Down Under Duel: Elite Pickleball Stars Clash at PPA Tour New Zealand Cup
What's the Score?
The PPA Tour New Zealand Cup 2025 is set to bring together top pickleball players from Australia and New Zealand for a highly anticipated competition. Taking place at the TotalCoach Tennis Centre in Auckland from April 24-27, 2025, the event will feature professional and amateur matches across singles, doubles, and junior categories, with significant prize money and valuable ranking points up for grabs. The tournament also marks the debut of the MLPA Challenger and Masters Leagues, further highlighting the growing professional pickleball scene in the region.
Hit it deeper!
Organised by PPA Tour Australia and MLP Australia, the PPA Tour New Zealand Cup represents a significant step forward for professional pickleball in the Australia, New Zealand, and Asia region. PPA Tour Australia is recognised as the official professional league in this part of the world and is offering over $1 million in prize money throughout the 2025 season. The New Zealand Cup promises to showcase the best talent from the region, providing a platform for both established players and rising stars to compete at a high level.
The tournament will follow a structured schedule over four days. Professional qualifiers will kick off the event on April 24, followed by the main draw events: Singles on April 25, Mixed Doubles and Junior Singles on April 26, and Gender Doubles and Junior Doubles on April 27. The tournament format for professional players in the main draw will be best of three games to 11 points, win by two. Open and Masters categories (3.0+ skill level) will utilise a double-elimination format, ensuring ample opportunities for players to compete.
Participant registration for the event opened in January, with the deadline for professional event registration closing on April 14. This allowed organisers to determine the main draw participants and those needing to compete in the qualifiers. The PPA Tour Australia will award prize money to the top three finishers in both the Pro and Pro Masters events, incentivising strong performances. Additionally, players will earn points towards season-end bonuses in the “The Race,” adding another layer of competitive drive to the tournament.
A significant aspect of the PPA Tour New Zealand Cup is the debut of the MLPA Challenger and Masters Leagues. These new leagues will feature 64 elite players from the region, providing additional competitive opportunities and further developing the professional pickleball ecosystem in Australia and New Zealand.
The event at the TotalCoach Tennis Centre in Auckland marks the return of professional pickleball to the city and is expected to significantly boost the sport's profile across the entire region. By bringing together top-ranked athletes and launching new professional leagues, the New Zealand Cup aims to solidify pickleball's growth and attract more fans and participants.
The World Pickleball Verdict
The PPA Tour New Zealand Cup 2025 is a crucial event for the advancement of professional pickleball in Australia and New Zealand. It provides a high-stakes competitive environment for the region's top players, offering substantial prize money and valuable ranking points within the PPA Tour system. The debut of the MLPA Challenger and Masters Leagues signifies a deepening of the professional structure within the region. This tournament is likely to elevate the profile of pickleball, attract new talent, and foster greater fan engagement in both countries, further establishing the "Down Under" region as a significant contributor to the global professional pickleball landscape.