From April 1 to 5, 2026, held at the My Dinh Indoor Arena in Hanoi, Vietnam,PPA Tourthe Asian “MB Hanoi Cup” finished its full schedule on the 5th. Amid a fierce battle for the top seed, Anna Leigh Waters, in her first-ever appearance at an Asian international tournament, reached the finals in two events—women’s doubles and mixed doubles.Ben JohnsHer pair stood at the top in two events, men’s doubles and mixed doubles, in a tournament where the world’s top players clashed on an Asian stage for the first time. Here is the full picture of a tournament Japanese pickleball players should note.
MB Hanoi Cup 2026 final results
| Event | Winning pair | Runner-up pair |
|---|---|---|
| Mixed doubles | ベン・ジョンズ & アンナ・リー・ウォーターズ | クリスチャン・アルション & ケイトリン・クリスチャン |
| Women’s doubles | Anna Bright & Anna Leigh Waters | Catherine Parenteau & Hurricane Tyra Black |
| Men's Doubles | Ben Johns & Gabe Tardio | ヘイデン・パトリキン & フェデリコ・スタクスラッド |
* Women’s singles and men’s singles results can be checked on the official tournament website.
Anna Leigh Waters in her “first-ever Asian international tournament appearance”
For Anna Leigh Waters, ranked No. 1 in women’s singles, the MB Hanoi Cup was her first international tournament appearance. The sight of her, called “the queen of pickleball,” playing at a packed venue was widely reported within Vietnam too, andvietnam.vna feature article was also put together here.
There was also a notable move on the sponsorship front. It was also officialized at this tournament that Waters ended her contract with longtime sponsor Paddletek and newly signed a long-term sponsorship agreement with Franklin Pickleball.
The significance of the PPA Tour’s first Asian edition
The special point of this tournament is that it was “the PPA Tour’s first Asian event.”
- Number of registered participants: about 800 in total across pro and amateur
- Prize scale: up to 300,000 dollars in the pro division (awarding up to 1,000 PPA ranking points)
- Broadcast: aired on the PPA Tour Asia YouTube channel, PickleballTV, FPT Play (Vietnam), TBS Sports (Japan), and True Vision Now (Thailand)
A live broadcast was also carried on TBS Sports from Japan, and combined with the rapid increase in Japan’s pickleball population (about 45,000 as of 2026), it confirmed that interest in Asian tournaments is rising.
The official ball isJOOLA the HC-40—the “slower than the U.S.” issue
The official ball adopted for this tournament was the JOOLA HC-40. Several pro players commented that it was “considerably slower” compared with the ball used on the U.S. PPA Tour, and there were scenes where U.S.-based players struggled early in matches.
This is actually suggestive information for amateur players. Many of the balls popular in Japan have specs close to the JOOLA HC-40 (relatively slow, control-focused), and there are cases where players who practice with the U.S. tour as a reference feel “why is the ball at international tournaments different?” Understanding the nature of the ball used and designing practice around it is important for participating in tournaments in Asia.
The next PPA Tour Asia event—the notable host site
The full PPA Tour Asia 2026 schedule after the MB Hanoi Cup has not yet been made public, but according to industry insiders, Japan, South Korea, and India are named as candidate sites. In Japan too,The Picklr announced a 20-facility expansion,and infrastructure development is advancing at a rapid pace. Attracting an international tournament is likely a matter of time.
Summary—Asian pickleball finally gets going in earnest
The MB Hanoi Cup may become a tournament carved into later pickleball history as “the match where the world’s best clashed in Asia for the first time.” A scale of nearly 800 participants, 300,000 dollars in prize money, and simultaneous live broadcasts in multiple countries was unimaginable five years ago. For players competing at home, an Asian international tournament is no longer “a distant story.”
Those who want to enjoy the matches more deeply should also refer tothe 2026 paddle trend report.For facility information in Japan, please also seethe article on The Picklr announcing a 20-facility expansion in Japanandand the Pickleball Base Osaka April-opening information..
Reference information
– The Dink Pickleball: MB Hanoi Cup tournament preview
– PPA Tour Asia official
– pickleball.com: Anna Leigh Waters’s first international event
