🔥Intense $4K Mixed Open Semis | Palm (6.0) / Elpusan (5.5) vs Poland (5.6) / Nguyen (5.0) iPickle

Mixed Open Semifinals at the $4,000 iPickle Winter Classic 2026, filmed at The Narrows in Whittier Narrows, California. This semifinal matchup delivers elite mixed doubles with two experienced pairings trading momentum in a tense, back-and-forth battle for a spot in the finals. Drake Palm (6.0) teams up with Tia Elpusan (5.5) in a composed and aggressive pairing built around heavy hands, disciplined pressure, and confident play in transition. Palm’s ability to dictate pace combines with Elpusan’s consistency and court awareness to form a dangerous semifinal threat. On the opposite side, Arizona travelers Joel Poland (5.6) and Naomi Nguyen (5.0) bring a balanced and methodical mixed game. Naomi is originally from San Diego, played Division I tennis at UC San Diego, and was recently drafted into the PPA League — a major milestone in her professional pickleball career. Together, the Arizona duo showcases smart shot selection, patient resets, and strong counterpunching under pressure. Long rallies, extended dink exchanges, and constant momentum swings define this semifinal clash, with neither team giving an inch as the intensity ramps up late. DUPR ratings shown are rounded to 1 decimal (as of registration). Tournament Info: 🏆 iPickle Winter Classic 2026 💰 $4,000 Mixed Open Prize Money 📍 The Narrows – Whittier Narrows, CA 🏓 Mixed Open Doubles Semifinal 🎥 Bad Pickleball Full tournament details: 👉 https://ipickle.com/winterclassic/