Major League Pickleball Austin Recap: Major League Pickleball returned to Austin, Texas, after a short break during the PPA event in Atlanta. Hosted by the Texas Ranchers at the Austin Pickle Ranch, the 2025 MLP Austin featured five top Premier League teams and marked the start of the Challenger season. Despite extreme heat, the stands stayed full, and the competition delivered plenty of action.
New Rules and Player Insights
The event started with changes to league rules. Now, players can challenge their calls, aligning with Professional Pickleball Association rules.
“I’ve been asking this for a very, very long time and I’m happy to see this rule finally align with PPA because previously I think we were basically incentivized to cheat.” – (Zane Navratil)
A minor substitution rule was also added but wasn’t considered major by most players.
Texas Ranchers Kick Off Strong
The weekend opened on Friday with the Texas Ranchers defeating the Orlando Squeeze 4-0. The Squeeze were top of the standings by points but had played more matches than others and had an easier schedule.
On Saturday, the Squeeze fell again—this time to the Dallas Flash. Meanwhile, Zane Navratil’s team won over the Miami Pickleball Club. The Flash then faced a close match against the Ranchers that ended in a DreamBreaker tiebreaker. It came down to a 22-20 score in favor of the Flash.
“To all of the clown logo haters out there, we also have a new clothing deal with Wilson, and the clown is much smaller on the jerseys. Willie also had the idea to put a C on my jersey for captain… I think that other MLP teams should follow suit.” – (Zane Navratil)
Sunday Showdowns and Strange Match Points
On Sunday, the Dallas Flash defeated the Orlando Squeeze again. Zane Navratil and William Sobek won 11-2 in men’s doubles against Federico Staksrud and Dylan Frazier. The match point included several rare moves.
“It had a bomb of a serve, a third shot overhead, two drop shots, an Ernie lob, and a ball under the fence.” – (Zane Navratil)
The Flash later swept the Miami Pickleball Club, and the Texas Ranchers beat Miami 3-1. Eric Oncins had a strong game, and Milan Rane supported with high energy.
“Eric Oncins was on one and Milan Rane let him have it fist… that is a ridiculous put away there.” – (Zane Navratil)
Flash vs. Ranchers Rematch and Controversial Calls
In a rematch of last year’s final, the Flash again played the Ranchers. William Sobek and Zane Navratil won their men’s doubles match against Augie Ge and Julian Arnold. Zane shared a clip and asked viewers, “If you see anything weird, let me know.”
A controversial challenge came when the Flash claimed a “let” on a serve after the rally. Zane questioned the rule: “I honestly don’t think that let should be a challengeable event but what do you think about this and do you think that serve was a let?”
Mixed doubles saw Augie Ge and Tyra Black beat Meghan Dizon and Zane Navratil. William Sobek and Anna Leigh Waters responded with a win over Jorja Johnson and Jaume Martinez Vich, handing Jorja her first loss of the season.
In the final DreamBreaker, Zane’s team made an early wrong call and lost their free challenge. After another close call was ruled against them, Zane said, “Do you think this was in or out?” The Flash won the tiebreaker 21-11 and stayed undefeated.
Closing Matches and Standings Update
On Monday, the Orlando Squeeze earned their only win of the event by beating the Miami Pickleball Club 3-1. Zane’s team finished with a strong 3-1 win over the Ranchers in front of a hometown crowd.
“Most of them were understandably cheering for the hometown Texas Ranchers but I know that at least my wife Murray and Arlo were cheering for us.” – (Zane Navratil)
Anna Leigh Waters and Meghan Dizon won their match. Zane and William Sobek beat Christian Alshon and Eric Oncins. Meghan and Zane also won mixed doubles against Tina Pisnik and Eric Oncins. Though Anna Leigh Waters and William lost their match, their team secured the win.
In Challenger League, the Las Vegas Night Owls stayed undefeated. The D.C. Pickleball Team had a solid 3-2 weekend. D.C. Pickleball Team fell short of expectations, and the Florida Smash remained last in the standings. Zane joked, “Hey at least they made some funny social media content.”
He reminded fans not to worry: “They play each other five times so there are going to be plenty of storylines, plenty of rematches.”
In Premier League standings, the Orlando Squeeze remain first by total points but have played more matches. Zane explained that it’s better to rank by points per match. “The Squeeze up 28 points and they’ve played 15 of their 25 matches… The Shocks stay in first place with 2.88 points per match followed by the Flash at 2.75,” he said.
Fans won’t have to wait long for more action. “If you miss pro pickle ball don’t worry you’ve only got 72 hours before MLP Phoenix under the lights goes,” Zane ended.
News in Brief: Major League Pickleball Austin Recap
Zane Navratil shared highlights from the 2025 MLP Austin event, where the Dallas Flash stayed undefeated. Rule changes, wild match points, and DreamBreaker drama marked the weekend. The Texas Ranchers hosted, and teams battled under the Texas heat. Standings shifted, and fans now look ahead to 2025 MLP Phoenix.
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