SAN DIEGO – Major League Pickleball (MLP) is coming to San Diego for its seventh event of the regular season. The tournament starts on July 16 and comes to a close on July 19. It will take place at the Barnes Tennis Center on the Grandstand and Championship Courts.
Eleven of the 20 MLP teams will compete in the tournament, initially separated into two groups. Each team will compete in four events: men's doubles, women's doubles, and two pairs of mixed doubles. For the first three days of the tournament, teams will compete against all other teams in their group using a round-robin format. The top four teams in each group advance to Super Sunday on July 19.
According to the MLP standings, the highest ranked team in Group A is the Los Angeles Mad Drops, while the highest ranked team in Group B is the Columbus Sliders. Despite sitting third in league standings, the Sliders have accumulated points without yet winning an event this season. They are aiming for their first victory on Sunday. The Mad Drops have the highest ranked MLP player, Ben Johns, on their roster this season. Johns is a specialist in both men's and mixed doubles.
While the Mad Drops and Sliders are poised to make a run during the tournament, the SoCal Hard Eights and Dallas Flash have an opportunity to rise through the standings. The MLP’s scoring system allows teams to rack up points and help their ranking, even if they do not advance to Super Sunday.
As the MLP finishes the regular season, teams are looking to gain momentum to earn one of only 12 spots in the MLP playoffs.
To watch the tournament in person, you can purchase tickets on Tixr. You can also tune into the livestream on Pickleball TV.
