Scene Set in Cincy

Preview: The official tour of pickleball returns for a fan-favorite event in Cincinnati

Daniel Sagerman

June 10, 2026

In the Queen City, pickleball is royalty – and its champions will be crowned this week.

For the fourth year in a row, pickleball players from across the globe will return to Sawyer Point, on the banks of the Ohio River, this week as the APP Tour hosts the 2026 APP Vlasic Classic Cincinnati, a USA Pickleball Golden Ticket event.

The official tour of pickleball is back for its third event of the 2026 season, welcoming the sport’s elite professionals, amateurs of all ages, and the AARP Champions (50+) and Masters (60+) divisions competing for ranking points, prize money and plenty of hardware leading up to national TV broadcasts on ESPN2 and CBS Sports Network.

Also returning to action will be the latest round of 2026 Humana Cup competition, an exclusive team-based event for pros ages 50 and older. For team rosters, results and more, visit the 2026 Humana Cup homepage.

As a USA Pickleball-designated Golden Ticket event, gold medalists at the APP Vlasic Classic Cincinnati will earn the right to secure their spots at the 2026 USAP National Championships.

The stage is set for some electric battles on the riverfront. Here are the top pro storylines heading into the 2026 APP Classic Cincinnati.

HISTORY IN SACRAMENTO

Top-ranked Sofia Sewing became the sixth woman in APP Tour history to earn a Triple Crown after winning three gold medals at the 2026 APP Sacramento Open Benefiting Shriners Children's. Sewing will look to defend all three titles in Cincinnati, where she also won the women's singles gold medal in 2025.

SHINE BRIGHT LIKE A DIAMOND

Casey Diamond is the new No. 1-ranked men's mixed doubles pro after earning another title in Sacramento, helping Sewing clinch her triple crown. Diamond pairs up again with Sewing in Cincinnati, plus joins Aidan Schenk in men's doubles.

FUDGE ON TOP

Megan Fudge is the APP Tour's all-time leader in total career medals (87), a record she set at the 2025 APP Vlasic Classic in Cincinnati. Fudge (32 golds) is now one gold medal away from tying Simone Jardim for the most career women's pro gold medals (33). Will we see history in Cincinnati?

JACK ATTACK

Jack Munro won his first men's double gold medal of the season in Sacramento, as the top men's doubles seed alongside Richard Livornese, Jr. The Austin native also took home men's doubles gold in Cincinnati in 2025.

EYES ON THE PRIZE

Through two tournaments in 2026, Bobbi Oshiro is tied for the lead among APP Tour women's pros with four total medals. While still searching for her first gold medal of 2026, Oshiro returns to a memorable city, as she took home the mixed pro doubles title in Cincinnati in 2025.

RICHARD ON A ROLL

Richard Livornese, Jr. earned his first two APP Tour medals of 2026 in Sacramento, winning the men's doubles title alongside Jack Munro and securing silver in mixed doubles with Megan Fudge. Livornsese Jr. previously earned bronze in men's doubles in Cincinnati in 2025, and pairs up with Munro once more this week in Cincy.

KAT'S GOT CLAWS

Katerina Stewart secured her second APP Tour medal in as many events with a bronze finish in women's doubles in Sacramento. Stewart ranks No. 2 in the APP World Rankings in women's singles, and looks to get back to the top of the podium in Cincinnati.

REMARKABLE RUN

APP Tour pros Robert Slutsky and Zack Taylor, seeded No. 7 in a deep men's doubles field, made a remarkable run all the way to the championship match in Sacramento, ultimately earning silver medals. In Cincinnati, Slutsky pairs up with Brandon Lane as the No. 4 seeds, while Taylor and Jae Centonze pair up as the No. 9 seeds.

DON'T DOUBT DOMI

Domenika Turkovic has won the women's pro singles bronze medal at each of the first two APP Tour events of 2026. The Croatia native is primed to reach the top of the podium, and looks to make a run as the No. 4 seed in Cincinnati.

RONAN RISING

Ronan Camron enters the APP Vlasic Classic as the top seed in men's pro singles. The 21-year-old from Fort Myers has one silver medal thus far in 2026, and is hungry to earn his first gold of the season in Cincy.

PAT-TASTIC

Patrick Kawka earned the silver medal in men's singles in Sacramento for his first APP Tour medal of the season. Kawka returns to action as the No. 4 seed in Cincy.

DON’T MISS THE ACTION

Live coverage from the 2026 APP Vlasic Classic Cincinnati begins on Friday, June 12 on APPTV on YouTube, followed by continued coverage on Saturday, June 13 and Sunday, June 14 on ESPN Plus. Both ESPN2 and CBS Sports Network will also carry linear television recap shows. Award-winning broadcaster Kayla Santiago, Director of APP Collegiate Series Dominic Catalano and APP U.S. National Team head coach Chad Edwards will be on the call.

Fans can stay posted on all the action on TheAPP.global and by following the APP’s social media pages: @OfficialAPPTour on Instagram, X, TikTok, and Threads and APP Tour on Facebook.