LIVE BLOG: Friday's news and results from Miami Fairgrounds
It's Day 2 of MLP Miami, and I've got all the latest updates from the final regular season event of 2024.
Check back here throughout the day, as this article will be modified as results come in.
You can watch the action for yourself on the Pickleballtv and the MLP YouTube, starting at 10:00 a.m. EST.
5:35 p.m. EST: Mad Drops stay alive, eliminate Drive from playoff contention
The LA Mad Drops capped Friday's Grandstand Court action with a 3-1 victory over the AZ Drive.
After teams split the gender doubles games, the Mad Drops' mixed doubles pairings of AJ Koller/Catherine Parenteau and Hunter Johnson/Jade Kawamoto each earned wins to secure the triumph.
This win—LA’s second of the day—is important because it keeps them in playoff contention.
Still with four matches to play in South Florida, the Mad Drops can finish with a maximum of 38 points. That would put them in a tie with the Texas Ranchers, but they would have the edge in the tiebreaking Match Win % metric if they win out.
All of those hypothetical wins, however, would have to come in regulation just to get to that 38-point figure.
Friday's result is also significant because it knocks Arizona out of the playoff contention. Sitting at 24 points with just three matches remaining, the Drive can finish with a maximum of 33 points.
Unfortunately for them, there are six teams that have already scored 34 or more points on the season.
The Mad Drops will look to keep their playoff hopes alive on Saturday with two crucial matches against the New Jersey 5s and DC Pickleball Team.
3:25 p.m. EST: Brooklyn earns key win over Miami to remain playoff viable
The Brooklyn Aces greatly improved their chances at making the playoffs with a regulation victory over the Miami Pickleball Club on Friday afternoon.
Brooklyn's gender doubles pairings of Pablo Tellez/Daniel de la Rosa and Andrea Koop/Layne Sleeth both picked up wins to give the Aces a 2-0 advantage.
Noe Khlif/Bobbi Oshiro got Miami on the board by taking the first mixed doubles game, but Koop/De la Rosa were able to secure the triumph with a win over Eric Oncins/Milan Rane in Game 4.
Brooklyn is now in a great position to make the postseason at 31 points. With two more matches to play, they are trailing the Bay Area Breakers by just one point for the final qualifying spot in the Challenger level standings. The Aces control their own destiny and will automatically make the playoffs if they reach 34 points.
Their first chance to hit that mark will be on Saturday morning when they face the Atlanta Bouncers in the second match on Grandstand Court.
1:45 p.m. EST: Hustlers earn second win, eliminate Squeeze in the process
The New York Hustlers—featuring Jack Sock, CJ Klinger, Lea Jansen, and Jackie Kawamoto—continued their strong form in Miami with a 3-1 victory over the Orlando Squeeze.
This is their second regulation victory of the day after beating the DC Pickleball Team in Friday's first match on Championship Court.
There were some question marks surrounding New York's playoff chances coming into this event, but Friday's efforts have put the squad in great position to finish inside the top 6.
Kawamoto applauded her teammates' ability to perform well in crunch time.
"I think it's just the story of our season," she said. "We've been able to come together when it matters most and play our best pickleball when something's on the line. We needed to come up with two big ones today, and that's what we did."
Orlando, on the other hand, has crumbled under the pressure. They had an outside shot at making the playoffs if they went 6-0 in their home state, but they’ve officially been eliminated from postseason contention with two regulation losses in their last two matches.
New York will look to keep it going when they face the New Jersey 5s on Saturday, while Orlando will look to regroup against DC later Friday afternoon.
12:05 p.m. EST: Bouncers clinch playoff berth with DreamBreaker victory over Pandas
The Atlanta Bouncers still have two more matches to play this weekend in Miami, but they can breathe a little more easily knowing that they won't be the final matches of their season.
The squad featuring Jaume Martinez Vich, Todd Fought, Susannah Barr, and Emily Cederquist booked its ticket to the playoffs with a DreamBreaker victory over the Frisco Pandas in Friday's first match on Grandstand Court.
For as good as this result is for Atlanta, it's just as tough for Frisco.
If they win their final match in regulation just to stay alive in the playoff race, they will finish their season at 33 points. From there, they will have to hope that the Brooklyn Aces (28 points) fail to surpass that mark over the course of their final three matches.
Frisco's final match will come against the Miami Pickleball Club on Sunday, while Atlanta will next face the aforementioned Aces on Saturday.
11:55 a.m. EST: Sock, Klinger shine as New York downs DC in regulation
The New York Hustlers earned an impressive 3-1 victory over the DC Pickleball Team to kick off their South Florida campaign on a positive note, thanks to inspired performances from Jack Sock and CJ Klinger.
That men's doubles pairing started off well with a 25-21 triumph over DC's James Ignatowich and Dekel Bar; that stellar play continued into the mixed doubles contests, where Klinger teamed up with Jackie Kawamoto and Sock joined forces with Lea Jansen.
Klinger/Kawamoto won an instant classic over Rachel Rohrabacher/Ignatowich in one of the best mixed matches of the season so far.
They fell into an early 0-5 hole before eventually earning a match point at 24-20. After Rohrabacher/Ignatowich brought it back to 25-25, Klinger/Kawamoto closed out the tense affair at the fifth time of asking.
Sock/Jansen carried the momentum from the big win into their bout against Vivian Glozman/Bar, which helped them seal the deal by a 25-20 score line.
New York and DC are now tied in the Premier level standings at 33 points, with both teams having four matches remaining. Both will play the Orlando Squeeze later on Friday.
8:30 a.m. EST: Order of Play released
There are eight matches set to be played on Friday. Check out the full order of play below.
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