The Major League Pickleball season is heading into its semifinal round, and this time the action shifts to New York. Top-seeded New Jersey had the choice of picking their opponent and went with fifth-seeded Brooklyn over sixth-seeded Dallas.
Both teams looked sharp in the quarterfinals in Newport Beach, so this was never going to be an easy pick.
In women’s doubles, New Jersey holds a clear edge. Anna Leigh Waters and Jorja Johnson have been almost unstoppable this season, losing just once. Brooklyn will send out Rachel Rohrabacher and Jackie Kawamoto to face them, and their best chance may be to keep the ball away from Waters as much as possible.
Men’s doubles tells a different story. Brooklyn’s pair of Christian Alshon and Riley Newman go up against Federico Staksrud and Will Howells, and this has been New Jersey’s weaker event all season. Alshon has been in excellent form, and if he keeps that up, Brooklyn should have the upper hand here.
Mixed doubles brings the biggest talking point of the tie. New Jersey struggled badly in mixed doubles at Newport Beach, where partner was targeted and rattled by the opposition. That raises the question of whether sticks with the same pairing or makes a change for this bigger test against Brooklyn.
If both teams’ matches stay close, this tie could easily come down to a DreamBreaker. New Jersey have leaned on Staksrud, Howells, Waters and Johnson in that format, while Brooklyn bring in singles specialists Chris Haworth and Hannah Blatt alongside Alshon and Kawamoto. Waters would be a heavy favourite there, but Kawamoto’s clever, patient style has made her a genuine threat in tight moments all year.
Overall, New Jersey is the stronger team on paper. For Brooklyn to pull off an upset, they will need a strong performance from Alshon and clutch shots from Kawamoto when the pressure is highest.