
Flash down Shock to cap day of lopsided action
Friday at the Vulcan MLP Orlando Playoffs began with the Chicago Slice, New Jersey 5s, and Miami Pickleball Club all sweeping their respective opponents.
It ended with the Dallas Flash doing the same against the St. Louis Shock on Championship Court at the USTA National Campus.
Tyra Black/Jorja Johnson got the ball rolling for Dallas with a 25-21 triumph over the Shock’s Anna Bright/Kate Fahey. That win helped them snap a two-game losing streak against the tandem.
ADVERTISEMENT
From there, JW Johnson/Augie Ge used a late run to steal a 25-23 victory over Hayden Patriquin/Gabe Tardio in men's doubles.
And finally, Johnson/Johnson outdueled Bright/Patriquin by a 27-25 score line after almost squandering a 17-11 advantage earlier in the game.
Sending out the Johnson siblings—Dallas’ undisputed top mixed doubles pairing—first with the Flash leading 2-0 was a gutsy decision; a loss would have put the pressure on Black/Ge, a wholly capable duo in their own right, to close out the match and avoid a DreamBreaker.
But Jorja welcomed the opportunity to seal the deal for her team.
“I think we’re kind of the anchor for our team in mixed doubles, and so we were just happy to go out and execute the way that we know we can,” she said.
Dallas—along with New Jersey—will look to advance to the Premier level finals with another dominant performance on Saturday, while the Shock and Texas Ranchers will fight to keep their championship hopes alive.
Related articles

Pickleball stars share Spotify Wrapped with the world
Anna Bright, Hurricane Tyra Black, and Meghan Dizon have good taste in music.
6 hours ago
-Victoria Radnothy

MLP announces partnership with Owl AI to streamline line calls and video challenges
Automatic line calling is coming to Major League Pickleball in 2026.
11 hours ago
-Pickleball.com Staff

Hangzhou Wednesday Recap: Massive comeback helps Wei, Garnett reach mixed doubles semifinals
Wednesday's action at Lin Ping Sports Center certainly brought the heat.
13 hours ago
-Pickleball.com Staff

An early look at the 2026 MLP Draft
Smart teams will plot multiple strategies so they can react to an ever-changing player landscape.
14 hours ago
-Jim Kloss