APP Vlasic Classic returns to Cincinnati with Golden Ticket stakes
Cincinnati amateurs can chase a Golden Ticket at Sawyer Point as the APP Vlasic Classic brings elite pros, AARP Champions play and Nationals stakes to the riverfront.
The biggest prize in Cincinnati pickleball this June will not just be a trophy. At Sawyer Point & Yeatman’s Cove, players with Challenger or Champion membership will be able to enter a Golden Ticket tournament, and the winners will earn pre-registration priority for the 2026 USA Pickleball National Championships.
The APP Vlasic Classic will return June 11 through June 14 for its fourth year in Cincinnati, giving the riverfront another high-level tournament weekend and giving local amateurs something a standard spectator event does not: a chance to compete on the same stage as touring talent. The event will run in singles and doubles formats, and Visit Cincy lists it as welcoming all skill levels, including the AARP Champions Tour. Competition will start at 8:00 AM each day, with spectator tickets priced from $11 to $151 and participant fees varying by division.
That access matters because Sawyer Point is no ordinary pop-up venue. Cincinnati Parks opened the Sawyer Point Pickleball & Tennis Complex to the public in September 2022 after city and community upgrades, and the Cincinnati Parks Foundation said the project expanded the site to 12 permanent pickleball courts plus eight additional overlay courts on four tennis courts. Visit Cincy now lists the complex as a 24-court venue with 18 pickleball-specific courts, along with LED lighting for night play and seating for 250 spectators.
The tournament also has a track record in Cincinnati. APP staged the Vlasic Classic at Sawyer Point from May 9 to May 14 in 2023, then returned from May 7 to May 12 in 2024 with amateurs of all ages, elite pros and the AARP Champions 50+ Division. That 2024 stop also drew national television coverage on ESPN2 and ESPN+, which helped turn the downtown riverfront into a showcase rather than a one-off date on the calendar.
For Cincinnati players, the appeal is sharper than a typical stop on the tour. The city is not just hosting a pro exhibition. It is hosting a sanctioned qualifying event where local competitors can measure themselves against the best, chase a Nationals pathway and do it at a venue built for real tournament crowds. At Sawyer Point, the amateur bracket is not an afterthought. It is part of the main event.
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