MLP Phoenix Days 1-2

MLP Phoenix kicks off with a good battle of 5th-8th place level teams.  We haven’t seen either team play since the opening Orlando event.  Quang Duong is also now serving a suspension, replaced by Spencer Smith, so that will really hurt the Mad Drops.   This match will also feature the Kawamoto sisters on opposite sides of the net!  Without Quong, I have BRK 4-0.

• WOMENS:  Rohrabacher/Kawamoto over Parenteau/Kawamoto:  Extremely close, Catherine and Rachel are now PPA partners split with sisters.  Very cool.
• MENS:  Bar/Newman over Smith/Johnson:  Not that close
• MIXED:  Newman/Kawamoto over Parenteau/Smith:  I don’t think Spencer is quite at the level of Riley Newman, even if the latter is fading
• MIXED:  Bar/Rohrabacher over Johnson/Kawamoto:  Not all that close

Finally!!!!  MLP has realized who is the best commentator by miles!  I love Meesh too, but Greg Dow is the GOAT.  He is behaving himself too much though next to Dave, we need unfiltered Dow.   Where are the fans though?  Seems nearly silent out there and less than 25% filled up with fans.  Womens is tight most of the way, and very little being played wide, everyone is dinking to the inside foot, and much more of it than you see in most womens doubles.  Dekel really caught fire in his games, too many ernes to count.

• WOMENS:  LA wins 11-9
• MENS:  BRK wins 11-4
• MIXED: BRK wins 11-4
• MIXED: BRK wins 11-8
• My picks:  3-1 in doubles plus the winner

We haven’t seen much of Utah yet, and they didn’t look great other than getting mens against Orlando.  My boy Tyler only scored 4 pts in his two matches against a middling Miami Pickleball Club.  I like both these teams and hope to see them playing at a high level.  I think Atlanta Mixed A team wins and the other loses.  I have ATL 3-2 in this one.

• WOMENS:  Glozman/DiMuzio over Jones/Erokhina:   These are fairly unknown teams, could go a lot of ways, but I like Glozman to dominate
• MENS:  Loong/Garnett over Martinez-Vich/Fought:  This BD team consistently makes the quarters in the PPA, I thin we see that level today
• MIXED:  Martinez-Vich/Glozman over Garnett/Jones:  This Atlanta A team should be the best of the 4 mixed squads here.
• MIXED:  Loong/Erokhina over Fought/DiMuzio:  The Erne king gets it going

This was a fun match!  Atlanta played well in womens, one of DiMuzio’s best efforts.  Jaume and Viv went down 6-0 but fought back, just falling short.  They needed that one to force a dreambreaker and ended up taking a tough loss.  Big win for the Utah though, these two teams are definitely fighting for the last playoff slots, so this one is big.

• WOMENS:  ATL wins 11-7
• MENS:  UTA wins 11-7
• MIXED:  UTA wins 11-9
• MIXED:  UTA wins 11-8
• I did actually get every match correct except the first mixed, so 3-1, but missed winner and DB

Yikes, this is one of the major mismatches we will see this season.  Over under for total SoCal points is 16.5.  Seems like Tereschenko is out in favor of Jalina Ingram.  Didn’t have either of them winning a game though.

• WOMENS:  Black/Johnson over Castillo/Ingram:   I hear a can of whoop-ass being opened as I think about this one
• MENS:  Johnson/Ge over Fu/Hovenier:  Probably the best chance of a win for SoCal?
• MIXED:  Johnson/Johnson over Fu/Castillo: 11-1
• MIXED:  Ge/Black over Hovenier/Ingram:   I love watching all the balls go to Augie

Lets go SoCal, with a very rookie substitute, they did great.  Blasted my over under away, and even got a win in the last mixed match.

• WOMENS:  DAL wins 11-4
• MENS:  DAL wins 11-5
• MIXED:  DAL wins 11-7 (another big cover for SOC)
• MIXED:  SOC wins 11-8
• My picks, another 3-1 and got the winner

This is a good featured match although 11:30 start?  Oof.  I think this one has dreambreaker written all over it, and you feel like Phoenix needs to beat teams like this if they want to be a playoff contender.  They get lucky to see Spencer Smith instead of QD.  Who wins the dreambreaker though?  I have a slight edge to PHX men, and slight edge to LA women.  I think I’m going to take the team that has the best chance of getting 3 in regulation.  PHX 3-2.  Alex Walker in for Bouchard, maybe just a benching of Genie.

• WOMENS:  Parenteau/Kawamoto over Irvine/Walker:  Unless Genie has gotten up to the level of these other 3
• MENS:  Sock/McGuffin over Smith/Johnson:  Wish they had QD, but showtime gets it done
• MIXED:  McGuffin/Irvine over Johnson/Kawamoto:  Jesse and Tyson have been good
• MIXED:  Parenteau/Smith over Sock/Walker:  Team tennis has been very bad

Very weird match, both have a sub, but Alex Walker is on the roster I believe so no penalty point.   Gender, fine, I thought Phoenix would look better in mens, but Jack looked terrible, Hunter just ate him up with drives and dinks to the backhand.  Then Jack Sock (0-8 with Genie) smashes LA with a sub, and the pretty good McGuffin/Irvine gets smacked down hard by LA.  Crazy one.

• WOMENS:  LA wins 11-7
• MENS:  LA wins 11-6
• MIXED:  LA wins 11-3
• MIXED:  PHX wins 11-2
• Me:  Boo, probably my worst call yet, 1-3, no winner, no db 🙁

Is Genie back?  She’s in the lineup on the website so we will go with that.  This is another big match between borderline playoff teams.  Atlanta really needs this, and I’m saying they get it ATL 3-1.

• WOMENS:  Glozman/DiMuzio over Irvine/Bouchard:  This Atl team looked good yesterday
• MENS:  Martinez-Vich/Fought over Sock/McGuffin:  Team showtime looked atrocious yesterday, can’t pick them.
• MIXED:  Martinez-Vich/Glozman over Sock/Bouchard:  I mean, Sock and Bouchard are still 0-8
• MIXED:  McGuffin/Irvine over Fought/DiMuzio:  This mixed team bounces back.

She is back!  And struggling a bit in womens, they lose, then Jack Sock looks great in mens and takes a lead in his mixed match, but I love to see Viv get a double.  Did I pick Atlanta in mens?  I was sure I had taken dreambreaker.  And that dreambreaker was close.  Ultimately Tyson goes 8-4 over Fought and they take it.

• WOMENS:  ATL wins 11-8
• MENS:  PHX wins 11-4
• MIXED:  ATL wins 11-7
• MIXED:  PHX wins 11-3
• DREAMBREAKER:  PHX wins 21-19
  • Sock (6) vs Martinez-Vich (6)
  • McGuffin (8) vs Fought (4)
  • Bouchard (4) vs Glozman (4)
  • Irvine (3) vs DiMuzio (5)
• My picks, well doubles 3-1 but missed the others

Okay here we go, probably the biggest threat to Dallas staying undefeated in this event.  They looked good after womens in their first match, and SoCal did pretty well against Dallas.   I’ll take DAL 3-2.  If the mixed goes the other way, I’ll take Rachel/Dekel and Augie/Tyra.  Still a DB.

• WOMENS:  Johnson/Black over Rohrabacher/Kawamoto:  Maybe the toughest test for the undefeated Flash ladies, but not tough enough to scare them
• MENS:  Bar/Newman over Johnson/Ge:  Very tight, I don’t know what I’ll get from this Dallas mens team, but Dekel looked dominant
• MIXED:  Bar/Rohrabacher over Johnson/Johnson:  I have to call some big upsets, I like Rachel and Dekel a lot
• MIXED:  Ge/Black over Newman/Kawamoto:  Super close

This one really lived up to the billing.  The Brooklyn women ALMOST did it, losing 11-9 but looking good.  Augie and JW look great though and win mens.  In mixed #1 we get the big matchup, and looks like Brooklyn is going to stay alive, with Dekel playing out of his mind, up 10-4.  But they blow it to lose in regulation.  The last mixed match also goes 12-10.   I nearly called them all wrong if you can believe that.

• WOMENS:  DAL wins 11-9
• MENS:  DAL wins 11-6
• MIXED:  DAL wins 12-10
• MIXED:  BRK wins 12-10
• My picks, only the winner and 1 doubles match correct

This is where I want to actually take some risk and take SoCal, but it’s tough.  I can’t get a read on the Mad Drops at all.  However, even though she won a mixed match, I don’t think Jalina Ingram is ready (if we still see her).  It’s also a bad matchup.  Sigh, LA 4-0.

• WOMENS:  Parenteau/Kawamoto over Castillo/Ingram:  I’d love to see Socal get this one tho
• MENS:  Johnson/Smith over Fu/Hovenier:   Socal mens hasn’t won yet, could be this one I guess
• MIXED:  Johnson/Kawamoto over Fu/Castillo:  Again, this Socal team hasn’t won
• MIXED:  Parenteau/Smith over Hovenier/Ingram:  Blaine’s mixed team is 3-0!  But, I don’t know how he’s doing it with Ingram

Oooh, okay, SoCal keeps it close.  Blaine has a good match and gets a double.  What is wrong with Parenteau/Smith?  You’d think they would be better.

• WOMENS:  LA wins 11-3
• MENS:  SOC wins 11-5
• MIXED:  LA wins 11-5
• MIXED:  SOC wins 11-2 yikes
• My picks, 2-2, got the winner

So many of these matches are battles of the middle bottom.  Who can get out?  I will go with UTA 3-2.  Dreambreaker seems very close too, who is better in singles, Jesse or Allyce?

• WOMENS:  Irvine/Bouchard over Jones/Erokhina:  Very tight one here, could go either way
• MENS:  Loong/Garnett over Sock/McGuffin:  Super fun one here, can’t wait.
• MIXED:  McGuffin/Irvine over Garnett/Jones:  I don’t know
• MIXED: Loong/Erokhina over Sock/Bouchard:  Close again

Big win for Utah!  Getting womens comfortably was huge for the Diamonds, and mens was not close!  Looked like Phoenix might pull it back, it took Utah a long time to get on the scoreboard at all, but Connor and Allyce came back in a big way to get the win.  They only lose

• WOMENS:  UTA wins 11-5
• MENS:  UTA wins 11-3
• MIXED:  UTA wins 11-9
• MIXED:  PHX wins 11-6
• Picks!  1-3 🙁  Got the winner, no DB

Most of these teams have one really tough match this event, but also one they aren’t expected to win, and the time has come for Atlanta!  I love to pick them in womens but duh, can’t do it here.  DAL 4-0 unless it’s Glozdog and Jaume against Ge/Black, then 3-1.  I really liked it when the website knew the matchups and showed them.

• WOMENS:  Johnson/Black over Glozman/DiMuzio:  This team is just taking scalps until the big showdown with the Shock
• MENS:  Johnson/Ge over Martinez-Vich/Fought:  Atlanta has a better chance here than in womens.
• MIXED:  Johnson/Johnson over Fought/DiMuzio:  Pretty big mismatch if it goes this way
• MIXED:  Ge/Black over Glozman/Martinez Vich:  Tightest match here.

Back to old school Dallas beat downs, Jorja again doesn’t give up a point, and Dallas rolls.  Atlanta really needs something out of this event, but probably optimistic to think they’d get one here.  The don’t even get 11 total points

• WOMENS:  DAL wins 11-0
• MENS:  DAL wins 11-2
• MIXED:  DAL wins 11-0
• MIXED:  DAL wins 11-9
• Picks, easy one here.

Brooklyn has really looked good this event so far.  I see them rising to the #5 power rank after this event, passing ORL and COL.  I think they take care of SoCal here.  BRK 4-0.

• WOMENS:  Rohrabacher/Kawamoto over Castillo/Tereschenko:  Brooklyn women really pushed the Flash yesterday, they are ready
• MENS:  Bar/Newman over Hovenier/Fu:  Brooklyn too solid
• MIXED:  Kawamoto/Newman over Fu/Castillo:  Ryan Fu and Judit aren’t gelling yet
• MIXED:  Bar/Rohrabacher over Hovenier/Tereschenko:  This top Brooklyn mixed team might be top 5

Yep, didn’t get to watch it, but Brooklyn showing themselves to be a level or 2 above teams like SoCal.

• WOMENS:  DAL wins 11-8
• MENS:  DAL wins 11-4
• MIXED:  DAL wins 11-2
• MIXED:  DAL wins 11-5
• Picks, mismatches are kind of easy to call.