Quang Duong to compete in Vietnam’s first APP Asia Tour event

Quang Duong set for Vietnam’s first APP Asia Tour stop

Quang Duong is among the players expected at the APP Asia Ho Chi Minh City Open, scheduled for Dec. 10 to 13 at VIAS Pickleball Academy. Organizers expect more than 1,500 athletes to compete across 51 events for total prize money of $50,000. The tournament will be the first official APP Asia Tour stop held in Vietnam.

Duong won men’s singles and men’s doubles at the tour stop in Penang, Malaysia, in July. The professional division will include five events, while the tournament will also offer senior, junior and amateur categories.

New Sports plans two PPA Tour Asia events a year in Vietnam

Vietnamese sports company New Sports signed a cooperation agreement with PPA Tour Asia for 2027 and 2028, with plans to stage two international tournaments in Vietnam each year. The company also signed agreements with the Asian University Basketball League and FPT Play, according to VTC News.

The agreement gives Vietnamese players more opportunities to compete in the professional tour system. Separately, New Sports is set to host the AUBL Southern Conference in Hanoi from April 7 to 11, 2027, and the winning team in the Vietnam Collegiate Basketball Championship will have the opportunity to take part in AUBL.

USA Pickleball revokes certification for CPX Hyper+ paddles

USA Pickleball has revoked certification for the CPX Hyper+ elongated 14mm and 16mm paddles after retail samples produced different deflection and PBCoR results from the models submitted for approval. The organization’s officials said potential financial penalties against CPX are under consideration, but no fines have been announced.

CPX said some production units did not match certified specifications and attributed the issue to paddles coming off the production line with more power than the submitted models. The company announced the Hyper+ 2, which is undergoing recertification, and said it plans to test production batches and give each paddle a serial number tied to its batch and test results.

Trevor Noah plays pickleball with Singaporeans, including Jaime Teo

Trevor Noah played pickleball with local enthusiasts at The Sports Arena in Singapore while in town for performances from Nov. 3 to 5. Actress Jaime Teo said on Instagram that Noah was an encouraging partner, though the pair lost their match.

Pickleball coach Eddie Ong posted about two days of rallies and trash talk with Noah. Player Joshua Seow described a back-and-forth match and praised Noah’s quick hands, according to CNA Lifestyle.

Alex and Lee Yongxian win first team event together

Taiwanese entertainers Alex and his wife, Lee Yongxian, won the over-50s division with teammates at the first National MILP Age-Group International Team Pickleball Tournament. It was their first team competition, according to Liberty Entertainment.

Lee said she practices for four or five hours at a time and once suffered a foot muscle tear while playing. The injury did not lessen her enthusiasm for the sport, the reports said.

Hanoi autumn tennis and pickleball tournament draws nearly 500

The fifth Hanoi Autumn Tennis and Pickleball Tournament ran from Nov. 5 to 7, with nearly 500 players expected from across Vietnam, Báo Xây dựng reported. The event featured eight categories: one for tennis and seven for pickleball.

Pickleball teams played round-robin matches, with the top two teams in each group advancing to the knockout rounds. The finals were scheduled for Nov. 7.

Dill Dinkers clubs in Maryland move to local ownership

John and Condit Lyon acquired Dill Dinkers’ Columbia, North Bethesda and Rockville clubs in Maryland, moving the three locations from company ownership to local franchise ownership. The Lyons also secured development rights for the remaining available territory in Maryland, which could support up to seven additional clubs over the next decade, Franchising.com reported.

Dill Dinkers co-founder Will Richards said the original Columbia club helped the company develop its operating model and community-focused approach. The company said the ownership shift will allow its corporate team to focus more on supporting and expanding its franchise system.