MLP Playoffs First Round Recap: Drama, Dreambreakers, and Big Wins in Dallas
The first round of the 2026 Major League Pickleball playoffs is officially done, and if this weekend in Dallas is any indication of what’s coming, the rest of the postseason is going to be must-watch pickleball. Pickler Universe in Dallas hosted seeds 5 through 12 as they battled for the right to advance to the quarterfinals and face off against the top four seeds, who all received first-round byes.
In 2026, MLP expanded the playoff format from two weekends to three, giving more teams a shot and adding an entire extra layer of drama to what is already one of the most exciting team formats in professional sports. This first round did not disappoint. There were Dreambreakers, on-court confrontations, traded players facing their former teams, and some genuinely unexpected performances. Here is a full breakdown of every matchup from the weekend.
What Is MLP and How Do Playoffs Work? A Quick Explainer
If you are newer to pickleball or just starting to follow the professional scene, here is a quick rundown so you can follow along without any confusion. Major League Pickleball is the premier team-based professional pickleball league in the United States. Teams are made up of both male and female players, and each match consists of several disciplines: men’s doubles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles. Teams earn points based on how many of those individual games they win.
At the end of a tied match, teams go to what is called a Dreambreaker, which is essentially a singles rally-scoring event where players from each team compete head-to-head in a round-robin style format. It is incredibly tense and often decides some of the closest matches in the league. Think of it like a penalty shootout in soccer, except every point feels electric because the players are right there on the court with nowhere to hide.
This year, MLP expanded the playoffs to include 12 teams instead of the previous format. Seeds 1 through 4 got byes straight to the quarterfinals, while seeds 5 through 12 played in Dallas to earn their spots. Four of those eight teams moved on, and four went home. Here is exactly how it all went down.
#5 Brooklyn Pickleball Team vs. #10 SoCal Hard Eights
This was the most entertaining matchup of the entire weekend, and it is not particularly close. Match one on Saturday was an absolute rollercoaster from start to finish. Cailyn Campbell was the standout performer for the Hard Eights, winning both women’s doubles and mixed doubles 12-10. What made it even more dramatic was the mixed doubles game, where Campbell and Will Mackinnon fought off at least six match points to force a Dreambreaker. That kind of mental fortitude under pressure is genuinely rare, and Campbell showed she is one of the most clutch players in the league right now.
The Dreambreaker itself was a nailbiter, going all the way to extra time before Jackie Kawamoto clinched the victory for Brooklyn. The fact that it came down to that final point after everything Campbell had done made it one of those moments that you talk about for a long time if you watched it live. Rachel Rohrabacher played in both women’s doubles and mixed for Brooklyn, showing the kind of versatility that playoff teams need.
Match two on Sunday was a very different story. Brooklyn came out and won 3-1, handling business more comfortably without needing to go to another Dreambreaker. SoCal was already dealing with the significant disadvantage of playing without Armaan Bhatia, which is a massive hole to fill in a playoff setting. They competed hard and gave everything they had, but the combination of Brooklyn’s depth and the absence of a key player proved to be too much to overcome over two matches.
SoCal had a strong overall season and should hold their heads high. Brooklyn moves on to the quarterfinals as a genuinely dangerous team that no healthy opponent will want to face. When they are at full strength, they have the talent to beat anyone left in the bracket.
#6 Dallas Flash vs. #11 Las Vegas Night Owls
This was the most one-sided matchup of the weekend. The Dallas Flash were playing on home court at Pickler Universe, and they looked every bit like a team that had been playing its best pickleball down the stretch of the regular season. Las Vegas won just one game out of the seven played across the two matches, which tells you everything you need to know about how this one went.
Las Vegas had a solid overall season, and Roscoe Bellamy was one of the quietly impressive stories of the 2026 campaign. His decision to move to the left side of the court and take more balls out of the air added a new dimension to his game and made him a legitimate candidate for Most Improved Player. He was more aggressive, more decisive, and clearly more confident than in previous seasons. That kind of development is worth celebrating even when the playoff result hurts.
But Dallas was just on another level this weekend. JW Johnson has been playing at an extraordinary standard recently, and when Johnson is locked in, he is one of the most difficult players in professional pickleball to deal with. The Flash won the last two regular season events before the playoffs and followed that up by winning six of seven games in Dallas. Momentum is real in sports, and this team has it. Whoever they face in the quarterfinals is going to have their hands full.
#7 Palm Beach Royals vs. #12 Chicago Slice
This matchup had everything you want from a playoff game, including some genuine on-court drama that is going to be discussed across every pickleball podcast for at least the next week. The play was entertaining throughout, but the moment everyone will be talking about came in the second match between these two teams when Zane Navratil hit Casey Diamond in the shoulder with a backhand flick out of the air while Palm Beach was already up 8-4, and then screamed at Diamond while walking toward him as Diamond was walking away. Palm Beach called a timeout almost immediately after the incident.
As noted by The Dink, the confrontation was jarring even from a viewing perspective, and it is the kind of moment that adds both intensity and controversy to what is supposed to be a sport known for its community and sportsmanship. Whether there was prior history between Navratil and Diamond that added fuel to it, or whether it was purely in-the-moment frustration, is something that will likely come out through post-match coverage and podcast discussions. These are the kinds of stories that grow the sport’s profile even when they are uncomfortable.
Chicago had a tremendous finish to the regular season, and John Lucian Goins was another player who would have been on a short list for Most Improved Player based on his performances down the stretch. He played with composure and skill at a level that few expected coming into the season.
Palm Beach advances to the quarterfinals with one of the strongest women’s programs in the league, two mixed doubles pairings playing well, and a men’s doubles unit that remains the biggest question mark on the roster. But elite women’s doubles can carry a team deep in MLP, and Palm Beach has exactly that.
#8 Texas Ranchers vs. #9 Atlanta Bouncers
This was probably the closest series of the weekend in terms of overall competition level, and it came with its own compelling backstory. Kaitlyn Christian had been traded from Texas to Atlanta at the start of the season and then traded back to Texas before the deadline, which set up an obvious emotional undercurrent for this matchup. There was a video made about her situation by KFC Barstool that reportedly fueled her competitive fire going into this series. Whether or not that was a direct factor, Christian performed when it mattered most.
Both matches went to Dreambreakers, which tells you everything about how evenly matched these two teams were. Atlanta’s women played well and won both of their doubles games across the weekend, which was genuinely impressive. Jay Devilliers and Jaume Martinez Vich won the first men’s doubles, but Eric Oncins and Nico Acevedo took the second. When it came down to the Dreambreaker, Texas had too much firepower.
The final Dreambreaker scores were decisive in Texas’s favor. Nico Acevedo beat Jay Devilliers 12-7. Eric Oncins and Jaume Martinez Vich played to an 8-8 draw. Lea Jansen dominated her singles matchup 12-4 against Mari Humberg. And Kaitlyn Christian closed it out 10-6 against Keilly Ulery. That is a statement performance from a Dreambreaker lineup that is now one of the most proven in the league.
Atlanta ends their season on a genuinely positive note despite the loss. They made the playoffs, made smart moves at the trade deadline to improve the roster, and competed right down to the wire against a very good Texas team. The Bouncers should feel proud of what they built this year.
Texas moves on as one of the most dangerous remaining teams in the bracket. Their women’s doubles pairing remains their most vulnerable spot, but when Lea Jansen or Kaitlyn Christian gets hot, that vulnerability disappears quickly. And Eric Oncins can explode for a huge performance at any moment. Nobody wants to face Texas in a Dreambreaker right now.
What’s Next: The Quarterfinals
The four teams moving on from Dallas are Brooklyn Pickleball Team, Dallas Flash, Palm Beach Royals, and Texas Ranchers. They will now face the top four seeds, all of whom rested this weekend and watched the first round play out. The quarterfinals begin this Friday, and the bracket is set up to produce some genuinely compelling matchups.
As confirmed by The Dink, a full quarterfinals preview will be available on Wednesday ahead of the action starting Friday. The expanded three-weekend playoff format is already proving its value with the sheer volume of high-quality, high-drama pickleball it is producing, and we are still only in the first round.
The storylines heading into the quarterfinals are rich. Dallas comes in with all the momentum in the world and JW Johnson playing some of the best pickleball of his career. Brooklyn is dangerous but will need full health to go deep. Palm Beach has elite women’s play and a still-uncertain men’s doubles situation. Texas has a Dreambreaker lineup that is genuinely feared throughout the league.
Whatever happens from here, the 2026 MLP playoffs are already shaping up to be one of the most entertaining postseasons in the league’s history. The competition level is high, the drama is real, and the expanded format is giving fans more of what they came for. Stay tuned for the quarterfinals preview and keep following all of the action as it unfolds.
