The US Open Pickleball Championships are taking place this week in Naples, with more than 3,000 players flooding into town to play more than 5,000 matches — and the players love the sport.
Dean Guyer of Bend, Oregon, together with his partner Nikki Cooper, won a gold medal in age 35+ mixed doubles on Tuesday.
“I love pickleball so much that I started a clothing company,” Guyer said. “ I've been playing for like three years. I just love the accessibility and approachability of the sport. I come from tennis, like a lot of these guys. And there's just a lot more sociability with pickleball.”
He and his partner Nikki Cooper have been having a blast in Florida.
“It's a fun tournament. It's a big party,” Cooper said. “Tons of nice people. Great competition from all over the world. Really honored to be here.”
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Scenes from the Minto US OPEN Pickleball Championships in Naples, Florida, during Tuesday’s play. Over 3000 athletes participated and over 5000 matches of Pickleball will be played. Finals will be played on Saturday.
Andrea Melendez / WGCU
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— WGCUBookLisette04142023AM
Scenes from the Minto US OPEN Pickleball Championships in Naples, Florida, during Tuesday’s play. Over 3000 athletes participated and over 5000 matches of Pickleball will be played. Finals will be played on Saturday.
Andrea Melendez / WGCU
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— WGCUBookLisette04142023AM
Scenes from the Minto US OPEN Pickleball Championships in Naples, Florida, during Tuesday’s play. Over 3000 athletes participated and over 5000 matches of Pickleball will be played. Finals will be played on Saturday.
Andrea Melendez / WGCU
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— WGCUBookLisette04142023AM
Scenes from the Minto US OPEN Pickleball Championships in Naples, Florida, during Tuesday’s play. Over 3000 athletes participated and over 5000 matches of Pickleball will be played. Finals will be played on Saturday.
Andrea Melendez / WGCU
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— WGCUBookLisette04142023AM
Scenes from the Minto US OPEN Pickleball Championships in Naples, Florida, during Tuesday’s play. Over 3000 athletes participated and over 5000 matches of Pickleball will be played. Finals will be played on Saturday.
Andrea Melendez / WGCU
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— WGCUBookLisette04142023AM
Scenes from the Minto US OPEN Pickleball Championships in Naples, Florida, during Tuesday’s play. Over 3000 athletes participated and over 5000 matches of Pickleball will be played. Finals will be played on Saturday.
Andrea Melendez / WGCU
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— WGCUBookLisette04142023AM
Scenes from the Minto US OPEN Pickleball Championships in Naples, Florida, during Tuesday’s play. Over 3000 athletes participated and over 5000 matches of Pickleball will be played. Finals will be played on Saturday.
Andrea Melendez / WGCU
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— WGCUBookLisette04142023AM
Scenes from the Minto US OPEN Pickleball Championships in Naples, Florida, during Tuesday’s play. Over 3000 athletes participated and over 5000 matches of Pickleball will be played. Finals will be played on Saturday.
Andrea Melendez / WGCU
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— WGCUBookLisette04142023AM
Scenes from the Minto US OPEN Pickleball Championships in Naples, Florida, during Tuesday’s play. Over 3000 athletes participated and over 5000 matches of Pickleball will be played. Finals will be played on Saturday.
Andrea Melendez / WGCU
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— WGCUBookLisette04142023AM
Scenes from the Minto US OPEN Pickleball Championships in Naples, Florida, during Tuesday’s play. Over 3000 athletes participated and over 5000 matches of Pickleball will be played. Finals will be played on Saturday.
Andrea Melendez / WGCU
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— WGCUBookLisette04142023AM
Scenes from the Minto US OPEN Pickleball Championships in Naples, Florida, during Tuesday’s play. Over 3000 athletes participated and over 5000 matches of Pickleball will be played. Finals will be played on Saturday.
Andrea Melendez / WGCU
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— WGCUBookLisette04142023AM
Scenes from the Minto US OPEN Pickleball Championships in Naples, Florida, during Tuesday’s play. Over 3000 athletes participated and over 5000 matches of Pickleball will be played. Finals will be played on Saturday.
Andrea Melendez / WGCU
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— WGCUBookLisette04142023AM
Scenes from the Minto US OPEN Pickleball Championships in Naples, Florida, during Tuesday’s play. Over 3000 athletes participated and over 5000 matches of Pickleball will be played. Finals will be played on Saturday.
Andrea Melendez / WGCU
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— WGCUBookLisette04142023AM
Scenes from the Minto US OPEN Pickleball Championships in Naples, Florida, during Tuesday’s play. Over 3000 athletes participated and over 5000 matches of Pickleball will be played. Finals will be played on Saturday.
Andrea Melendez / WGCU
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— WGCUBookLisette04142023AM
Scenes from the Minto US OPEN Pickleball Championships in Naples, Florida, during Tuesday’s play. Over 3000 athletes participated and over 5000 matches of Pickleball will be played. Finals will be played on Saturday.
Andrea Melendez / WGCU
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— WGCUBookLisette04142023AM
Scenes from the Minto US OPEN Pickleball Championships in Naples, Florida, during Tuesday’s play. Over 3000 athletes participated and over 5000 matches of Pickleball will be played. Finals will be played on Saturday.
Andrea Melendez / WGCU
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— WGCUBookLisette04142023AM
Scenes from the Minto US OPEN Pickleball Championships in Naples, Florida, during Tuesday’s play. Over 3000 athletes participated and over 5000 matches of Pickleball will be played. Finals will be played on Saturday.
Andrea Melendez / WGCU
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— WGCUBookLisette04142023AM
Scenes from the Minto US OPEN Pickleball Championships in Naples, Florida, during Tuesday’s play. Over 3000 athletes participated and over 5000 matches of Pickleball will be played. Finals will be played on Saturday.
Andrea Melendez / WGCU
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— WGCUBookLisette04142023AM
Scenes from the Minto US OPEN Pickleball Championships in Naples, Florida, during Tuesday’s play. Over 3000 athletes participated and over 5000 matches of Pickleball will be played. Finals will be played on Saturday.
Andrea Melendez / WGCU
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— WGCUBookLisette04142023AM
Scenes from the Minto US OPEN Pickleball Championships in Naples, Florida, during Tuesday’s play. Over 3000 athletes participated and over 5000 matches of Pickleball will be played. Finals will be played on Saturday.
Andrea Melendez / WGCU
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— WGCUBookLisette04142023AM
Scenes from the Minto US OPEN Pickleball Championships in Naples, Florida, during Tuesday’s play. Over 3000 athletes participated and over 5000 matches of Pickleball will be played. Finals will be played on Saturday.
Andrea Melendez / WGCU
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— WGCUBookLisette04142023AM
Scenes from the Minto US OPEN Pickleball Championships in Naples, Florida, during Tuesday’s play. Over 3000 athletes participated and over 5000 matches of Pickleball will be played. Finals will be played on Saturday.
Andrea Melendez / WGCU
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— WGCUBookLisette04142023AM
Scenes from the Minto US OPEN Pickleball Championships in Naples, Florida, during Tuesday’s play. Over 3000 athletes participated and over 5000 matches of Pickleball will be played. Finals will be played on Saturday.
Andrea Melendez / WGCU
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— WGCUBookLisette04142023AM
Scenes from the Minto US OPEN Pickleball Championships in Naples, Florida, during Tuesday’s play. Over 3000 athletes participated and over 5000 matches of Pickleball will be played. Finals will be played on Saturday.
Andrea Melendez / WGCU
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— WGCUBookLisette04142023AM
Scenes from the Minto US OPEN Pickleball Championships in Naples, Florida, during Tuesday’s play. Over 3000 athletes participated and over 5000 matches of Pickleball will be played. Finals will be played on Saturday.
Andrea Melendez / WGCU
The tournament features all sorts of categories, with players matched up by age, by level of play, by singles and doubles, and more.
Susannah Barr of Boise, Idaho, and Dave Weinbach of Madison, Wisconsin, won their “split age” match Tuesday in an intense battle.
“This is a really fun event because it's a split age,” Barr said.
Reporter: “What does split age mean?”
Barr: “So it's a senior player with an under-50 player.”
Reporter: “And you're the under 50 player.”
Barr: “Thank you, yes I am. Not by much, but I am.”
Her partner, Dave Weinbach, is well known in pickleball circles. He too loves the accessibility of the sport.
“The other thing that's so nice about pickleball is there's no barriers to entry,” Weinbach said. “Like anybody can play. It's so easy to get started. And I teach a lot. And I have people in my clinics from age five, to age 100.”
The tournament wraps up Saturday, April 22, with the finals broadcast that day from 5 to 7 PM on CBS Sports Network.
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