The Franklin US Open Pickleball Championships 2026 is underway for eight days, Friday, April 11 to Friday, April 18, at East Naples Community Park in Naples, Florida. Nearly 4,000 players from amateur to pro are taking part, and as one of the world's largest pickleball events, it's showing "record-breaking" excitement.
Andre Agassi makes his pro debut: mixed doubles with Waters
Tennis legend Andre Agassi (55) competed in a pro pickleball event for the first time. His partner was world No. 1 Anna Leigh Waters. In the first round, they beat the young pairing of 13-year-old Stevie Petropoulos and 16-year-old Tristan Dusseau 11-8, 9-11, 11-7.
In the second round they lost to the pairing of Tran Huynh-McClain and Len Yan 7-11, 11-4, 11-7, but after the match Agassi commented, "I got to feel how fun this sport is." However, he showed a cautious stance on future participation, saying, "I don't intend to become a full-time pro pickleball player. I'm in a different season of life now."
Agassi is chair of Life Time's pickleball and tennis board and has also released his own JOOLA-made signature paddle.At yesterday's Pickleball Slam 4he had just faced off against Waters, and this time the picture of fighting as partners became a talking point.
The Waters mother-daughter pair aims for a doubles repeat
The pair of Anna Leigh Waters and her mother Leigh Waters are competing again this year as the defending champions in pro women's doubles. As the only mother-daughter pair in the pro pickleball world, attention is on whether Anna Leigh -- who holds world No. 1 across all three events, singles, doubles, and mixed doubles -- can achieve a "complete sweep."
Indian players shine too: the US Open grows more international
At this year's US Open, participants from India also shone. In results that symbolize the globalization of pickleball, Dhiren Patel, who leads the IPA tour, won gold, and Naga Moksha took bronze.IPA-sanctioned events in Indiaand their track record suggest they are helping raise Asian players' level.
Points of interest for Japanese readers
The US Open is the only large-scale event where "amateurs and pros compete in the same event." Age-based categories are finely set, and anyone can enter by skill level from 3.0 to 5.0+. Traveling participants from Japan are also trending upward year by year, andPPA Tour Asia Hanoi Cupalong with it, it's also positioned as an "international-event debut" when aiming for participation from within Asia.
Tournament overview
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Tournament Name | Franklin US Open Pickleball Championships 2026 |
| Schedule | April 11-18, 2026 |
| Venues | East Naples Community Park (Florida) |
| Number of participants | About 4,000 people |
| Broadcast | ESPN / CBS Sports |
