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 and the pbtv app starting at 8am PT.
Stay tuned for live updates throughout the day.
1:55pm PT: Smith shines as shorthanded Brooklyn sweeps Phoenix
The Brooklyn Pickleball Team (7-4, 23pts) closed out the weekend’s action with a 4-0 sweep of the Phoenix Flames (3-11, 9pts).
Pat Smith took the court for Brooklyn due to Riley Newman being sidelined by a right leg injury he suffered earlier in the day, but the change in lineup didn’t prove to be an issue as Smith won both of his matches playing alongside Dekel Bar and Jackie Kawamoto.
“It was a lot of fun,” Smith said of the experience. “It’s a little tricky coming out because you don’t get many reps and haven’t played indoors, but Dekel and Jackie make it very easy.”
This win puts an exclamation point on what was a wildly successful weekend for Brooklyn; they went 5-1 with five regulation wins, and their only loss came against the still-undefeated Dallas Flash.
The Flames, on the other hand, finished their hometown event with a 1-5 record and lost their last four matches in regulation.
Brooklyn and Phoenix will next be in action at Edward Jones MLP San Clemente, set to run June 26-29.
12:15pm PT: Smith to fill in for injured Newman for Brooklyn
Pat Smith will take Riley Newman's spot in the starting lineup for the Brooklyn Pickleball Team for their final match against the Phoenix Flames.
Newman appeared to injure his upper right leg when going for a bert during he and Jackie Kawamoto's victory over Allyce Jones/Connor Garnett earlier on Sunday.
He was able to finish (and eventually win) the match after a medical timeout but will sit out the final contest of the weekend.
As a result, Smith will make his 2025 MLP debut and play men's doubles with Dekel Bar and mixed doubles with Jackie Kawamoto.
Here are the individual matchups for the contest:
- WD: Jessie Irvine/Genie Bouchard (PHX) v. Rachel Rohrabacher/Jackie Kawamoto (BKN)
- MD: Tyson McGuffin/Jack Sock (PHX) v. Dekel Bar/Pat Smith (BKN)
- MXD 1: Irvine/McGuffin (PHX) v. Rohrabacher/Bar (BKN)
- MXD 2: Bouchard/Sock (PHX) v. Kawamoto/Smith (BKN)
11:35am PT: Hard Eights down Flames for first win of 2025
The SoCal Hard Eights (1-7, 5pts) defeated the Phoenix Flames (3-10, 9pts) in regulation for their first victiory of the 2025 season.
The Hard Eights came out on fire as the pairings of Judit Castillo/Irina Tereschenko and Blaine Hovenier/Ryan Fu each won their gender doubles matchups.
Jessie Irvine/Tyson McGuffin did the get the Flames on the board by taking the first mixed doubles match, but Tereshenko/Hovenier went on to beat Genie Bouchard/Jack Sock to close out the contest in regulation.
The Carolina Hogs are now the only winless team in MLP in 2025.
SoCal has no more matches remainign on the weekend, while Phoenix will face the Brooklyn Pickleball Team later Sunday afternoon.
10:35am PT: Flash defeat Mad Drops in Duong's first match back LA
The Dallas Flash are still undefeated through 14 matches. Read more here.
9:55am PT: Mad Drops, Flash split gender doubles games
After Catherine Parenteau/Jade Kawamoto handed Jorja Johnson/Tyra Black their first loss of the season in women's doubles by a shocking 11-3 score line, JW Johnson/Augie Ge defeated Quang Duong/Hunter Johnson 12-10 to even the match going into mixed doubles.
9:15am PT: Black Diamonds bounce back for regulation victory over Hard Eights
The Utah Black Diamonds (3-5, 10pts) picked up their third win of the weekend with a 3-1 victory over the SoCal Hard Eights (0-7, 2pts).
SoCal struck first by comfortably taking women's doubles, but Utah responded by winning men's doubles and both mixed doubles matches to close out the encounter in regulation.
Both squads have just one more match to play in the desert; SoCal will face the Phoenix Flames, while Utah will take on the Brooklyn Pickleball Team.
8:45am PT: Los Angeles Mad Drops (A) v. Dallas Flash (H): Pre-Match Notes
The Los Angeles Mad Drops (4-3, 12pts) will face the Dallas Flash (13-0, 37pts) in the first match of the day on Toray Championship Court.
This is a big match for the Mad Drops; they will be able to use Quang Duong now that his suspension is over, which means that this will be the first time in 2025 that Los Angeles has had a fully healthy roster.
They will need to bring their 'A' game to hand the Flash their first loss of the season.
Here are the individual matchups for the contest:
- WD: Catherine Parenteau/Jade Kawamoto (LA) v. Jorja Johnson/Tyra Black (DAL)
- MD: Quang Duong/Hunter Johnson (LA) v. JW Johnson/Augie Ge (DAL)
- MXD 1: Kawamoto/Johnson (LA) v. Black/Ge (DAL)
- MXD 2: Parenteau/Duong (LA) v. Johnson/Johnson (DAL)
7:45am PT: Utah Black Diamonds (A) v. SoCal Hard Eights (H): Pre-Match Notes
The Utah Black Diamonds (2-5, 7pts) and SoCal Hard Eights (0-6, 2pts) will open up Sunday's action on Grandstand Court.
Utah will look to rebound after a tough Saturday performance that saw them fall to the Dallas Flash and Los Angeles Mad Drops.
The Hard Eights are still in pursuit of their first win after losing a close match to the Atlanta Bouncers on Saturday.
Here are the individual matchups for the contest:
- WD: Allyce Jones/Genie Erokhina (UT) v. Judit Castillo/Irina Tereschenko (SOC)
- MD: Connor Garnett/Tyler Loong (UT) v. Blaine Hovenier/Ryan Fu (SOC)
- MXD 1: Jones/Garnett (UT) v. Tereschenko/Hovenier (SOC)
- MXD 2: Erokhina/Loong (UT) v. Castillo/Fu (SOC)
Sunday's Order of Play released
Here is the Order of Play for the six matches being played on Sunday:
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