PPA lands in China on National Day

The Pickleball Association of Asia (UPA Asia) recently announced that the first season of the 2025 PPA Tour Asia will be officially launched. This tour will cover core Asian regions such as Malaysia, China, and Japan, with a total of five events and a total prize pool of over 10 million US dollars, marking a new stage in the large-scale development of pickleball in Asia.

The first stop, the Panas Kuala Lumpur Open, will be held in Malaysia from July 3 to 6, 2025. After that, the tour will enter a busy schedule in East Asia: the Hong Kong Open will be held from August 21 to 24, and the Sansan Fukuoka Open will be held in Japan from August 26 to 31. The climax of the season will be the China Slam held in China from October 1 to 5, when the world's top players will gather in China. The Kuala Lumpur Cup will return to Malaysia from October 9 to 12.

The PPA Asia Tour adopts a three-level tournament system: Grand Slam (Slam): a single station offers 2,000 points and approximately US$1 million in prize money, bringing together top professional players from the United States, Australia and Asia; Cup: a single station offers 1,500 points and US$500,000 in prize money, focusing on regional professional players and rising stars; Open: a single station offers 1,000 points and at least US$50,000 in prize money, aiming to cultivate local talents in Asia.

Kimberly Koh, Managing Director of UPA Asia, said: “Through the PPA Asian Tour, we are committed to bringing world-class pickleball events to Asia’s fastest-growing markets. From Malaysia to China, these events not only showcase the best of the competition, but also create new opportunities for players and fans. The ‘China Grand Slam’ will also be incorporated into the UPA International Champions Series, becoming an important cornerstone of pickleball’s global presence.”

The events announced so far are the first round of the 2025 season, and more information will be announced later. Players can accumulate points by participating in the competition and compete for the top spot in the PPA Asia Tour annual ranking.