The Labor Day weekend, in addition to featuring both a PPA and an APP domestic event (in Las Vegas and Chicago respectively), played host to one of the PPA tour Asia’s first major events, the 2025 Sansan Fukuoka Open, held in Fukuoka on the southern tip of Japan.
Nearly 600 players primarily from Asia and the South Pacific competed, as did a few top-20 regular PPA touring pros based in America. This is a quick recap of the performance of the visiting American pros and a highlight of some of the top names in Asia who made noise at this event.
By the end of the weekend, Connor Garnett had secured a triple crown, but the salient takeaway should be the advancement of pros from Australia, Taiwan, mainland China, Vietnam, and elsewhere in the Asia Pacific Rim, who got solid wins over top PPA pros in multiple disciplines.
Men’s Pro Singles Recap
To little surprise, Connor Garnett (currently ranked No. 3 on tour) took the pro singles title in Japan, though he certainly didn’t breeze to the title. In the final, he went a game down to the No. 2 seed and top-ranked player in Asia Phuc Huynh, who made the semis of the PPA Australia event earlier this year. However, Garnett rallied to take the title.
Tyler Loong, who isn’t well known for his singles acumen, was upset in the first round Honolulu-based Tama Shimabukuro, a 14-yr old phenom who’s been winning local tournaments and entering west-coast based pro events for months.
Women’s Pro Singles Recap
PPA Tour Asia
Like Loong, Allyce Jones is a veteran tour player known more for her doubles acumen than her singles play. She was upset in the first round by Taiwanese player Yu-Chieh Hsieh, who then made a spirited run on the back of that win to the final, where she fell to the bracket’s top seed Yufei Long. Long’s title should be no surprise; in San Clemente earlier this year she topped PPA touring regulars Blatt and Schaefer to make the pro quarters before stretching multi-gold medal winner Christian to three games.
Mixed Pro Doubles Recap
Jones and Garnett paired up and cruised to the Mixed gold title with little resistance; they topped Len Yang and Ting Chieh Wei in the final, who both medaled in other draws this weekend. Interestingly, Loong and singles star Pei Chuan Kao paired up to form the #2 seeds in the draw, but were upset right out of the gate by the same precocious 14yr old Tama Shimabukuro who beat Loong in singles. Two solid Aussies in Danni-Elle Townsend and Lucas Pascoe took the bronze.
Clearly Shimabukuro is a name to watch for going forward. Anytime a 14-yr old gets wins over a veteran pro, people should take note.
Men’s Pro Doubles Recap
Garnett & Loong, who have played together all year in MLP and are quarterfinal regulars in the pro tour, won the gold medal with relative ease, beating two regulars on the Asian pro circuit, Japan’s Kenta Miyoshi and Australia’s Robert Stirling, in the final. Along the way, the top pair had to deal with Thomas Yu and Len Yang, well-traveled US-based players who made a name for themselves at the 2025 US Open earlier this year.
Women’s Pro Doubles Recap
PPA Tour Asia
The top-ranked PPA pro in the draw Allyce Jones teamed with Taiwanese star Pei Chuan Kao as the No. 1 seeds in this draw, a pairing that looked like a lock to win. Jones is a long-time top doubles player, while Kao has exploded onto the scene in 2025 by winning multiple medals on the APP, including a Gold in Pro Singles in April. However, they were upended in the semis by eventual winners Ting Chieh Wei & Yufei Long, who made a name for themselves back in June by dropping into the PPA Orange County cup and making a huge run to the pro doubles quarters.
Wei & Long beat two top Australians Danni-Elle Townsend and Nicola Schoeman for the title.
Next up for the PPA Asian tour? According to my Master Pickleball Schedule, there’s two PPA Asia events planned in early October; the China Slam ending on 10/5/25 and then the Kuala Lumpur Cup the week following on 10/12/25. Based on a back to back schedule, we may see a few more domestic players make the trip and stay for both, though there is a cup-level event competing with the Malaysian event in Virginia Beach.
At the time of the announcement, the PPA also had plans for a Canadian (Toronto) and an England-based event, though both now seem cancelled. Nonetheless, it’s great to see more international events and more progress from International pros.
SportsMoney, /sportsmoney, Business, /business, standard The Labor Day weekend, in addition to featuring both a PPA and an APP domestic event (in Las Vegas and Chicago respectively), played host to one of the PPA tour Asia’s first major events, the 2025 Sansan Fukuoka Open, held in Fukuoka on the southern tip of Japan.
Nearly 600 players primarily from Asia and the South Pacific competed, as did a few top-20 regular PPA touring pros based in America. This is a quick recap of the performance of the visiting American pros and a highlight of some of the top names in Asia who made noise at this event.
By the end of the weekend, Connor Garnett had secured a triple crown, but the salient takeaway should be the advancement of pros from Australia, Taiwan, mainland China, Vietnam, and elsewhere in the Asia Pacific Rim, who got solid wins over top PPA pros in multiple disciplines.
Men’s Pro Singles Recap
To little surprise, Connor Garnett (currently ranked No. 3 on tour) took the pro singles title in Japan, though he certainly didn’t breeze to the title. In the final, he went a game down to the No. 2 seed and top-ranked player in Asia Phuc Huynh, who made the semis of the PPA Australia event earlier this year. However, Garnett rallied to take the title.
Tyler Loong, who isn’t well known for his singles acumen, was upset in the first round Honolulu-based Tama Shimabukuro, a 14-yr old phenom who’s been winning local tournaments and entering west-coast based pro events for months.
Women’s Pro Singles RecapLong Yufei takes the Singles title.PPA Tour Asia
Like Loong, Allyce Jones is a veteran tour player known more for her doubles acumen than her singles play. She was upset in the first round by Taiwanese player Yu-Chieh Hsieh, who then made a spirited run on the back of that win to the final, where she fell to the bracket’s top seed Yufei Long. Long’s title should be no surprise; in San Clemente earlier this year she topped PPA touring regulars Blatt and Schaefer to make the pro quarters before stretching multi-gold medal winner Christian to three games.
Mixed Pro Doubles Recap
Jones and Garnett paired up and cruised to the Mixed gold title with little resistance; they topped Len Yang and Ting Chieh Wei in the final, who both medaled in other draws this weekend. Interestingly, Loong and singles star Pei Chuan Kao paired up to form the #2 seeds in the draw, but were upset right out of the gate by the same precocious 14yr old Tama Shimabukuro who beat Loong in singles. Two solid Aussies in Danni-Elle Townsend and Lucas Pascoe took the bronze.
Clearly Shimabukuro is a name to watch for going forward. Anytime a 14-yr old gets wins over a veteran pro, people should take note.
Men’s Pro Doubles Recap
Garnett & Loong, who have played together all year in MLP and are quarterfinal regulars in the pro tour, won the gold medal with relative ease, beating two regulars on the Asian pro circuit, Japan’s Kenta Miyoshi and Australia’s Robert Stirling, in the final. Along the way, the top pair had to deal with Thomas Yu and Len Yang, well-traveled US-based players who made a name for themselves at the 2025 US Open earlier this year.
Women’s Pro Doubles RecapWei and Long take the doubles title.PPA Tour Asia
The top-ranked PPA pro in the draw Allyce Jones teamed with Taiwanese star Pei Chuan Kao as the No. 1 seeds in this draw, a pairing that looked like a lock to win. Jones is a long-time top doubles player, while Kao has exploded onto the scene in 2025 by winning multiple medals on the APP, including a Gold in Pro Singles in April. However, they were upended in the semis by eventual winners Ting Chieh Wei & Yufei Long, who made a name for themselves back in June by dropping into the PPA Orange County cup and making a huge run to the pro doubles quarters.
Wei & Long beat two top Australians Danni-Elle Townsend and Nicola Schoeman for the title.
Next up for the PPA Asian tour? According to my Master Pickleball Schedule, there’s two PPA Asia events planned in early October; the China Slam ending on 10/5/25 and then the Kuala Lumpur Cup the week following on 10/12/25. Based on a back to back schedule, we may see a few more domestic players make the trip and stay for both, though there is a cup-level event competing with the Malaysian event in Virginia Beach.
At the time of the announcement, the PPA also had plans for a Canadian (Toronto) and an England-based event, though both now seem cancelled. Nonetheless, it’s great to see more international events and more progress from International pros.
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