Open matches and open play make it easier to find people to play with, not just places to play. Here is how they work in padel, pickleball and racket sports, how the old club-list model is becoming digital, and how CourtBrain helps players discover more matches across different platforms.
What are open matches in padel, pickleball and racket sports?
Finding a court is only one part of playing more racket sports.
The other part is finding people to play with.
That is where open matches, open play, public matches, socials and matchmaking come in. Across padel, pickleball, tennis and other racket sports, more players are now using digital tools to join matches, meet players at a similar level and turn an empty spot into a game.
For players, this can be the difference between wanting to play and actually getting on court.
For clubs, it can mean better court utilisation, stronger communities and more reasons for players to come back.
At CourtBrain, we believe open matches are becoming an important part of the racket-sport discovery layer. That is why we are now starting to aggregate open matches from different systems, making it easier for players to find opportunities to play without being limited by one booking platform, one club app or one local community.
Our Open Matches feature is still under development, and coverage will continue to grow over time. But the idea is simple:
Don’t miss a good match just because it happens to live in another system.
Read our company update on Open Matches
What is an open match?
An open match is a game that other players can join.
Instead of booking a full court with three friends you already know, a player or club opens up one or more spots for others. The match may have a set time, location, sport, level, price and sometimes gender or format requirements.
In padel, this often means a doubles match where one, two or three spots are available. In pickleball, it may be called open play and can be more flexible, with players rotating in and out across courts. In tennis or squash, similar concepts may appear as socials, ladders, club sessions, group play or matchplay events.
The exact format changes by sport and market, but the underlying problem is the same:
Players want to play, but they do not always have the right group ready.
Open matches solve that gap.
Why open matches matter
Open matches are especially important in sports where the social layer matters.
Padel is a clear example. Most casual padel is played as doubles, which means four players are needed for a standard match. If one person cancels, or if two players want to play but do not know another pair, the match can quickly fall apart.
Open matches make the process easier. Instead of relying only on personal contacts, WhatsApp groups or club chats, players can discover public playing opportunities and join directly.
That matters for several types of players:
New players who want to enter the sport but do not yet know enough people.
Regular players who want to play more often.
Players who have moved to a new city.
Travellers looking for a game while visiting another area.
Clubs trying to activate unused court times.
Coaches and organisers running level-based sessions or socials.
In other words, open matches are not only a convenience feature. They are part of how racket-sport communities grow.
From club lists and WhatsApp groups to digital matchmaking
Open matches are not a new behaviour. What is changing is how they are organised and discovered.
Before digital match platforms became common, many players found games through the club itself. In several padel markets, this is still a normal part of the player journey.
A player might visit a club, speak to a coach or club manager and have their level assessed. Once the club understands their approximate level, the player is added to a local list, group or community. When a match needs one more player, or when the club organises games at a certain level, players are contacted through WhatsApp, phone calls or informal club chats.
This model is still common in many countries, including mature padel markets such as Spain. It works because it is personal. Coaches and club staff often know the players, understand the level and can help create balanced matches.
But it also has limitations.
It depends heavily on the club’s internal network. It can be manual for staff. It is hard for travelling players or new players who are not already in the right WhatsApp group. And it usually only shows opportunities inside one club or one local community.
Digital open matches build on the same idea, but make it easier to scale.
Instead of relying only on a club list or private chat, players can discover available matches, levels and open spots directly through digital platforms. The goal is similar: help people find the right game. The difference is that the discovery becomes more visible, more searchable and less dependent on knowing the right person first.
That shift is especially important as racket sports grow across more clubs, more cities and more booking systems.
How open matches usually work in padel
In padel, open matches often take the old club-list logic and turn it into a digital flow built around level, availability and missing players.
A typical flow looks like this:
- A player books a court or creates a public match.
- The player sets or accepts a level range.
- Other players can request to join or instantly book a spot.
- The match fills up when enough players have joined.
- Players meet at the club and play.
Some systems also include chat, payment splitting, cancellation rules, player ratings, match results and competitive or casual labels.
This is why open matches can feel almost like matchmaking. The platform is not only showing available courts. It is helping players find compatible people to play with.
In mature padel markets, this behaviour is already normal. Players may open an app, look for matches at their level, join one nearby and meet people they have never played with before.
That has changed the way many people play padel.
Open play in pickleball
Pickleball has a slightly different culture around open play.
Instead of one fixed four-player match, open play often means a scheduled session where multiple players show up and rotate across courts. It can be organised by a club, a public facility, a community group or a digital platform.
The focus is often on access and flow:
- Who is playing?
- What level is the session?
- How many courts are available?
- Can I join?
Is it casual, competitive or beginner-friendly?
Pickleball shows how important this layer can become. Players do not only search for courts. They search for games, groups, open play schedules, round robins, leagues and local communities.
That is relevant for padel too.
As racket sports become more social and more digitally organised, the player journey moves from “where can I book a court?” to “where can I find the right game?”
Different names, same player need
The terminology can be confusing.
Depending on the sport, country or platform, similar ideas may be called:
- Open matches
- Public matches
- Open play
- Socials
- Activities
- Community matches
- Matchmaking
- Mix-ins
- Ladders
- Round robins
- Americano sessions
The formats are not identical, but they all solve a similar problem. They help players move from interest to participation.
A player may not care whether something is called an open match, an activity or a social. They care about whether it helps them play.
This is why discovery matters.
If every platform uses different names, and every club uses different tools, players can easily miss opportunities that would have been perfect for them.
Platforms working with open matches and open play
Several platforms are already helping players find matches, sessions and communities, although the format differs by sport and market.
In padel and tennis, Playtomic is one of the most established global players. Its app helps players find courts, meet players and join matches, and its support pages include a dedicated Open Matches section for padel and tennis, including how to sign up for a match, request a spot, manage public matches and distinguish between private bookings and open matches.
Padel Mates is another relevant player in the padel space, with a strong footprint in certain markets. It positions itself around court booking, matchmaking, tournaments, activities and community, helping players find matches and clubs while giving venues tools to engage their local player base.
In pickleball, Pickleheads is one of the clearest examples of a platform built around discovery of courts, games and local groups. It helps players and organisers with games, round robins, leagues, ladders, tournaments, groups and payments, which shows how open play can become a central part of the player journey.
Other pickleball and racket-sport tools also touch parts of this behaviour. CourtReserve is widely used by clubs for scheduling, memberships, payments, events, court access and player engagement. DUPR is best known as a pickleball rating platform, but also supports clubs, events and level-based play through its rating ecosystem. Reclub focuses on helping players find clubs and activities locally and worldwide, while also helping organisers run clubs and communities.
These platforms all solve important parts of the puzzle. But from the player’s point of view, the challenge remains: opportunities are spread across different systems, different apps and different club workflows.
That is where aggregation becomes valuable.
The platform problem
The growth of these platforms is positive for racket sports, but it also creates a new challenge: fragmentation.
One club may use Playtomic. Another may use Padel Mates. A pickleball venue may use Pickleheads, CourtReserve, DUPR, Reclub or another local system. A third club may still organise socials through its own website, WhatsApp groups or social media.
For players, this creates friction.
You may be available tonight.
There may be an open match at the right level nearby.
But if that match is hidden inside a different booking system, a private group or a club-specific app, you might never see it.
That is the problem CourtBrain is working to solve.
How CourtBrain approaches open matches
CourtBrain is built as a discovery layer for racket sports.
Our goal is not to replace clubs, booking systems or community platforms. Instead, we help players find what is already out there across a fragmented ecosystem.
With Open Matches, we are extending that idea from clubs and courts to actual playing opportunities.
CourtBrain is starting to aggregate open matches from different systems, so players can discover more ways to play in one place. Instead of checking multiple apps, websites or booking platforms, players can use CourtBrain to get a broader view of what is available.
That can include open matches, public playing opportunities and other formats that help players join games.
The feature is still developing, and coverage will expand over time. But the direction is important: players should not miss a good match just because it happens to be listed somewhere else.
Why this matters for players
For players, aggregated open matches can make the sport easier to access.
It helps answer questions like:
- Where can I play today?
- Are there any matches at my level?
- Can I join a game without already knowing three other people?
- Are there open spots at clubs I do not normally use?
- What is happening near me across different platforms?
This is especially useful for new players, travelling players and people who are trying to play more often.
It can also help players discover clubs they would not otherwise have considered. A player might first find a match, then discover a venue, then become a returning customer.
That is good for players, and good for clubs.
Why this matters for clubs
For clubs, open matches can support both utilisation and community.
A court that might otherwise stay empty can become a social match. A player without a full group can still play. A new player can enter the club through a low-friction format. A visitor can find a game without needing to know the local community.
When open matches become easier to discover, clubs get a wider reach.
This is particularly important for clubs outside the most obvious locations. A great match opportunity may attract players from nearby towns, commuters, tourists or players who are willing to travel if the timing and level are right.
CourtBrain helps clubs become part of a broader discovery journey.
Not only “find our club”.
But also “join something happening at our club”.
Open matches are part of the future of racket-sport discovery
The growth of open matches shows that racket-sport discovery is becoming more dynamic.
It is no longer only about static club listings or court availability. It is about live playing opportunities, social formats, player levels, communities and events.
That is where the market is heading.
Players want more than a directory.
They want to know where they can play, who they can play with and what kind of experience they can expect.
Clubs want more than visibility.
They want to activate demand, fill courts, build community and reach players beyond their existing network.
Open matches sit right in the middle of that.
What comes next for CourtBrain Open Matches
CourtBrain’s Open Matches feature is still under development.
In the first phase, the focus is on making open playing opportunities easier to discover across different systems. Over time, we expect coverage, filtering and presentation to improve, helping players find more relevant matches by location, sport, level, time and format.
The long-term vision is simple:
A player should be able to open CourtBrain and understand not only where they can play, but what they can join.
That could be a padel match tonight, a pickleball open play session this weekend, a club social next week or a level-based activity at a venue they have never tried before.
The easier it becomes to discover these opportunities, the easier it becomes to play more.
And that is the whole point.
Download the CourtBrain App on IOS or Google Play to access open matches.
Search once. Play anywhere.
FAQ
Many open-match systems allow organisers to specify a recommended skill level or rating range. Players can then choose matches that are appropriate for their level, which helps create more competitive and enjoyable games for everyone involved. The rating system used varies between platforms and clubs.
Open matches can often be found through padel clubs, booking platforms, local player communities and social match apps. Another option is to find nearby padel clubs and courts first and then check which clubs offer open matches, social play or similar formats.
No. One of the main advantages of open matches is that you can join without already having a partner or a complete group of four players. This makes open matches particularly useful for players who want to play more often or meet new padel partners.
Open play is a more social format where players join a scheduled session and typically rotate between different partners and opponents. Unlike a traditional open match, open play can involve several games and several different player combinations during the same session.
Yes. Beginners can join open matches, but it is important to choose a match or session that is suitable for their playing level. Many clubs and platforms use level ranges or ratings to help create more balanced matches.
An open match is usually one specific match with a fixed group of players once all available spots have been filled. Open play is generally a longer social session where players rotate between partners, opponents or courts. The exact format can vary between clubs and booking platforms.
An open match is a padel match where one or more player spots are available for other players to join. Instead of organising four players yourself, you can join an existing match or create one and allow other players to fill the remaining spots.