Cincinnati’s Sawyer Point is hosting the Vlasic Classic pickleball tournament, featuring professional and amateur players, workshops, and entertainment. Matches begin at 8 a.m. each day, with nearly 570 players registered to compete on 24 courts between Thursday and Sunday.

Pickleball Popularity Grows

Professional players will compete for their share of a $125,000 prize pool, while amateurs will play for a chance to qualify for the USA Pickleball National Championships. Gary Lessis, a Sawyer Point board member, emphasized the sport’s growing popularity. “It’s really picked up. We started here at Sawyer Point with 11 people in May of 2020. Last year, we counted more than 40,000 people playing here,” Lessis said.

The Vlasic Classic also includes pickleball workshops, shopping, food trucks, and live music.

Original reporting: WLWT Cincinnati — read the source article.