Minneapolis to host UnitedHealthcare US OPEN Racquetball Championships for 7th Consecutive Year

The World’s Fastest Sport comes back to the Twin Cities this October

More than 750 of the world’s top professional and amateur racquetball players will return to Minneapolis this October for the world’s largest and most prestigious racquetball tournament. The UnitedHealthcare US OPEN Racquetball Championships will be held from October 5th through 9th. The tournament will be contested at four Lifetime Fitness venues throughout the Minneapolis metro area with all professional matches taking place at the Lifetime Fitness-Target Center.

Since moving to the Twin Cities in 2010, the UnitedHealthcare US OPEN Racquetball Championships has brought an estimated $6 million in annual economic impact to the area. Each year, 2,500 spectators join the 750+ players for the week-long celebration of racquetball. Of the entrants in the tournament, more than 100 are expected to be players from the State of Minnesota.

With ball speeds reaching 180 miles per hour, racquetball is truly the world’s fastest sport! A stunning all-glass portable court highlights a racquetball stadium constructed in the Lifetime Fitness – Target Center facility, just underneath the basketball court used by the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves and WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx.

The UnitedHealthcare US OPEN is racquetball’s original “Grand Slam” event and boasts the largest total prize purse in the sport. In addition to the marquee professional divisions, the UnitedHealthcare US OPEN Racquetball Championships offers more than 80 USA Racquetball (USAR) sanctioned divisions separated by age and skill.

The US OPEN partners with three prominent Minnesota-based companies in UnitedHealthcare, Lifetime Fitness, and 3M (ACE brand) plus Sports Minneapolis to host the tournament. The professional divisions are contested at Lifetime Fitness - Target Center, while the amateur divisions are played among other Lifetime Fitness facilities in the area.

Defending his championship in the Men’s Professional Division will be 11-time US OPEN Champion Kane Waselenchuk (Edmonton, Canada). From January 2009 to September 2013, Waselenchuk won a professional racquetball record 137 matches in a row. In 2012, the New York Times profiled Kane and his dominance of the men’s professional tour (Article link: http://nyti.ms/2aig6lG).

Paola Longoria (San Luis Potosí, Mexico) is a six-time and defending champion in the Women’s Professional Division. Longoria was the youngest player in the history of the sport to win a US OPEN with her first title in 2009. In addition to winning the UnitedHealthcare US OPEN the past four years, Paola has won 20 Gold Medals for her country while playing in international competitions. Longoria is a recipient of Mexico’s National Sports Award and Forbes Magazine has named her as one of the 50 most influential women in Mexico.
For a preview of the racquetball action the US OPEN brings to Minneapolis, please visit the tourneys official website at www.UnitedHealthcareUSOPEN.com

Contact:

Leo R. Vasquez Public Relations Manager leorvasquez@gmail.com (817) 791-4948