Thousands expected at Cary pickleball tournament Veolia North Carolina Open

CARY, N.C. (WTVD) -- If you love pickleball, Cary is where you need to be this week for the Veolia North Carolina Open.

More than 12,000 people are expected to show up to watch pros from all over compete for a grand prize.

Brian Clark, chief officer for professional pickleball association, says this is the fastest growing sport right now and more and more players of all ages are wanting to go pro.

That is why they needed a whole extra day for the pro qualifying rounds.

Throughout the week there will tournament days for men, women, doubles, mix doubles all leading up to this weekend for the finals.

Clark says it's a community sport and getting up close and personal with professional players will be inspiring for a lot of people.

"It is going to be an unbelievable event. The players came here for the first time last year. They love this facility. They love the town of Cary. So they're very excited to be here. And we can't wait to put on a great show for everybody," said Clark.

More information on tickets can be found here.