Inaugural LT Open will test top singles players physically and mentally

Alex Lantz

Director of Content

Last Edited

Oct 16 2025

Category

News

This weekend’s LT Open, hosted at Life Time Peachtree Corners in Atlanta, will bring together the world’s best singles players – whether they be from the PPA Tour, APP Tour or elsewhere – with $250,000 in prize money on the line across the men’s and women’s divisions.

The winners will each receive $50,000, with the remaining $150,000 distributed among other top finishers:

Round of 32 winners: $1,000
Round of 16 winners: $2,000
Quarterfinal winners: $3,000
4th place: $6,000
3rd place: $10,000
2nd place: $15,000

Several top players from both tours are in the field at the event, which starts Thursday with men’s singles qualifying. The main draw for both the men’s and women’s divisions will start Friday, with the schedule as follows (all times ET):

Friday, 8 a.m.-noon: Men’s singles Round of 64
Friday, noon-5 p.m.: Women’s singles Round of 64 and Round of 32 for both divisions
- Matches will be livestreamed on the PPA Tour YouTube page.

Saturday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.: Round of 16 for both divisions
Saturday, 3 p.m.-8 p.m.: Quarterfinals for both divisions
- Matches will be broadcast on Pickleballtv from noon-8 p.m. and on FS2 from 6-8 p.m.

Sunday, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.: Semifinals for both divisions
Sunday, 3 p.m.-6 p.m.: Gold medal and bronze medal matches for both divisions
- Live on Pickleballtv 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; tape delay on FS2 9 p.m.-11 p.m.

"Not only has Life Time Peachtree Corners been one of our most beloved host venues on the PPA Tour and in Major League Pickleball, but Life Time as an organization has been an amazing partner and incredibly influential in growing the sport of pickleball across the country," said Connor Pardoe, CEO of the United Pickleball Association, which includes the PPA Tour and Major League Pickleball. "The LT Open will undoubtedly be a pillar of the pickleball calendar, and we are excited to open the opportunity for UPA players to compete in the event. It will be a fantastic tournament for players to challenge themselves against some of the best pickleball athletes in the world."

The LT Open will be the first U.S. tournament to implement on-site professional paddle testing using a GNG machine: A portable device developed by Pickle Pro Labs (PPL) and certified by the United Pickleball Association of America (UPA-A). This machine ensures paddles meet strict deflection and power standards, helping maintain fair play. Only paddles with full UPA-A certification will be tested and allowed for play.

LT Open marks return of best-of-5 singles format

The tournament is expected to be more physically (and mentally) demanding than what most pro players are used to, because each round will be a best-of-5 format starting in the Round of 64.

For a stretch in 2022, all PPA Tour gold-medal matches were decided using a best-of-5 format, including singles. But the tour reverted back to the best-of-3 format for singles later that year due to concerns regarding longevity for the players – especially considering that many of the same players who were making the finals in singles were also often playing best-of-5 doubles matches on the same day.

With no doubles this week, it will be a true survival of the fittest challenge to see who can sustain a high level over the course of three days of grueling singles play.

In the brief history of pro pickleball, there have only been three singles matches that were won in a deciding fifth game – in back-to-back-to-back events in the spring of 2022, all coincidentally at Life Time facilities.

May 8, 2022: Ryan Sherry def. Julian Arnold at the North Carolina Open

May 22, 2022: Federico Staksrud def. Rafa Hewett at the Atlanta Open

June 9, 2022: Parris Todd def. Anna Leigh Waters at the Orange County Cup

I caught up with Sherry and Todd earlier this week to ask about what they remember from those matches and what they are expecting this week to be like (both are in the field.)

In the spring of 2022, both Sherry and Arnold were at the peak of their powers and regularly making deep runs in PPA events. Arnold went on to be named the MVP of Major League Pickleball later that year, while Sherry also earned a silver and bronze in singles on the PPA Tour that year.

“I just remember I went through six T-shirts over those five sets,” Sherry said. “It was a really hard fought match, and I was coming off of days of no sleep and partying with the Gronkowski brothers in Vegas. It felt like a marathon, but when the lights were bright, I was able to string together some good points. That was a big win for me to be taken a little more seriously in the sport – like, ‘Hey, that Ryan Sherry’s got a lot of potential and talent.’”

The win over Waters also remains one of Todd’s biggest accomplishments in the sport. That match was Waters' only loss of the season (she finished 2022 47-1), and she has still only been beaten by a handful of players in singles. To get the win in a five-set match made it even more memorable for Todd.

“I was so exhausted after that match,” she said. “We must have played for over 2 hours, and it was just so gritty. Especially when you’re playing such a good player like Anna Leigh – all the points are hard – so we were just grinding on every point.”

Both Sherry and Todd said they expect this weekend to be more of a grind than your average pro singles event, due to the longer matches and also the strength of the field. On the men’s side, there are several big-name players who are expected to contend for the title – Connor Garnett, Chris Haworth, Federico Staksrud, John Lucian Goins, Will Howells, Jaume Martinez Vich and more.

“It's going to be cool to see how everyone handles it mentally and physically this week,” Todd said. “It’s going to be like the Hunger Games I feel like.”

Along with Todd, the women’s bracket features Kaitlyn Christian, Judit Castillo, Salome Devidze, Lea Jansen and Simone Jardim, among others.

“In the end I think the people who are in shape are going to be fine,” Sherry said, joking that he might not fall into that category. “It’s safe to say my results haven’t been where they need to be lately, but you can’t tell the history of the PPA Tour and pickleball without Sherry, Staksrud and Todd. So I’m happy to – at least until this weekend – be in that category with them as the only ones to grind out a five-set win.”