Dekel Bar and James Ignatowich playing pickleball men's doubles.
Dekel Bar and James Ignatowich competing for the D.C. Pickleball Team at MLP Atlanta. Major League Pickleball

D.C. hands St. Louis first loss in thrilling battle

PEACHTREE CORNERS, GA - The D.C. Pickleball Team became the first squad to beat the St. Louis Shock in 2024 after a back-and-forth affair that went to a DreamBreaker.

The teams split the gender doubles matches before the Shock gained the advantage with Anna Bright and Hayden Patriquin’s mixed doubles win against Allyce Jones and Dekel Bar.

Rachel Rohrabacher and James Ignatowich then went to work for D.C., and they overcame an early deficit to down Kate Fahey and Gabriel Tardio 25-22 to give fans some bonus action on Championship Court.

“I think I came out a little slow,” Ignatowich said of the mixed doubles victory. “It’s not easy when you play and then you sit and watch and then you go back out there. But Rachel played really, really well and set me up well to finish points.”

Rohrabacher continued to play a key role in the DreamBreaker, outscoring her friend and PPA women’s doubles partner Bright 6-2 through two rotations to help lead D.C. to a 21-17 win and its second victory of the season.

 

Surprisingly enough, the former University of South Carolina tennis player doesn’t even practice singles.

“I don’t like singles because it resembles tennis, and I’m done with that part of my life,” she shared. “So, I just don’t practice it. It puts less pressure on myself so that I can swing freely when I go out there for DreamBreakers.”

D.C. will next face the Dallas Flash in its final match, while St. Louis will close things out against the AZ Drive later Sunday afternoon.