PEACHTREE CORNERS, GA - Things were not looking good for the Frisco Pandas two games into their opening match against the Socal Hard Eights.

The team had dropped both gender doubles games and were just one defeat away from losing the match.

It’s a good thing for the Pandas, then, that MLP matches also include mixed doubles.

The second Texas-based team in action Thursday afternoon rallied behind two mixed doubles victories by the pairings of Alli Phillips and John Cincola and Ewa Radzikowska and Stefan Auvergne.

Even facing the early deficit, Cincola had confidence that his team could rely on its strength in mixed doubles.

“We never feel like we’re out of it because we feel we can go in and win our mixed matches,” he shared. “Ewa and Stefan are incredible, too. I expect them to win almost every match this year.”

Those two mixed doubles victories gave the Pandas all the momentum going into the first Dreambreaker of the year, and they cruised to a 21-13 triumph behind Auvergne’s 8-0 performance against Erik Lange. 

Dreambreakers seem to be the early trend at the Challenger level this season, as the bout between the Florida Smash and Bay Area Breakers also went the distance with the Breakers escaping with a 24-22 victory.

Frisco and Bay Area will clash to cap Thursday’s action on Grandstand Court.