Anna Leigh Waters Closes Out Manila Visit, Sets December Return

Anna Leigh Waters Wraps Manila Debut, Books December Return

Anna Leigh Waters closed out a three-day debut visit to Manila as the headline star of the Franklin Asia Pickleball Showcase. The 19-year-old, who holds the world No. 1 ranking in women's singles, women's doubles and mixed doubles with more than 200 PPA titles, headlined a press conference at the Dusit Thani in Makati co-run by Franklin Sports and IAM Worldwide, which has named her its global sports ambassador.

"I've just had some of the best three days of my life visiting this new place," Waters told reporters, adding that fans she had never met "knew so much about me." The warm reception underscored how far pickleball's footprint has grown in Asia.

The showcase continues with stops in Malaysia and Hong Kong, and Waters has announced she will return to Manila on December 9, 2026, for the IAM Worldwide Pickleball Showdown at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Kim Eunggwon Takes Gold and Two Silvers at Shandong Challenger

South Korea's Kim Eunggwon had a standout week at the PPA Asia 125 Shandong Challenger in Jinan, winning gold in men's singles and adding silvers in men's doubles with Jack Wong and mixed doubles with Kwon Mihae. The tournament ran October 4-7.

Kim and Wong had also finished runners-up at the Shenzhen Open in August, making their Shandong result a second straight final together. Kim's table tennis background has fed his versatility across three different events.

He now turns to the Hang Seng Bank Hong Kong Slam, a PPA Asia 1500 event at Kai Tak Arena, where he will again partner Wong in doubles and pair with Tang in mixed doubles.

Hong Kong Builds Toward Season-Ending Slam and Mixed Doubles Showcase

The PPA Tour Asia calendar, which opened in Hanoi in April with the MB Hanoi Cup, reaches its finale at the Hang Seng Bank Hong Kong Slam at Kai Tak Arena. Seven players arrive already holding medals at both the 500 and 1000 tiers, with the tour framing a title there as completing what it calls the dragon.

Tama Shimabukuro and Alix Truong are the two players chasing an all-gold dragon. Shimabukuro is the No. 6 seed in men's singles and plays mixed doubles with Sahra Dennehy, with whom he has already won gold in Tokyo and Shenzhen. Truong partners Christopher Haworth in mixed doubles and Jessie Irvine in women's doubles, where the pair remain unbeaten together on tour.

Separately, Olympian City in Hong Kong hosts a standalone exhibition on October 19, turning its atrium into a court for what is billed as the first-ever mixed doubles exhibition of its kind. World No. 1 Ben Johns will pair with women's doubles world No. 2 Anna Bright to face Jack Wong and Hong Kong's Nikita Tang.

PPA Challenger Series Expands Pathway to the Pros for 2027

The PPA Challenger Series has released its 2027 schedule, a pipeline event organizers say matters for players trying to break into the professional ranks. Life Time is expanding its role in the series, growing from two hosted events in 2026 to eight in 2027.

PPA Challenger Series vice president Tanner Groff called it the series' most ambitious schedule yet, saying the expanded partnership gives rising pros "a clear path to the sport's biggest stage."