<b>Welcome to the Sixth Annual Deaf National Pickleball Tournament (NPT) hosted by the Deaf Pickleball of the USA (DPUSA). This year’s 2026 tournament will take place in Fresno, CA, for deaf/hard-of-hearing players only.</b>
<b>VENUE</b>
The tournament will be held at Sierra Sports and Racquet Club (SSRC), featuring:
- 40 outdoor pickleball courts
- Swimming pool, restaurant, and locker rooms
- Stadium seating at the main courts
- Open social spaces, picnic tables, and food trucks
- Ample parking
A spacious and welcoming environment for both players and spectators.
<b>VIDEOS</b>
Some of the descriptions below can be seen in ASL. Go to <b><FONT COLOR=“#0000FF”></b><a href="https://deafpickleballusa.com/videos/">Tournament Videos</a></FONT COLOR> for a list of videos you want to view.
<b>DATES</b>
October 8-11, 2026
<b>EVENTS</b>
Thursday (Oct 8): Scramble, *DPUSA Team Competition (DTC), *Beginners Clinic
Friday (Oct 9): Women’s Singles & Skinny Singles, Men’s Doubles
Saturday (Oct 10): Men’s Singles and Skinny Singles, Women’s Doubles
Sunday (Oct 11): Mixed Doubles
Times/schedules are subject to change.
*New events
<b>DUPR</b>
You are required to have a DUPR account to participate in the tournament. Please register at <b><FONT COLOR=“#0000FF”></b><a href="https://www.dupr.com/">DUPR.</a></FONT COLOR>
<b>RATING</b>
You are required to establish your self-rating first in order to register for an event. For instructions on how to edit your profile, please watch the YouTube video <b><FONT COLOR=“#0000FF”></b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5CxkY7FMK4"> HERE.</a></FONT COLOR>
Self-rating guidelines:
- 3.0-3.49 = register as 3.0
- 3.5-3.99 = register as 3.5
- 4.0+ = register as 4.0
<b>SKILL/AGE
Skill Levels: 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.0+ (Open)
Age Groups: 14+, 30+, 40+, 50+, 60+, 70+.
In doubles/mixed, the younger partner determines the age group
Your team’s skill level is based on both players’ ratings.
If both players fall within the same rating range:
<b>3.0–3.49 → may enter 3.0 or 3.5</b>
<b>3.5–3.99 → may enter 3.5 or 4.0</b>
If players are in different rating ranges, follow these guidelines:
<b>3.0 + 3.4 → may enter 3.0 or 3.5</b>
<b>3.0 + 3.8 → must enter 3.5</b>
<b>3.6 + 3.9 → may enter 3.5 or 4.0</b>
<b>3.6 + 4.0 → must enter 4.0</b>
DPUSA reserves the right to move players to the appropriate skill levels.
<b>FEES
- Registration:</b> $75 (before Aug 7, 2026)
<b>- Late Registration:</b> $85 (starting Aug 8)
<b>- Event Fee:</b> $10 per event
<b>- DPUSA Membership:</b> $10 (required)
<b>- PBT Service Fee:</b>
- $5 (1 event)
- $10 (2+ events)
<b>- Facility Fee (SSRC):</b> $10 (required)
<b>MATCH FORMAT</b>
<b>Round Robin</b>
- First to 11 points, win by 1
- Minimum 5 games per event
<b>Medal Matches*</b>
- Pre-medal: 11 points (win by 2)
- Bronze: 11 points (win by 2)
- Gold: 15 points (win by 2)
* All Open Doubles Gold Medal Matches: 2 out of 3, 11 points (win by 2)
<b>SKINNY SINGLES & SINGLES EVENT FORMAT</b>
- Each event will be split into pools of 5-8 players for round robin play.
- Single Elimination Playoff Qualifications:
- If 1 pool, the top 4 teams advance to the playoffs
- If 2 pools, the top 4 teams from each pool advance to the playoff
Events with fewer than 5 players will be merged with a neighboring event
<b>SCRAMBLE (INDIVIDUAL) EVENT FORMAT</b>
- Each event will be split into pools of 5-8 players for round robin play.
- The top 2 players from each pool will compete in a round robin
- If 1 pool, the top 4 players advance to the playoff
- If 2 pools, the top 2 players from each pool advance to the playoff
Events with fewer than 5 players will be merged with a neighboring event
<b>FIXED & MIXED EVENT FORMAT</b>
- Each event will be split into pools of 5-8 teams for round robin play.
- Single Elimination Playoff Qualifications:
- If 1 pool, the top 4 teams advance to the playoff
- If 2 pools, the top 4 teams from each pool advance to the playoff
Events with fewer than 5 teams will be merged with a neighboring event
<b>TIEBREAKER (ROUND ROBIN)</b>
Two-way tie:
1. Head-to-head result
2. Total point differential
3. Head-to-head point differential
Three-way tie:
1. Total point differential
2. Point differential among tied players/teams
<b>OPEN Events - CASH PRIZE (NEW)</b>
DPUSA is offering a cash prize in the following events:
Men and Women Singles (14-49) and (50+)
Men Doubles and Women Doubles (14-49) and (50+)
Mixed Doubles - (14-49) and (50+)
The fee is $45 (includes $10 PBT event fee) for the Open division. DPUSA will also contribute money to the total cash prizes.
For Singles the cash prize is:
1st place - $250
2nd place - $150
3rd place - $100
4th place - $75
For Doubles, the cash prize is:
1st place - $500
2nd place - $300
3rd place - $200
4th place - $150
Minimum of 8 players for Singles and 8 teams for Doubles. If under 8 players/teams but more than 4 players/teams, cash prizes will be prorated.
DPUSA reserves the right to merge if Singles/Doubles have fewer than 4 players/teams. If you chose not to participate due to merging, DPUSA will refund $35.
<b>DPUSA TEAM COMPETITION (DTC) (NEW)</b>
This team event will be a demo event. The concept behind DTC is similar to Major League Pickleball (MLP). There will be 8 teams with 2 female and 2 male players on each team. Two pools of 4 teams will compete in a team format and will play 3 matches for a total of 12 games in round robin play. Each match will be 4 games, which will include Men’s Doubles, Women's Doubles, Mixed 1 Doubles, and Mixed 2 Doubles. The top 2 teams from each pool will advance to the playoff round.
DPUSA will select 8 captains, and there will be a live draft for captains to pick players to be on their teams. Details will be shared later.
Since this is a demo event, only advanced players can participate. If you are interested, please click the DTC guidelines link below for further information.
<b><FONT COLOR=“#0000FF”></b><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EaefmMNyG3W3ZMKesYEo2v3LstC4T27-CX_4XJcKRVM/edit?usp=sharing">DPUSA Team Competition (DTC) Guidelines</a></FONT COLOR>
If you sign up for this event, you will receive a separate email from DPUSA with information for captains to prepare for the draft.
Fee: $20 ($10 in PBT and a $10 separate fee if drafted).
<b>BEGINNER DIVISION (NEW)</b>
- Skill level: 2.0–2.9
- Non-medal event
- Includes:
- Free clinic
- Recreational play (Thursday–Saturday)
Fee: $75 includes free clinic and PBT fee of $10.
