New York City proved to be an iconic backdrop for Wollman Rink’s championship court, and the rowdy crowds over the weekend did not disappoint. MLP proved they can draw a large audience, even without amateurs playing.

Highlights and lowlights of the weekend’s events:

Black Diamonds gain (some) ground. Tyler & the UBD crew came in hot, looking to improve their standing from last place, and they did - they’re now in 11th. On Day 1, they came in and dominated 4-seed NY Hustlers 3-1, winning all but the women’s doubles game. But morale tanked after they got rocked on Day 2 by the Sliders, who had Jaume Martinez-Vich subbing for an injured Jay Devilliers. They lost 1-3, only taking the mixed game with CG & Alix. Despair continued when the Diamonds fell 1-3 to Carolina, with the awoken Johns bros. (It should be noted Tyler and Callie trounced Collin and Brooke 25-10.) Worth a re-watch is the UBD-DC match that went to a Dreambreaker.

1..2..3..4…FIVES were undefeated this weekend, winning 11 of their last 12 games (including sweeps of the Hustlers and Black Diamonds). With the absence of top seeds Flash and Shock, they were the clear top team, even taking down a (finally) motivated Ben & Colin with Carolina, and a talented DC team, consisting of several PPA medalists. The 5s moved from 6th seed to 4th seed, further solidifying their odds for playoff contention. Catch their matchup with Carolina, that ended in an exciting Dreambreaker where Will Howells bested Ben head-to-head.

The utter collapse of Jack Sock. Jack has been the poster-child of PPA and MLP events, but it might be time to re-consider who is representing the sport. He played with a noticeable lack of effort, losing 8 of his 10 games. Do the Hustlers even pay to keep him next year? They dropped 2 spots in the standings, after going 2-3 on the weekend. Watch their matchup against DC — for CJ Klinger, not Jack.

Challenged Serves. Will Howells turned heads all weekend, appearing to serve from his shoulders, and was challenged several times. Because he managed to keep an upward motion and his paddle below his wrist, none of the challenges resulted in a fault. It’s easy to forget that PPA and MLP have different rules and allowances on the serve: in MLP, it doesn’t have to be at or below the waist, which is confusing for those accustomed to watching for illegal serves in the PPA. Why the same organization has such different standards between the two leagues is unknown as of press time.

Miami dominates Challenger. MPC had an astoundingly fantastic performance this weekend, going undefeated and jumping from 9th place to 1st in the league. Watch their match with Chicago Slice, who had arguably the most competitive players. Each Miami team member finished in the top 4 of 6 in player standings for the NYC event:

The poor Pandas. They just can’t seem to catch a break, no matter their league, players, waiver position, or pocketbook. The only thing worth noting here is Ewa Radzikowska was #1 in event player rankings despite their losing weekend (1-4), and John Cincola didn’t win a single game. Karma.

Next Up: Virginia Beach

It’s double-header time at Pickleball Virginia Beach, with MLP kicking off the week with the first all-Challenger event, followed by a PPA Tour progressive Cup event.

MLP Virginia Beach is September 26 - 29th

PPA Stratusphere Gin Virginia Beach Cup set for Sept. 30 - Oct. 6 

The 11-day mega-event also includes the first Minor League Pickleball at MLP team event for amateurs, where they play alongside pros. Registration is still open! Amateurs get a courtside pass on the day they play, discounted admission for family & friends, MLP swag and more! Registration ends Sept 24th.

If you’re planning to attend MLP, PPA, or both, you can secure your tickets at a discount using code KOTC. Amateurs can also get a discount on registration when signing up to play. Registration for PPA Virginia Beach closes Sept 26th.

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