Match play looks very suspiciously like a prelude to a mobile version of AH.
Personally I like the idea very much.
I think it is pretty cool there is now somewhere I can easily find an aerial fight and I don't have to worry about listening to Whiskey and Ice Road Truckers on range, bandits running to the Ack , retreating to man the field guns, flying 2 grids to circle high above a field hoping for an upper, and other boredom inducing behavior.
Boredom is the long term enemy of AH.
Match play may draw those interested in an aerial fight out of the Melee.
I hope it is tweaked in order to allow a little more structure in the matchups, especially 4 v 4 or greater.