Illinois is a great state for pickleball tournaments for players of all skill levels! The APP Chicago Open is the biggest pro tournament, attracting many of the best players in the world, while the Centre Court Athletic Club in Hanover Park hosts a number of great amateur events.
Winter Paddle Battle
Time of Year: Winter
Location: Decatur Indoor Sports Center, Decatur
Description: This is a fun, casual tournament taking place in off season at the Decatur Indoor Sports Center. The registration fee is $40 (including a complimentary t-shirt!), and all the proceeds benefit the Boys and Girls Club of Southern Illinois.
The tournament is round robin, with a playoff bracket for the top four teams. There are divisions by skill level (3.0, 3.5, 4.0, and 4.5+) for men’s doubles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles.
B-Town Throwdown
Time of Year: Spring
Location: Evergreen Racquet Club, Bloomington
Description: The B-Town Throwdown takes place at the Evergreen Racquet Club in Bloomington (the titular B-Town) in early Spring.
The pickleball tournament takes place over the weekend, with optional open play on the Friday night for any entries looking for a last minute bit of practice! Men’s doubles and women’s doubles take place on Saturday, with the mixed doubles events on Sunday.
There are skill level divisions for players ranging from 3.0 to 5.0. This is a round robin pickleball tournament with bracket play for the top teams.
St-Louis Pickleball Classic
Time of Year: Spring
Location: St Clair Tennis, O’Fallon
Description: A World Pickleball Tour Event (WPT) the St Louis Pickleball Classic takes place over three days in Spring time.
Women’s doubles play on Friday, mixed doubles on Saturday, and men’s doubles on Sunday.
There is a $70 registration fee which includes a free unisex t-shirt, with the prize money payout maxing out at $125 per member of the winning teams.
The format of the event depends on the number of teams per division: six or more will play a double elimination bracket, while less will take part in a round robin style event.
Chicago Pickleball Classic
Time of Year: Summer
Location: Fabbrini Park, Hoffman Estates
Description: Another WPT event, this time taking place at Hoffman Estates just thirty miles outside of downtown Chicago.
The Chicago Pickleball Classic follows much of the same format as the St-Louis iteration, with three days of pickleball, a $70 registration fee, and a total $5,000 payout for the winning teams.
Spring Fling @ Centre Court Athletic Club
Time of Year: Spring
Location: Centre Court Athletic Club, Hanover Park
Description: The Spring Fling, held at Centre Court Athletic Club in Hanover Park is a great tournament presented by Dink Bang Sideout.
Though there is no prize money payout for this tournament, the winners do receive a gift card. The registration fee is $65.
It is worth noting that only USA Pickleball Association-approved paddles will be accepted in this tournament.
NP Windy City Classic
Time of Year: Summer
Location: Danny Cunniff Park, Highland Park
Description: The NP Windy City Classic, taking place at the Danny Cuniff Park in the Highland Park region, is one of the biggest amateur pickleball tournaments in the state of Illinois.
The format is a round robin or double elimination bracket (depending on division sizes and the number of entries received).
The registration fee for this pickleball tournament is $65, with the registration deadline closing about a month before the start of the event.
APP Chicago Open
Time of Year: Summer
Location: Danny Cunniff Park, Highland Park
Description: The APP Chicago Open is the biggest pro pickleball tournament in the state of Illinois.
There are both amateur and pro events taking place, while spectators can purchase a ten dollar day pass to enjoy the action up close. This event is fully sanctioned by the MMP.
For both pros and amateurs, the following events are taking place: Men’s Singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles.
To qualify for the pro events you must have a skill level of 4.5 or higher, while nobody with a skill level of over 5.0 may compete in the amateur events.
Fall Brawl @ Centre Court Athletic Club
Time of Year: Fall
Location: Centre Court Athletic Club, Hanover Park
Description: Also run by Dink Bang Sideout, this is the sister event to the earlier Spring Fling taking place at Centre Court Athletic Club.
The format and location remain much the same – if you live in the Hanover Park area and are looking for pickleball tournaments, the guys at Dink Bang Sideout know how to run an event!
