{"id":361123,"date":"2026-08-03T00:16:11","date_gmt":"2026-08-03T00:16:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/361123\/"},"modified":"2026-08-03T00:16:11","modified_gmt":"2026-08-03T00:16:11","slug":"major-league-pickleball-playoff-field-set-the-kitchen-pickleball","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/361123\/","title":{"rendered":"Major League Pickleball playoff field set \u2013 The Kitchen Pickleball"},"content":{"rendered":"


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\n By Alex Lantz<\/p>\n

| Aug 2, 2026\n <\/p>\n

The New Jersey 5s and St. Louis Shock came into this week\u2019s Major League Pickleball event in Orlando tied at the top of the regular-season standings.<\/p>\n

After both teams went undefeated in Group Play, they met Sunday in the 1 vs. 1 matchup, and the stakes couldn\u2019t have been more black and white in the final regular-season event of the year: Win and you\u2019re the No. 1 seed heading into the playoffs, which in MLP means you get a first-round bye and get to choose your opponents in the quarterfinals and semifinals.<\/p>\n

The 5s and Shock proceeded to deliver one of the best matches of the season in front of a packed crowd of more than 2,000, with New Jersey ultimately winning 3-1 and claiming their fourth-straight event title.<\/p>\n

The first mixed doubles game between Noe Khlif\/Anna Leigh Waters and Hayden Patriquin\/Anna Bright will go down as one of the best games in league history, with multiple momentum swings and several game points for both teams. In the end Khlif\/Waters outlasted Patriquin\/Bright 15-13 to take a 2-1 lead in the match and set the stage for 5s newcomer Federico Staksrud to close the deal alongside Jorja Johnson.<\/p>\n

With seemingly all the momentum on their side, Staksrud\/Johnson rolled against Gabe Tardio\/Kate Fahey 11-2 to clinch the match and the top seed in the playoffs.<\/p>\n

Read next:\u00a0The Kitchen\u2019s Top 13 paddles on the market + in-depth reviews for each one<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThis week was a constant battle within myself,\u201d said Staksrud, who was making his debut for the 5s after being traded to New Jersey at the MLP trade deadline last month.<\/a> \u201cIt wasn\u2019t easy to play for a new team, especially the New Jersey 5s because winning is the only option. It was hard, honestly, but I just wanted to have fun and enjoy every moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Staksrud gave New Jersey the boost they were looking for when they traded for him, going 5-1 on the week in mixed doubles with Johnson and 3-2 with Will Howells in men\u2019s doubles. Staksrud also played one men\u2019s doubles game with Khlif, going 0-1.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m so incredibly proud of this group,\u201d New Jersey General Manager Ryan Harwood said. \u201cWe have six very high quality players and they have made personal sacrifices and have come together as a unit in a very short period of time. We did not have a lot of time to prepare for this, and everyone came together and did exactly what was asked of them. \u2026 This is one minor step along the way and we\u2019ve got a long playoff journey ahead of us now, but we are gonna celebrate today, at least.\u201d<\/p>\n

MLP Orlando delivered some of the best matches in league history<\/p>\n

There were three matches this week that will go down as among the best in the history of Major League Pickleball.<\/p>\n

New Jersey 5s def. St. Louis Shock: As mentioned above, the first mixed game between Khlif\/Waters and Patriquin\/Bright was incredibly exciting. Patriquin\/Bright sprinted out to a 5-0 lead, but New Jersey clawed back and had multiple game points at 10-7 and 10-9. The game lasted another 20 minutes after that, with St. Louis earning several of their own game points before Khlif\/Waters finally sealed it at 15-13.<\/p>\n

New Jersey 5s def. Los Angeles Mad Drops: It\u2019s always a notable event when Waters and Ben Johns play against each other in Major League Pickleball. We only see the head-to-head matchup between the longtime PPA Tour partners a couple times a year, and on Saturday it lived up to the hype. It was a close game throughout, and at 10-10 we saw arguably the best mixed-doubles point of all time.<\/a> Khlif\/Waters ultimately won that point (a 100+ shot rally) and the game to put New Jersey in control, and Staksrud\/Johnson closed out the match in the second mixed game.<\/p>\n

Chicago Slice def. California Black Bears: There were several interesting matchups that had an impact on the playoff bubble this weekend, but none better than this one. With a spot in the playoffs on the line for both teams, Chicago prevailed in a dramatic Dreambreaker 25-23, with the clinching points being scored by 13-year-old Elsie Hendershot.<\/a> The loss eliminated California from playoff contention.<\/p>\n

Read next:\u00a0The best pickleball paddles for intermediate players<\/a><\/p>\n

MLP playoff field set<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a look at the final regular-season standings and playoff seeding:<\/p>\n

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FIRST ROUND PLAYOFF FORMAT<\/p>\n

Best-of-three match series featuring the No. 5-12 seeds.<\/p>\n

Seeds No. 5-8 select their First Round opponents from the No. 9-12 seeds. No. 5 seed (Brooklyn) gets first choice.<\/p>\n

Series winners advance to the quarterfinals in Newport Beach and are re-seeded based on regular season standings points<\/p>\n

Playoff matches will start at 2 p.m. Friday from Pickler Universe in Carrolton, Texas, which is the same venue that hosted Week 1 of the regular season.<\/a><\/p>\n

Read next: The best bags designed specifically for pickleball<\/a><\/p>\n