Moments that Made The Year: A Season in Four Flavors

The 2026 calendar is out. Ten stops, including a Slam in Hong Kong worth up to US$1.1 million. It’s about to get real.

But before the dragon takes flight, let’s look back. The inaugural PPA Tour Asia season delivered more drama than anyone could have scripted — rivalries forged over seven tournaments, household names touching down in Asia, hometown heroes delivering for hometown crowds, and a few results that nobody saw coming.

Here are the moments that made 2025.

THE SINGLES RACE

Two players spent the 2025 season knocking on the door. Both finally kicked it down.

Sahra Dennehy couldn’t buy a break in the first half of the season. Fourth at the Sansan Fukuoka Open. Then a gut-wrenching three-game final loss to Yufei Long at the MB Vietnam Open — the kind of defeat that either breaks a season or builds one.

It built one. Dennehy came back and won the MB Vietnam Cup, then did it again at the Vibrant Linping Hangzhou Open. Back-to-back titles to close the year. Long had owned the early season with three golds across the Panas Malaysia Open, Sansan Fukuoka Open, and MB Vietnam Open. Dennehy owned the finish. Bookmark this one for 2026.

On the men’s side, Hoang Nam Ly spent the season collecting medals in every colour but gold. Bronze in Hong Kong Open. Silver in Vietnam. Bronze in Malaysia. Bronze again in Vietnam. Four podiums, zero titles.

Then came Hangzhou — and the last singles final of 2025. Ly ground past top seed Federico Staksrud in a tense semifinal — 11-7, 12-10 in the second game — arguably the upset of the tournament — to reach the final. Waiting for him: Hong Kit Wong. This time, Ly left nothing to chance. 11-4, 11-4. A statement written in scoreline. Four podiums of near-misses, then gold when it mattered most.

HOME GROUND BUFF

Something about a home crowd just hits different. The 2025 data backs it up.

Hong Kit Wong delivered the moment of the Hong Kong Open. In the Men’s Singles final, Wong took down Giang Trinh in a battle that went the distance — 11-9, 4-11, 11-9. It was the kind of scoreline that had the crowd holding their breath. Gold in Hong Kong. For a Hong Kong, China player. The script wrote itself.

In Vietnam, Phuc Huynh made home court advantage look like a cheat code. He won the Men’s Singles title at the MB Vietnam Open, then came back and did it again at the MB Vietnam Cup. Two events, two golds, zero doubt.

But the most remarkable stat from the Vietnam stops? At the Open, the entire men’s singles medal podium was Vietnamese. Huynh, Hoang Nam Ly, Hien Truong, Giang Trinh. Top four, all local; a complete hometown lockout.

STAR POWER ARRIVES

The biggest names in pickleball made the trip to Asia and they didn’t disappoint.

Connor Garnett went to the Sansan Fukuoka Open and left with everything. Men’s Singles gold. Men’s Doubles gold with Tyler Loong. Mixed Doubles gold with Allyce Jones. Three titles at one tournament. Asia’s first triple crown in the books.

Then the headliners arrived. Anna Bright and Ben Johns touched down at the Panas Malaysia Cup and did exactly what star power is supposed to do — dominated. The pair cruised to Mixed Doubles gold, dismantling the final 11-2, 11-3. Johns also reached the Men’s Doubles final alongside Christian Alshon, falling in a tight three-gamer to Oncins and McGuffin. He was back again at the MB Vietnam Cup, picking up Men’s Doubles bronze with Dekel Bar.

Two tournaments. Multiple medal rounds. The world’s best showing up on the Asia stage and proving that this tour is the real deal. That matters.

UPSETS

Every season needs its “wait, what?” moments. 2025 had a few good ones.

At the Panas Malaysia Cup, Anna Bright — the No.2 ranked Women’s Doubles player in the world — entered alongside Roos Van Reek. On paper, a quarterfinal should have been a formality. Nicola Schoeman and Danni-Elle Townsend didn’t read the paper. The duo from Down Under ended up on top. The Australian pair sent them packing 11-6, 11-3.

Then there was Hangzhou. Connor Garnett — a constant fixture in the world’s top five for Men’s Singles — arrived as the reigning Fukuoka triple crown winner. Hong Kit Wong sent him home in the quarterfinals, 11-4, 11-3. A scoreline that reads like a typo.

Hangzhou also produced one of the most unlikely titles of the season. Hien Truong — a singles specialist all year — teamed up with Quan Do to take the Men’s Doubles gold. They dropped the first game to Staksrud and Bhatia, then flipped the switch and took the next two 11-6, 11-5. A partnership nobody had circled pre-tournament walking away with hardware.

And the upset that set up the feel-good finish to the season: Hoang Nam Ly’s semifinal win over Staksrud at Hangzhou. A month earlier, Staksrud had won the Jenius World Championships Men’s Singles title. He’d been sitting at world No.1 in singles for much of 2025. Ly had to grind out a 12-10 second game to stop him. He did. Then he went out and handily dismantled Wong in the final for the title.

Seven tournaments. Seven cities. One inaugural season in the books. 

But it’s a new year and even more pickleball is loading. The rivalries are set, the storylines are loaded, and the 2026 dragon is ready to fly.