Pickleball Blooms in Kansas: The APP Tour Arrives in Overland Park
The APP Tour makes its first stop in Overland Park with four days of competition, some of the hottest players of the season, history within reach and a Kansas–Missouri rivalry ready to find its way onto a pickleball court.
Kansas is known as the Sunflower State, and beginning Thursday, something else will be blooming in Overland Park.
The APP Tour arrives in the Kansas City area for the first time with the 2026 APP Dillons Overland Park Open, a four-day stop at AdventHealth Sports Park at Bluhawk that will bring together hundreds of players, from amateurs of different ages and skill levels to AARP Champions competitors and some of the biggest names on the APP Tour.
For a city hosting its first APP Tour event, this is quite an introduction.
There are established champions coming to Kansas, players in the middle of exceptional seasons, others chasing records, and at least one familiar face returning to the Tour in a place that carries a little personal history.
And when Sunday arrives, even the old Kansas–Missouri rivalry will get involved.
Munro and Livornese Bring the Streak to Kansas
If there is a team everyone will be watching in men's doubles, it's Jack Munro and Richard Livornese Jr.
They arrive in Overland Park having won four consecutive men's pro doubles titles, the latest coming in Detroit against Etienne Blaszkewycz and Callan Dawson. That victory gave both players their fifth APP Tour gold medal of 2026 and sends them into this weekend as the top men's doubles seeds.
Four straight titles inevitably change the conversation. The question is no longer whether Munro and Livornese can win together. They've answered that repeatedly.
The question in Kansas is who can stop them.
Katerina Stewart Arrives in Control
Katerina Stewart didn't leave much room for suspense in Detroit.
On her way to her third women's pro singles title of the season, Stewart held her opponents to only 15 total points. She now has five gold medals in 2026, more than any other women's pro on the APP Tour this season.
Overland Park gives her an immediate opportunity to continue that run.
On the men's side, Ronan Camron brings momentum of his own. The 21-year-old from Fort Myers won the Detroit singles title by defeating Dusty Boyer in a rematch of their Cincinnati meeting and enters this tournament with seven medals in 2026, the highest total among APP men's pros.
Megan Fudge Is One Gold Away
There aren't many APP record conversations that don't eventually include Megan Fudge.
She became the Tour's all-time career medals leader in 2025 and currently sits at 92 total medals. This weekend, however, another number will be worth following.
Fudge owns 32 career gold medals. Simone Jardim has 33.
One more gold would put Fudge alongside Jardim for the most career women's pro gold medals in APP Tour history.
It would be quite a piece of history for Overland Park's inaugural tournament.
What Can Bates and Maddox Do for an Encore?
There will also be plenty of attention on Shelby Bates and Christine Maddox, especially after what happened in Detroit.
Their women's doubles final looked almost gone. They dropped the first game 11–1 and found themselves trailing 10–3 in the second.
Then came one of those stretches that makes sports wonderfully unpredictable.
Bates and Maddox finished the match on a 20–1 run, turning what appeared to be an inevitable defeat into their first women's pro doubles gold medals of the season.
Detroit gave them the comeback.
Overland Park gives us the chance to find out whether it was also the beginning of something bigger.
Jay Devilliers Returns to the APP Tour
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One of the weekend's most interesting stories has a strong Kansas connection.
Jay Devilliers is scheduled to make his 2026 APP Tour debut in Overland Park, his first appearance on the Tour since 2022.
For anyone who followed the APP during his earlier years, the résumé needs little introduction. Devilliers has 18 career APP gold medals and 31 total men's medals, including six golds in singles, six in men's doubles and six in mixed doubles.
And Kansas isn't just another pin on the map for him.
Devilliers played collegiate tennis at Wichita State University, making his return to APP competition in Kansas a particularly fitting one.
And Then There's Kansas vs. Missouri
This might be the part of the weekend that requires the least explanation to anyone from this region.
Kansas and Missouri have been competing against each other for generations. On Sunday morning, pickleball gets its turn.
The University of Kansas and University of Missouri club pickleball teams will meet in the Border Battle Showcase on the Morton Championship Court. Two mixed doubles matches are scheduled beginning at 9 a.m. CT, with the second match streaming live on ESPN+ beginning at 10 a.m. CT.
It's a smart addition to the weekend because it connects this first APP event to something that already matters locally. People in the Kansas City area don't need to be taught what KU versus Mizzou means.
They just haven't seen enough of it with paddles in their hands.
Clear the Schedule: Four Days of Pickleball Are Coming
Now that we know some of the names and stories arriving in Overland Park, there's only one thing left to do: figure out when to watch them.
For the fans heading to AdventHealth Sports Park at Bluhawk, it's time to plan those four days.
And for the rest of us — the ones who will be at home checking scores, following the brackets and waiting for the broadcasts to begin — the APP has plenty lined up as well.
So save this part.
Here's how the 2026 APP Dillons Overland Park Open will unfold.
Thursday, Sept. 17 — Singles Gets It Started
The first balls fly Thursday with Men's and Women's Pro Singles, alongside Amateur Men's and Women's Singles.
It's the opening day, and immediately we'll get our first look at players like Katerina Stewart and Ronan Camron as they try to carry their Detroit momentum into Kansas.
Friday, Sept. 18 — Mixed Doubles Takes Over
Friday brings Mixed Pro Doubles, AARP Champions (50+) Men's and Women's Singles and Amateur Women's Doubles.
This is also when live coverage from Championship Court begins:
Championship Court — 1:00–7:00 p.m. ET | YouTube
So if you're working Friday afternoon, well... we won't tell your boss what's playing on that other browser tab.
Saturday, Sept. 19 — Doubles Day
Saturday belongs to Men's and Women's Pro Doubles, along with AARP Champions (50+) Mixed Pro Doubles and Amateur Men's Doubles.
That means another opportunity to see whether Jack Munro and Richard Livornese Jr. can extend their remarkable run — and whether Shelby Bates and Christine Maddox can build on what they started in Detroit.
For those watching from home:
Championship Court — 12:30–7:00 p.m. ET | ESPN+
The APP release also lists YouTube coverage from the Chex Mix Players Court during the weekend.
Sunday, Sept. 20 — Rivalry, Medals and Championship Sunday
Sunday is the one to circle.
The morning begins with the Kansas vs. Mizzou Club Pickleball Teams Exhibition from 9:00–11:00 a.m. CT, bringing one of the region's oldest collegiate rivalries onto the pickleball court.
Then the attention turns to Championship Sunday, with professional bronze- and gold-medal matches deciding who leaves Overland Park with the hardware.
AARP Champions (50+) Men's and Women's Pro Doubles and Amateur Mixed Doubles are also scheduled for Sunday.
And if you're watching from the couch, get comfortable.
Championship Court
11:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. ET | ESPN+
9:00–11:00 p.m. ET | ESPN2
One Programming Note
The APP's tournament preview lists Chex Mix Players Court YouTube coverage for Saturday 8/22 and Sunday 8/23. Those dates do not correspond with the Sept. 17–20 dates listed throughout the same Overland Park tournament preview.
Rather than publish potentially incorrect dates, DINK Authority will update the Chex Mix Players Court schedule once the correct weekend times are confirmed.
As always with live sporting events, the tournament schedule is subject to change.
Kansas, We're Ready
Players ready. Courts ready.
Four days of competition ahead, a new city welcoming the APP Tour for the first time, champions trying to stay on top, challengers waiting for their opportunity and an old Kansas–Missouri rivalry getting a completely new stage.
For those fortunate enough to be in Overland Park, enjoy every point.
For those of us following from home, screens ready.
Everything is set in Kansas.
Now it's time for that unmistakable sound every pickleball player knows — our beloved little plastic ball with holes echoing across the courts.
Enjoy the show, guys.
We'll be reading each other soon.
DINK Authority — The Voice of Pickleball™
The APP Tour makes its first stop in Overland Park with four days of competition, some of the hottest players of the season, history within reach and a Kansas–Missouri rivalry ready to find its way onto a pickleball court.
Kansas is known as the Sunflower State, and beginning Thursday, something else will be blooming in Overland Park.
The APP Tour arrives in the Kansas City area for the first time with the 2026 APP Dillons Overland Park Open, a four-day stop at AdventHealth Sports Park at Bluhawk that will bring together hundreds of players, from amateurs of different ages and skill levels to AARP Champions competitors and some of the biggest names on the APP Tour.
For a city hosting its first APP Tour event, this is quite an introduction.
There are established champions coming to Kansas, players in the middle of exceptional seasons, others chasing records, and at least one familiar face returning to the Tour in a place that carries a little personal history.
And when Sunday arrives, even the old Kansas–Missouri rivalry will get involved.
Munro and Livornese Bring the Streak to Kansas
If there is a team everyone will be watching in men's doubles, it's Jack Munro and Richard Livornese Jr.
They arrive in Overland Park having won four consecutive men's pro doubles titles, the latest coming in Detroit against Etienne Blaszkewycz and Callan Dawson. That victory gave both players their fifth APP Tour gold medal of 2026 and sends them into this weekend as the top men's doubles seeds.
Four straight titles inevitably change the conversation. The question is no longer whether Munro and Livornese can win together. They've answered that repeatedly.
The question in Kansas is who can stop them.
Katerina Stewart Arrives in Control
Katerina Stewart didn't leave much room for suspense in Detroit.
On her way to her third women's pro singles title of the season, Stewart held her opponents to only 15 total points. She now has five gold medals in 2026, more than any other women's pro on the APP Tour this season.
Overland Park gives her an immediate opportunity to continue that run.
On the men's side, Ronan Camron brings momentum of his own. The 21-year-old from Fort Myers won the Detroit singles title by defeating Dusty Boyer in a rematch of their Cincinnati meeting and enters this tournament with seven medals in 2026, the highest total among APP men's pros.
Megan Fudge Is One Gold Away
There aren't many APP record conversations that don't eventually include Megan Fudge.
She became the Tour's all-time career medals leader in 2025 and currently sits at 92 total medals. This weekend, however, another number will be worth following.
Fudge owns 32 career gold medals. Simone Jardim has 33.
One more gold would put Fudge alongside Jardim for the most career women's pro gold medals in APP Tour history.
It would be quite a piece of history for Overland Park's inaugural tournament.
What Can Bates and Maddox Do for an Encore?
There will also be plenty of attention on Shelby Bates and Christine Maddox, especially after what happened in Detroit.
Their women's doubles final looked almost gone. They dropped the first game 11–1 and found themselves trailing 10–3 in the second.
Then came one of those stretches that makes sports wonderfully unpredictable.
Bates and Maddox finished the match on a 20–1 run, turning what appeared to be an inevitable defeat into their first women's pro doubles gold medals of the season.
Detroit gave them the comeback.
Overland Park gives us the chance to find out whether it was also the beginning of something bigger.
Jay Devilliers Returns to the APP Tour
LOVE PICKLEBALL?
Get Dink Authority Magazine updates, new editions, pro stories and event alerts.
We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe anytime.
One of the weekend's most interesting stories has a strong Kansas connection.
Jay Devilliers is scheduled to make his 2026 APP Tour debut in Overland Park, his first appearance on the Tour since 2022.
For anyone who followed the APP during his earlier years, the résumé needs little introduction. Devilliers has 18 career APP gold medals and 31 total men's medals, including six golds in singles, six in men's doubles and six in mixed doubles.
And Kansas isn't just another pin on the map for him.
Devilliers played collegiate tennis at Wichita State University, making his return to APP competition in Kansas a particularly fitting one.
And Then There's Kansas vs. Missouri
This might be the part of the weekend that requires the least explanation to anyone from this region.
Kansas and Missouri have been competing against each other for generations. On Sunday morning, pickleball gets its turn.
The University of Kansas and University of Missouri club pickleball teams will meet in the Border Battle Showcase on the Morton Championship Court. Two mixed doubles matches are scheduled beginning at 9 a.m. CT, with the second match streaming live on ESPN+ beginning at 10 a.m. CT.
It's a smart addition to the weekend because it connects this first APP event to something that already matters locally. People in the Kansas City area don't need to be taught what KU versus Mizzou means.
They just haven't seen enough of it with paddles in their hands.
Clear the Schedule: Four Days of Pickleball Are Coming
Now that we know some of the names and stories arriving in Overland Park, there's only one thing left to do: figure out when to watch them.
For the fans heading to AdventHealth Sports Park at Bluhawk, it's time to plan those four days.
And for the rest of us — the ones who will be at home checking scores, following the brackets and waiting for the broadcasts to begin — the APP has plenty lined up as well.
So save this part.
Here's how the 2026 APP Dillons Overland Park Open will unfold.
Thursday, Sept. 17 — Singles Gets It Started
The first balls fly Thursday with Men's and Women's Pro Singles, alongside Amateur Men's and Women's Singles.
It's the opening day, and immediately we'll get our first look at players like Katerina Stewart and Ronan Camron as they try to carry their Detroit momentum into Kansas.
Friday, Sept. 18 — Mixed Doubles Takes Over
Friday brings Mixed Pro Doubles, AARP Champions (50+) Men's and Women's Singles and Amateur Women's Doubles.
This is also when live coverage from Championship Court begins:
Championship Court — 1:00–7:00 p.m. ET | YouTube
So if you're working Friday afternoon, well... we won't tell your boss what's playing on that other browser tab.
Saturday, Sept. 19 — Doubles Day
Saturday belongs to Men's and Women's Pro Doubles, along with AARP Champions (50+) Mixed Pro Doubles and Amateur Men's Doubles.
That means another opportunity to see whether Jack Munro and Richard Livornese Jr. can extend their remarkable run — and whether Shelby Bates and Christine Maddox can build on what they started in Detroit.
For those watching from home:
Championship Court — 12:30–7:00 p.m. ET | ESPN+
The APP release also lists YouTube coverage from the Chex Mix Players Court during the weekend.
Sunday, Sept. 20 — Rivalry, Medals and Championship Sunday
Sunday is the one to circle.
The morning begins with the Kansas vs. Mizzou Club Pickleball Teams Exhibition from 9:00–11:00 a.m. CT, bringing one of the region's oldest collegiate rivalries onto the pickleball court.
Then the attention turns to Championship Sunday, with professional bronze- and gold-medal matches deciding who leaves Overland Park with the hardware.
AARP Champions (50+) Men's and Women's Pro Doubles and Amateur Mixed Doubles are also scheduled for Sunday.
And if you're watching from the couch, get comfortable.
Championship Court
11:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. ET | ESPN+
9:00–11:00 p.m. ET | ESPN2
One Programming Note
The APP's tournament preview lists Chex Mix Players Court YouTube coverage for Saturday 8/22 and Sunday 8/23. Those dates do not correspond with the Sept. 17–20 dates listed throughout the same Overland Park tournament preview.
Rather than publish potentially incorrect dates, DINK Authority will update the Chex Mix Players Court schedule once the correct weekend times are confirmed.
As always with live sporting events, the tournament schedule is subject to change.
Kansas, We're Ready
Players ready. Courts ready.
Four days of competition ahead, a new city welcoming the APP Tour for the first time, champions trying to stay on top, challengers waiting for their opportunity and an old Kansas–Missouri rivalry getting a completely new stage.
For those fortunate enough to be in Overland Park, enjoy every point.
For those of us following from home, screens ready.
Everything is set in Kansas.
Now it's time for that unmistakable sound every pickleball player knows — our beloved little plastic ball with holes echoing across the courts.
Enjoy the show, guys.
We'll be reading each other soon.
DINK Authority — The Voice of Pickleball™
