Chasing the Season: The Best of the First Two MLP 2026 Events
Chasing the Season: The Best of the First Two MLP 2026 Events
By the Dink Authority Magazine Editorial Team
The 2026 Major League Pickleball season arrived with the intensity the circuit had been promising. Two weekends that served to sort out teams, put names in the spotlight, and remind everyone that regardless of projections, there is always room for surprises. Dallas lit the fuse. Columbus fanned the flames. From the mix of results, performances, and moments off the court came several early certainties: there are teams that mean business, players already setting the pace, and small stories beginning to shape the narrative of what could be an extraordinary year.
Dallas: The First Temperature Check
The opening event in Dallas was exactly what a first event should be: a laboratory. Full rosters testing combinations, players building chemistry, coaches calibrating roles. The LA Mad Drops — Ben Johns and company — arrived as the team to beat, went undefeated through the event, and dominated the final. The rest of the league took notice.
Columbus arrived without Parris Todd, suspended for attending an unauthorized event in Japan. In her place came two names nobody expected to shine quite so brightly: Danni-Elle Townsend and Alix Truong. Both went 4-1 in women's doubles. Townsend — arriving directly from Australia, where she had been one of the most promising players on the circuit — showed that the jump to MLP Premier level didn't intimidate her. Truong responded with a consistency that had Columbus questioning who should be on the bench when Todd returned.
Spoiler: the decision was not easy. And that is exactly the kind of problem you want to have as a team.
Columbus: The House That Roared — Until the 5s Arrived
The second event had its own stage: Pickle & Chill, Columbus, Ohio. Home of the defending champions, a court where the Sliders make visitors uncomfortable. And into that setting walked Parris Todd, forcing the team into an uncomfortable decision: Columbus traded Truong to the Phoenix Flames and kept Townsend as Todd's starting partner.
CJ Klinger — born in Ohio, Bengals and Buckeyes fan, a homegrown player through and through — led the men's side alongside Andrei Daescu with the quiet solidity that has defined them. Klinger is one of those players who doesn't always make the big headlines but earns the genuine respect of opposing teams. In Columbus, on his court, with his crowd behind him, he is a serious problem for any visitor.
And Danni-Elle Townsend confirmed that Dallas was no fluke. The Australian brought to American professional pickleball something that is hard to find: a physical, explosive game and the mindset of someone who has nothing to lose because she is still building her name. At 22 years old, Townsend could become one of the stories of the year.
The problem was that this weekend, the visitor was the New Jersey 5s. And the 5s did not come to enjoy the scenery.
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New Jersey: The Statement
Anna Leigh Waters was, as almost always, the center of everything — but not in the loud way one might expect from the world's number one. She was sharp, energetic, and the first to lift the team when tension rose. Her mixed doubles partner, Noe Khlif, played the Columbus weekend as though he were operating on a different plane: intense, precise, unstoppable. The 4-0 sweep of the Sliders was not luck.
Jorja Johnson in women's doubles completed a collective performance that left Columbus without answers. And Will Howells, who had a quiet Dallas, found his rhythm in Columbus after it had eluded him the first week.
The message from the 5s was clear: if you want the title, you go through us.
St. Louis: The Antagonist the League Needed
Anna Bright, Hayden Patriquin, Gabe Tardio, and Kate Fahey won Pool B in Columbus with the composure of a team that knows exactly what it is doing. Patriquin and Tardio were demolishing in men's doubles — 11-2 against Palm Beach Royals in one of the most dominant scorelines of the weekend. Bright in mixed showed why she is one of the most complete players on the circuit.
The Shock don't make noise. They simply win. And in a league where noise sometimes drowns out results, that is their greatest strength.
The Ones Pushing Hard From Below
Palm Beach Royals — the most watched expansion team of the season — arrived in Columbus with Tyson McGuffin, Dekel Bar, Sofia Sewing, and Tina Pisnik on the roster. They fell to St. Louis in the Pool B decider, but won mixed #1 with an 11-8 that showed genuine character. For a team in just their second event of existence, the level was more than respectable.
Miami Pickleball Club presented one of the most interesting mixed doubles partnerships in the league: Nicolás Acevedo and Isabella Dunlap. Acevedo brings the reach and speed that few can match. Dunlap brings the aggression and intensity of someone who didn't come to pickleball by accident — she came because she missed competing and decided to bet everything on it. When both of them find their rhythm, they are a headache for any opponent.
Also on Miami's roster is Yuta Funemizu, one of the most athletic players on the circuit, whose progression in 2026 will be one of the most interesting subplots to follow.
The Young Faces You Need to Know
The 2026 MLP season has a generation of players redefining what it means to be "young" in this sport:
Danni-Elle Townsend (Columbus Sliders) — Australian, 22 years old, arrived without fanfare and earned a starting spot. Her story is just beginning.
CJ Klinger (Columbus Sliders) — from Ohio, he represents exactly what the MLP wants to project: a local player, developed through the circuit, competing eye to eye with the biggest names in the world.
Ava Ignatowich (Carolina Hogs) — one of the most watched prospects on the women's side. Still on a team finding its footing, but with individual talent nobody questions.
Zoey Weil (Florida Smash) — identified by several analysts as the best player on a team still searching for its identity, Weil has the potential to become a name in her own right before the season ends.
Aiko Yoshitomi (Miami Pickleball Club) — young, technical, with a reading of the game that surprises for her age. Miami bet on her, and the first two events suggest it was a good bet.
What It All Points To
Two events are only the prologue. But prologues tell stories too. The 2026 MLP season opened with confirmations — solid teams that don't let up — and with discoveries nobody fully anticipated. Team chemistry, tactical decisions, and the management of critical moments will matter far more than individual names.
If it had to be summarized in one sentence: this season has clear protagonists, legitimate antagonists, and a new generation pushing from below with an urgency that the veterans know well.
The next chapter: MLP St. Louis, June 4–7 at Chaifetz Arena. The Shock play at home. The rematch against the 5s is already on the calendar.
Chasing the Season: The Best of the First Two MLP 2026 Events
By the Dink Authority Magazine Editorial Team
The 2026 Major League Pickleball season arrived with the intensity the circuit had been promising. Two weekends that served to sort out teams, put names in the spotlight, and remind everyone that regardless of projections, there is always room for surprises. Dallas lit the fuse. Columbus fanned the flames. From the mix of results, performances, and moments off the court came several early certainties: there are teams that mean business, players already setting the pace, and small stories beginning to shape the narrative of what could be an extraordinary year.
Dallas: The First Temperature Check
The opening event in Dallas was exactly what a first event should be: a laboratory. Full rosters testing combinations, players building chemistry, coaches calibrating roles. The LA Mad Drops — Ben Johns and company — arrived as the team to beat, went undefeated through the event, and dominated the final. The rest of the league took notice.
Columbus arrived without Parris Todd, suspended for attending an unauthorized event in Japan. In her place came two names nobody expected to shine quite so brightly: Danni-Elle Townsend and Alix Truong. Both went 4-1 in women's doubles. Townsend — arriving directly from Australia, where she had been one of the most promising players on the circuit — showed that the jump to MLP Premier level didn't intimidate her. Truong responded with a consistency that had Columbus questioning who should be on the bench when Todd returned.
Spoiler: the decision was not easy. And that is exactly the kind of problem you want to have as a team.
Columbus: The House That Roared — Until the 5s Arrived
The second event had its own stage: Pickle & Chill, Columbus, Ohio. Home of the defending champions, a court where the Sliders make visitors uncomfortable. And into that setting walked Parris Todd, forcing the team into an uncomfortable decision: Columbus traded Truong to the Phoenix Flames and kept Townsend as Todd's starting partner.
CJ Klinger — born in Ohio, Bengals and Buckeyes fan, a homegrown player through and through — led the men's side alongside Andrei Daescu with the quiet solidity that has defined them. Klinger is one of those players who doesn't always make the big headlines but earns the genuine respect of opposing teams. In Columbus, on his court, with his crowd behind him, he is a serious problem for any visitor.
And Danni-Elle Townsend confirmed that Dallas was no fluke. The Australian brought to American professional pickleball something that is hard to find: a physical, explosive game and the mindset of someone who has nothing to lose because she is still building her name. At 22 years old, Townsend could become one of the stories of the year.
The problem was that this weekend, the visitor was the New Jersey 5s. And the 5s did not come to enjoy the scenery.
LOVE PICKLEBALL?
Get Dink Authority Magazine updates, new editions, pro stories and event alerts.
We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe anytime.
New Jersey: The Statement
Anna Leigh Waters was, as almost always, the center of everything — but not in the loud way one might expect from the world's number one. She was sharp, energetic, and the first to lift the team when tension rose. Her mixed doubles partner, Noe Khlif, played the Columbus weekend as though he were operating on a different plane: intense, precise, unstoppable. The 4-0 sweep of the Sliders was not luck.
Jorja Johnson in women's doubles completed a collective performance that left Columbus without answers. And Will Howells, who had a quiet Dallas, found his rhythm in Columbus after it had eluded him the first week.
The message from the 5s was clear: if you want the title, you go through us.
St. Louis: The Antagonist the League Needed
Anna Bright, Hayden Patriquin, Gabe Tardio, and Kate Fahey won Pool B in Columbus with the composure of a team that knows exactly what it is doing. Patriquin and Tardio were demolishing in men's doubles — 11-2 against Palm Beach Royals in one of the most dominant scorelines of the weekend. Bright in mixed showed why she is one of the most complete players on the circuit.
The Shock don't make noise. They simply win. And in a league where noise sometimes drowns out results, that is their greatest strength.
The Ones Pushing Hard From Below
Palm Beach Royals — the most watched expansion team of the season — arrived in Columbus with Tyson McGuffin, Dekel Bar, Sofia Sewing, and Tina Pisnik on the roster. They fell to St. Louis in the Pool B decider, but won mixed #1 with an 11-8 that showed genuine character. For a team in just their second event of existence, the level was more than respectable.
Miami Pickleball Club presented one of the most interesting mixed doubles partnerships in the league: Nicolás Acevedo and Isabella Dunlap. Acevedo brings the reach and speed that few can match. Dunlap brings the aggression and intensity of someone who didn't come to pickleball by accident — she came because she missed competing and decided to bet everything on it. When both of them find their rhythm, they are a headache for any opponent.
Also on Miami's roster is Yuta Funemizu, one of the most athletic players on the circuit, whose progression in 2026 will be one of the most interesting subplots to follow.
The Young Faces You Need to Know
The 2026 MLP season has a generation of players redefining what it means to be "young" in this sport:
Danni-Elle Townsend (Columbus Sliders) — Australian, 22 years old, arrived without fanfare and earned a starting spot. Her story is just beginning.
CJ Klinger (Columbus Sliders) — from Ohio, he represents exactly what the MLP wants to project: a local player, developed through the circuit, competing eye to eye with the biggest names in the world.
Ava Ignatowich (Carolina Hogs) — one of the most watched prospects on the women's side. Still on a team finding its footing, but with individual talent nobody questions.
Zoey Weil (Florida Smash) — identified by several analysts as the best player on a team still searching for its identity, Weil has the potential to become a name in her own right before the season ends.
Aiko Yoshitomi (Miami Pickleball Club) — young, technical, with a reading of the game that surprises for her age. Miami bet on her, and the first two events suggest it was a good bet.
What It All Points To
Two events are only the prologue. But prologues tell stories too. The 2026 MLP season opened with confirmations — solid teams that don't let up — and with discoveries nobody fully anticipated. Team chemistry, tactical decisions, and the management of critical moments will matter far more than individual names.
If it had to be summarized in one sentence: this season has clear protagonists, legitimate antagonists, and a new generation pushing from below with an urgency that the veterans know well.
The next chapter: MLP St. Louis, June 4–7 at Chaifetz Arena. The Shock play at home. The rematch against the 5s is already on the calendar.
