LIVE BLOG: Saturday's news and results from Miami Fairgrounds
It's Day 3 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.
4:10 p.m. EST: Chicago secures first-round bye, ends Brooklyn's playoff hopes
The Chicago Slice ended their regular season with a 3-1 victory over the Brooklyn Aces.
This win guarantees that the Slice will finish as one of the top two teams in the Challenger level standings, meaning that they will have a first-round bye in the playoffs.
They will have to wait and see how the Miami Pickleball Club's final two matches go on Sunday to know if they will finish as No. 1 or No. 2.
This loss is a devastating one for the Aces, as it officially eliminates them from postseason contention.
They'll end the season tied with the Bay Area Breakers for the final playoff spot at 32 points, but the Breakers own the tiebreaker because they have a higher Match Won %.
This means that Bay Area will make the playoffs unless the Frisco Pandas (30 points) earn a regulation victory against Miami in their final match on Sunday morning.
3:50 p.m. EST: DC clinches playoff berth, sets Premier level postseason field
The DC Pickleball Team clinched the last remaining playoff spot at the Premier level with a DreamBreaker victory over the LA Mad Drops.
LA had an 11-6 advantage at the side switch in the DreamBreaker, but the team featuring James Ignatowich, Dekel Bar, Rachel Rohrabacher, and Vivian Glozman ended the contest on a 15-1 run to seal the 21-12 triumph.
With the win, DC joins the St. Louis Shock, Dallas Flash, New Jersey 5s, New York Hustlers, and Texas Ranchers as the six teams moving on to the postseason at the Premier level.
"It means a lot to secure the playoff," Bar said of the achievement. "We know we have a strong team and that we can beat any team there."
DC's work is by no means finished, however.
They have two more matches to play as they look to better their positioning in the top six; their best-case scenario would be finishing in the No. 4 spot, which would guarantee that they won’t have to face the Dallas Flash in next week’s quarterfinals.
DC will face the New Jersey 5s and AZ Drive on Sunday.
2:15 p.m. EST: Bouncers best Aces in DreamBreaker as playoff race heats up
It may have been the Atlanta Bouncers who won the day's second contest on Grandstand Court, but this result means a lot more for the Brooklyn Aces.
After earning one point from the DreamBreaker defeat, the squad featuring Pablo Tellez, Daniel de la Rosa, Andrea Koop, and Layne Sleeth is now tied with the Bay Area Breakers at 32 points for the final playoff spot.
The Aces are behind the Breakers in the standings, however, because they have a lower Match Won %; this means that they wouldn’t make the playoffs if the season ended at this moment.
The good news for Brooklyn, then, is that they have one more regular season match, set for Saturday afternoon against the Chicago Slice.
If they win that match—either in regulation or in a DreamBreaker—they will make the playoffs. If they earn one point with a DreamBreaker loss, they will have to hope that the Frisco Pandas don't earn a regulation victory over the Miami Pickleball Club in their final match on Sunday to make it. If the Aces get zero points with a regulation loss, they will be eliminated from postseason contention.
The stakes continue to rise in the Sunshine State.
12:30 p.m. EST: Miami outlasts Chicago in battle of top teams
Saturday's first match on Grandstand Court featured the top two teams in the Challenger standings: the Miami Pickleball Club and Chicago Slice.
Unsurprisingly, the powerhouse squads split the four doubles games to bring on a DreamBreaker.
In that deciding contest, Milan Rane was the difference for Miami; she outscored Chicago's Allison Harris 7-1 through two rotations and helped Miami to a 21-18 triumph.
Miami and Chicago are now tied for the top spot in the standings on a points-per-match basis, with both teams averaging 1.86.
The Slice will close out their regular season against the Brooklyn Aces later Saturday afternoon, while Miami will play its final two matches on Sunday against the Frisco Pandas and Florida Smash.
11:35 a.m. EST: New Jersey downs LA in regulation, ties Dallas for 2nd place
The New Jersey 5s earned their second victory of the weekend with a 3-1 triumph over the LA Mad Drops to kick off Saturday's Championship Court action.
With this result, New Jersey pulls into a tie with the Dallas Flash for second place in the standings at 46 points. The top two seeds, of course, receive a first-round bye in the playoffs and automatically make the semifinals.
The good news for the 5s, then, is that they have three more matches to play this weekend, while Dallas has already finished its regular season.
The Mad Drops, on the other hand, are in a tough position after this loss. With 26 points and three matches remaining, they can finish with a maximum of 35 points if they win their remaining contests in regulation.
They can only make the playoffs if the DC Pickleball Team—currently at 34 points with three matches go—has a massive collapse and doesn't score any points in those contests.
LA and DC will do battle later Saturday afternoon, while the 5s will face the New York Hustlers in the day's final bout on Championship Court.
9:10 a.m. EST: Order of Play released
There are eight matches set to be played on Saturday. Check out the full order of play below.
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