Naples Florida Weekly
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Minto US OPEN Pickleball Championships returns to Naples


The largest and most prestigious event in pickleball since 2016 is back and bigger than ever, with a record number of players, the largest prize purse in US OPEN history, and a world-class field of players. An unprecedented 3,043 pickleball players of all ages and levels will head to Naples — “The Pickleball Capital of the World”— April 15-22 to compete in the 2023 Minto US OPEN Pickleball Championships powered by Margaritaville.

Known as the “Biggest Pickleball Party in the World,” an electric atmosphere pulsates through East Naples Community Park — the largest permanent pickleball facility in the world with 64 courts including the world-famous Zing Zang Championship Court. The event will once again attract a record 35,000+ spectators and for the first time ever, players from all 50 states as well as 29 different countries, ranging in age from 8 to 88. The record number of amateurs players plus the 200 top professionals will play more than 5,000 matches for a US OPEN record prize purse of $125,000.

Pickleball players and fans who can’t make it to the week-long celebration can watch the men’s and women’s pro doubles finals live on CBS Sports Network on April 22 from 5-7 p.m. The mixed doubles finals will be live streamed on Pickleball Channel at 7 p.m. The tournament will also be streamed daily on Pickleball Channel from April 15-22. Pickleball Channel is available on YouTube (youtube.com/ user/PickleballChannel/videos), Facebook (facebook.com/pickleballchannel/live) and PickleballChannel.com(pickleballchannel.com/live-alt). To subscribe to Pickleball Channel for free, visit https:// www.pickleballchannel.com/subscribe/

“The US OPEN isn’t just another pickleball tournament. It’s an immersive pickleball experience as the energy, spirit of community, pure joy and fun are unlike any other pickleball event,” says Terri Graham, the event’s co-founder. “The party atmosphere begins on Saturday, April 15 with the JOOLA Party in the Park and continues through Saturday April 22 with special events daily including our one-of-a-kind International Flag ceremony with participants from 29 countries from around the world. Every year we aim to deliver players and fans the time of their life.”

Nearly 1,000 total gold, silver and bronze medals are up for grabs this year across more than 150 age and skill groups. The 200 top professionals competing are headlined by Simone Jardim, Parris Todd, Megan Fudge, Alix Truong, Kyle Yates, Hunter Johnson, Eden Lica and Rob Nunnery. Additionally, many former professional athletes from other sports and celebrities who have been bitten by the pickleball bug will also compete, including former MLB pitcher Kent Mercker, NBA Hall of Famer Rick Barry, former professional tennis players Sam Querrey, Noah Rubin, Gigi Fernandez and JoAnne Russell as well as actor Hunter Sansone (DC’s Stargirl) and singer Anthony Nunziata.

The event is an economic boom for Collier County, resulting in an economic impact of $10.6 million in 2022. Pickleball is one of the fastest-growing sports in the country. According to a participation study from the Association of Pickleball Professionals released earlier this year, more than 36.5 million people played the sport from August 2021-22. Previous data estimated the participation rate of the sports at 5 million players in 2021.

The Minto US OPEN Pickleball Championships is organized by Spirit Promotions, LLC, a company formed by Terri Graham and Chris Evon in 2015. Information on the Minto US OPEN Pickleball Championships is available on the event’s website at www.usopenpickleball.com. ¦

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