As of 2026, tournament players in pickleball have officially moved beyond “self-rating” when it comes time to sign up for tournaments. We’ve all had this experience at one time or another, you sign up for a 3.5 bracket then find out you’re facing off with a past collegiate tennis player claiming they’re about a 3.0 because they started playing last week. Frustration is felt by both players and event organizers alike, and you have to wonder why we are still guessing when there’s the technology available to give us an objective assessment.

This is usually where the discussion on whether to use DUPR or UTPR for seeding begins for most local clubs/locations; however, for those running clubs and facilities, the answer has become rather apparent. UTPR (USA Pickleball Tournament Player Rating) is the basis for all sanctioned USA Pickleball events; however, as more players utilise and integrate the DUPR (Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating) into their individual matches, the DUPR has become the “people’s standard” for doing a credible job at accurately pairing players together in pickleball matches. 

Let’s take a look as to why using the DUPR system is the “secret sauce” behind your upcoming event, and how using Waresport for your match scheduling can make implementing the DUPR feel more like a great experience versus a chore.

The “Outcome vs. Performance” Revolution

What do you think the biggest shift in 2026 will be for how we define a “skill”?

In the past, we used to define a win as a win. In terms of wins (example: 11-9 or 11-0), the past rating systems treated these two instances in the same way.

Why did this change? Simply put, the introduction of a performance based algorithm supplants the outcome based systems of the past (DUPR).

What this means for your Tournament

Because of the new rating system, teams have an incentive to fight for every point, even if they are losing. For example, if a team rated at 3.0 is expected to lose to a team rated at 4.0 by a score of 11-2, but the 3.0 team scores 9 points during that match, their DUPR could increase.

With a more specific and accurate rating system, you can use Waresport to manage your Tournament. You can now have much tighter brackets and divisions (ex. Instead of just having a 3.5 and Under Division, you can create a Division that is “3.25 to 3.75), you will see how your Tournament will benefit)).

Using Waresport, you will also have access to real time updates on the players’ DUPR systems for all players in your tournament along with the players’ Health Records (therefore giving you a complete picture of an athlete).

2. UTPR or DUPR: How To Pick The Best Tool For You

While you will still be using UTPR to track points for sanctioned events, it’s likely that the majority of local, regional and/or club-based tournaments are now utilizing DUPR as their tool of choice.

Feature	DUPR (Dynamic Universal)	UTPR (USA Pickleball)
Accessibility	Free for all players.	Requires USAP Membership.
Data Source	Rec games, leagues, and tourneys.	Only sanctioned tournaments.
Updates	Real-time (after every match).	Periodic (post-tournament).
Accuracy	High (factors in point spread).	Moderate (win/loss centric).
Matchmaking	Excellent for local leveling.	Best for national rankings.

While UTPR can still be effective at local or club facilities, DUPR is the better choice for facilitating player inclusion because it provides a more comprehensive view of all players, including those who may have been playing recreationally at your facility five days a week, but have never participated in major tournaments and therefore may be considered by other players to be a ‘sandbagger.’ When using Waresport’s registration process to include those recreational scores in your seeding process, you create excitement around your event and eliminate any possible ‘sandbaggers’ from being created prior to the first served ball.

3. Put A Stop To The “Sandbagging” Drama

The number one complaint among youth and amateur athletes is that high-level players come down into the lower brackets to win cheap medals, referred to as “Sandbagging.”

Using DUPR for seeding provides an automated “lie detector” system for each player that registers on Waresport to attend your event, as it requires the player to link their DUPR ID. The system will automatically flag any player whose rating is well above the bracket limit you set.

This makes it much easier to tell a parent that their child’s 4.2 rating has flagged them for the 3.5 bracket, instead of having to defend whether or not their child is “too good” through an emotionally charged argument. It takes the “villain” aspect out of the image of the organizer and places it on the data.

4. The Procedure for Creating a DUPR Event in 2026

Setting this up doesn’t require a bunch of technical people. Here is the workflow in 30 seconds:

1. Create your “Digital Club” in DUPR; it’s a free place to go for your results

2. Set up Registration for Waresport; use Waresport’s custom fields to gather the DUPR IDs and originality verification screenshots.

3. The “Live Sync” of score input to the management tablet occurs as the completion of each game on the respective court.

4. At the end of the day, export your results from Waresport and upload the CSV directly into DUPR.

Your players will have an updated rating by the time they leave their cars in the parking lot for home. The faster this happens, the more players will keep coming back to your establishment.

5. Scaling Your Growth with Data

The “World Cup Effect” mentioned previously also applies to pickleball. As your facility continues to grow, it gets increasingly difficult to track each individual player’s skill level without having an automated system in place.

Waresport has the ability to track these ratings over time, showing you which players are showing improvement (perfect for getting them into your “Elite” clinics) and which players may need a little assistance (a great opportunity for offering a private lesson). Rather than just running a tournament, you are now personally managing the entire athletic journey of each participant:

Benefits of Using the Waresport + DUPR Combination:

• Conflict-Free Scheduling (with our AI, we can ensure that a player’s DUPR-rated singles match will not be scheduled at the same time as their doubles bracket).

• Transparent Billing: Collecting entry fees and DUPR processing fees in one transaction.
• Automated Communication:  Sending out text messages to all players in the “4.0+ bracket” when their court is ready.

6. Dynamic Seeding: No More “Manual Bracket Math”

Dynamic Seeding: No More “Manual Bracket Math!” Manually seeding brackets to avoid top two players meeting in the first round is a headache for all tournament directors. When using self-ratings, you are guessing when it comes down to the rankings of players.

The Advantage: With DUPR’s ability to seed players down to the third decimal point you have the ability to create balanced matchups from the time the first serve is played until the last point is played.

Waresport: By integrating Waresport, you can pull in live decimal-based ratings into your tournament builder. When a player’s rating changes between registering and the actual day of the tournament, the system will automatically adjust their seed, thus ensuring that the brackets are based off of current data.

7. Retaining Players After an Event: converting Tournament Players to Members

Most Tournament Players come from surrounding towns and might never visit your facility if they hadn’t played in the tournament. This is another reason to communicate with players after you have awarded medals to them through DUPR.

Your Benefit: Since the growth of DUPR is based on “match volume,” players will be wanting to have verified matches so they can have an accurate rating.

Integrating Waresport: After the tournament, send players a “Recap of your Rating” through Waresport’s communication tools. Provide players with an opportunity to join a weekly “DUPR Ladder” or a “Verified Match Session” at your club so they have a consistent location to maintain their ratings, turning an occasional tournament participant into a long-term recurring revenue stream for your facility.

8. Data-Driven Partnerships: Proving Value

When you talk to local businesses about partnerships, saying you have lots of players is good. Saying your league has 200 active players with a median skill of 3.8 and an average weekly engagement rate of 90% is incredible!

The Opportunity: With DUPR, you can use your data to create a “heat map” showing the players’ skill levels and the activity level at your facility. This will provide potential sponsors with a clear picture of who they are marketing to (paddle brands or local physiotherapists).

Waresport Integration: Waresport provides the ability to track the “activity lifecycle” of your players and their performance data, allowing you to create professional reports for potential sponsors that demonstrate the growth and competitive level of your community. This will help turn your event from a “local hobby” into a valuable marketing asset for your partners.

Conclusion: Making Every Point Count

As you conclude your tournament, remember that, at the end of the day, it’s supposed to be enjoyable. No one likes to get smoked 11-0 by someone who plays three levels higher than they do.

By utilizing DUPR for fair and just pickleball matchmaking, along with Waresport for all the behind-the-scenes logistics, you will provide an experience for players that they can be comfortable in, the ability to play against their equal level player, and a “pro-feel” tournament with a local club budget.

The technology is in place and the players are ready. Are you?

Would you like to see how Waresport can transform “DUPR-rated” tournaments for you?

Schedule a Demo with Waresport Now!