Opinion: Andrei Daescu just put together the most impressive MLP performance we've ever seen

Alex Lantz

Director of Content

Last Edited

Aug 25 2025

Quarterfinals vs. Dallas Flash

Men's doubles: Andrei Daescu/CJ Klinger def. JW Johnson/Augie Ge 3-0 (11-4, 11-7, 11-4)

This was the start of an undefeated playoff run by Daescu/Klinger, who were good but not great in the regular season. They had compiled a 16-8 record together (66.67%) heading into the playoffs, and when I talked to Daescu a few weeks ago, he admitted that they had underperformed compared to their expectations. But he also said he was still confident they could be a top men's team in the playoffs if they both played their game. Boy was he right about that.

Video: How Columbus pulled off huge Major League Pickleball upset over Dallas

They put it all together in the postseason and were 8-0 in men's doubles over the two weeks. But it wasn't just the wins that were impressive -- Columbus women's duo of Parris Todd/Lea Jansen were 2-6 in the playoffs, which meant that Daescu/Klinger were often down a game and under the gun from the moment they stepped on the court. They were the momentum stoppers time and time again and kept the Sliders in every match.

Mixed doubles: Andrei Daescu/Parris Todd def. JW Johnson/Jorja Johnson 2-1 (11-9, 11-2, 8-11)

Each match went to a Dreambreaker in the Dallas series, and this mixed doubles matchup is what got them there in the first two. The Johnson siblings were the best mixed doubles duo in MLP this season with a 27-2 record coming into the playoffs. They also are the clear-cut No. 2 mixed doubles team on the PPA Tour behind Ben Johns/Anna Leigh Waters.

But again, when the stakes were the highest and when the Sliders were facing elimination in Match 2, Daescu and Todd rose to the occasion and gave their team a fighting chance in a Dreambreaker, which they won 21-14.

Across the three Dreambreakers in this series, Daescu also outscored JW Johnson 21-14 in singles.

Semifinals vs. St. Louis Shock

Men's doubles: Daescu/Klinger def. Hayden Patriquin/Gabe Tardio 2-0 (11-8, 11-2)

This was arguably an even more impressive showing for Daescu than taking down the Johnsons in mixed doubles in the previous round. The St. Louis duo of Patriquin/Tardio were easily the best men's doubles pairing in the league this season with a 29-2 record overall -- a mark that I think is unlikely to be beaten in a long time given the parity in men's doubles right now.

Mixed doubles: Daescu/Todd def. Tardio/Kate Fahey 11-5; Patriquin/Anna Bright def. Daescu/Todd 11-5

The mixed game against Patriquin/Bright was really the only time Daescu looked human in the playoffs. But just when you thought St. Louis might have control of the match, Columbus' other mixed pairing of Jansen/Klinger, who were 2-6 in the playoffs, stepped up and produced one of their wins at just the right time.

In the Dreambreaker that followed, Daescu won his matchup against Tardio 7-3.

Finals vs. New Jersey 5s

Men's doubles: Daescu/Klinger def. Noe Khlif/Will Howells 3-0 (11-6, 11-6, 11-7)

Columbus' men's duo was simply better in this matchup, and the result in each game was seemingly never in doubt. And each time it was the same scenario they faced in the Dallas series, where the Sliders lost in women's and all the pressure was on Daescu/Klinger. They never flinched.

Mixed doubles: Daescu/Todd def. Howells/Waters 3-0 (11-2, 11-8, 11-6)

The recipe for success for New Jersey has always been the same: Count on Waters -- the best women's player to ever play the game -- to win both of her doubles matches, and if somebody else gets a win to avoid a Dreambreaker, that's a bonus.

Daescu/Todd threw a big ole' wrench in that formula by winning each game in this matchup. And much like men's doubles in this series, the outcome was never really in doubt.

The stats show just how dominant Daescu was this weekend

According to Real Clear Stats, Daescu had the highest Player Impact+ rating of any player this weekend at 2.5. Klinger wasn't far behind at 2.4, and Patriquin was at 2.3.

But he really separated himself from the field by being extremely efficient with his speedups. He averaged 6.9 attacks per game -- with his team winning 4.8 of those while only losing 1.4 on average, giving him a +3.4 Speedup Net Impact per game. That's far and away the best of any player this weekend. The next highest was Patriquin at +1.8 per game with Columbus teammate Parris Todd close by at +1.7 per game, leading all women.

The eye test backed that up. It seemed like every time Columbus was in dire straights, Daescu elevated his game to a new level.

Read next: 5 things to know about pro pickleball player Andrei Daescu

Daescu has been posting inspirational quotes on X (formerly Twitter) for the past week. It's been good entertainment. In honor of that, I'll leave you with a quote from Daescu himself from a conversation I had with him on April 8, before the MLP season started.

"I feel very good about our team," he said. "I think we have a very well-rounded roster and we have the potential to beat every other team in the league. It's just about clicking at the right time."

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