Anna Bright visits as Manila prepares for 2027 PPA Asia Tour events

Anna Bright visits as Manila prepares for 2027 PPA Asia Tour events

Professional pickleball player Anna Bright visited the Philippines for two days and attended an event at SM Mall of Asia Music Hall, where organizers announced plans for two PPA Asia Tour tournaments in Pasig City. FASTBREAK.com.ph reported that the PPA 125 is scheduled for Jan. 14-18, followed by the PPA 500 Manila Open on Feb. 25-28, both at Helios SPARC.

Other reports give different details. ALL-STAR reported a PPA Asia 125 in January and a Manila Open in February at Helios Beta, while Times Now listed the Manila Open for Feb. 24-28 but said the venue had not been announced. Organizers have yet to release full player and ticketing details.

Staksrud and Patriquin beat Johns and Tardio for Hong Kong men’s doubles title

Federico Staksrud and Hayden Patriquin defeated Ben Johns and Gabriel Tardio 11-6, 11-8 in the men’s doubles final at the Hang Seng Bank Hong Kong Slam, reversing the result of the teams’ earlier-season final. The event at Kai Tak Arena was the last of 10 PPA Tour Asia tournaments in 2026, according to a recap published Oct. 25.

The other finals included Anna Bright and Anna Leigh Waters winning women’s doubles, while Waters and Johns took mixed doubles. Hunter Johnson beat 15-year-old Tama Shimabukuro in men’s singles, and Andie Dikosavljevic defeated Judit Castillo in women’s singles.

PPA World Championships preview highlights Waters’ unbeaten run

The Opendoor Pickleball World Championships are scheduled for Nov. 2-8 at Brookhaven Country Club in Farmers Branch, Texas. The PPA says winners will earn 3,000 points, the top-ranked players are in the draws and all three doubles finals will be best of five.

Anna Leigh Waters is unbeaten in singles and women’s doubles in 2026, according to the tour preview. The preview also identifies Anna Bright and Hayden Patriquin as the No. 2 seeds in mixed doubles and Hunter Johnson as a player to watch after his Hong Kong run.

Ansan University tournament draws about 250, includes para events

About 250 players and pickleball enthusiasts from around South Korea took part in the second Gyeonggi Open Pickleball Tournament, held Oct. 24-25 on Ansan University’s campus courts. The event included para pickleball for athletes with disabilities and para-hybrid matches pairing disabled and nondisabled players.

The university and Ansan City Pickleball Association organized the tournament, with the Korea Pickleball Association as a sponsor. Around 50 university and association staff and students helped run it, and students also competed.

Daejeon hosts a festival for senior pickleball players

Pai Chai University and the Daejeon Pickleball Association held what local reports described as South Korea’s first pickleball festival dedicated to seniors. The event, held at Daejeon Hanbat Gymnasium as part of the university’s Na-seom Festival, drew Daejeon-area players born in 1966 or earlier, along with volunteers and family members, for a total of about 200 people.

Competition featured men’s, women’s and mixed doubles, divided into nine categories by skill level. The third divisions were open to beginners, and organizers named winners across all nine categories.

Japan’s corporate pickleball cup will open to outside companies

Mitsui Fudosan plans to expand its Corporate Pickleball & BIZ CUP in fiscal 2027 to companies beyond those leasing its office buildings, with the aim of deciding Japan’s top corporate team. The 2026 final is scheduled for Nov. 7 at Nihonbashi Mitsui Hall, with 18 teams advancing from a field of 135.

In a survey of 2026 participants, 98% said the event deepened workplace connections or their affinity for their company, and 82% said they had opportunities to connect with participants from other companies, Mitsui Fudosan reported.

Pickleball courts open or planned in communities across three countries

Communities in the United States, Canada and India are adding pickleball facilities, according to Independent Journal Review. Projects include new courts in Stockton and Chatham-Kent, completed courts in Newberg awaiting final project approval, school-court plans in Chennai and a more than $1.7 million investment in Arlington, Tennessee, for 12 pickleball and tennis courts.

In Fresno, Mayor Jerry Dyer marked the completion of new pickleball and futsal courts at Vinland Park, with Councilmember Tyler Maxwell attending. In Taiwan’s Miaoli County, the magistrate agreed to mark pickleball courts in a planned gymnasium at Shanjia Elementary School and suggested local governments consider adding courts to community centers.

Construction-industry pickleball tournament expects about 500 athletes

The 2026 Construction Industry Pickleball Tournament is scheduled for Nov. 14 at the US Pickleball Club in Hanoi, with organizers expecting about 500 participants from construction agencies, businesses and related groups. Construction Newspaper said it capped participation at about 500 to support event quality and athlete safety.

The organizers said the tournament is intended to encourage exercise and strengthen ties across the industry. A report in Japanese also said pickleball will be included for the first time in Vietnam’s National Sports Games in November 2026.

Presidential Cup 3-on-3 basketball final will feature pickleball activities

Taiwan’s Presidential Cup 3-on-3 basketball national final is scheduled for Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei, with 160 teams expected to compete. Organizers also planned public sports activities, including pickleball, at the plazas in front of the Presidential Office.

Former basketball star Lin Chih-chieh and cheerleader Lee Duo-hui are scheduled to appear on Nov. 1 as award presenters, according to 民視運動網.

Lý Hoàng Nam to lead newly launched Kamito pickleball club

Kamito Pickleball Club officially launched on Oct. 28 with former Vietnamese tennis national team player Lý Hoàng Nam as captain. The 12-member lineup also includes Doan Kien Quoc, a former national table tennis player who won 10 Southeast Asian Games medals from 1999 to 2009, according to Vietnam.vn.

The club said its initial focus would be team building, training and competition. Its roster also includes young players Tong Nhat Minh and Le Xuan Duc, who were reported to have won gold in PPA Tour Asia men’s doubles.

Sunlin University and pickleball federation sign partnership

Sunlin University and the Korea Pickleball Federation signed an agreement on Oct. 28 to work together to promote pickleball and expand participation. The partnership is intended to support programs and tournaments and strengthen the sport’s local presence.

University president Jeon Gyeong-guk said the school would work with the community through competitions and programs. Federation representative Kim Mi-ran said the organizations would work to help more people experience the sport.

San Diego women’s pickleball group builds community through play

Megan Allers founded the San Diego Pickleball Collective in May 2025 to encourage more women to play and connect. The group offers clinics, meetups, social events and weekly open play, and has more than 3,000 Instagram followers, according to FOX 5 San Diego.

Allers said the group’s first event welcomed more than 100 women and sold out. She described building friendships and helping newcomers to San Diego find community as central goals.

Beijing youth tournament brings together nearly 400 players

Nearly 400 players aged 8 to 16 competed in the 2026 National Olympic Cup Pickleball U-Series Open Tournament final in Beijing on Oct. 24-25. The event featured 21 categories, including singles and doubles, and brought together competitors from three earlier stops and other parts of China.

The final used pool play followed by cross-elimination, with matches played to 15 points. Organizers described the tournament as part of a developing youth series built around regional events and a national final.

Pickleball gains attention as a recreational sport in South Korea and Japan

A Korean tourism and leisure publication described pickleball as a fast-growing recreational sport in South Korea and Japan, noting that it combines elements of tennis, badminton and table tennis. It reported that the court is about one-third the size of a tennis doubles court and that doubles is the most common format.

The publication said about 500 players and enthusiasts took part in the 2026 Mungyeong Korea Open in South Korea from Oct. 1-3, including participants in newly added youth and para divisions. It also noted a sponsorship agreement between Kwangdong Pharmaceutical and the Korea Pickleball Association in August.