BCO Day 4: Semi-Final Saturday

What You Missed on Day 3

If you missed today’s action, here’s a rundown of the day’s events:

• Another day of sweeps - In Premier, 5 of the 8 matches were sweeps, in what we had considered to be tightly contested match-ups (Flash over Ranchers, Shock over Squeeze, DC over Hustlers, Squeeze over Carolina, Ranchers over Sliders)

• Dreambreakers - Both Challenger matches today ended in Dreambreakers: LV Night Owls over the ATL Bouncers 21-18, and Brooklyn Aces over Cali Black Bears 22-20. In Premier, the only matches that weren’t sweeps ended in DBs: NJ 5s over AZ Drive (21-8), Hustlers over Mad Drops (21-11), and AZ Drive over Utah Black Diamonds (21-18)

• Hustlers implosion - After an extremely strong performance at MLP DC, 4-seed NY Hustlers were demolished by the DC Pickleball team, and Vivan Glozman proved she belongs in Premier

• Carolina, we have a problem - Is anyone on the Carolina Pickleball Club besides Andrea Koop trying to win in MLP? Ben and Jessie were overheard on the bench trash talking their own teammates, and laughing post-game without a care, after getting destroyed 0-3 by the Squeeze.

• A high-energy, sometimes contentious Black Diamonds vs. Drive match - Both sides battled hard in the closing match of the night, facing multiple video challenges, a rain delay, a ref error on a foot fault, and ultimately a Dreambreaker won by the AZ Drive.

• Paddle testing suspended - On Thursday, MLP leadership informed owners that PPL deflection testing equipment was not functioning correctly, therefore testing was suspended. They continued to test for grit, but players who had deflection test failure were able to play with those paddles. Jessie Irvine was seen carrying 2 arms full of paddles to the testing location.

Storylines to watch on Day 4:

• Ready for a Shock. Top-seeded St. Louis Shock absolutely dominated 3-0 over the Squeeze today (their first and only match so far). They’re the clear favorites, but face DC who is on a hot streak after sweeping both their matches.

• Flash are looking strong, but you can never underestimate Anna Leigh’s ability to pull out a win, even when it seems unlikely.

• How many Dreambreakers will we see? This event has seen many sweeps, and just one Premier Dreambreaker in the winners bracket. Even teams we expected to be tight matchups have proven to be one-sided. Will this continue in the last semi-final round?

• “Jim Kloss’s” Night Owls made it to Championship Sunday - expect a 1,000-word essay from The Man Himself if they win.

• Jimmy’s Black Bears bounced back from a tough showing in DC, and are one match away from making it to the bronze medal match.

Saturday’s Schedule

12 p.m. AZ Drive vs. Texas Ranchers (GS) - MLP YouTube

12 p.m. NJ 5s vs. Dallas Flash (CC) - ESPN2

2 p.m. Orlando Squeeze vs. NY Hustlers (GS) - MLP YouTube

2:30 p.m. St. Louis Shock vs. DC Pickleball Team (CC) - Tennis Channel, PBTV

4 p.m. Cali Black Bears vs. SoCal Hard Eights (GS) - MLP YouTube

4:30 p.m. Miami Pickleball Club vs. Atlanta Bouncers (CC) - PBTV, Game+

6 p.m. Loser of 5s/Flash vs. Loser of Squeeze/Hustlers (GS) - MLP YouTube

6:30 p.m. Loser of Shock/DC vs. Loser of Ranchers/Drive (CC) - PBTV, Game+

Follow live scoring updates on MLP’s website.

Where to Watch

As usual, Grandstand matches will be streamed on MLP’s YouTube channel.

Championship Court at 12 p.m. will be EXCLUSIVELY on ESPN2.

The 2:30 p.m. Championship Court match will be broadcast on PBTV and the Tennis Channel.

Matches from 4:30 - 6:30 p.m. on Championship Court will be playing on PBTV and Game+ (Canada).