With scores of 11-7, 11-4, and 11-9, Luke & Evan swept the floor with Ryan & Henry–delivering a kind of pickleball performance that should have been returned to sender. What unfolded was a spectacle in squandered chances, a reminder that sometimes dreams are just that.

Ryan & Henry's bid for pickleball greatness was overshadowed by their own fumbles. You could practically hear the spectators hold their breath each time Henry wielded his flashy, overpowered paddle, questioning if it would actually strike the ball or shoot it into orbit. He hit the ball like he was trying to erase it from existence, a possible reason why potential rallies were DOA.

Their doubles strategy was more akin to two people trying not to be involved than a synchronized effort to score points. Meanwhile, Ryan added his own chaos with paddle moves best described as avant-garde. Their paddle control is mostly theoretical, after all.

In the end, Luke & Evan didn't triumph due to strategic genius but rather because they managed to avoid being Ryan and Henry for the duration of the match. The paddle made contact, just not the kind that helps anyone. Witnessing others unravel in such fashion has its own rewards, and, thus, they walked away victorious.

This entire ordeal illustrates one thing: those capable of playing pickleball shouldn't always do so in public view. Still, every game demands a victor–or at least someone who didn't lose quite as spectacularly.