MLP Orlando Ignites 2025 Season with Thrills, Spills, and Top Team Power
What's the Score?
The 2025 Major League Pickleball season kicked off with Week 1 in Orlando, Florida, featuring intense competition and notable off-court drama. The Dallas Flash emerged as early leaders with a perfect 4-0 record. The weekend culminated in a fiery match between the St. Louis Shock and New Jersey 5s, where St. Louis handed New Jersey their first loss amidst verbal altercations and on-court tensions.
Hit it deeper! Major League Pickleball's 2025 season opener was held at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Florida, running from April 24th to 27th. All 16 Premier Level teams were in action, playing a total of 28 matches.
The Dallas Flash, the defending champions, had a dominant performance, finishing the weekend with a perfect 4-0 record. Impressively, all of their victories came in regulation. A key player for Dallas was Jorja Johnson, who achieved an unblemished 8-0 individual record across her matches, dropping only 15 total points. Her performance was highlighted as a strong case for her consideration as a top 3 women's player. Commentators noted her recent success might be linked to increased off-court training.
The most talked-about match was the final one of the weekend between the St. Louis Shock and the New Jersey 5s. St. Louis, ending the weekend 2-0, defeated the previously undefeated New Jersey 5s (who finished the weekend 5-1) with a 3-1 scoreline. This contest was marked by significant tension. Following a mixed doubles match, an incident occurred between Anna Leigh Waters (New Jersey 5s) and Hayden Patriquin (St. Louis Shock), involving a shouting match and reportedly offensive language from Patriquin, for which he later apologised. Tensions remained high, with Zane Navratil (New Jersey 5s) hitting Gabe Tardio (St. Louis Shock) with a full-speed drive off the bounce later in the match. On court, St. Louis won women's and men's doubles, while New Jersey took the first mixed doubles match. St. Louis clinched the victory by winning the second mixed doubles match. The match also featured storylines stemming from recent partnership changes, such as Anna Bright (STL) facing her former partner Rachel Rohrabacher (Brooklyn) and new PPA partner Anna Leigh Waters (NJ). Bright acknowledged the nerves involved in facing her old partner.
Beyond the main drama, Week 1 provided early insights into the league's structure. Many observers felt there would be a significant gap between the top and bottom teams, which appeared to be the case. The Dallas Flash, New Jersey 5s, and St. Louis Shock established themselves as the clear top three, while six teams finished the weekend winless. The shift to side-out scoring was noted for potentially leading to more predictable match outcomes compared to rally scoring, while also adding strategic depth. The implementation of home-court colours was introduced, with Orlando using bright orange and light blue courts. While the idea was supported, the execution drew criticism from players and fans for visibility issues. Questions were also raised about the effectiveness of the expanded 6-player rosters when some teams opted not to bring their full rosters to the event, necessitating the use of injury replacements from a player pool.
The World Pickleball Verdict
MLP Orlando delivered an opening weekend that was both highly competitive and dramatically charged. The on-court dominance of the Dallas Flash, particularly Jorja Johnson's stellar performance, set a high bar for the season. However, the league's human element, exemplified by the fiery exchange between Waters and Patriquin and the Navratil-Tardio incident, captivated attention, highlighting the intense pressure and personalities involved in professional pickleball. These early events, coupled with observations on the impact of side-out scoring and the practical challenges of innovations like home-court colours and expanded rosters, provide a clear picture of MLP's evolving landscape. Week 1 confirmed the predicted hierarchy among teams and offered plenty of talking points, suggesting the 2025 season will be anything but predictable, even with the change in scoring format.