MLP Orlando Kickoff: Teams Battle, DreamBreakers Decide Early Wins
What's the Score?
The 2025 Major League Pickleball (MLP) season officially began at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Florida, featuring all 16 Premier teams in early-season action. The opening days saw intense competition, with several matches going down to the wire and being decided by the unpredictable DreamBreaker format. Notable victories included the New Jersey 5s securing two wins, the Texas Ranchers starting strong, the Miami Pickleball Club winning two matches via DreamBreaker, and the Orlando Squeeze and Dallas Flash also notching regulation wins.
Hit it deeper!
The MLP Orlando event marked the first of ten regular season events scheduled between April and August, where each team is set to play a total of 25 matches before the playoffs. Coverage of the event was made available on the Pickleballtv app.
Opening day featured four matches. The Miami Pickleball Club kicked off their season against the SoCal Hard Eights. Miami, one of the teams promoted from the Challenger level after a strong 2024, won the first match of the season in a DreamBreaker. The Texas Ranchers, last year's fourth-place finishers, started their 2025 campaign with a 3-1 victory over the Brooklyn Pickleball Team. The Ranchers' gender doubles pairings, Etta Tuionetoa/Tina Pisnik and Christian Alshon/Eric Oncins, secured early wins to give them a 2-0 lead. Rookie addition Eric Oncins, acquired from the Miami Pickleball Club in March, was particularly impressive, especially in men's doubles where he and Alshon defeated Dekel Bar and Riley Newman 11-2. Despite questions about their chemistry from tense PPA Tour matches, Oncins affirmed their strong partnership. The New Jersey 5s, runners-up in 2024, began with a 3-1 win against the Columbus Sliders, a team that made significant offseason additions. New Jersey's wins came from Meghan Dizon/Anna Leigh Waters in women's doubles and Will Howells/Zane Navratil in men's doubles, with Waters and Howells sealing the victory in the second mixed doubles match.
Friday's play saw eight matches scheduled. The Dallas Flash, the reigning Premier level champions, began their title defence with a 3-1 win over the Columbus Sliders. The Flash's dominance was evident with Tyra Black/Jorja Johnson winning women's doubles 11-1 and JW Johnson/Augie Ge winning men's doubles 11-7. The Johnson siblings clinched the match with an 11-0 victory in mixed doubles. JW Johnson acknowledged the pressure of being champions but stated they are prepared. The Orlando Squeeze started their season with a 3-1 victory over the SoCal Hard Eights, with Lacy Schneemann and Federico Staksrud sealing the win in mixed doubles. The Miami Pickleball Club secured their second win, a hard-fought DreamBreaker victory against the Utah Black Diamonds. Noe Khlif played a strong role for Miami, and Jay Devilliers delivered in the DreamBreaker to seal the win. In a rematch of their Thursday loss to Texas, the Brooklyn Pickleball Team faced the New Jersey 5s and were defeated in a DreamBreaker. Anna Leigh Waters and Meghan Dizon gave New Jersey an early lead in women's doubles, but Dekel Bar and Riley Newman dominated men's doubles. After Brooklyn won the first mixed doubles to come within one match of victory, Waters and Will Howells won the second mixed doubles to force the DreamBreaker, which the 5s won comfortably 21-7. Will Howells credited Waters' support after a tough men's doubles loss. The Columbus Sliders got their first win with a 3-1 victory over the Carolina Hogs. Lea Jansen/Parris Todd and Andrei Daescu/CJ Klinger secured gender doubles wins for Columbus, and Jansen/Klinger won the second mixed doubles to clinch the match. Lea Jansen expressed satisfaction with getting the first win, noting the team is new and faced seasoned opponents earlier.
The World Pickleball Verdict
The MLP Orlando kickoff event, as detailed in the live blogs, clearly demonstrates the intense, competitive start to the 2025 Major League Pickleball season. The frequency of matches being decided by DreamBreakers immediately highlights the effectiveness of this format in creating dramatic finishes and underscoring the razor-thin margins between teams. The early performance of teams like the defending champions Dallas Flash and last year's runners-up New Jersey 5s suggests they remain strong contenders, while teams with new additions like the Texas Ranchers show promising early chemistry. The event serves as a vital first test for all teams, particularly those promoted from the Challenger level, and sets the narrative for the season ahead. The varied outcomes underline the high level of talent and unpredictability that MLP aims to deliver.