The Big Apple. The City That Never Sleeps. And this week, the host of the APP Tour’s premier Memorial Day pickleball event: New York City.
The APP Tour - the world’s first and the world’s best pro and amateur pickleball tour - returns to one of the most legendary and historic venues in all of sports, the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, for the 2024 Zimmer Biomet APP New York City Open. Medals and prize money are up for grabs and national TV broadcasts under the lights on CBS Sports Network and Fox Sports 1 (FS1).
Pickleball players from around the world will hit the courts this week in New York featuring amateurs of all ages, pickleball’s elite pros, the AARP Champions (50+) and Masters (60+) Divisions, the return of the season-long Humana Cup competition, and the debut of an all-new event: the APP NYC Shuffle.
The 2024 Zimmer Biomet APP New York City Open is our second Major tournament of the year, bringing enhanced prize pools and tournament draws throughout the week. The event is also a USA Pickleball Golden Ticket event, meaning gold medalists earn the right to secure their spot at the USAP National Championships in November.
In addition to hosting singles, doubles and mixed doubles action throughout the week, the 2024 Zimmer Biomet APP New York City Open will debut the inaugural APP NYC Shuffle on Sunday, May 26. In this exciting new event, 16 men and 16 women will compete for $75,000 and the right to be crowned the best doubles player on the APP Tour. The men’s and women’s players will be divided into four pools of four players each, and “shuffled” into different team matchups for round robin play. The top teams will advance to knockout rounds, and champions will be crowned.
In lieu of Championship Sunday, all APP pro gold medal matches will be played on the day of their respective brackets.
It wouldn’t be a New York show without some headliners. Here are the top storylines heading into the 2024 Zimmer Biomet APP New York City Open.
Return of the Queen
Simone Jardim stole the show with two gold medals at the 2024 APP Vlasic Classic in Cincinnati. The longtime pickleball vet earned her first women’s singles gold since 2021, and another in women’s doubles alongside Allison Harris. Jardim also won women’s doubles gold in NYC last year, and the duo are this year’s top seeds.
Andrei The Giant
Andrei Daescu returns to action with six APP Tour medals under his belt in 2024, tied for the most among APP Tour men’s pros. He’ll pair up in men’s doubles with Jack Munro and Jill Braverman in mixed doubles. Daescu earned a gold at the 2023 APP NYC Open, in men’s doubles.
Formidable Fudge
Megan Fudge returns to New York as the top seed in women’s singles. The Belleair, Florida resident joins forces with Yana Newell, who earned a silver medal in Cincinnati, in women’s doubles. Fudge and Munro will team up in mixed doubles as the number three seeds in New York.
New Champs in Town
Rob Nunnery and Ryler DeHeart each earned their first APP Tour gold medals of the season in Cincinnati, and are looking for more hardware. Nunnery teams up with APP Next Gen U.S. National Team member Richard Livornese, Jr. as the top seeds in men’s doubles, and alongside Susannah Barr as the number one seeds in mixed doubles. DeHeart squads up with Kelsey Grambeau and Eric Oncins in New York.
Raising the Barr
Susannah Barr earned 24 total medals–including 11 golds—in 2023, and secured her first gold of 2024 alongside Brandon Lane in Cincinnati. Barr and Nunnery look to return to the top of the podium in mixed doubles, and Mari Humberg will join her side in women’s doubles.
Rematch, Anyone?
Will Sobek and Vuk Velickovic delivered one of the most exhilarating matches in APP Tour history at the 2023 APP New York City Open, and both competitors will return to the courts. Will we see a rematch in the men’s pro singles final? Relive the exciting match here on APPTV.
Champs Are Back
2024 APP Tour gold medalists Judit Castillo, Grayson Goldin, Chris Haworth, Will Howells, CJ Klinger and Bobbi Oshiro all have their eyes on more hardware in New York.
The Future is Now
2024 APP Next Gen U.S. National Team members Riley Bohnert, Jayden Broderick, Alia Brown, Spencer Lanier, Cameron Luhring, Lauren Mercado, Brooke Revuelta and Ivy Tschetter all return to action in New York.
Don’t Miss the Action
The 2024 Zimmer Biomet APP New York City Open will feature national television broadcasts on CBS Sports Network from 6 to 8 p.m. ET on Friday 5/24, and on FS1 from 7 to 9 p.m. ET on Saturday 5/25 and from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. ET on Sunday 5/26. The action will also be streamed live on APPTV, available on YouTube, Caffeine TV and Court Sports Network, on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Fans can stay posted on all the action by following the APP’s social media pages: @OfficialAPPTour on Instagram, X, TikTok, and Threads and APP Tour on Facebook.
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Venue:
USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center
Corona Park, Flushing Meadows
New York City, NY
Broadcast Info (all times Eastern):
Friday, May 24 | 1:30 - 5 pm | APPTV (YouTube)
Friday, May 24 | 6 - 8 pm | CBS Sports Network
Saturday, May 25 | 2 - 6 pm | APPTV (YouTube)
Saturday, May 25 | 7 - 9 pm | FS1
Sunday, May 26 | 10:00 am - 1:30 pm | APPTV (YouTube)
Sunday, May 26 | 2:30 - 4:30 pm | FS1
*The full event schedule, including brackets, can be found here.
