Major League Pickleball’s St. Petersburg event concluded with an absolute statement performance on Super Sunday, as the St. Louis Shock dominated the Los Angeles Mad Drops in a 3-0 sweep. In a highly anticipated matchup featuring some of the sport’s top athletes, St. Louis proved entirely too much to handle, executing flawlessly across women’s, men’s, and mixed doubles.
Women’s Doubles: A Ferocious Response
The day began with women’s doubles featuring Anna Bright and Kate Fahey of the Shock taking on the Mad Drops’ duo. Los Angeles initially caught St. Louis off guard, jumping out to a quick two-point lead. However, the early deficit only seemed to awaken the Shock.
Led by Bright’s aggressive play at the kitchen line and Fahey’s relentless consistency, St. Louis orchestrated a massive five-point run to hijack the momentum. Bright consistently forced errors and pop-ups, while Fahey put on a masterclass from the baseline and transition zone. Cheered on by “Mama Bright” and an energetic crowd, the Shock pairing turned what was expected to be a grueling battle into a definitive statement, cruising to an 11-5 victory to put St. Louis on the board.
Men’s Doubles: The Twenty-Year-Old Phenoms Roll On
Following the women’s victory, the men took the court. The Mad Drops countered with the legendary Ben Johns and Max Freeman, hoping to even the score. History repeated itself early on, with Los Angeles capturing the first two points of the match.
Once again, the Shock reacted with overwhelming force. The 20-year-old phenom pairing of Hayden Patriquin and Gabe Tardio completely took over the match. Showcasing spectacular hand speed, defensive resets, and perfectly timed around-the-post shots (ATPs), Patriquin and Tardio rattled off six consecutive points. Johns, typically the master of dictating court tempo, found himself continuously pressured into uncomfortable positions. Backed by an unrelenting offense, the Shock duo dominated the rallies, securing an 11-4 win and pushing their incredible record together to 19-3.
Mixed Doubles: Closing the Door
With their backs against the wall, Los Angeles shuffled their mixed doubles lineup, sending out Freeman and Catherine Parenteau to keep their hopes alive. They faced the formidable pairing of Tardio and Fahey.
St. Louis immediately applied the squeeze, racing out to a commanding 4-0 cushion. Fahey brought an immense level of intensity to the court, celebrating massive rallies with vocal roars that kept the pressure firmly on the Mad Drops. While Freeman found success with some perfectly placed drops and Parenteau fought hard to redirect the pace, unforced errors continued to stymie the Mad Drops’ comeback attempts.
Los Angeles mounted a late-game surge, clawing back to 10-6 and prompting Tardio to look toward the bench. Recognizing the shift in momentum, Shock captain Anna Bright wisely used a tactical timeout to reset her squad. The pause did exactly what it needed to do; coming out of the huddle, the Shock locked down the final point to take the game 11-6, sealing the match sweep.
Champions of Super Sunday
The victory marked back-to-back Championship Sunday wins for the St. Louis Shock, solidifying their status as the team to beat heading into the mid-season tournament.
In post-match interviews, Anna Bright praised her team’s resilience, noting that getting down early has almost become a comfortable rhythm for them before finding their winning patterns. Tardio echoed that confidence, noting that despite the pressure of closing out the match on television, he and Fahey felt they could match up against anyone in the world. Ultimately, it was an all-around team triumph that left the St. Louis Shock hoisting the championship belts in St. Petersburg.
