{"id":152124,"date":"2026-02-11T22:04:07","date_gmt":"2026-02-11T22:04:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/152124\/"},"modified":"2026-02-11T22:04:07","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T22:04:07","slug":"world-class-pickleball-takes-over-cape-coral-at-the-2026-veolia-cape-coral-open","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/152124\/","title":{"rendered":"World-Class Pickleball takes over Cape Coral at the 2026 Veolia Cape Coral Open"},"content":{"rendered":"

CAPE CORAL, Fla. \u2014 World-class pickleball is being served on The Courts in Cape Coral<\/a> as the 2026 Veolia Cape Coral Open<\/a> gets underway, bringing together elite professionals and everyday competitors on the same stage.<\/p>\n

Senior reporter Emily Young speaks with pros and amateurs:<\/p>\n

Cape Coral Pickleball Open<\/p>\n

Fans can expect lightning-fast rallies, quick hands at the net, and high-level matchups throughout the week. Some of the best professional players in the world are competing \u2014 including some of the sport\u2019s youngest rising stars.<\/p>\n

Among them are pro siblings Cason Campbell, 19, and Caily Campbell, 15. The teenage standouts say that being young on tour actually works to their advantage.<\/p>\n

\u201cI kind of go into every match as the underdogs,\u201d Caily Campbell said. \u201cWe have less pressure and that makes it really fun. Every match is kind of exciting to win because you\u2019re not expecting to win them \u2014 and then it\u2019s just a really exciting feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n

The tournament stands out for more than just its pro talent. Amateur players are also competing in their own divisions at the same event \u2014 and on the very same courts as the professionals. For many recreational players, the experience is unforgettable.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just so exciting to see the girls I watch on YouTube all the time,\u201d said amateur player Christine Lago. \u201cI watch them all on YouTube, but I also take lessons and play three to four times a week. I just love pickleball.\u201d<\/p>\n

With pros and amateurs sharing the spotlight, the 2026 Veolia Cape Coral Open showcases the full spectrum of the sport \u2014 from elite competition to community passion.<\/p>\n

The tournament runs through Sunday at The Courts in Cape Coral formally Lake Kennedy with the big crowds coming out to watch this weekend. Stars Anna Leigh Waters and Ben Johns are both playing in the mens and women’s doubles as well as mixed.<\/p>\n

Those interested in attending can find tickets and the complete tournament schedule HERE.<\/a><\/p>\n

You can also check out the entire PPA schedule and watch Wednesday’s live action here.<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"CAPE CORAL, Fla. \u2014 World-class pickleball is being served on The Courts in Cape Coral as the 2026…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":152125,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[209,263,211,210,28677,29,8810,73392,7873,73389,73390,73391],"class_list":["post-152124","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cape-coral","tag-cape-coral","tag-cape-coral-florida","tag-cape-coral-headlines","tag-cape-coral-news","tag-emily-young","tag-florida-news","tag-google-news","tag-lake-kennedy","tag-pickleball","tag-pickleball-open","tag-pickleball-tournament","tag-pro-pickleball"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/152124","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=152124"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/152124\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/152125"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=152124"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=152124"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=152124"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}