BRUCE YEUNG ; IG : @ YEUNGPHOTOGRAPHY
The
2021 Minto US Open Championships Showcase the
Trends in Pickleball
The tournament bills itself as the largest pickleball party in the world and continues to be a commercial success and trendsetter for the sport .
By Alice Tym
The 2021 US Open showcased many of the current trends in tournament organization , pickleball play , and vending . There were 2,190 registered players and 4,381 matches played on the 60 courts at the East Naples Community Park in Naples , Florida . With rain delays on three days , the operations staff — led by Melissa McCurley , Kelly Gent , Dee Davison , Nicole Hobson , April Price , Renee Stuart , Marilyn Holladay , Tish Egan , and Sara Aiken — rescheduled over 400 matches .
Formats were modified to complete an historic 951 matches in a single day . Going live on CBS Sports Network was one more innovative achievement by US Open co-founders Chris Evon and Terri Graham . The commercial success stems from the event being billed as a “ party ,” so the rain delays allowed players to enjoy good music , good food , and great pickleball on the covered Zing Zang court . The rain was a boon to vendors whose booths were crowded by players checking out the latest pickleball equipment and clothing .