A Breakout Year for the Paddle: 9 Moments That Defined Pickleball in Asia in 2025 – Pickleball News Asia
If 2024 was the year pickleball knocked on Asia’s door, then 2025 was the year it kicked it wide ope
With that being said, here are nine standout moments that defined pickleball in Asia in the year that was:
With pickleball’s explosive growth in Asia, it was only a matter of time before the PPA Tour focused more on this side of the world. It finally happened in 2025, with the PPA Tour Asia holding its inaugural event, the Panas Malaysia Open 2025, back in June. Granted, it was far from perfect, but it was a start nonetheless, and it marked the beginning of what would turn out to be a successful first season for the PPA Tour Asia.
What made Season 1 of the PPA Tour Asia even more memorable was the tour bringing some of the sport’s best and brightest to the continent, including the pickleball GOAT himself, Ben Johns. But it wasn’t just him. Other pickleball luminaries who came over and competed in the PPA Tour Asia included Christian Alshon, Anna Bright, Connor Garnett, Kaitlyn Christian, Tyson McGuffin, Eric Oncins, and Federico Staksrud.
Aside from bringing over the PPA Tour Asia, the United Pickleball Association (UPA) also opened the inaugural UPA Asia Trailblazers Programme, which UPA Asia Managing Director Kimberly Koh aptly described as a “search for Asia’s next pickleball stars”. This initiative’s ultimate goal—to find Asia’s next stars—has proven to be a smashing success, paving the way for notable names like Jimmy Liong (Malaysia), Yufei Long (China), and Marco Leung (Macau) to level up their games and carve a pathway to stardom.
Speaking of Asia’s next pickleball stars, it cannot be denied that Hong Kong’s Jack Wong Hong-kit and China’s Yufei Long have emerged as two of the continent’s very best. The two currently sit at no. 1 in the Men’s and Women’s Singles categories of the PPA Tour Asia after several podium finishes. Vietnam’s Hoang Nam Ly and Phuc Huynh finished nos. 2 and 3 in Men’s Singles, while Australia’s Sahra Dennehy and Roos van Reek finished no. 2 and no. 3, respectively, on the distaff side.
The MB Vietnam Cup 2025 left beautiful memories, notably a thrilling Championship Saturday witnessed by 7,906 fans who packed the Tien Son Sport Centre in Da Nang. That number, of course, is now in the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest attendance at a pickleball event, proving the sport’s explosive growth knows no borders. The official announcement made during the closing ceremony in Da Nang by adjudicator Austin Johnson overturned the previous record that stood at 5,522. Da Nang didn’t just break it—they obliterated it.
Perhaps fittingly, Vietnam’s Ly and Hong Kong’s Hong-kit authored arguably the two biggest wins in Asian pickleball this year: Ly’s massive upset of world no. 2 Federico Staksrud in the semifinals of the Hangzhou Open 2025 and Hong-kit’s shock win over world no. 4 Connor Garnett in the quarter-finals of the same tournament. Those twin stunners did not just wow the fans in China; they also proved that Asia’s best can hang with the world’s best—and beat them, too, as it turns out.
In May 2025, Pickleball Champions League Asia (PCL Asia) launched the first Asian-based semi-professional pickleball championship, PCL Asia 2025, involving seven pioneering countries, including Malaysia, China, Vietnam, and the Philippines. The Philippines ultimately emerged as the first-ever PCL Asia champions after beating Vietnam, 3–0, in the finals of the inaugural season. PCL Asia launched Season 2 months later, and after several weeks of thrilling pickleball competitions across different countries, another champion was crowned: China’s Team Zhuhai, who bested Team Shenyang in an all-China final.
In November 2025, India launched the Indian Pickleball League (IPBL), which the Indian Pickleball Association (IPA) touted as the nation’s first lifestyle sports league sanctioned by the IPA and recognised by the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs. The tournament took place in the first week of December and brought together many of Asia’s best professionals, including Quang Duong and Phuc Huynh of Vietnam. After a week of thrilling pickleball action, the Duong-led Mumbai Smashers won the title in dramatic fashion, coming back from dead last to champions with standout performances when it mattered most. Duong, fittingly, was named male MVP of the tournament after going unbeaten.
Duong, incidentally, was only able to play in the IPBL because he is a free agent. This development came after Asia’s unquestioned top player was released by the PPA Tour earlier this year for what the organisation described as repeated breaches of contract. Since that termination, Duong has mostly competed in “smaller” tournaments in Asia, but he appears to be enjoying the freedom of doing whatever he pleases—whenever and wherever.
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These moments tell a bigger story than just wins, rankings, or titles. They show an Asian pickleball scene that is no longer content with simply participating but is now shaping its own identity within the global game. The arrival of major tours, the rise of regional leagues, and the emergence of fearless Asian stars all point to a future where Asia is not just a stop on the pickleball calendar, but a genuine powerhouse in its own right. If 2025 was the breakthrough, then the years ahead promise even bigger stages, louder crowds, and far more unforgettable moments for pickleball in Asia.
