
Late run lifts Las Vegas to Challenger title over Nashville in feisty affair
The Las Vegas Night Owls—featuring Pablo Tellez, James Delgado, Brooke Buckner, and Zoey Wang—captured the Challenger level title in Grand Rapids with a thrilling DreamBreaker victory over the Nashville Chefs in Friday’s first match on Championship Court.
Here’s how the last match between these two teams went down last week at MLP New York:
Despite both teams sending out the same pairings in the same order, Friday’s bout was the complete opposite, with all four games having different outcomes from last time:
That held true in the DreamBreaker as well, where Las Vegas overcame deficits of 1-7 and 10-16 to end the Chefs’ ten-match winning streak and rally for the mid-season crown.
“We just had to trust our shots,” said Buckner, who clinched the triumph by rifling a forehand winner past Ewa Radzikowska on championship point. “We went down big, but we trust our singles. Every single person came up clutch in different moments, and it was a full team effort today for the W. Nashville is so good in all four spots, so it was a tough battle.”
The win meant just as much to the Night Owls’ players as it did to Steve Deakin, the team’s coach and general manager.
“This is first and foremost one of the best moments of my life,” he remarked. “Every single member of this team, they are champions. Whenever we are down, we find a way to pick each other up.”
The highly entertaining encounter was, however, not exempt from some extra fireworks from the Night Owls’ Pablo Tellez and the Chefs’ Michelle Esquivel.
Esquivel appeared to take issue with a comment Tellez made during their mixed doubles game and proceeded to flip him off while walking to the bench immediately after the game.
All eyes will be on those two when Las Vegas and Nashville play again at next week’s Marathon MLP St. Louis.
Related articles

Allison Phillips’ brother Danny turns pro, creates rising sibling duo on tour
She’s thrilled to see him step onto the big stage alongside her.
1 day ago
-Victoria Radnothy
Soundtrack of the court: How music fuels the tournament experience
AV lead Gage Sepulveda blends player preferences and crowd energy to craft the perfect in-match atmosphere.
3 days ago
-Victoria Radnothy

Race to the Finals Update: Mixed doubles coming down to the wire
The upcoming Slam in Atlanta is the final opportunity for players to earn points to qualify for the PPA Tour Finals.
3 days ago
-Will Daughton

Palm Beach Royals bring Boca Surge under umbrella as Palm Beach Royals Champions
For the first time ever, an MLP team is joining forces with an MLP Champions Series team.
4 days ago
-Pickleball.com Staff