JW Johnson and Augie Ge competing for the Dallas Flash at the MLP Orlando Playoffs.
JW Johnson and Augie Ge captured a crucial victory in men's doubles to put Dallas up 2-0 in Friday's bout. Major League Pickleball

Flash down Shock to cap day of lopsided action

Friday at the Vulcan MLP Orlando Playoffs began with the Chicago Slice, New Jersey 5s, and Miami Pickleball Club all sweeping their respective opponents.

It ended with the Dallas Flash doing the same against the St. Louis Shock on Championship Court at the USTA National Campus.

Tyra Black/Jorja Johnson got the ball rolling for Dallas with a 25-21 triumph over the Shock’s Anna Bright/Kate Fahey. That win helped them snap a two-game losing streak against the tandem.

From there, JW Johnson/Augie Ge used a late run to steal a 25-23 victory over Hayden Patriquin/Gabe Tardio in men's doubles.

And finally, Johnson/Johnson outdueled Bright/Patriquin by a 27-25 score line after almost squandering a 17-11 advantage earlier in the game.

 

Sending out the Johnson siblings—Dallas’ undisputed top mixed doubles pairing—first with the Flash leading 2-0 was a gutsy decision; a loss would have put the pressure on Black/Ge, a wholly capable duo in their own right, to close out the match and avoid a DreamBreaker.

But Jorja welcomed the opportunity to seal the deal for her team.

“I think we’re kind of the anchor for our team in mixed doubles, and so we were just happy to go out and execute the way that we know we can,” she said.

Dallas—along with New Jersey—will look to advance to the Premier level finals with another dominant performance on Saturday, while the Shock and Texas Ranchers will fight to keep their championship hopes alive.