Beer City Open brings pro pickleball to Grand Rapids

Beer City Open brings pro pickleball to Grand Rapids
<strong> Courtesy AHC Hospitality </strong>

The 2022 Beer City Open will feature its largest-ever purse of $90,000 and a full roster of top pickleball athletes.

The pickleball tournament will take place July 20-24 at Belknap Park, 30 Coldbrook St. NE in Grand Rapids.

This year’s events will kick off at 8:30 Wednesday, July 20, with the men’s singles. The full schedule of events is available here.

This year’s Beer City Open will be the largest since the pickleball championship was founded in 2018.

An investment by the Grand Rapids Pickleball Club and the city of Grand Rapids has provided more courts and new stadium seating for the 2022 event, which expects to welcome more than 950 athletes from 38 states and six countries.

Registration to play in the Beer City Open sold out in 12 minutes, with top athletes such as Zane Navratil, the top-ranked singles pickleball player in the world, and JW Johnson, the top mixed male player in the world and third-ranked doubles male player, on this year’s athlete roster.

Simone Jardim, the top-ranked mixed doubles female player, and Andrea Koop, the Beer City Open tournament director, ranked fourth in the world for women’s doubles, also will participate.

“The Beer City Open provides an intimate tournament experience through the courts and fan excitement,” Navratil said. “The tournament directors do a great job of perfecting every detail for fans and athletes, which does not go unnoticed by either group.”

The $90,000 grand prize comes courtesy of AHC Hospitality, the tournament’s title sponsor, and PepsiCo Beverages North America, Perrin Brewing, Revolin Sports, McClure’s Pickles, Elders Helpers, Priority Health and Paddletek.

The championship is free to attend as a spectator, and food trucks will be on-site.