Thrilling Matches and Surprise Upsets on Day 3 of MLP Atlanta
Premier and Challenger Teams Battle for Glory on Crucial Day Before Playoffs
The third day of the Major League Pickleball (MLP) Atlanta Open brought high stakes competition and dramatic upsets as teams in both the Premier and Challenger levels jockeyed for playoff positions on Saturday.
The event is the first of the 2023 MLP season, featuring the top 96 pro players divided into Premier and Challenger teams. After a round robin group stage over the first two days, the final day of round robin play on Saturday determined the seeding for Sunday's elimination bracket. With so much on the line, the action on Day 3 did not disappoint.
Premier Level Teams Fight for Playoff Seeds
The Premier Level features MLP's top 48 players, including reigning league MVP Anna Bright and all of the sport's top-ranked pros. The 12 Premier teams are divided into two round robin groups, with the top two finishers in each group earning a direct bye to the quarterfinals.
Saturday opened with the final six matches of Premier Level round robin play across the tournament's three main courts - Championship Court, Grandstand and Court 3. The results shaped the playoff picture, though upsets left some of the group standings up in the air until the very end.
Atlanta Bouncers Bested By Texas Ranchers
Texas Ranchers VS. Atlanta Bouncers
On Court 3, Atlanta and Texas faced off in an all-Southern showdown. The Atlanta Bouncers struck first, taking the women's doubles 21-18 behind Parris Todd and Simone Jardim. But the Texas Ranchers bounced back to sweep the final three matches, including a thrilling 25-23 mixed doubles win for Travis Rettenmaier and Jorja Johnson over Todd and Hunter Johnson. The 3-1 victory kept Texas' slim playoff hopes alive.
Orlando Squeeze Past Bay Area Breakers
Orlando Squeeze VS. Bay Area Breakers
The Premier League's top two drafted players, Anna Bright of Orlando and Lea Jansen of Bay Area, battled on Championship Court. Bright and partner Zane Navratil grabbed women's doubles, before Jansen and Rafa Hewett answered in mixed doubles. But Bright's chemistry with Rachael Rohrabacher shone through in a decisive 21-10 mixed doubles win to clinch Orlando's 3-1 triumph. At 3-0, Orlando won Group A and earned a quarterfinal bye.
Miami Fends Off Columbus Behind alternates
Columbus Sliders VS. Miami Pickleball Club
On Grandstand Court, the Miami Pickleball Club faced the short-handed Columbus Sliders, relying on injury replacement Tina Pisnik alongside Maggie Brascia. Miami's own substitute Allison Harris made her presence known, teaming with Tyra Black for a 24-22 women's doubles thriller over Pisnik/Brascia. Miami's men cruised as the team held on 3-1, despite a mixed doubles win for the Columbus pair of Brascia and JW Johnson.
Dallas Out-Rallies Winless Utah
Utah Black Diamonds VS. Dallas Pickleball Club
Needing a convincing win to keep playoff hopes alive, Dallas impressively swept aside Utah 3-1 on Court 3. Veterans Jay Devilliers and Callie Jo Smith led the way, going 2-0 on the day in cross-gender partnerships with James Ignatowich and Allyce Jones respectively. Dallas avenged an earlier loss to Utah, but still missed the playoffs on game differential.
Chicago Slide Past DC in Group B Battle
D.C. Pickleball Team VS. Chicago Slice
In a crucial Group B showdown on Championship Court, the Chicago Slice and DC Pickleball Club traded blows all day. Women's and men's doubles were split, while mixed doubles both went to extra points. Chicago's Jessie Irvine and Ben Johns gutted out a 23-21 mixed win, before DC struck back to force a dramatic dreambreaker round. The Slice dug deep to pull off the 3-2 victory, sealing first place in Group B.
Brooklyn Edge Arizona For Consolation Win
Finally, Brooklyn and Arizona met on Grandstand in a matchup of two teams eliminated from playoff contention. The Aces, led by Catherine Parenteau, took women's doubles and mixed doubles behind Gabriel Tardio and Andrea Koop. Vivian Glozman and Julian Arnold kept Arizona alive with a mixed doubles win, before Brooklyn clinched the match 3-2 in yet another extended dreambreaker.
Challenger Finals: SoCal Take Title Behind Young Star
With Premier playoff spots sealed, the spotlight shifted to the MLP Challenger Level finals between Las Vegas and Southern California. After trading 1-1 wins in women's and men's doubles, SoCal took a 2-1 lead when Ewa Szatowska and CJ Klinger prevailed in mixed doubles.
But Alyssa and Catherine Barr of Las Vegas forced a dramatic fifth game with a gritty 23-21 mixed doubles win. In the championship dreambreaker, Southern California's women handled the pressure better, led by 17-year-old phenom Klinger. His 7-1 mark in the final round propelled SoCal to a 21-14 dreambreaker win, cementing Klinger as tournament MVP.
Premier Quarterfinals: Drive, Hard Eights Motor On
With SoCal crowned Challenger champs, the quarterfinals took center stage Saturday night under the lights to close Day 3. Premier group winners Orlando and DC earned byes to the semis, leaving four quarterfinal matchups between the group runners-up.
The quarterfinals kicked off a duel between Arizona's singles stars and Bay Area's elite doubles teams. Mixed doubles went to the Breakers' Jansen and Hewett, while men's doubles was taken by Arizona's Dekel Bar and Julian Arnold.
In the decisive fifth game dreambreaker, Bar and Vivian Glozman edged out Lea Jansen to seal Arizona's come-from-behind 3-2 victory by the slimmest of margins, 25-23.
Miami Fights Past Chicago Behind Dreambreaker Success
Miami and Chicago battled down to the wire on Championship Court Friday night. Women's and mixed doubles both came down to overtime points, with each team taking one apiece.
In the dreambreaker, Miami's Federico Staksrud dominated Eric Lange 7-1 during his round to spur Miami's second straight fifth game win, 3-2. Miami's Tour de Pickle pride was on full display in the raucous celebration after clinching a semifinal berth. (Tyson McGuffin Highlight Reel)
Saturday Recap: Upsets Give Way to Playoff Clarity
Despite some surprising upsets on Day 3, the quarterfinal matchups are now set. With 1 loss each, Arizona and Miami emerged from Group A to face Group B leaders Orlando and DC respectively in Sunday's semis.
Chicago and Bay Area suffered heartbreaking defeats that ended their title chances, while Utah, Brooklyn and the rest of the Challenger field saw their Atlanta Open runs come to an end empty-handed.
The winners on Saturday earned the right to play on under the Sunday lights with a Pritchard Cup title and the largest payouts in MLP history on the line. After a dramatic group stage across the first three days, the climax of the Atlanta Open is bound to bring more sensational pickleball action.
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