Jade Kawamoto hitting a pickleball backhand.
Jade Kawamoto competing for the Los Angeles Mad Drops at MLP Orlando. Major League Pickleball

LIVE BLOG: The latest news and updates from MLP Phoenix

The 2025 Major League Pickleball season continues this week at Edward Jones MLP Phoenix, where seven Premier level teams will be in action across four days at the Arizona Athletic Grounds.

This is the fourth of ten regular season events that will take place between April and August, and each team will play a total of 25 matches during the regular season before the playoffs.

Broadcast coverage will be available on Pickleballtv starting at 3pm PT.

Stay tuned for live updates throughout the day.

10:05pm PT: Mad Drops surge past Flames in regulation

The Los Angeles Mad Drops (2-3, 7pts) closed out Thursday's action with a regulation victory over the Phoenix Flames (2-7, 7pts).

Neither team was at full strength, with Spencer Smith taking Quang Duong's place for Los Angeles and Alex Walker filling in for Genie Bouchard for Phoenix.

The Mad Drops put themselves in full control of the contest by taking both men's and women's doubles. Walker and Jack Sock put Phoenix on the board by winning the first mixed doubles match, but Jade Kawamoto/Hunter Johnson went on to beat Jessie Irvine/Tyson McGuffin in the second mixed doubles match to close out the encounter in regulation.

 

Both teams will be back in action on Friday, with Los Angeles set to face the SoCal Hard Eights and Phoenix set to face the Atlanta Bouncers and Utah Black Diamonds.

8:05pm PT: Los Angeles Mad Drops (A) v. Phoenix Flames (H): Pre-Match Notes

The Los Angeles Mad Drops (1-3, 4pts) will face the Phoenix Flames (2-6, 7pts) in Thursday's final match at the Arizona Athletic Grounds.

Los Angeles will be looking rebound from their event-opening loss to the Brooklyn Pickleball Team and will still have Spencer Smith competing in place of the suspended Quang Duong.

This will be the first match of the week for Phoenix, who will be hoping to start off strong on their home turf. The Flames will also have Alex Walker fill in for Genie Bouchard and make her MLP debut.

Here are the individual matchups for the contest:

6:35pm PT: Black Diamonds down Bouncers for first win

The Utah Black Diamonds (1-3, 4pts) picked up their first win of the season with a regulation victory over the Atlanta Bouncers (3-7, 8pts).

Atlanta struck first by winning the women’s doubles matchup, but Utah responded by taking men’s doubles and both mixed doubles matches to triumph for the first time in 2025.

 

“It definitely feels good to get one,” said Allyce Jones—who Utah traded Alix Truong for back in March—after the contest. “At the first event, we were a brand-new team and still kind of building our chemistry. Getting this W obviously gives us more confidence for the rest of the weekend.”

Both Utah and Atlanta will be back in action on Friday with matches against the Phoenix Flames.

6:20pm PT: SoCal Hard Eights (A) v. Dallas Flash (H): Pre-Match Notes

The SoCal Hard Eights (0-2, 1pt) will look to secure their first win of the season when they face the Dallas Flash (8-0, 22pts).

The Hard Eights are playing their first match since MLP Orlando and are having Jalina Ingram fill in for Irina Tereschenko.

 

Dallas is one of two remaining unbeaten teams (St. Louis Shock) and will be looking to build off a wildly successful outing at last week's MLP Austin event.

Here are the individual matchups for the contest:

5:20pm PT: Notable substitutions for Hard Eights and Flames

Both the SoCal Hard Eights and Phoenix Flames will have a new face in women's doubles in their Thursday night matches.

SoCal will have 17-year-old Jalina Ingram filling in for Irina Tereschenko. She will play mixed doubles with Blaine Hovenier. The Hard Eights will face the Dallas Flash.

Phoenix will have Alex Walker filling in for Genie Bouchard. She will play mixed doubles with Jack Sock. The Flames will take on the Los Angeles Mad Drops in the final match of the day.

4:45pm PT: Mixed doubles propels Brooklyn past Los Angeles

The Brooklyn Pickleball Team (3-3, 11pts) kicked off its Arizona campaign with a 3-1 victory over the Los Angeles Mad Drops (1-3, 4pts).

The Mad Drops--playing without Quang Duong--took the win in women's doubles, but Brooklyn went on to win men's doubles and both mixed doubles games to close out the contest in regulation.

Rachel Rohrabacher/Dekel Bar clinched the win for Brooklyn with an 11-8 triumph over Jade Kawamoto/Hunter Johnson.

Bar seemed to be everywhere on the court in that particular bout, as he hit multiple ernes and berts.

 

“Sometimes it just happens—seeing the ball, where it’s going and just trying to anticipate," he said of the performance. "It went our way today and helped us get a great team win.”

Brooklyn will next face the Dallas Flash on Friday evening, while Los Angeles will look regroup before taking on the Phoenix Flames later Thursday evening.

4:25pm PT: Atlanta Bouncers (A) v. Utah Black Diamonds (H): Pre-Match Notes

The Atlanta Bouncers (3-6, 8pts) will take on the Utah Black Diamonds (0-3, 1pt).

Atlanta is currently in 11th place in the standings on a points-per-match basis and would be the first team out of the playoffs if the season ended today.

The Black Diamonds are playing for the first time since MLP Orlando and will be searching for their first win of the season.

Here are the individual matchups for the contest:

3:35pm PT: Mad Drop take highly entertaining women's doubles match

Catherine Parenteau/Jade Kawamoto struck first for Los Angeles with an 11-9 victory over Brooklyn's Rachel Rohrabacher/Jackie Kawamoto.

It was a high-quality performance from all four players, but Parenteau/Jd. Kawamoto proved to be too solid towards the end.

Men's doubles is up next, which will feature Hunter Johnson/Spencer Smith for Los Angeles taking on Dekel Bar/Riley Newman for Brooklyn.

2:40pm PT: Los Angeles Mad Drops (A) v. Brooklyn Pickleball Team (H): Pre-Match Notes

The Los Angeles Mad Drops (1-2, 4pts) will face off against the Brooklyn Pickleball Team (2-3, 8pts) in the first match of the week at the Arizona Athletic Grounds.

Both teams will be playing their first matches since the season-opening MLP Orlando event in late April.

On-site alternate Spencer Smith will take the court for the Mad Drops after Quang Duong was suspended by the UPA on Wednesday for playing a non-PPA event. 

Los Angeles also made a trade earlier this week, sending Angie Walker to the Bay Area Breakers in exchange for Danna Funaro and cash considerations. Funaro will serve as the third female on the roster behind Catherine Parenteau and Jade Kawamoto.

Here are the individual matchups for the contest:

Thursday's Order of Play released

Here is the Order of Play for the four matches being played on Thursday:

 

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