-32 loss in the mixed match, but Alshon’s dominance takes the win and forces a third match. Quarterfinal Game 3: Alshon comes up big again, this time Texas wins the mixed sweep match and advances.

Texas also advanced to the semifinals with a come-from-behind victory, and will likely face top-seeded New Jersey.

Challenger League Playoffs Recap

#3 Miami vs #6 Frisco

First match of the quarterfinals. Miami dominated the men’s and women’s doubles, before Lane/Onlyce advanced to a mixed tie in the final, securing the first match of the quarterfinals. Quarterfinal Game 2: Frisco’s Tammy Emrich won both ties to push the do-or-die game to Dream Breaker, but Miami dominated 21-11 to win the quarterfinal.

Miami advanced to the quarterfinals with a 2-0 win. The victory not only secured Miami a spot in the semi-finals in Orlando later this month, but also ensured automatic promotion to the Premier League in 2025. They will likely face second-place Southern California in the semifinals.

#4 Atlanta vs #5 Las Vegas

Quarterfinal Game 1: As expected, the Atlanta team had a big showing, winning three close games and winning the first game. Quarterfinal Game 2: Judith Castillo replaced LV for the Dreambreakers and won the third game with a narrow 21-19 victory. Quarterfinal Game 3: Vicci & Veit set the tone with a 25-9 win over LV’s team, with Vicci ending the weekend undefeated and advancing to the quarterfinals in Atlanta.

Atlanta advanced to the quarterfinals with a 2-1 victory. Like Miami, Atlanta has secured automatic promotion to the Premier League next year. They will likely face No. 1 Chicago in the semifinals.

Weekend player statistical analysis:

For Premier:

Dallas’ two “lower” draft picks, Black and Gee, played well, leading Dallas with a 1-2 record and a combined 11-1 record this weekend. The two New Yorkers finished 15th and 16th out of 16 competitors.

In Challenger:

Vicchi was at the top of the player rankings with 6 wins and 0 losses. Four Miami players finished 2nd, 4th, 5th and 6th, showing just how dominant they were in winning. The Las Vegas duo had a combined record of 1 win and 11 losses over the weekend, finishing 14th and 15th out of 16 competitors.

What’s next on the pickleball calendar? According to my Master Pickleball Schedule, the UPA Nationals begins immediately after MLP Dallas ends. The UPA Nationals is also a Grand Slam level event for PPA and one of the biggest events of the year. One of the last events before the Tour Finals, so a preview of who needs to do big in both Dallas and the final event of the season, Milwaukee, to earn a top-eight finish and a Tour Finals spot Post. .

Is MLP next? The 2024 playoff semifinals and finals will be held in Orlando the weekend of November 24th.