PPA Australia is landing in Sydney for the first time in 2025, and it’s shaping up to be the league’s biggest event yet. With more than 400 sign-ups and registrations hitting capacity almost instantly, the NSW Open has proven how hungry players are for top-tier pickle in the heart of Sydney.
This event is big for a few reasons: new pro pairings taking the court, some notable names missing from the draw, PPA player rankings heating up with only a handful of events left, and the return of Moneyball after its Redcliffe debut. Add in Auburn’s buzzing pickleball scene and we’ve got a weekend stacked with storylines.
If you’re competing or just an avid supporter (welcome), this will be one to watch.
PPA Australia NSW Open 2025: Key details
Here’s your quick rundown of the details:
- When: Friday 30 August – Sunday 1 September
- Where: Auburn Tennis Centre (all amateur events); Pickle Point, Milperra (all pro events)
- Prize pool & points: Over $20,000 in prize money, plus 1,000 points toward The Race (PPA Australia rankings)
- Divisions: From 3.0+ up to 5.0+, juniors, and 50+.
- Schedule:
- Friday: Pro & Masters Singles + Amateur Singles
- Saturday: Pro & Masters Gender Doubles + Amateur Mixed + Juniors Singles
- Sunday: Pro & Masters Mixed Doubles + Amateur Mixed + Juniors Doubles
- Where to watch:
- Come join us live in Auburn this weekend! Parking and spectating are both free. If you can’t make it out, be sure to catch matches streamed live via the PPA Australia YouTube channel, with highlights and updates across social media throughout the weekend.
The NSW Open is running as a double-elimination event, so anyone who drops in the main draw still has a shot to fight their way through the back draw and play for bronze.
What’s at stake in Sydney
The NSW Open lands at an interesting point in the 2025 calendar. With only two PPA Australia events left this year, every point matters for the overall standings. For some, Auburn is a chance to solidify a spot near the top, while others will be looking to break through with a late-season run. That said, there’s still plenty of pickle left in the year. Anything can happen!
There’s also the small factor called international tournament overlap. The PPA Asia series Fukuoka event is taking place in Japan this same weekend, meaning a few Aussies (Nicola Schoeman, Danni-Elle Townsend, Sahra Dennehy, Zach Grabovic, Lucas Pascoe, Rob Stirling) and familiar international names (Jack Wong, Euwongg Kim, Aiko Yoshitomi, Kenta Miyoshi, Albie Huang) won’t be in Sydney, opening up space for new names to take the spotlight here. Curious to see how this plays out.
And while registration across the board smashed records, the pro bracket is noticeably light (likely due to PPA Asia overlap and MLP/PPA calendar changes). That said, there’s still $20k in prize money and 1,000 PPAA points on the line, so best believe everyone playing will be here to win.
Storylines and players to watch
Now that we’ve covered the basics of what’s at stake, who’s in and who’s out, and the general lay of the land, here are a few storylines to watch for in the pro space this weekend.
Women’s pro events
- The women’s pro division is… really light. Just 11 players in singles and nine teams in doubles.
- Women’s singles: Somer Dalla-Bona, Australia’s top singles player, is sitting out again, and Sahra Dennehy is away competing in Japan. This leaves the field open for Van Reek, Dikosavljevic, Haet, and Turulja as the top 4 seeds to make a deep run.
- Women’s doubles: With only nine teams, the draw is pool play (one pool of five, one of four). Matches are 1 game to 15, win by two, with the top two teams per pool advancing to semis.
- The iconic duo of Katy Hart and Roos Van Reek are not paired up for the first time in a while — look out for Hart and Dikosavljevic to take on Van Reek and Dalla-Bona if they meet in the knockout stages. We’ll also see the debut of the Bozovic sisters pairing up in a pro event. Both bring a strong tennis pedigree and are early on in their pickleball journey. With so few teams, every match is high stakes, so look out for any sneaky upsets.
Men’s pro events
- Men’s singles: With Jack Wong and Kenta Miyoshi (winners of the last four of five titles, shoutout Laville taking Perth) both absent, we’re guaranteed to see a new PPAA singles champion for the first time since February. It’s just a matter of who takes the cake.
- Men’s doubles: Jason Taylor (JT) is back post-ACL injury, pairing up with Mitch Hargreaves. George Wall and Joey Wild are the defending champs from Brisbane, defeating Jack and Kim (both absent this weekend). We’ll see if they can keep up the winning streak. The bracket is loaded with new faces, too — Freddie Powell, who comes with a strong reputation from England and partnering up with Louis Laville, will be one to watch.
Mixed doubles pro
- The mixed doubles bracket also has some new pairings. Hargreaves & Dikosavljevic are pairing up, Hart & Taylor are teaming together, and Dalla-Bona & Wall are giving it another run. Van Reek & Grewal are also pairing up again (following Van Reek’s back-to-back wins with Wall in the last two PPAA events), and Joey Wild will be playing with Selina Turulja — his first Australian event without Danni-Elle Townsend since mid-2024. Really curious to see who comes out on top here.
Two other things to note —
- Sydney has been WINDY the last few days and Saturday (gender doubles day) is forecasted to have gusts up to 60kph. Weather conditions are a big factor in outdoor pickleball, so I expect this to favour some and really hurt others.
- There has been a location change for all pro events. These will now be held in Milperra rather than Auburn. While the circumstances are not clear, I’ve heard some of the Auburn courts are not in ideal condition, so this move may be for the best. That said, I’ve also heard Milperra courts have close side fences and limited room at the baseline. Aussie pros are more than used to playing in rough conditions, but we’ll see what the feedback is to this change.
And finally… moneyball returns to Sydney
After its smashing success at the Redcliffe event (seriously, every player who went had nothing but amazing feedback), the PPA has brought moneyball for an encore in Auburn. This is meant to be a fun, chilled-out play atmosphere where players can pick any partner (gender or mixed) and see how far they go! Games are to 21 points, rally-scoring and results aren’t submitted to DUPR. Don’t be surprised if you see players working on their bagging skills or with a bevy in each hand.
That’s all! See ya in Sydney!
