
4 things to watch for on Sunday at MLP New York
MLP New York concludes on Sunday with nine matches across Championship Court and Grandstand Court at Sportime Randall’s Island.
Here is the order of play:
The day’s first match between the Carolina Hogs (4-13, 13pts) and New York Hustlers (3-14, 8pts) is not included in that post, but it will begin at 10am ET on Grandstand Court.
Now, let’s get into what to watch for.
- Sticking with Carolina, the Hogs will face the Brooklyn Pickleball Team (12-5, 39pts) in what might be the most intriguing matchup of the weekend. The Hogs appear to be revitalized after acquiring Etta Tuionetoa and Roscoe Bellamy in recent weeks and have earned convincing victories over the Orlando Squeeze (12-7, 34pts) and Miami Pickleball Club (7-12, 19pts) so far this weekend. They will face a strong Brooklyn squad that will have AJ Koller subbing in for Dekel Bar and Pat Smith, who are both out with injuries. Carolina will look for wins from Ben Johns in men’s doubles with Bellamy and mixed doubles with Tuionetoa to potentially force a DreamBreaker. A DreamBreaker between these two teams could truly go either way, with Carolina’s men and Brooklyn’s women having the edge on paper.
- The Columbus Sliders (13-5, 39pts) have won seven of their last eight and are 3-0 in the Big Apple. What’s even more impressive is the fact that they haven’t dropped a single game on the weekend. The Sliders (2.17pts/match) will look to finish strong against Miami and Orlando—and potentially overtake Brooklyn (2.29pts/match) for the fourth spot in the points per match rankings—with the Mid-Season Tournament under a week away.
- The New York Hustlers (3-14, 8pts) have yet to win a match on their home court, but they have made headlines with on-site alternate and elementary school teacher Erik Forsythe getting in the lineup. He will be back in action for the Hustlers on Sunday with Donald Young nursing a shoulder injury, as New York will be looking to upset Carolina and Brooklyn.
- At the Challenger level, the Las Vegas Night Owls (12-2, 34pts) and Nashville Chefs (10-4, 28pts) will clash in a battle between the top teams in the standings. The Chefs enter this matchup on a seven-match winning streak, but they have lost both previous meetings against the Night Owls. Michelle Esquivel has been a difference-maker for Nashville and boasts a 19-9 record on the year, which is good for No. 3 in the Challenger player standings. She and the rest of the Chefs will need to be sharp as they look to continue their winning streak and earn their first win against Las Vegas.
Grandstand Court action begins at 10am ET, while Championship Court matches will start at 11am ET on Pickleballtv.
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