Singapore is making ready to host its most important pickleball occasion but, the Leapmotor Singapore Open 2026, and the thrill across the match suggests the Republic is just getting began. Scheduled for July 23–26 on the Sports activities Arina @ Expo, the Skilled Pickleball Affiliation (PPA) Asia 500 cease will usher in prime expertise, a sizeable prize pool of US$70,000 (S$90,500), and a transparent sign that the game’s regional progress is accelerating.
Malaysia’s No. 1 participant Jimmy Liong, who will compete within the occasion, believes Singapore is destined for even larger issues. “Asia is certainly rising, and Singapore as effectively, and so they (PPA) are bringing such a giant match,” he stated. “Regardless that it’s not the most important, but it surely’s a PPA cease and it’s a cease the place execs play. I met a couple of companions of PPA in Singapore, and I imagine it’s going to occur eventually. Perhaps not in a 12 months, possibly not in two years, however positively it can occur.”
Liong’s optimism is shared by organisers. Kimberly Koh, managing director of United Pickleball Affiliation (UPA) Asia—the mother or father firm of the PPA Tour—confirmed that the Singapore Open is “not a one-off.” She pointed to the nation’s infrastructure, occasion administration, and its function as a hub for gamers throughout the area. “A 12 months or two in the past, the thought of operating a serious skilled match right here would have appeared untimely,” Koh defined. “The truth that we will do it now, and do it effectively, tells you one thing about how briskly issues have shifted throughout Asia.”
The Singapore Open follows April’s PPA Asia 125 occasion, which served as a stepping stone for native gamers. Koh outlined a deliberate construction: entry-level tournaments feeding into mid-tier occasions just like the Singapore Open, after which the marquee showcases such because the Hanoi Cup, Kuala Lumpur Cup, and Hong Kong Slam. The goal is obvious—create a pathway for Asian athletes to climb into the worldwide skilled ranks.
For Jimmy Liong, who transitioned from tennis to pickleball simply three years in the past, the journey has been swift. He was a part of the inaugural batch of UPA Trailblazers coaching in the US, alongside Singaporean Ryan Ng, who can even function on the Open. Liong now balances his profession with operating a sports activities tools store, however his focus is firmly on competitors. “Lots of people are slowly turning professional, all because of sponsors believing in us and giving us this chance to play as a profession,” he stated. “With the PPA Asia 500 coming right here, it’s positively a tremendous feeling, as a result of Singapore appears like house as effectively and I’m positively excited to play and characterize Malaysia.”
Native expertise can even be on show. Singaporean Charles Yong, winner of the PPA Asia 125 occasion earlier this 12 months, joins the sphere, underscoring the mix of execs and amateurs that makes pickleball’s rise so compelling.
The stage is about. For Singapore, the Leapmotor Open is greater than only a match—it’s a assertion of intent, an indication that the Republic is able to develop into a fixture on pickleball’s international map.
