Mad Drops Take Down Sliders, Finish First at MLP Dallas
Pickleball.com's Will Daughton reports the Los Angeles Mad Drops (Ben Johns, Jade Kawamoto, Max Freeman, Catherine Parenteau, Gabe Joseph, Genie Bouchard) beat the Columbus Sliders 3-1 on Super Monday to win MLP Dallas, the 2026 Major League Pickleball season opener, with Kawamoto and Johns closing it out 11-6 over Alix Truong and Andrei Daescu in the second mixed doubles game. LA earns 25 standings points and the No. 1 spot in the season standings as the only team to leave Pickler Universe undefeated, finishing ahead of Columbus (18), St. Louis Shock (15), New Jersey 5s (12) and Dallas Flash (10).
Read at Pickleball.com →Why Vietnam's Top Players Are Skipping Macao - And What That Says About Asian Pickleball
World Pickleball Magazine's Chris Beaumont reports that Truong Vinh Hien, Ly Hoang Nam and Phuc Huynh have all withdrawn from the PPA Asia Macao Open this week to prepare for next week's Asia Open in Ho Chi Minh City, whose reported 3 billion VND prize pool sits less than seven days after Macao on the calendar. Beaumont frames the move as the clearest sign yet that Asian pickleball professionals are starting to build seasons rather than chase every stop, with management teams now weighing tournament density, recovery windows and earnings against the older instinct to enter everything.
Read at World Pickleball Magazine →
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