More than 750 of the world’s top professional and amateur racquetball players from 23 different countries 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 3rd through 7th. The tournament will be contested at three Life Time Fitness venues throughout the Minneapolis metro area, and at the University of Minnesota Recreation Center, with all professional matches taking place at the Life Time Fitness – Target Center.

Since moving to the Twin Cities in 2010, the UnitedHealthcare US OPEN Racquetball Championships has brought an estimated $8 million in annual economic impact to the area. Each year, over 2,500 spectators join the 750+ players, representing 21 different countries, for the week-long celebration of racquetball.

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 Life Time 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 amateur divisions separated by age and skill.

Defending his championship in the Men’s Professional Division will be 13-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. The New York Times has profiled Kane and his dominance of the men’s professional tour (Article link: http://nyti.ms/2aig6lG).

Paola Longoria (San Luis Potosí, Mexico) is an eight-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. 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 tournament’s official website at www.UnitedHealthcareUSOPEN.com