Professional Pickleball Returning to Warren County Next Month

Warren County, Ohio (August 21, 2023) – An historic “Final Sunday” between international tennis giants at the 2023 Western & Southern Open brought that tournament to a close recently, but Warren County’s Lindner Family Tennis Center won’t sit empty for long. The venue is set to welcome yet another championship-level sporting event in just a few short weeks, according to the Warren County Convention & Visitors Bureau (WCCVB). For the second consecutive year, the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) is bringing its Baird Wealth Management Open to the iconic Warren County facility September 7-10. The event is a ”major” on the PPA Tour’s 25-event schedule, and last year’s inaugural event was the largest ever held in the Midwest, according to the PPA. More than 1,000 athletes and 8,000 fans from around the world came to Southwest Ohio for that event, spurring an economic impact of more than $850,000 for the local community.

“Warren County is excited to host the Baird Wealth Management Open and to bring yet another great sporting event to the Lindner Family Tennis Center,” said Phillip S. Smith, President & CEO of the WCCVB. “In just the last decade, we’ve hosted 64 events at the tennis center, including NCAA National Tennis Championships and even NCAA National Cross Country Championships, but the meteoric rise of pickleball as a sport makes this event truly exciting for us to host in Warren County.”

As Smith noted, other events held at the Lindner Family Tennis Center have included the NCAA Division III Tennis National Championships, Ohio High School Tennis State Championships, Atlantic 10 Conference Tennis Championships, Ohio Athletic Conference Tennis Championships, River States Conference Tennis Championships, Northern Kentucky University Tennis Invitationals, AVP Beach Volleyball Championships and NCAA Division III Cross Country National Championships, among other large-scale athletic events.

Ben Huffman, Director of Sports Enterprises for the WCCVB, anticipates this year’s event will be equally impactful as last year’s.

“We are excited to host the PPA for the 2nd annual Cincinnati Open and look forward to assisting the event as it converts one of the world’s iconic tennis venues into a 42-court mecca of pickleball,” Huffman said. “Last year’s event was a huge success and we expect this year to be even bigger. That $850,000 in economic impact event included more than 1,500 hotel room nights and we expect those numbers to grow this during this year’s event.”

Those interested in learning more, purchasing tickets or even registering to play in the Baird Wealth Management Open can do so at PPATour.com.

About the Warren County Convention & Visitors Bureau
Warren County is Ohio’s Largest Playground®! With easy access from Interstates 71 and 75, visitors to Warren County can enjoy more activities within a 30-mile radius than anywhere else in Ohio. The Warren County Convention & Visitors Bureau is a professional destination marketing and management organization whose mission is to strengthen the community by advancing economic growth and vitality through tourism and overnight stays by encouraging significant participation by visitors in the local tourism economy. Tourism is the leading industry in Warren County. More than 13 million yearly visitors drive an economic impact of $1.45 billion and more than 12,000 tourism-related jobs. For additional information, visit OhiosLargestPlayground.com, call 513-204-1900 or visit the WCCVB on social media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

About the PPA Tour
The Professional Pickleball Association is the professional tour for the sport of pickleball, organizing events and rankings for the top male and female pickleball players in the world and awarding more than $3 million in annual prize money. With more than 20 events in 2022 at world-class facilities like the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, OH, and the Darling Tennis Center in Las Vegas, the PPA Tour is the premier provider of professional and amateur events. The PPA Tour’s broadcast partners include FOX Sports, Tennis Channel, CBS, CBS Sports, and ESPN. Founded in 2018 and based in Salt Lake City, Utah, the PPA Tour provides an unparalleled experience for all, inviting players to compete and “play where the pros play,” as well as offering unrivaled venues, food/beverages, live DJ entertainment, VIP experiences, giveaways and games, pro player meet-and-greets, shopping, vendors, and more. For more information, go to www.ppatour.com.